Barrhead Housing Association highlights achievements on Scottish Housing Day

Barrhead Housing Association (BHA) supported housing as a human right on Scottish Housing Day last week.

Barrhead Housing Association highlights achievements on Scottish Housing Day

Robert Burns, Tom Arthur and David McCready

The Association celebrated the positive impact of good housing to the lives of people and communities.

The local-community controlled body working in East Renfrewshire said it is proud of the achievements it has made over the last 33 year. With a staff of 23 and 935 properties, it was keen to celebrate the work it does.

BHA offers more than just a tenancy, with wider community benefits available to its tenants and residents.

The Association is pleased to play its part in achieving the mission of housing as a human right and said: “We believe that everyone has the right to live in a secure, good quality, well-maintained home within communities that are safe, supported and inclusive.”

BHA said it wants people to choose to stay in one of its properties and work together to make lasting improvements within the communities. Housing associations such as BHA offer security of tenure, it added. They also offer a comprehensive and speedy repair service and have a programme of continuous investment in their properties, with funds set aside for works over the next 30 years.

Robert Burns became a tenant of BHA in August 2018. Following a period of personal uncertainty leading to a period in temporary accommodation, Robert was delighted that the Association could offer him a secure, warm, affordable home for himself and his daughter in Barrhead.

Robert said: “I can’t thank the association enough. the offer for this house happened really quickly and the staff have been really helpful. The property offered had been abandoned so I had a few repairs to sort out but the service was extremely quick.

“We also now love our garden and I’m thankful for the encouragement I’ve had from neighbours. I was delighted that the association recognised this effort at their recent AGM when I was awarded the best-improved garden for 2019.”

A local supporter of Scottish Housing Day is MSP Tom Arthur, who said: “Scottish Housing Day represents an important opportunity to celebrate the long-term foundations good quality homes provide. We want everyone in Scotland to be able to afford a warm, safe, energy-efficient place to call home. The Scottish Government is on track to meet its target of delivering 50,000 new affordable homes by 2021 - backed by £3.3 billion of funding - and it’s fantastic to see the continued focus on providing housing across Renfrewshire South.

“Much of this local progress is a testament to the hard work carried out by Barrhead Housing Association, who I am always happy to work closely with to ensure the best possible service and a full range of housing options are available in the local area.”

David McCready, Barrhead Housing Association’s chairperson, has just overseen the 33rd AGM on September 3rd and he took great pride in celebrating the work that the association has done over the last year whilst planning for the future.

He said: “As a housing association we care about what we do and how we do it. As a charity, we are concerned about the rising figures for homelessness, rough sleepers, use of food banks and increasing child poverty. We remain committed to the eradication of homelessness within the local area and Scotland We need more homes and we are doing our part to deliver on the Scottish Government’s commitment to deliver 50,000 new affordable homes by 2021.”

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