So its been a few days since "Laying the Foundations: A Housing Strategy for England" was published and we've now had time to read the 80 or so pages. Reaction amongst the team here and the colleagues with whom we work is mixed - though the majority do say that the Strategy does not go far enough.

A cornerstone to the Strategy is a £400 million "Get Britain Building" fund which will help deliver 16,000 homes on sites which already have planning permission ? 3,200 of which will be "affordable homes".

The Government is also underwriting mortgages which would allow first-time buyers to secure loans on new build homes with only a 5% deposit.

The Strategy also has proposals for tackling empty homes, charging those classed as "high-earners" a market rent to live in social housing and greater investment in the private-rented sector.

Whilst we are the busiest since the Company was established 6 years ago, we are having to overcome increasing levels of uncertainty and nervousness with those with whom we work in order to get the commitment to new projects, coupled with this anxiety is that traditional sources of development finance are becoming less of a viable option, unit values are reducing and gaining planning consent is still as long and drawn out as it has always been - so the market for new affordable housing schemes remains incredibly challenging.

We remain focussed and will not be deflected by the uncertainty shown by some and we will continue to explore new opportunities with our Clients and unlock new sources of funding so that we can continue to deliver the much needed affordable and supported housing projects with the excellent RP and Care Operator Clients with whom we work.

We are certainly working towards laying the foundations on all of the projects we currently have in the pipeline.

Its Simply Housing.

I attended Wigan Council's Housing Partnership Event this morning - extremely impressed with what they are trying to do - some really good, enthusiastic, committed Housing and Planning Officers trying to cut through the mush to deliver a balanced housing offer.

Other Councils should get in touch with the Wigan team and replicate what they are trying to do - it will produce results.

Its Simply Housing.

The Sunday Times, yesterday, suggested that Government Ministers are drawing up plans for a £50 billion housing and road-building boom in an attempt to boost the flagging economy.

The Growth Strategy is due to be unveiled by Chancellor George Osborne alongside the Autumn Statement on 29th November - but will be along the lines of creating an Investment Vehicle to encourage private cash investment into big infrastructure projects - such as housing.

We are already working with Investment Funds to support our Affordable Housing Projects, our Supported Living Projects and our Dementia Care projects.

We have a considerable apetite to do more and look forward with interest to the announcements on 29th November.

Its Simply Housing.

We are a growing organisation, and as such have had to move into larger offices in Lytham

Simply Housing specialise in delivering Affordable Housing schemes, Supported Living schemes and Dementia Care schemes.

We'd be delighted to meet with anyone involved in the procurement of "housing" as we're certain that there would be opportunities where we can work together.

Its Simply Housing.

The Oxford Economics Housing Market Analysis (July 2011) suggests that huge deposits, combined with high house prices and strict lending criteria, have sent home ownership into decline in recent years and the downward trend will continue for the foreseeable future.

The National Housing Federation (who commissioned the Report) warned the housing market will be plunged into an unprecedented crisis as it forecast steep rises in the private rental sector, huge social housing waiting lists, and a house price boom ? all fuelled by a chronic under-supply of homes.

The NHF advocate that more government investment in affordable housing would stimulate a wider, faster economic recovery and help fix the UK's "broken housing markets".

The NHF are calling for suitable surplus public land to be made available for the building of affordable homes, for local authorities to regularly assess housing need and for ministers to make a renewed commitment to building the homes the country needs.

At Simply Housing we are currently working with our House Builder Clients on the FirstBuy scheme, a Government initiative comprising £250m aims to help up to 10,000 people buy their first home by helping them out with a deposit. Those buying properties from some developers could receive a loan worth up to 20% of the value of the home from the government and the housebuilder and with our Registered Providers to deliver in excess of 600 new homes that will be let and sold on an affordable basis ? and whilst these new affordable homes are welcome, they will only make small in-roads into meeting the housing need of the estimated 1.5 million families currently on the Housing Waiting List.

Its Simply Housing.