A social housing campaign to raise funds for victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami has set a £1m target in advance of its launch next Monday.

The target, set at a meeting on Wednesday, is equal to raising 50p for every home in the housing association sector.

The Villages of Hope appeal launched by Sadeh Lok Housing Group, the Federation of Black Housing Organisations, the Chartered Institute of Housing, charity Homeless International and the National Housing Federation aims to rebuild devastated villages.

Most of the money will go via Homeless International to charities it supports in the affected region, including the Asian Collation on Housing rights, Indian charity SPARC, the National Slum Dwellers Federation and women’s charity Mahila Milan. Some could also go to Friends of Mettupalayam.

The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish federations will also raise cash for Homeless International.

The Local Government Association plans to hold talks with the government about funding to send British council workers to help their counterparts in Asia.

LGA chair Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart wrote to Hilary Benn, the international development secretary, on Friday requesting a meeting to discuss the issue.

A spokesman for the Local Government International Bureau, the international branch of the LGA, said UK and south Asian towns could be twinned in the longer term to help the recovery process.

Councils have also begun their own fundraising campaigns and social workers in Portsmouth council’s major incident support team are offering support to city residents caught up in the disaster.

A number of other fundraising initiatives have also begun in the sector. Tamil Community and Arhag Housing Associations have started campaigns to aid specific groups devastated by the disaster.

Tamil Community Housing Association is raising funds for Tamil areas of Sri Lanka. It has made about £5000 from employees and board members. The money is likely to be channelled to a Tamil charity and a UK charity that works in the area.

Two Arhag staff are still missing after volunteering in housing projects sponsored by the association in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Arhag has launched a £1m campaign to rebuild housing projects it supported.

Source

Housing Today