The judges awarded Link the Housing Organisation of the Year Award for the Link Group at 60 – Sustainable Homes, Sustainable Communities, Sustainable Business.

Link is supporting tenants through the cost of living crisis and is working in partnership with numerous agencies to help tenants.

Project outcomes include:

• 420 staff ​trained through LinkLiving’s Skills Academy, ensuring all Link’s frontline housing, property services, and support staff are trauma-informed.
• LinkGiving Trust distributed over £107,000 of crisis funding to 900 households, assisting those most in need of help.
• Link has heavily invested in tenancy support teams and coordinated the distribution of £120,000 to help with heating bills, with £100 payments distributed to 1200 tenants.
• The monetary gain for Link tenants in 2022/23 totals £1,77 million, which is money that would not have otherwise been gained without the involvement of Link Advice Services staff.
• Link is very proud of its tenancy sustainment rate of 97.64% in 2023, which it said clearly demonstrates its commitment to supporting tenants to continue to live in their homes.
• Link secured £275k from the Scottish Government Fuel Insecurity fund in October 2022. Staff worked tirelessly to distribute this fund to tenants. The money went towards educational literature, fuel costs and debt, and winter warmer/energy-efficient goods.
• Link is proud to mark Link’s 60th anniversary as the largest supplier of new-built social rented homes in the UK.

Link also received the Excellence in Communications Award for its transformative communications to engage tenants, communities, and staff.

Link’s submission for the Excellence in Communications Award said: “Despite just entering its second year of operation, the revamped Link communications team has fostered an atmosphere of collaboration and clarity. The emphasis on directly addressing concerns with open and honest communication has tangibly enhanced the lives of tenants and staff.”

Evidence for this includes a 56% growth in engagement on Link’s intranet, a digital newsletter launched to keep seven diverse Boards informed and engaged in activities across the group, 10% Facebook growth and a reach of 3.8 million, and renewed engagement with MSPs and the SFHA which led to Michael Matheson MSP visiting LinkLiving to learn more about Sporting Chance, a partnership initiative encouraging young people to participate in education through sport, and housing minister Paul McLennan’s visit to Link’s multi-award-winning Riverside Dalmarnock housing development in Glasgow.

Jon Turner, Link’s chief executive, said: “It is a massive achievement to receive national recognition in the shape of these prestigious industry awards. It is a great acknowledgement of our staff to go the extra mile to make a real difference by supporting our tenants and creating communities where people want to live, visit and work.

“At our AGM, I recently praised staff from across Link for their incredible commitment and contribution to the growth and success of our organisation. It is a testament to the dedication and innovation shown by colleagues throughout Link that has prompted the housing sector to sit up and take notice. I would like to thank everyone for their contribution over the last year, and I look forward to the next 12 months with optimism.”

Commenting on the award winners, CIH Scotland director Callum Chomczuk said: “I would like to extend a huge congratulations to all our award winners and nominees. The standard of application this year, as in previous years, has been extremely high and is a testament to the great work and innovation happening throughout Scotland’s housing sector.

“The Scotland Housing Awards and the Good Practice Compendium is one of the most important activities that CIH Scotland undertakes each year and highlights the difference that housing professionals are making across Scotland and the impact of the wider public policy objectives that make a difference to all our lives.”

All 76 shortlisted entries for the Scotland Housing Awards have been included in the Good Practice Compendium 2023, a core learning document full of inspiration, ideas, and innovation to help everyone across the sector create a future where everyone has a place to call home.