Homes England opens bidding for £27 billion social and affordable homes grant fund

Homes England has opened bidding for the £27 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme 2026-2036 (SAHP).

SAHP is a grant scheme to support delivery of hundreds of thousands of new homes for social rent, affordable rent and shared ownership over the next 10 years.

At least £27 billion worth of funding will be delivered by Homes England, and forms the bulk of a major government commitment of £39 billion to fund new social and affordable housing.

Alongside the launch, the housing and regeneration 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.