George Peabody: The Pioneer of Social Housing

George Peabody, an American financier living in London, was appalled by the squalor of the city's slums. In 1862, he established the Peabody Donation Fund (now the Peabody Trust) to provide decent housing for the working classes.

Peabody’s estates were revolutionary. They proved that with the right financial structuring, social housing could be self-sustaining and scalable. He introduced a new paradigm where philanthropic capital could be deployed as a rigorous, long-term property investment rather than a one-off charity handout.