A Period of Rapid Growth
Having decided in 1990 to pursue a role as developer and landlord, we began with supported housing projects and then invested heavily in pursuing a Scottish Homes stock transfer. After a few years of modest growth and investigation of opportunities, we experienced rapid expansion and organisational change during the period 1995 to 2001.
Glasgow East End
In 1991, we began to explore a stock transfer opportunity in the East End of Glasgow. This resulted, in November 1995, in 1,450 properties in Baillieston, Bridgeton and Calton being transferred from Scottish Homes. We moved from Charing Cross to Green Street, expanded our staff from 18 to 40 (including 12 from Scottish Homes), and developed, for the first time, policies, procedures and systems to suit our role as a substantial landlord and to meet the regulatory requirements of Performance Standards.
Our East End housing stock is a diverse portfolio of interwar, new build and some older stock. It is largely general needs housing but includes 4 sheltered housing schemes and a few supported tenancies. A planned maintenance programme for all the stock is ongoing. The impact of right-to-buy has now reduced the tenanted stock to 1,320. We provide a partial or full factoring service to some 400 owner-occupiers and 50 shopkeepers within the area of this stock.
Castlemilk
On 31 March 1998, following a process of selection by Netherholm Housing Association, we received a transfer of engagements from this association in Castlemilk. Of the 245 properties acquired, 95 had already been refurbished, but the remainder required to be demolished. Communities Scotland (then Scottish Homes) had given a commitment that funding would be made available to ensure the remaining 50 households were re-housed. Since transfer two new build contracts and an environmental improvement contract have been completed and all residents are now satisfactorily housed. The last contract also produced 16 houses for sale. The total number of houses for rent is now 162 and there are 10 owner-occupiers within the stock managed by Thenew. Four staff are based in our Netherholm office, which provides a local service to all our properties in Castlemilk. At the start of 2005, we formalised the relationship between the Glasgow Housing Association, (GHA), and ourselves, by signing the ‘Interim Management Agreement’ This in effect means that we have set up a local committee to manage, on behalf of the GHA housing management services for approximately 160 Castlemilk tenants. Geographically, this means that a combination of owning or managing, we offer services to around 300 Castlemilk families.
Blackhill
We began working with a group of local residents in Blackhill in 1995. This group was not large enough to form its own association so chose to come under Thenew’s wing to achieve regeneration in the area. New house building to replace council flats due for demolition began in February 1998. Three phases of new build properties have been completed providing 123 houses for rent and 6 houses for shared-ownership, which brings to a conclusion our committed programme.
Our interest in area regeneration continues. It is expected that the private sector will build houses for sale in the future to complement those for rent. Thenew is working with community representatives on environmental improvement, replacement, (e.g. youth shelter), community facilities, (new community centre) and other community development initiatives.
Cranhill
In 1998 we began discussions with tenants in Cranhill, Glasgow City Council and Scottish Homes, which resulted in a transfer of 298 units in the area being overwhelmingly approved, by the local tenants. The transfer took place in April 1999 and Thenew is now responsible for the management of the area, which is provided from a local office base. A phased programme of new build and demolition covering the whole stock has been agreed with Communities Scotland. Procurement of the housing has been via a Partnering Agreement that won a National Partnership Award in October 2000. This has, so far, achieved the production of over 200 quality houses for rent ahead of time and within cost.
Our long-standing promise and commitment to our tenants in Cranhill was realised in December 2005, when the last of our tenants living in a cold damp tenement flat transferred into a brand new house. Margaret Curran, MSP, Minister for Parliamentary Business, and previously Minister for Communities, carried out the official opening of the latest of our houses in Cranhill in December 2005. Four staff are based in our Cranhill Office, which also provides management services for our houses in Blackhill and Baillieston.
Bridgeton & Dalmarnock
In February 1999 Scottish Homes determined that all the housing and business activities of this neighbouring community-based association, Bridgeton and Dalmarnock Housing Association, should be transferred to another association. After prolonged preparation and negotiation Thenew Housing Association was approved as the transferee landlord and the transfer took place on 31 March 2001. As a result Thenew took ownership of a further 550 tenanted houses, in traditional tenements and new build schemes, as well as responsibilities in connection with 100 shared ownership houses and 100 owner-occupiers. A large programme of major repairs commenced in 2002. In Dalmarnock 304 mostly empty tenemental houses were also acquired, with plans for demolition (three quarters achieved) and approval for the provision of 50 new houses for displaced residents. At Gear Terrace, 16 new homes have been completed. A further 34 homes have been built in Springfield Road as well as a replacement supported housing project for adults requiring support to live in the community. The procurement of both phases has been through an extension of the Partnering Agreement used in Blackhill and Cranhill. In 2001 eight former Bridgeton & Dalmarnock Housing Association staff became employees of Thenew and Bridgeton and Dalmarnock’s former office at Bridgeton Cross became our area office. After some re-organisation 10 staff now manage all our stock, some 1600 houses, in Bridgeton and Dalmarnock.
Supported Housing and Community Care
Our development programme since 1990 has produced projects around Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire for a range of special needs including people recovering from drug or alcohol abuse, young single homeless people, older people and people requiring support to establish independent tenancies for the first time. These projects are, where appropriate, managed in partnership with specialist care providers.
Our activity in the field of Care in the Community has seen us heavily involved in the Lennox Castle Hospital Discharge programme. During the period 1997 to 2002, we purchased properties on the open market with a mixture of Health Board grant and private finance and after adaptation, re-let them to ex-residents of the hospital offering them their own direct tenancies. These houses are located in the north, east and south of the City and East Dunbartonshire. Latterly we provided new purpose built housing as part of area regeneration. We have had to develop a variety of partnership arrangements with a range of service providers to ensure that the tenants receive the necessary care and support to permit them to enjoy their lives to the full. This type of work has placed us at the forefront of this activity in Glasgow. Our 128 sheltered houses are inter mixed with mainstream housing in Calton and Bridgeton.
The Housing Support Officers currently provide services from two local offices to 67 tenants in Calton and to 34 in Bridgeton. The remaining 27 tenants in Bridgeton have a community alarm facility only along with a good neighbour/caretaker service. In Castlemilk (Dougrie Drive) we won a grant competition and built housing for community care integrated with family and shared ownership housing; a further scheme in Arnprior Quadrant provides 16 homes for older or less mobile tenants. New housing in Cranhill, Calton and at Netherholm has incorporated care in the community housing. Last year saw our housing support service become registered with the Care Commission and successfully completed our first Care Commission inspection.