Justine said: “We absolutely love it here. Our garden is a really good size for our two rescue dogs and there is plenty of floor space downstairs for our granddaughter to play.” 

Their home is one of many energy-efficient properties made possible through a £1 million West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) investment. Half of the homes are for affordable rent, and half - like Tag and Justine’s - are offered through Shared Ownership.  

Shared Ownership wasn’t even on their radar  

“Before we moved in, we had never even heard of Shared Ownership before,” said Justine.  

The couple’s journey has been far from easy. After a marriage breakdown, a forced house sale, and financial setbacks, they found themselves priced out of the mortgage market. Renting privately at £1,000 a month for a home they say was “not fit to live in” left them with little choice but to move into a caravan for three months.  

“It was a real low point for us,” Justine explained. “We had always worked hard and paid our mortgage and bills and here we were unable to get a mortgage and living in a caravan.”  

In January 2024, a friend mentioned Shared Ownership. By May, they had collected the keys to their new home.  

“It was such a happy day when we finally got the keys,” Justine said. “Having been effectively homeless it felt so good to finally put down roots.” 

For Tag, the scheme offers security and hope for the future: “We are so grateful to Platform. Shared Ownership works perfectly for us as it means that over time we can buy more of a share of our forever home. I can’t describe how getting this house has changed our lives – we thought we would never be able to get a home of our own.” 

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, met Tag and Justine at the official opening and praised the development:  

“Cookley Works is a great example of how we can deliver good quality, genuinely affordable homes that change lives for the better.” 

Tag and Justine are settling into their brand-new two-bedroom home at Cookley Works in Brierley Hill - part of a 71-home development on the former steel factory site. With a good-sized garden for their two rescue dogs and plenty of space for their granddaughter to play, they couldn’t be happier. 

Finding a Lifeline in Shared Ownership