Housing and regeneration agency encourages registered providers
to bid for grant support from at least £27 billion fund worth of
funding.
Homes England has today opened bidding for the Social and
Affordable Homes Programme 2026-2036 (SAHP) today. The programme
has been designed to accelerate the delivery of hundreds of
thousands of new homes for social rent, affordable rent and
shared ownership, helping to meet housing need while creating
thriving, sustainable communities.
At least £27 billion worth of funding delivered by Homes England
forms part of the government's major £39 billion investment to
deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in
a generation.
Housing and Planning Minister, said:
Today marks an important milestone in the government's ambition
to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable
housebuilding in a generation as we open our new Social and
Affordable Homes Programme for business.
Working in close partnership with the sector, we have given
providers the funding and regulatory certainty need and we're now
calling on them to come forward with bold, ambitious bids so we
can kickstart a decade of social and affordable housing renewal.
Alongside the launch, the Agency has published updated bidding
guidance to support partners in developing strong proposals and
gaining a clear understanding of the programme's requirements and
expectations.
The refreshed programme puts a clear emphasis on boosting the
supply of homes for social rent, delivering mixed-tenure
developments, and maintaining high standards of design, safety
and sustainability.
Amy Rees CB, Chief Executive of Homes England, said:
The launch of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme marks a
significant step in accelerating the delivery of much-needed
affordable housing across England.
Our updated bidding guidance clearly sets out what we are looking
for: high-quality, deliverable schemes that prioritise social
rent and demonstrate strong value for money.
We are not just accelerating the supply of new homes, but
reshaping the future of affordable housing across the country,
driving forward the government's ambition to build 1.5 million
new homes in this parliament and helping to create new vibrant,
thriving communities.
Access to the programme is available through two routes. The
first is Continuous Market Engagement (CME), which enables
partners to work with the Agency throughout the life of the
programme on a scheme-by-scheme basis. This approach provides
greater certainty around grant funding while allowing Homes
England to respond flexibly to specific local housing needs. The
second route is the Strategic Partnership Framework, which offers
long-term funding certainty to partners delivering at pace and
scale, enabling the Agency to allocate larger funding packages to
support ambitious delivery programmes.
A key requirement of the programme is that partners must be able
to deliver at least 60% of homes for social rent, underlining the
government's commitment to prioritising the most affordable
tenures.
The updated bidding guidance is designed to provide clarity and
confidence for partners, helping them align proposals with local
strategies while meeting national housing priorities.
More information for housing providers on bidding guidance can be
found here: Social and Affordable
Homes Programme guidance
