Our History

First Garden Cities Homes Limited was formed on 1st March 2020 following the amalgamation of Howard Cottage Housing Association (HCHA) and Welwyn Garden City Housing Association (WGCHA).

The two legacy organisations share a combined 170-year history of providing homes and services to local people. HCHA was formed in 1911 specifically to provide affordable housing in Letchworth, the world’s first Garden City whilst WGCHA was established for the same purpose in Welwyn Garden City exactly fifty years later.

Today we are a modern and dynamic housing association with an active development programme and strong connections to our historic roots.  This enables us to provide a steady supply of much needed, good quality housing for local people who cannot afford to buy or rent privately.