New chief executive will build upon success of West of Scotland Housing Association. By Graeme Andrews
SOCIAL regeneration is about more than putting a roof over people's heads. The principle of creating a practical contribution to local economies needs to be integrated to maximise impact - as exemplified by the West of Scotland Housing Association (WSHA) business model.
This year sees the Golden Jubilee of an organisation with a proud past record and an aspirational future in which a new chief executive is expected to play an inspirational role.
Numbers tell part of the story - 3,200 homes for rent across the Mainstream, Amenity, Sheltered and Supported segments of the market, half of which are in Glasgow and the other half being split between Lanarkshire and Ayrshire.
Its parent organisation is Gentoo Group, which it joined in 2013.
This dynamic Sunderland-based social enterprise presents a synergistic umbrella; this year it scooped Business in the Community's Top Responsible Business Award in the benchmark Corporate Responsibility Index.
It was the only business to achieve a full 100 per cent scorecard from the judges. The new WSHA CEO will need to offer a rare mix of the practical, the innovative and the altruistic when revealing their CV credentials.
But most of all, they will need to lead - in every sense.
John Craggs, Deputy Chief Executive at Gentoo Group and a member of WSHA's management committee, reasons: "They'll need to have the personal awareness of knowing you are only as good as the team you have around you, only as good as the means by which you inspire that team to deliver.
"If I just use one word to describe that person it would be 'motivator'.
"It really is about being a leader, where you can harness the skills and passions of your team. It is absolutely about ensuring they are on message with the future direction of West of Scotland Housing Association, inspiring the management committee and leading and inspiring the staff group."
These are bold words from people who, as a collective, like to see themselves as different in approach. Solid reinforcement of that image comes via the previously mentioned independent award assessment.
But there is also assurance of its intentions via the three alliterative totems of People, Planet and Property - underpinning a desire to help all tenants beyond bricks and mortar while also providing them with the best quality housing that is environmentally friendly in its carbon footprint.
Practical intent in providing decent homes is perhaps the biggest physical mark of WSHA's work. As a Group member of Gentoo, it also demonstrates an uncommonly pragmatic vision which it dubs the
Art of Living, the embodiment of the three Ps.
"Our work is focused around three key areas to maximise our impact: that's the people, planet and property elements," says Craggs. "Ultimately we aim to enable people to realise their true potential and achieve their aspirations.
"It is about people's life aspirations - not just about having a roof over their heads.
"Much of our business is aimed at the people who live in the properties.
"It may be that for many of the customers living in our properties, property is all they want from their landlord but we have thousands of customers who have needs that we try to meet, whether that is a disability, or issues they face as a result of age.
"We do a huge amount in relation to education, helping people be more employable, life coaching, confidence building and volunteering.
"At West of Scotland Housing Association, we call this Sustainable Communities."
Craggs refers to the WSHA management team in the same ambitious terms.
In the sense of a core day-to-day remit, a significant requirement of the post holder is to ensure the continuing success the Association has had in improving both the volume and the quality of the housing stock that it operates for those customers.
"The management committee is very positive, very aspirational and realise that growing in scale is not the be all and end all. The prize for us is to grow in capacity, so that we can do more," he says.
In joining Gentoo Group two years ago, it was that same desire to enrich service provision that was the chief driver behind WSHA's move to join a larger enterprise framework.
"West of Scotland (WSHA) was looking for a partner with which to be 'better together' into the future," Craggs adds.
"It wasn't about tackling the problems of today at that time, it was about trying to future-proof the organisation as it looks toward the horizon - in relation to the availability of housing grants to build more social housing, the forecast impact of welfare reform on operating conditions and the perceived impact in terms of pension contributions for staffing. Being part of a bigger organisation enables you to have more of those important back office services and achieves greater efficiencies for all."
The determination of the Association now is to grow in a manageable way by extending its portfolio of sites in its current territories.
That could include housing built for rent mixed with housing for sale.
In the case of the latter, any profit made would be ploughed back in to the business, sustaining the cycle of benefit that is the distinctive trademark of both parent group and Association.
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