FAQ
What does Bunker do?
As a co-op we manage the homes we build which will remain as affordable rental properties in perpetuity. The homes will be available to households on the housing register via membership of the co-op and the rent will be well below Brighton & Hove's market rate. Working together as a housing co-operative has enabled us to collectively take control of our housing. Bunker's membership is made up of local people in housing need with an emphasis on self-employed working families i.e. trades people, artists and freelancers.
What is a housing CO-OP?
Good question! There are different types of co-operatives and housing co-operatives are one of them. Co-operatives are democratic businesses and organizations, equally owned and controlled by a group of people. There are worker co-ops, consumer co-ops, producer co-ops, financial co-ops, housing co-ops, and more.
Basically a housing co-op is a group of people who manage and control the housing in which they live. Each person is a member of the housing co-operative and has an equal say in decision making. No member individually owns or makes profit at the expense of another. All members are expected to take an active role in providing and managing (and in our case building) the accommodation and the level of rent the tenants pay reflects the cost of managing the housing.
Good reasons for Co-operatives
Co-operatives are such a great idea because they are democratically owned by community members so they support and strengthen our local community and keep money (and jobs or in our case housing) in local hands too.
So Co-operatives are empowering for all of us, they are not charity but empowering means for self-help and solidarity. Co-operatives can also offer achievable and practical solutions to many economic, environmental, and social problems as they support the interests of their members and local communities rather then the rich and powerful few. So Co-operatives are real alternatives for meeting our economic and social needs in contrast to corporations that exploit people and the planet.
Members of Co-operatives equally share the burden in hard times but will also equally share the benefits in good time.
Co-operatives are an international movement. There is a network of thousands of Co-operatives around the world that are making major differences locally and globally. Within this massive global movement Co-operatives can still be flexible to fit different community and individual needs. There are big co-ops with thousands of members, and there are small co-ops with 3 members.
What are the 7 Co-operative Principles?
These are the guidelines by which Co-operatives put their values into practice.
The membership is voluntary and open—Co-operatives are open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without any kind of discriminations like gender, social, racial, political, or religious.
Democratic Member Control—Co-operatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions. Members have equal voting rights.
Members’ Economic Participation—Members contribute equally to, and democratically control, the capital of their Co-operative. The capital is usually the common property of the Co-operative. Members usually receive limited compensation, if any, on capital. Surpluses go into purposes like developing the Co-operative, benefitting members in proportion to their transactions with the Co-operative and supporting other activities.
Autonomy and Independence—Co-operatives are autonomous, self-help organizations which are controlled by their members. If entering into agreements with other organizations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they will do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their co-operative autonomy.
Education, Training, and Information—Co-operatives provide education and training for their members, so they can contribute effectively to the development of their Co-operatives. They also inform the general public about the nature and benefits of cooperation.
Cooperation Among Cooperatives—Co-operatives strengthen the co-operative movement by working together through local, national, regional, and international structures.
Concern for Community—Co-operatives work for the sustainable development of their communities while focusing on their members needs.
Coming together as a group to collectively take control of your housing situation via Co-operative and Community-led Housing is not an easy path to take.
Being part of a local and national co-operative network and a movement has been essential and invaluable to us. Providing help, support and guidance along the way.
Principle six in action. We work with a network of organisations and individuals who have offered their time, money and expertise to help us realise our dreams of safe, secure and affordable housing for us and our families.
Cooperative principles are at the heart of what we do and how we do it.
How can I support Bunker?
You think building more affordable homes in our lovely city of Brighton and Hove is a great idea? So do we! You can support us not only by investing into us but also by simply spreading the word and keep talking about the beautiful affordable homes we already build and our future building plans.
We think we are having a really good impact on this city which in recent years has become more and more unaffordable to live in. So we´d love for you to talk about us, have a look at our social media pages, come to open days and other events and tell your friends and family about us.
Bunker will also soon create a new attractive investment opportunity and we would love for you to invest securely in us in the future. Again please also tell your family and friends about this fantastic local ethical investment opportunity.
Do you work together with the council?
It has been quite a journey since we founded Bunker and we are working with a network of organisations and individuals to move our projects forward. These include: our architect Raphael Lee of AURAA Studio, our loan stock investors, our neighbours, the Officers and Councillors of Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC), Brighton & Hove Community Land Trust (BHCLT) and the Community Led Housing (CLH) enablers who work through the CLH Hub, Jon Lee and Ecology Building Society, Brighton & Hove Energy Services Co-operative (BHESCO), Cooperative Development Society (CDS), Rosa Bridge Housing Co-op and others from local Brighton & Hove co-operative networks: Cooperative Housing in Brighton and Hove (CHIBAH), the Confederation Cooperative Housing (CCH), the London Federation Cooperatives (LFHC), Radical Routes and many others who have offered their time, money and expertise to help us realise our dreams of safe, secure and affordable housing for us and our families.
Bunker is currently working with our architects, BHCC and BHCLT at different stages of development on further BHCC sites throughout the city with and we aim to build a further 15 community led homes.
Did Bunker really win an award?
Yes, we are an award winning housing co-op. We won Breakthrough Housing Co-operative of the Year from The Confederation of Co-operative housing (CCH) the umbrella body for housing co-operatives in the UK in the CCH 2020 Annual Awards. The award was sponsored by Northwest Housing Services. https://www.cch.coop/cch-co-operative-2020-housing-award-winners/
The award came with a £500 voucher to spend on training enabling our members to take part in CCH’s Online Cooperative Training Programme 2021 https://www.cch.coop/
They say: “Bunker was set up as a self-build housing co-op in 2015 with the goal of housing low-income families. It is working at different stages of development on five different BHCC sites in Brighton with the aim of providing 15 new homes. Their first pilot project at Plumpton Road is receiving considerable local and cross-co-op support and is being used to build a tool kit and database of skills, contacts and information to help other co-ops planning to build in the city.”
CCH says it set up the awards last year to “show the world how great housing co-operatives can be. We wanted to reward our members for all the amazing things that they do, day in, day out, things that are amazing and that we want people to hear about.
How can I become a member?
We are not open for new members at the moment put you can fill out the contact form to get added to our mailing list to find out when we open up the membership process again and also receive the latest news about Bunker and co-operative housing in Brighton and Hove.
I have another question!
Amazing! Why not get talking with your friends and your community and find out what they know about community-led housing and co-operatives. Maybe they have heard about Bunker and other co-operatives. Here are some links to some co-operatives in Brighton and Hove. You can also fill out the contact form above to receive regular bunker news.
http://chibah.org Chibah is a network of housing co-operatives dedicated to supporting and developing co-operative housing in the area of Brighton and Hove
https://bhclt.org.uk Brighton and Hove community land trust