On 11th November the eye-catching and inspiring design of the V&A in Dundee will be the venue for Scotland’s housing advice charity - Housing Options Scotland - to celebrate 25 years as a charity in Scotland supporting people to explore their housing options.

Not unlike a certain ship on the River Tay, the charity has weathered storms and change to reach its current destination with 814 new individuals and families approaching the service last year. Demand for the service has grown by over 110% in the last five years alone.

The charity is extremely proud of how far it has come. From its beginnings as Ownership Options in Scotland, advising disabled people on home ownership, to rebranding to Housing Options Scotland in 2012 where the charity now supports disabled people, older people and veterans with advice and information on all housing tenures.

The event will be a celebration of everything the charity has achieved over 25 years and will be attended by Shona Robison MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, subject to parliamentary business.

CEO, Moira Bayne, who has been at the helm of the HOS ship since 2008, said: “Our 25th anniversary is a huge milestone for us. The housing landscape in Scotland continues to change.

“Times are hard at the moment but it’s important to remember that there are options out there. It’s more essential than ever that clients can get our expert help and advice as quickly as possible.

“We can’t do any of this alone -we rely on all sorts of folk to help us in our work - so I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone past and present who has helped us along the way.”

In the lead up to the day the charity has been sharing “25 times we made a difference” on their social media channels with lots of wonderful feedback from former clients.

Comments received include:

• “I can’t believe my life now.. I feel like a million doors are there for me to open”
• “Your support has been absolutely tremendous; I would have been lost without it. I had no idea where to turn, but you were an absolute wealth of information.”
• “I got lots of advice and lots of help.. she was liaising with so many different agencies… she really helped me out.”
• “You were there with me to help fight my corner”