Foundations of Change: How Local Government Can Build Homes, Futures, and Safer Communities

truthaboutlocalgov
Sep 9
6 min read

“For the last 20 to 25 years, this is the longest I’ve been out of prison. I was released in October last year. I’m now living in my own flat, paying bills and I can’t tell you how good that feels.”

Craig, former prisoner, now employed by DragonHeart Homes

In local government, we often talk about transformation of services, systems, and strategies. But rarely do we encounter a programme that transforms lives, communities, and public value all at once. That’s exactly what Prisoners Building Homes (PBH) is doing. And it’s time for councils across the UK to take notice, engage, and lead.

PBH is not just a housing initiative. It’s a blueprint for inclusive growth, rehabilitation, and place-based regeneration. It’s a programme that reimagines what public service delivery can look like when we align social justice with housing policy and economic development.

I recently spoke with Sophie Baker, Programme Delivery Manager for PBH, on the Truth About Local Government podcast. What she shared was nothing short of revolutionary: a model that addresses three of the most pressing challenges facing our society housing shortages, reoffending rates, and construction skills gaps with one integrated, scalable solution.

What Is Prisoners Building Homes?

“We’re in the midst of a storm of overlapping crises overcrowded prisons, high reoffending rates, a persistent housing shortage, and a severe skills gap in construction.” Sophie Baker

PBH is an award-winning initiative that brings together local authorities, housebuilders, and the prison service to deliver affordable, low-carbon homes while providing prisoners and people on probation with meaningful employment and nationally accredited construction training.

It’s a model built on collaboration, compassion, and commercial viability. Here’s how it works:

Councils unlock land often small, underused, or brownfield sites that have sat idle due to lack of capacity or complexity.
PBH provides pre-development support, including feasibility studies, planning applications, and technical surveys de-risking sites and accelerating delivery.
Housebuilders deliver the homes, employing and upskilling prisoners and ex-offenders through modular construction and on-site work.
Homes are allocated by councils based on housing need not to prisoners and the workers earn wages to support resettlement, housing deposits, and family reintegration.

This isn’t about charity it’s about creating value. For councils, for communities, and for individuals who deserve a second chance.

The Impact: Numbers That Matter

PBH is delivering outcomes that most public programmes only aspire to:

£23 billion: Annual cost of reoffending in the UK.
89%: PBH participants secure employment post-release (vs. 19% nationally).
<5%: Reoffending rate (vs. 27% nationally).
£8.50: Social value delivered for every £1 invested.
700+ homes: In the pipeline across more than 100 sites.

These aren’t just statistics they’re stories of transformation. They represent safer streets, stronger families, and more resilient communities.

“We’re helping people move out of poverty into warm, stable, affordable homes. But ultimately, we’re also changing lives.” Sophie Baker

Stories That Stick: Real Lives, Real Impact

Craig’s Story: From Cell to Steelwork

Craig’s journey is a powerful reminder of what transformation truly looks like not just in policy, but in practice. Once caught in the revolving door of the prison system, Craig now works on steel fabrication at DragonHeart Homes, a PBH-accredited housebuilder. He is living independently, supporting his children, and thriving in a job that gives him purpose, dignity, and a future.

Getting my first real wage and taking my kids to the cinema with money I earned myself that moment meant the world to me. This programme gave me a second chance. I have a job, a home, a routine and hope.

Craig’s story is not an exception it is a blueprint. It shows how employment, housing, and rehabilitation can intersect to create lasting change. For councils, it is a call to action: every site unlocked, every partnership formed, every home built could be the start of someone’s new life.

Fortis House: Innovation on the Margins

In Ashford, a flood zone site above an underused car park became the unlikely setting for one of the UK’s most celebrated housing projects. Delivered by ZED PODS in partnership with Ashford Borough Council, Fortis House provided 23 zero-carbon homes for individuals experiencing homelessness.

What made it exceptional was not just the sustainability credentials it was the social impact. Prisoners trained through PBH helped build these homes, gaining skills, qualifications, and pride in their contribution. A great project. Its prisoner employment initiative particularly impressed the panel, providing skills to support future employment in construction. CN Specialist Awards Judges

This is what happens when councils think creatively, act boldly, and embrace inclusive delivery models. Fortis House is proof that even constrained sites can become catalysts for regeneration and rehabilitation.

PBH and Bristol City Council: A Model for Inclusive Housing Delivery

Bristol City Council has been an early and active partner in the PBH programme, using the initiative to deliver high-quality, low-carbon, affordable homes while supporting rehabilitation and employment for prisoners and ex-offenders.

Key Projects in Bristol

Housing Estate Infill Programme
- Delivered in partnership with MMC Homebuilding
- Focused on small, underused sites across existing estates
- Designed to unlock micro-sites that traditional developers often overlook
Church Site Development
- In collaboration with the Church of England
- Utilised church-owned land to deliver modular homes for vulnerable residents
Hope Rise and Marshall Walk
- Delivered by ZED PODS and DragonHeart Homes
- These modular schemes provided temporary accommodation and supported housing
- Homes built above underused car parks and flood zone sites, demonstrating innovative land use

Prison Engagement

HMP Bristol and HMP Guys Marsh have partnered with Bristol Together, a social enterprise that supports ex-offenders post-release.
Prisoners on day release and those recently released have worked on construction sites, gaining skills and earning wages to support resettlement.

Impact Highlights

Electricity costs as low as £2 per week in PBH homes
Less than 5% reoffending rate among participants
89% employment rate post-release for trained prisoners
£9,000 in social value per housing unit delivered
Support for Net Zero goals through modular, low-carbon construction

Leadership Perspective

“This programme is not just about homes—it’s about hope, purpose, and safer communities.”— Councillor Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council

What Councils Can Do

We are not here to take over your sites. We are facilitators. We provide advice and support. You stay in control. Sophie Baker

PBH is designed to work with not over local authorities. Here is how councils can engage:

Unlock Your Land

PBH excels at unlocking small, tricky sites garage plots, infill land, brownfield spaces. These are often overlooked due to complexity or lack of capacity. PBH brings the technical expertise to de-risk and deliver.

Support the Procurement Route

PBH is developing a procurement pathway to connect councils with accredited housebuilders who are committed to social value. Councils can integrate PBH into their housing delivery plans or include PBH participation in tender requirements and evaluation criteria.

Challenge Misconceptions

Homes built by prisoners are not reserved for them. Councils allocate homes based on need. Prisoners earn wages and save for private rental deposits just like anyone else. This is about rehabilitation, not preferential treatment.

Collaboration That Works

Effective collaboration is about building trust, establishing a shared vision, and supporting one another to create safer communities.

Sophie Baker, PBH thrives where:

Councils have small sites but big ambitions
Local housebuilders are ready to engage
Prisons and probation services want to offer real rehabilitation

This is not just about housing it is about place leadership. It is about councils stepping into their role as conveners of change.

Scaling Up with AI

We are working with LANDCLAN, Microsoft, and Esri to develop an AI Pre-Development Tool. It will identify sites, appraise housing potential, generate designs and planning applications, and create procurement specifications tailored to each council. Sophie Baker

PBH’s ambition by the end of the parliamentary term includes:

5,000 homes delivered
3,000 prisoners trained
50 accredited housebuilders
30 prisons engaged

This is not a pilot. It is a movement.

Get Involved

We would like to be seen as the way local authorities can deliver affordable housing while supporting rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. Sophie Baker

If you are a local government officer, planner, commissioner, or housing lead this is your moment.