Citrus Housing / Tai Sitrws

‘Our housing co-op is powered by the spirit of punk rock’ - the renters taking control of their housing Across Greater Manchester, young and old generations are turning to housing co-operatives as private rents spiral out of control. Can co-ops offer a solution?

Two of Citrus' founders (Sian & Kai) were recently interviewed for this article -

#disability #housing

I hope that we can provide eachother with support, and help eachother to thrive rather than just survive. It gives me more hope and optimism for the future (which in the current world, is much needed!) /End

There have been barriers to me joining other housing co-operatives due to my specific accessibility needs. I am glad to have found a local housing co-op that is specifically for disabled people. Where I can live with other disabled folk, have affordable rent, a secure home, paint on the walls. 8/

Being autistic, I have struggled with the upheaval of frequent moves. And have long desired secure housing - a place to call home. But this has always been out of reach for me, I will never be approved for a mortgage, I will always be on a low income. 7/

Housing that is affordable, safe, comfortable, and secure, is a human right. 6/

In the UK we are also currently in a housing crisis, with skyrocketing rents, limited availability of affordable housing, and a lack of social housing stock. Disabled people also have limited (if any) options for accessible housing. 5/

These issues are far from uncommon. Disabled people unable to work are often outright refused rentals, lack savings for deposits, are unable to get a mortgage and are subsequently forced into housing that has a negative impact on our health. 4/

I have also had to stay in shared housing situations that have been toxic/abusive due to my lack of income/limited options. My various problematic housing situations have contributed to my on-going health issues. 3/

Due to my disability, and associated poverty, I have experienced a lot of housing insecurity. I have been denied viewings due to being on benefits, have often needed a guarantor, and have lived in damp/inadequate housing due to v limited budget (I live in a cheap area). 2/

Hi! I'm Rohan (they/them) @rohanfoxart.bsky.social and I'm one of the members of Citrus housing co-op. I'm disabled, neurodivergent, queer, and trans. I'm unable to work and so have been reliant on the UK benefits system my entire adult life. 1/

#disability #trans #queer

We're fully mutual; the adult tenants jointly own the houses. So far we're 5 adults, 4 teenagers (one fostered), one cat, one dog, and numerous smaller critters.

We'd love you to lend us money at compound interest so we can offer more support: email info@sitrws.org . Boosts appreciated!

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Cartoon of five adults, four teenagers, one cat, and one dog

Invest in homes for disabled folk!

Citrus Housing (aka Tai Sitrws, in Wales) is a fledgeling housing co-operative. We are buying houses in Manchester and Swansea, and adapting them. All of us are disabled, most of us are queer, and many of us face other kinds of oppression.

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All the people listed above, a dog, and a cat.

Citrus Housing right now:
 Five adults,
 Four children,
 One dog,
 One cat,
 One bearded dragon,
 And six guinea pigs.

The icon of a disabled person, except the wheelchair is a hammer and sickle, and the wheel is the progress flag.

The icon of a disabled person, except the wheelchair is a hammer and sickle, and the wheel is the progress flag.

Cartoon drawing of house, with items labelled: Tree, Rooms (Lots), Cat, Dog, House, Accessible (a ramp), Battlements (crossed out with "No." above it", and *No* Landlord (with a red X over a picture of a man with a top hat and some money.)

Bonus! Cartoon of a house

Current Members Citrus Housing Right Now Is:  Five adults,  Four children,  One dog,  One cat,  One bearded dragon,  And six guinea pigs. [Cartoon drawing of most of the above] Citrus Housing Immediate Plans Are: We’ve found a suitable massive house in Salford, Manchester! Which could house our Manchester contingent (three adults and three children). We’ve raised some investment, but we’re going to need to raise an additional £300k for this. We’re looking for rental houses to temporarily house our Swansea contingent (two adults and one child), while we raise more funding and find somewhere suitable to try to buy for them.

Our current members, and immediate goals.

Membership Criteria  Members must be disabled (This can include neurodivergence and mental health challenges) but don’t need a formal diagnosis,  And must have at least one other axis of oppression or marginalisation.  (This is to try to ensure we’re prioritising those with the most need.)

Membership criteria…

What We Plan To Provide  Citrus Housing will always look at current members’ housing needs and aim to meet them.  Citrus Housing will simultaneously build a wait list of potential future members, who we believe we might realistically be able to house in the future. Once current members are housed, we’ll acquire buildings which either meet the needs of people on our wait list, or buildings which we can adapt to do so.  Citrus will seek to actively get as much money as possible to pursue its aims of housing disabled people who would otherwise not have housing which meets their needs. [cartoon drawing of house]

What we plan to provide.

Screenshot of tweet from Carys (@blindandb0ujee): "I think disabled people should spice it up a bit and start asking for unreasonable adjustments."

Unreasonable adjustments.

Why We Exist (part two)  Unsuitable housing lowers our quality of life, and even reduces our actual lifespans.  And suitable housing for disabled people doesn’t exist in amounts great enough to fill current needs.  So we want to build a housing co-op that has disabled people at its core from the very beginning.

Why we exist, part two.

Why We Exist  It is unbelievably hard for disabled people to find suitable housing.  We are disproportionately poorer, generally less able to buy houses ourselves, and tend to have housing needs (flat access, stair lifts, adapted kitchens or bathrooms, or communication limitations) that private landlords are unwilling to meet. Private landlords also often refuse to rent to those of us who can’t hold down full time jobs. >:(  Simultaneously! Most currently existing housing co-ops have physically inaccessible buildings, and some have social cultures which are harder for disabled people to engage with or participate in.

Why we exist.

Citrus Housing Tai Sitrws (That’s ‘Citrus Housing’ in Welsh)

Here are the slides from our talk on the Friday.

We had an excellent Radical Routes gathering, met lots of excellent people, and had many excellent conversations.