Vulnerable Families Benefiting From Empty Homes Scheme

A Leeds mum who says she was on the housing waiting list for 10 years has praised the city’s empty homes scheme for giving her somewhere safe to bring up her children.

“I moved out of a place of disrepair,” says Sarah Bay.

“It had mould, dripping ceilings, leaking gas, no heating or hot water – it was a nightmare.”

The mum of two was put in touch with LATCH, which is one of the organisations working to renovate empty homes for vulnerable people to move into.

“For LATCH to come in and say ‘we can take you out of the danger you’re in at the moment’ was a big relief for me and my husband,” she says.

“I didn’t know who to turn to originally. But LATCH pitched in and gave us a fantastic home. They gave us carpets and curtains, white goods like the washing machine, beds, and everyday living things that you need to run a house.”

Since the Leeds Empty Homes Scheme launched five years ago, 2,000 empty properties have become homes to families.

Sarah says it got her life back on track: “I feel safe. It’s cosy. You’ve got proper fire alarms in here, central heating, running hot water. I don’t have any complaints to them at all.

“It gives lots of people not only the opportunity to be able to start a family home, but to start a life.”

This week marks national Empty Homes week, and Leeds City Council is raising awareness of initiatives like LATCH to help bring empty properties back into use. Councillor Peter Gruen, who’s responsible for neighbourhoods, planning and support services said: “Bringing empty homes back into use is a top 10 priority for the council and over the past two years we’ve invested significant funding to support work to achieve this. “We know these properties can cause a blight to local communities and with so many people needing affordable housing it is a great way to make sure more families can get a home which is a decent standard. It is a ‘win win’ for all concerned.” Next year, the council aims to reduce the number of empty properties by eight per cent, which is double the national trend.