Homelessness and temporary accommodation at crisis point?
Almost every local authority in the UK is currently facing a crippling housing crisis.
Quality social housing shouldn’t feel impossible.
Expensive private landlords are draining our budgets
Financial and planning constraints put large social housing programmes out of reach
Your small sites don’t offer viable options for housing associations and developers
Meanwhile, your most vulnerable citizens are forced into substandard housing or even onto the streets. It’s a perfect storm that, despite your best efforts, can make finding a solution feel hopeless.
Local authorities should be able to provide enough safe, secure and comfortable homes for those in housing need.
Cornerstone Place finally puts that within your grasp.
Fenland District Council
"Collaborating with Cornerstone Place has been a game-changer for Fenland District Council. They took on the challenging task of converting a derelict property—one that local Registered Providers had overlooked—into nine secure and comfortable homes for individuals at risk of homelessness. Their ability to transform neglected spaces into vital community assets demonstrates their tenacious and impact focussed approach to deliver homes for people in need.
Cornerstone Place consistently approaches our projects with a blend of creativity and compliance, ensuring that all initiatives meet regulatory standards while addressing the unique needs of our community. Their out-of-the-box thinking has been invaluable in developing innovative strategies to reduce the cost of temporary accommodation within our district. Notably, their creativity and project delivery have resulted in significant savings for the council, even in cases where Cornerstone Place did not receive direct benefits.
Beyond project execution, Cornerstone Place has been a crucial partner in reviewing and refining some of our housing initiatives. Their proactive support and strategic insights have empowered us to enhance our services and achieve our objectives more efficiently. We highly value their partnership and look forward to continuing our collaboration to support and uplift our community.”
Dan Horn, Assistant Director
Revolutionising affordable social housing, one small site at a time.
No one should face the unimaginable dilemma of who is left on the streets and who gets a safe place to stay at night. Yet that’s the excruciating daily reality for many housing officers.
We set up Cornerstone Place to provide a better, more ethical way for local authorities to meet their housing need. Our certified social enterprise is transforming social housing provision by delivering small-site housing projects at cost with full transparency. This provides local authorities with affordable permanent, high-quality, sustainable homes for those in most need.
Put an end to selling off your land and buildings. Instead, we’ll provide you with income-generating assets that will serve your communities proudly for generations to come.
De-risk projects with no upfront exploratory costs.
Turn unused small sites and buildings into quality homes.
Eliminate urgent housing needs and regenerate your communities.
Our proven process to END the housing shortage in the UK
Case study
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Case study
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Case study
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We drive impactful change with lived experience at our core.
Cornerstone Place was established in 2019 after co-founder David Ball witnessed first-hand the damage and devastation that homelessness causes when his own father spent several years living on the streets. That experience drives our purpose in building a social enterprise that reduces the suffering of people and their families facing similar challenges.
David, with 20+ years’ experience in the property industry, and co-founder Richard Kennedy, with 25+ years of not-for-profit, social investment, corporate and hospitality experience, have developed a unique, game-changing approach to social housing which is already driving impactful change.
20 years of social sector experience
40 years of property and construction experience
Lived experience of homelessness
We believe in a world where everyone deserves a great place to call home and in sustainable, self-reliant communities.
There is enough money.
There is enough land.
There is enough demand.
And there are phenomenal support charities in the UK to remedy this situation.
We help pull all these threads together to create high-quality and affordable social housing. The homes stay in the public or charitable sectors without the need for punitive leases or other extractive structures.
Cornerstone Place has a proven IMPACT delivery model and an 8-point Guarantee to get you there.
But There Is A Solution
How Cornerstone Place makes social housing projects affordable.
We offer an initial exploration phase at no cost to the local authority. This includes site identification, financial analysis, and preliminary due diligence.
Pro Bono Initial Exploration Phase
We charge a flat fee of 4% of the project cost (excluding purchase and finance costs) to ensure full transparency and no hidden fees. This fee structure is significantly lower than industry standards. (Some architects charge 5%+ just for the drawings.)
