With people all over the country struggling to find homes, the problem is also very evident on Anglesey.
Over the course of two workshops Menter Môn has responded to the challenge facing local people that are trying to find homes, and has started the conversation to find the solution.
By coordinating workshops between housing agencies, social enterprises, local authorities, politicians and local people – Menter Môn has raised the question of how to respond to this pressing problem.
The workshops were an opportunity to share ideas, have discussions and voice opinions on what is causing the problem, what would help solve the problem and what success would look like.
Rhun ap Iorwerth, Anglesey’s Assembly Member said:
“We are facing a crisis here on Anglesey in terms of the difficulty many people, especially young people, have in finding homes to buy or rent.
While pressing for sound Government action is important, innovating locally in the way we seek to respond to the problem is also vital.
That’s why I’m pleased to take part in these workshops by Menter Môn, and I hope the work will lead to practical steps that can be part of the response to the crisis.”
Elen Hughes, Menter Iaith Môn’s Chief Officer added:
“As the Welsh language initiative on Anglesey, it is very important to us that the people of Anglesey have the opportunity to live in their local area, ensuring that the sense of community is maintained here and that the Welsh language also continues to thrive here.
We are working with the Anglesey LEADER project to analyze some of the responses that have been offered to the challenges to see what solutions we can pilot.”
Some ideas put forward were: building modular homes, developing young people’s understanding of the housing market, renovating vacant buildings and creating an Anglesey Housing Charter. The next step in the process will be to decide how to develop these into practical solutions.
Dafydd Gruffydd, Menter Môn’s Managing Director said: “The Welsh Government’s Well-Being of Future Generations Act is very important to all the work that we do at Menter Môn.
We are a company that seeks to provide quality employment opportunities for local people, developing innovative technologies and trialing new ideas within growth fields, protecting the environment and the Welsh language.
By working on these various different aspects, we naturally care about our communities, it is impossible for us to keep local people in their communities with innovative plans and high quality jobs if there is no capacity for them to find homes.
Therefore we needed to take action, to understand the problem and to consider solutions to the challenges – this is where the idea of holding a housing workshop came from.
The intention and hope is that these workshops will develop into practical grassroots solutions to give local people a better chance of buying or renting a home.”
