Brook House in Acton to become UK’s first women-only social housing block
A new housing block in west London currently under construction will be a "UK first" in providing homes exclusively for women.
The block will provide a "lifeline" to women and survivors of domestic abuse struggling to find a home.
When completed, Brook House in Acton will provide 102 "genuinely affordable" social rented flats, replacing an old 39-home estate. The cost of renting a home will be on average less than a quarter of what it would cost to rent an equivalently sized home in the private sector.
Ealing Council currently has more than 600 single women on its waiting list and over 8,000 households in the borough waiting for a home. The tenants will be a mixture of women from the council waiting list and residents put forward by Women's Pioneer Housing, which will manage the site.
Women's Pioneer Housing was founded in 1920 by suffragists. It manages around 1,000 properties in West London, most of which are studio or one-bedroom flats in large converted Victorian or Edwardian buildings.
The company says its mission is to offer single women access to "safe, secure, and affordable homes and services". It also aims to influence other housing providers so they "understand the needs of single women".
Council Leader Peter Mason says the homes will be for women "disproportionately affected by crisis". Speaking at an event to mark a milestone in the project he said: "Some of the homes will be let to women who have experienced domestic abuse and other dangers.
"There is a big need for this type of specialist, women-only accommodation. Almost 3,500 cases of domestic abuse were recorded in Ealing in the last 12 months.
"London's affordable housing crisis disproportionately impacts women, who still face a gender pay gap that sees them on average earn less than men, constraining their ability to afford rent."
The original estate at Brook House, in Gunnersbury Lane, opposite Acton Town station, was built over 90 years ago, with additional homes and blocks added in the 1970s. Ealing Council says many of these homes were no longer fit for modern living standards, and were not fit for refurbishment.
Construction, which is being carried out by L&Q, is expected to be completed by next summer, with the first residents moving in shortly after.
Tracey Downie, Chief Executive at Women's Pioneer Housing, said: "Women's Pioneer Housing has worked for more than 100 years with single women, including in Ealing, and we strongly believe that providing more good-quality, affordable homes for women is critically important, particularly during this cost-of-living and energy crisis. This new building will provide a real home for many single women in dire need."
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