Govan Housing Association was recently acknowledged in the House of Commons by an early day motion which was sponsored by MP Christopher Stephens.

The motion, which was passed through on October 9, recognised the work of Govan Housing Association and its ambition in the set-up of its newly formed Community Interest Company Govan Home Team.

The motion read as follows: “That this House congratulates Govan Housing Association on the launch of the Govan Home Team, a community interest company delivering high-quality repairs and maintenance to the residents of Govan whilst re-investing any surpluses in community projects to ensure local people thrive and develop in an environment where their aspirations are nurtured; and notes that the HOME team will support the creation of over 50 jobs locally to Govan and invest in traditional skills training so as to build a local workforce which is competent in maintaining and preserving the rich history attached to its tenemental stock.”

The motion also recognised the commitment of the Association in the second phase of the successful modulus project. The modulus project is undertaken in partnership with Community Safety Glasgow and Police Scotland and offers work placements to seven young men aged from 16 to 29, from the local Govan area, these men have been identified as offenders or on the cusp of offending and have been invited to take part in a training and work experience programme during November and December this year.

Taking a proactive stance on preventing anti-social behaviour and youth offending in the area, Govan Housing Association aims to address issues highlighted through their resident satisfaction survey.

As with the original project the aim was to adopt a multi-agency, holistic partnership approach including a range of community planning partners such as council, police, fire and rescue, those with a remit for employability and youth offending and local community organisations. The partners looked to address the needs of these young people based on their individual circumstances and aspirations and maximise the opportunity for a range of organisations to support them at the same time, trying to make the greatest impact to their lives and indeed the local community.

This is an eight week programme that includes four days of work experience and one day training, and the Association are hopeful that this maybe extended through support from Community Safety Glasgow’s Choice Works programme.

Fiona McTaggart, chief executive of Govan Housing Association, said: “The value of the Govan modulus programme has been the commitment of partners and the flexibility to be creative and shape the work programme around the needs of the young people who have engaged with it.

“We appreciate that it is down to us to use our partnership relations productively and to link in with the right partners who can offer constructive support and funding. For instance thanks to Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), we are hopeful that we may be able to offer a number of the young people a full-time job with us for twelve months.

“We see this being a rolling programme of training and work placements, hopefully leading to full time employment or further education opportunities. We are hopeful that this second phase of the programme will be as successful as the first and that the people involved will make a positive difference in their community and on their fellow peers.”