History of the Department

The Housing Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network is a young institution. The milestones below record its establishment and will be extended as the Affordable Housing Programme proceeds and the Department's services come fully into operation.

1. Before September 2026

   Housing provided by member organisations

   Before the Department existed, each member organisation of the Network housed its own staff on its own terms. There was no common tenancy agreement, no common standard for the condition of homes, no shared waiting list and no service for people without a home beyond what each organisation arranged case by case.

2. 10 August to 5 September 2026

   The transition period

   In the four weeks before establishment, member organisations transferred 4,120 homes of staff accommodation to the new Department, together with their waiting lists of 1,860 households, their repair records and 120 places of emergency accommodation at four sites. Ninety-six new homes were completed at Eastfield Campus and Northgate Relay, and a sample of 412 transferred homes was inspected against the draft Housing Standard.

3. 6 September 2026

   Department established

   The Housing Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network was formally established, with responsibility for affordable housing, the letting and management of homes within the Network, the standard that every home let in the Network must meet, and services for people without a home or at risk of losing one. The occupants of the transferred homes became tenants of the Department on the terms of its standard tenancy agreement.

4. 6 September 2026

   Official website launched

   The Department launched housing.gov.vin, carrying press releases, official statements, the Housing Standard, the terms of the standard tenancy agreement and guidance on every service the Department provides.

5. 6 September 2026

   Programme, register, standard and homelessness service published

   On the day of its establishment the Department published the Affordable Housing Programme of 1,200 homes by 31 December 2028, opened the Housing Register, published the standard tenancy agreement and the Housing Standard, confirmed the arrangements for its homelessness service and issued its first statistical release.

6. Forthcoming

   First lettings and housing offices

   The first offers of the 96 completed homes will be made from 21 September 2026, and the Department's housing offices at each of the six principal sites will open during September 2026. Until then, every service of the Department is provided by email.

7. Forthcoming

   Second phase and quarterly reporting

   The second phase of the Affordable Housing Programme will be announced once its sites are confirmed. The first full quarterly statistical report, covering the quarter ending 30 September 2026, will be published in October 2026; the inspection of every transferred home will be complete by 31 March 2027; and the first phase of the programme will be complete by 30 June 2027.

Announcements are published in the Newsroom. For the Department's present responsibilities, see About the Department; for its reporting on stock, lettings and services, see Statistics.