Kesoberi Housing Co-operative, a group of local residents from West Penwith, Cornwall, is working to tackle the region’s urgent need for more affordable housing and stronger community cohesion. With plans to repurpose a 20-acre site near Penzance into a thriving, mixed-use community space, Kesoberi is laying the foundations for a project that combines housing, sustainability, and local enterprise.

Through support from Resonance as an Access Point for the Reach Fund, the co-operative has secured vital grant funding to develop its investment readiness and bring its ambitious vision [a step] closer to reality.

Who Are Kesoberi Housing Co-operative?

Kesoberi is a community-led housing initiative formed by a group of local people who understand the challenges of housing affordability in Cornwall. Their goal is not only to create affordable homes but also to strengthen community spirit through shared spaces, regenerative land use, and opportunities for local enterprise.

The group has already acquired a 20-acre site near Penzance, which they plan to develop into:

• 16 affordable homes
• A community farm shop
• Sustainable camping plots
• Allotments and animal grazing space

This vision brings together housing, community, and sustainability - creating a place where people can live, work, and thrive.

“Receiving a Reach Fund grant has been crucial for us at Kesoberi. As a small, volunteer-run co-operative taking our first big step toward developing affordable cohousing in West Cornwall, the support from Resonance has been invaluable. Resonance’s Strengthening Impact Team’s financial modelling and strategic guidance have helped us strengthen our plans, navigate complex challenges, and build a clear, credible pathway toward planning permission and future investment.” – Fiona Garrard, Director, Kesoberi

The Need in Cornwall

Kesoberi’s vision comes at a time when Cornwall faces some of the most acute housing challenges in the UK. A shortage of affordable homes, high house prices compared to local wages, and increasing levels of homelessness are putting enormous pressure on local people and communities.
 

• In 2024, St Petroc’s (a Cornish homelessness charity) engaged with 1,402 people across its services in Cornwall. This does not include those experiencing hidden homelessness - such as sofa surfing - so the true figure is likely to be much higher. [1]
   
• The average house price in Cornwall is more than ten times (10.1) the average annual earnings - making home ownership unaffordable for many. [2]
   
• There are 13,130 second homes in Cornwall (October 2023), alongside 2,652 long-term empty properties (August 2024). [3]
   
• Around 74,800 people (22.4% of the working-age population) in Cornwall were “economically inactive” in 2023 - higher than the UK average - limiting many households’ ability to afford high housing costs. [4]
   
• More than 20,000 households are currently on Cornwall’s housing register, waiting for a suitable home. [5]
   
• At the end of 2024, 762 households were living in temporary accommodation across the county. [6]
   
• The average monthly private rent in Cornwall reached £982 in August 2025, up from £910 a year earlier - a 7.8% increase in just twelve months. [7]

These figures highlight the urgency of community-led solutions like Kesoberi’s: creating genuinely affordable homes, tackling local housing pressures, and building resilient, sustainable communities.

The Role of the Reach Fund

To make their aspiring plans a reality, Kesoberi needed to strengthen its investment case and prepare for potential social investment in the future.

That’s where the Reach Fund comes in. Managed by Social Investment Business and funded by Access – The Foundation for Social Investment, the Reach Fund helps charities and social enterprises become “investment ready.” It provides grants that organisations can use to build the skills, plans, and evidence they need before seeking investment.

The Reach Fund operates through a network of trusted social investors – known as Access Points – who work closely with organisations to assess their needs and unlock funding. Through this role, Resonance supported Kesoberi to secure £14,000 of Reach Fund support. This grant will enable Resonance’s Strengthening Impact team to work directly with the co-operative to build the structures and plans needed to move towards investment readiness.

Resonance’s Support

Over the coming months, Resonance’s Strengthening Impact team will be working alongside Kesoberi to put this grant to work. Their support will focus on:

• Incorporating a new Community Benefit Society, giving Kesoberi a strong legal and governance framework.
   
• Developing a detailed business plan that sets out how the 20-acre site will deliver affordable homes and community facilities.
   
• Creating a project-wide financial model to test feasibility and sustainability.
   
• Strengthening governance and accountability frameworks, ensuring the co-operative is prepared to manage future responsibilities as the project develops.

This support will be a critical part of helping Kesoberi clarify its ambitions, test the feasibility of the scheme, and take the crucial steps needed to prepare for social investment.

“Kesoberi are a great example of an organisation who have recognised a community need and put in the hard work to see their vision realised. The grant they’ve received has allowed them to expand the available capacity and expertise they now need to be investment ready.” – Jacob Lee, Impact Analyst, Resonance

Looking Ahead

Kesoberi’s work is still in its early stages, but the progress they have made so far demonstrates the power of community-led housing and the role of funding like the Reach Fund in making it possible.

While investment [and project success] is never guaranteed, Kesoberi’s strengthened plans, governance, and financial modelling mean they are better positioned to take the next steps towards delivering affordable homes and a sustainable community hub for West Penwith.

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About Resonance’s Strengthening Impact Team

Resonance’s Strengthening Impact Team helps social enterprises, charities, and community-led groups to build capacity, shape strategy, and maximise the difference they make.

They work with organisations to:

• Clarify and grow the social impact they are aiming to deliver now and in the future.
   
• Develop and improve governance, legal structure, accountability and decision-making processes.
   
• Build robust financial models and business plans to test feasibility, sustainability, and investment readiness.
   
• Expand operations or service offerings, develop new routes to market and explore system-level change and innovation.
   
• Support impact measurement and management: helping groups to track what change is happening, learn from results, and continually improve.

The Strengthening Impact Team offers this support in a collaborative way - drawing on Resonance’s 20+ years of experience in impact investment.

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[1] https://www.stpetrocs.org.uk/news/more-often-than-youd-think-hidden-homelessness-in-cornwall

[2] https://regency-living.com/news/cornish-housing-market-stalls-but-buyers-still-need-10-x-earnings-to-buy-a-home

[3] https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/housing/housing-intelligence/

[4] https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/labourmarketlocal/E06000052/

[5] https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/housing/homechoice-housing-register/#:~:text=Is%20Homechoice%20right%20for%20me,you%20must%20meet%20certain%20criteria.

[6] https://lginform.local.gov.uk/reports/lgastandard?mod-metric=12891&mod-area=E06000052&mod-group=AllUnitaryLaInCountry_England&mod-type=namedComparisonGroup&mod-period=1