About Us

Who we are and what we do

Founded in 1927, Cambridge Housing Society (CHS) is an independent housing association with over 3,000 homes in Cambridge and Cambridgeshire.

We are one of only two independent housing associations working just in Cambridgeshire and we are the only one to offer a blend of affordable rented homes, specialist supported housing and a range of community support services.

We believe our value lies in being well connected to our tenants, customers and local communities which means we are able to better respond to issues in practical and impactful ways:

We are unique in running the Cambridgeshire Local Assistance Scheme for the County Council
We have the only specialist young people’s housing project in East Cambridgeshire
We work in partnership with the charity Cyrenians to offer homes for rough sleepers
We are close to our tenants and offer a very responsive service
We are working hard to make sure we are listening to tenant priorities

Purpose & Mission

To enable people to flourish, by providing security and creating opportunities, through the delivery of high-quality Cambridgeshire based homes with support.

Our Values

Care

Openness

Trust

‘The CHS Way’

Flexible

Creative

Respectful

Working in partnership

Focused on the social objective

Vision Statement

“Cambridge Housing Society will be a trusted local provider of long term, affordable, secure housing. We will listen to our tenants and customers and provide support where needed. We will be entrepreneurial with a social purpose, developing local partnerships and looking for new opportunities to support communities in Cambridgeshire.”

Our Strategic Themes and Objectives

People (Tenants and customers) – We will listen to our tenants and customers and provide support where needed

Homes – Cambridge Housing Society will be a trusted local provider of long term, affordable, secure housing

Community – We will be entrepreneurial with a social purpose, developing local partnerships and looking for new opportunities to support Cambridgeshire communities

Staff – Achieve recognition as an employer of choice

Business – Maintaining a long-term viable Business Plan, V1 status and offering clear Value for Money

Governance – Seeking to maintain G1 status, securing top quartile consumer standards grading and achieving excellence in Care Quality Commission (CQC) and other regulatory assessments

CHS Group is the trading name of The Cambridge Housing Society Limited, a society registered for the benefit of the community with the FCA under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, no. 10457R, HMRC Charity no. X81275.

Read our Tenant Annual Report 2023/24 here

The range of services we provide include

Homes

Low cost rental house
Shared ownership house
Supported housing
Sheltered (retirement) housing
Housing with Care for older people

Supported housing

Young people at risk of homelessness
Young parents
Women with mental health needs
Adults with learning disabilities and autism

Community services

Money Matters
Cambridgeshire Local Assistance Scheme (CLAS)
Housing benefit advice

Older people’s services

Housing with Care and support for older people
Sheltered (retirement) housing
Community services

Our history

CHS was founded in 1927 in response to a desperate need for affordable homes in Cambridge. Alarmed by the squalid housing conditions many of the town’s poorest families lived in and the growing council waiting lists following the First World War, members of the United Council of Christian Witness decided to form a Housing Society. Their rallying cry was to provide ‘homes fit to live, within the reach of the lowest wage earner’ and throughout its lifetime, CHS has tried to live up to this aim.

Our Founding Members

Mayor John Condor

The first Chair of CHS. He was born in Hildersham in 1865 and was Liberal mayor of Cambridge 1926-7.

Dr Alex Wood

The first CHS Hon Treasurer who was Chair from 1937-50. He was a fellow at Emmanuel College, founder of the United Council of Christian Witnesses and a Socialist

Cllr Dorothy Stevenson

The first CHS Hon Secretary from 1927-33 who went on to Chair Hundred Houses Society in 1933.

Clara Rackham

A founder member, the first female Labour Cambridge City Councillor and a feminist.