Preserving our almshouses

Nottingham Community Almshouse Charity (NCAC) is a charity that sits within the wider NCHA group.

In total, the charity manages and maintains 160 almshouse homes.

Most dating back over a hundred years, almshouses can arguably be considered the original form of social housing. 

Many almshouses were established by philanthropists, often in memory of a loved one, to meet a local need. Often this need was very specific, such as housing the widows and orphan children of miners, or people in financial need who have lived previously in the local parish. Many almshouses were established for women at a time when the death of a husband could mean poverty.

We honour the original purpose of each almshouse, whilst ultimately making sure the homes are let to people who need them.

One of our more unique letting criteria is for the Hind Memorial Homes. Their original documents dictate that tenancies must be prioritised for servants of the Hind family themselves. A challenging criteria to fill these days! So, as a compromise, these homes are offered using the secondary criteria: for people who were born within 15 miles of the Nottingham Council House.

Providing homes for the future

Many almshouses are beautiful examples of traditional architecture, and often listed buildings. So looking after these homes, whilst ensuring they are safe and comfortable to live in can be a challenge.

The biggest challenges are energy efficiency – how to bring these homes up to a comfortable liveable standard when they are listed, in conservation areas or of historical interest – and ensuring they will be suitable for older people in the long term.

And it’s a responsibility we take really seriously. We’ve recently put together the new NCAC Corporate Plan for the next five years. It sets out our plan for managing these beautiful homes and preserving them for decades to come.

You can take a look at our full list of almshouses on our almshouses pages.