Surveys launch asking for views on Cornwall's 'housing challenges'
Cornwall Council says the results will help to shape its housing strategy going forward
Two new surveys have launched asking for people's views on the most important housing challenges facing Cornwall.
Cornwall Council says addressing the issues is a key priority and that the results will help shape its housing strategy in the coming months and years.
The first survey will help inform the Housing Crisis Plan to respond to the housing pressures in Cornwall, including addressing issues around availability and affordability.
The plan will set out a series of actions to be taken by the council and its housing partners, working with communities over the next year to ensure that Cornwall’s housing market enables residents to secure a home they can afford.
Secondly, the Council is reviewing its Housing Strategy, with resident feedback a key part of that process. 
The strategy looks at the priorities for homes for the rest of this decade, and provides a framework for other plans, strategies and projects.
Initial engagement was carried out earlier this year and now the team is building on that work by producing a draft strategy, which will be consulted upon formally over the winter.
Councillor Olly Monk, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning, said: “We have been working hard to address the housing issues we are facing, and these two surveys will add to our understanding of what residents and stakeholders think about the challenges we face. 
“Everyone in Cornwall deserves a safe and secure home in which to live and the feedback we receive will help us to continue to shape what we do to make that happen.”
In relation to the Housing Crisis Plan, residents are being asked seven questions around the immediate housing issues. Responses can be submitted via Responding to Cornwall’s Housing Crisis until midnight on Friday October 29th.
The survey on the Housing Strategy is open until 5pm on Monday November 8th, and can also be completed via Let’s Talk Homes. 
The Council says it is working to address housing pressures in a variety of ways, including the purchase and refurbishment of disused properties and the expanded provision of emergency accommodation in Truro and Camborne. 
A landmark modular homes project is also under way at Cowlins Mill, Pool, as well as the new Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub in Truro.  
The Council also continues to work to:  
• Buy homes for social housing  
• Build more Council houses
• Support the provision of more affordable homes by housing associations for local people to rent or buy  
• Ensure sites deliver affordable housing through the planning process 
• Unlock the potential for town centres to be regenerated to provide more housing  
• Support community-led organisations that want to deliver their own homes  
• Offer loans to bring empty homes back into use