ABOUT RAFT COOPERATIVE:

We are a collective of people from around the UK and Europe, living in London and working to establish a housing cooperative. We believe cooperative housing is important for collective living and can provide secure and affordable housing that is managed democratically and removed from the private market for the long-term, breaking away from an extractive and profit-driven housing system that pushes people into poverty, insecurity and homelessness.

However, we acknowledge cooperatives are not going to fix the housing emergency alone. We like to think of cooperatives as an imperfect raft - a lifeline that can offer safety and security through the precarious, stormy seas.

After two years of planning and learning, with the help of other cooperatives, we are now formally incorporated as RAFT. Our current focus is raising the necessary finance (through loan stock, donations and eventually a mortgage) and we hope to be in a position to purchase a property/properties by the latter part of next year.

We are committed to:

  • Establishing a housing cooperative through securing existing residential housing;

  • Creating homes that are sustainable, regenerative and equitably run;

  • Ensuring affordable rents in the short and long term, with Local Housing Allowance (LHA) acting as the permitted maximum rent at the initial stages then lowering over the long term (although we acknowledge LHA is not a genuinely affordable baseline, and we strive for lower than);

  • Establishing a housing cooperative that is integrated into the community we live in and stands in solidarity with its most marginalised members;

  • Working in collaboration with other cooperatives and groups to support the growth of cooperative and community led housing overall.

Who we are:

Outside of RAFT cooperative, we’re all active in social movements and community projects, and we're deeply committed to building a world that works for the people and the planet. As part of this, we are exploring the possibility of acquiring additional space that can be used to the benefit of the local community, to meet non-housing needs.