Transparent Fee Structure
Every project is different and we understand the importance of on-balance sheet and off-balance sheet financial models. We help facilitate the different ways of funding projects with the overall aim always being to put the assets in the hands of impact makers
On-Balance Sheet and Off-Balance Sheet Solutions
Cost Recovery Guarantee
In the event of successful planning approval and the project proceeding, we will include all planning costs in the overall project budget, ensuring no sunk costs for the local authority.
Psychologically informed environments.
Modern Methods of Construction employed.
High-quality Net Zero new homes delivered.
All projects delivered at cost – no developer profit.
Warm, inviting, high-quality homes - responsibly built, for the people who need them most.
Comprehensive Project Management
From concept to keys, we manage every aspect of the development process, including raising finance where appropriate, planning, and liaising with key stakeholders.
Risk Mitigation and Planning Collaboration
We engage with local planning authorities early in the process to minimise the risk of planning issues and ensure a smooth approval process.
Needs-Led Housing Solutions
Our housing solutions are tailored to meet specific local needs, whether it’s for general social housing or specialised accommodations like wheelchair-accessible homes or housing for individuals with mental health challenges.
Local Engagement and Economic Support
We prioritise hiring local project managers, contractors and consultants to ensure that the economic benefits of the project stay within the community. It also gives us a layer of separation from those professionals, ensuring we can hold them to account on your behalf.
Our proven process to END the housing shortage in the UK
As part of our proven process, we’ll review available sites, take time to understand the property type(s) most needed in the area, develop a clear financial model and cashflow forecast and review the long-term viability of your site – all on a pro bono basis
Step 1. Exploration
Step 2. Navigation
We’ll work with local professionals, including quantity surveyors and architects, to conduct site investigations, draw up designs and cost plans, and secure planning permission. We’ll have regular meetings throughout the process – involving housing officers from an early stage.
We’ll tender works to local suppliers, conduct value engineering and maximise the social value of the site, enter fixed price contracts and see the construction programme up to handover.
Step 3. Delivery
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Stepping Stone Projects
“Stepping Stone Projects have been working closely with CP since just before the pandemic. They initially helped us successfully and quickly access and utilise dispersed homes for homeless people to live in as part of the “Everyone In Programme”.
Since then we have successfully worked together with various other partners on several projects to provide much needed supported accommodation to those at risk of homelessness. These include the acquisition and renovation of grouped accommodation and most recently an ambitious new build project of 14 homes using modern building techniques.
CP are driven by a desire to make a difference, do the right thing and to help charities like ours deliver on our purpose and mission. They are innovative, resilient and resourceful solution finders that we know we can work with in an honest and open way. If there is a way to make it happen they will find it.”
David Smith, Chief Executive
YMCA Trinity Group
“We began our collaboration with Cornerstone Place in December 2020 and launched our first project together in March 2022.
From the outset, Cornerstone Place has impressed us with their unique, impact-driven approach combined with meticulous numerical analysis tailored for lenders and Trustees. Their proactive and resilient delivery ethos ensures that challenges are addressed head-on, resulting in unlocking new homes and long term impact for our clients.
Cornerstone Place has become an important part of our team, enabling YMCA Trinity Group to expand our housing offerings creatively and in alignment with our core values. Their partnership has been vital in helping us provide additional housing and support to the people we serve.”
Amanda Butterworth, Chief Operating Officer
Impact Nights Under Contract
4,806,209
Pre-Construction Homes
84
Impact Bed Nights Delivered
17,262
The change you’ve worked so hard for no longer has to feel out of reach.
When you’re at the sharp end of the housing crisis it’s easy to feel like there’s no hope of finding a way forward. We’ve proven that doesn’t have to be the story. Let Cornerstone Place provide you with permanent and affordable solutions to your housing need. Schedule a call today to find out how you
