About Prisoners Building Homes
PBH is on a mission to change lives. We want to reduce reoffending, provide high-quality, low-cost homes for local communities and help deliver net zero targets by making sure our homes are low carbon and incredibly energy efficient.
Sounds like a lot? Well, we’re doing it already…
Delivering Homes
Unlock land and deliver high-quality, low-cost homes which help address housing pressures for local communities.
Reducing Reoffending
Upskill prisoners and provide them with formal construction qualifications so they are more likely to find employment on release, which is proven to reduce reoffending.
Delivery Net Zero
Build sustainable, low carbon, energy-efficient homes for tomorrow which support the delivery of Net Zero targets.
Supporting Modular Housing
Support the growth of the modular hosing industry in the UK by developing a pipeline of sites for our PBH modular housebuilders.
Changing Lives
Deliver social value to local communities by providing affordable and social housing, creating safer communities and turning around the lives of prisoners and their families.
Prisoners Building Homes (PBH) is an award-winning, cross-government programme which sees prisoners and ex-offenders working with modular housebuilders to build low carbon homes on public and third-sector sites.
These homes are being used to address national housing pressures including affordable, social, key worker, homelessness and housing for vulnerable people.
Our success speaks for itself. 98% of prisoners who have participated in PBH have secured employment in construction upon release and our reoffending rate is less than 10% against a national average of 35%.
With the support of our government partners, we are now working with 10 housebuilders and 10 prisons to deliver over 700 homes across the country and are growing all the time.
benefits for prisoners
Prisoners are upskilled and receive formal construction qualifications. This means they are more likely to find employment upon release, which is proven to reduce reoffending. Prisoners are paid a wage for their work. This allows them to support their families and their resettlement post-release. They also contribute toward victim support.
benefits for landowners
PBH homes are high quality, low carbon, low cost and very energy efficient. They can be delivered on site for less than £100k per unit (end-to-end costs) and completed within 16 weeks, depending on the site.
PBH also offers a rental fleet of homes so public sector landowners are able to access housing quickly and without the need for capital funding.
benefits for housebuilders
“Quote from one of the housebuilders”
Jason, Dragonheart Homes Director
OUR WORK IS CHANGING LIVES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
PBH was the brainchild of the five Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in the South West of England who were looking for a better way to reduce reoffending.
Since then, the programme has expanded across the country with the support of our government partners, housebuilders and public and third sector landowners.
The PBH Team is now based within Local Partnerships, an in-house public sector consultancy owned by the LGA, HM Treasury and Welsh Government.
We are governed by a national board with representation from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Ministry of Justice, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, the Cabinet Office/Local Government Association-run One Public Estate Programme and Police and Crime Commissioners.
National overview of accredited PBH house builders and participating prisons Warrington as at December 2024.
Please click on the key to learn more – the map is interactive.
Our Stakeholders
Our Success Stories
Local Authority Housing
Former Garage/Parking Site, Cullompton, Devon
Constrained, local authority-owned site on a housing estate unsuitable for traditional build. Six social-rent modular homes constructed off-site and delivered and assembled.
These award-winning homes have been designed to be both highly energy efficient & zero-operational-carbon in operation, to secure residents the lowest possible running costs.
Former Garage/Parking Site, Cullompton, Devon
Constrained, local authority-owned site on a housing estate unsuitable for traditional build. Six social-rent modular homes constructed off-site and delivered and assembled.
These award-winning homes have been designed to be both highly energy efficient & zero-operational-carbon in operation, to secure residents the lowest possible running costs.
Are you...
A PUBLIC OR THIRD-SECTOR LANDOWNER
…looking to deliver high-quality, low carbon housing quickly & affordably?
A PRISON
…looking to improve outcomes for prisoners?
A HOUSE BUILDER
…looking for a great workforce and want to make a difference?
AN INVESTOR
…looking to support a fantastic scheme which changes lives?