The Fusion21 Foundation is investing £228,000 in a new national initiative to create 100 ‘Public Living Rooms’ across England, supporting communities to tackle loneliness, isolation and division through accessible, everyday spaces.
Delivered by housing associations SNG (Sovereign Network Group), Clarion Housing Group and Peabody, in partnership with grassroots social movement Camerados, the two-year programme will work alongside local communities to establish informal spaces where people can connect, spend time together and feel part of something - without the need for referrals or formal support.
The programme launched with a series of pop-up Public Living Rooms in Hackney, Bow and Dalston in London, bringing together residents, partners and community leaders to demonstrate how simple, shared spaces can help build connection and trust.
Public Living Rooms provide welcoming environments located in community settings such as high streets, parks, cafés and community centres. Anyone can drop in - whether to have a cup of tea, sit quietly or join a conversation - helping to remove barriers to social connection and creating opportunities for people to come together in a relaxed and inclusive way.
With loneliness increasingly recognised as a growing social challenge, the initiative focuses on supporting people experiencing isolation through a preventative, community-led approach that strengthens wellbeing and builds stronger local networks.
Jo Hannan, Head of the Fusion21 Foundation said: “The Fusion21 Foundation is proud to support a test and learn approach to preventative, community-led responses to social challenges. Public Living Rooms reflect the importance of investing in accessible, everyday spaces that enable communities to thrive in their own way, and we hope this work provides learning for the wider housing sector as it continues to strengthen community wellbeing and connection.”
As the programme develops, it aims to help build understanding across the housing sector of how informal, community-led approaches can support long-term wellbeing.