Our community was established in 1976, by a housing association named Patchwork. This section outlines the housing association’s ethos, how our community came into being and its evolution.

Patchwork Housing Association

Patchwork began as a small housing association. The association’s principle aim was to provide housing for low-income, single people who wished to live communally. The intention was to create mixed-need communities, where individuals with support needs co-existed with others who were able to provide non-professional care and support. Our community has proudly continued this tradition up to the present day.

The beginnings of Islington Park Street (IPS) community

In the 1970’s, Patchwork operated a significant number of short-life (temporary) properties. As the association grew, it wanted to provide greater security for its residents and to establish permanent communities. In 1976, our home was purchased as the association’s first “Permanent Group Home.”

Patchwork bought the property with a grant from the Housing Corporation and loans from Islington Council. A permanent home was created for people who wished to live communally. Residents were told that it was a “home for life” – as long as the rent was paid, residents could stay indefinitely.

In keeping with Patchwork’s general ethos, IPS was set-up as a diverse mixed-needs community. One of our longest standing residents was placed in the house by social services, aged 16, after spending most of his childhood in foster care. Thirty five years later, he stands as testimony to the continuing importance of Patchwork’s aims, as he continues to thrive in our supportive community.

Evolution of the community

While the nature of social housing and the face of Islington has changed dramatically over time, our community has stayed true to its roots. We continue to provide low-income, single adults with a supportive permanent home. We also remain committed to the ethos of community living.

The community provides residents with a supportive environment which has enabled many to recover and rehabilitate after hard times. While some of our residents have lived here for over 30 years, others have moved on after shorter periods of time. Many of these residents are still in touch with the community. You can read more about some of our residents here.

The future

In 2005, Patchwork was taken over by One Housing Group (formerly known as Community Housing Association), one of the largest housing associations in the south-east of England. One Housing Group acquired all of Patchwork’s properties for the grand total of £1.

While our landlord has changed, our way of life remains true to Patchwork’s original aims. We hope to work with One Housing Group to continue to fulfil these aims for many more years to come.