What is the SAHP and Why It Matters
The SAHP is a major capital grant programme designed to accelerate the delivery of social rented, affordable rented and shared ownership homes to help tackle the chronic lack of affordable housing in England. The programme replaces the previous shorter-term Affordable Homes Programme and extends investment certainty over a full ten-year period (2026–2036).
Funded with up to £39 billion of public money — with at least £27 billion delivered by Homes England — this initiative is the largest grant funding commitment for affordable homes in recent history and is expected to reshape the housing landscape by providing long-term certainty for builders and landlords.
Key Aims and Priorities of the SAHP
1. Deliver Social and Affordable Homes at Scale
The SAHP aims to support the construction of up to around 300,000 new homes over its lifetime, with a target for at least 60 % of those homes to be for social rent — the most deeply affordable tenure.
2. Long-Term Funding Certainty
Unlike previous funding cycles, which typically ran for five years, the SAHP’s ten-year horizon allows housing providers to plan long-term projects, secure supply chains and invest in high-quality design and construction knowing funding remains available throughout that period.
3. Broad Eligibility and Flexible Use of Funds
Funding is open to a wide range of organisations, including:
4. High Standards and Outcomes Focused
Homes must meet stringent standards around design quality, safety, energy efficiency and sustainability, reflecting broader policy goals around climate, community wellbeing and long-term housing quality.
Chapter are looking forward to working with our Housing Association partners to secure sites and deliver much needed affordable housing.