Housing associations should be at the heart of the regeneration of communities in Scotland, argues a new report. Unlocking the Potential calls for housing associations to be in the vanguard of tackling problems such as joblessness, poverty, social immobility and ill health. It was written by EVH, an organisation that provides employment services to the social enterprise sector.
EVH, which was formerly known as Employers in Voluntary Housing, is itself a social enterprise. Its director Foster Evans said: "We believe that the housing sector can and should be a significant agent for change in the regeneration process.
"We are confident that this new report goes some way towards identifying the opportunities for housing and the housing bodies to achieve much more in releasing the potential in their communities."
Evans highlighted the work of Easthall Park housing co-operative in Easterhouse, Glasgow, which manages 800 homes and has developed a range of initiatives, including a community centre with internet access, lunch clubs and a cafe partly powered by wind turbines.
The housing co-op also offers a Higher National Certificate in housing and community work, under which 12 local people are trained each year, and runs two youth football teams.
Easthall Park's director John McMorrow said: "Most of my work now concerns non-housing-related projects and I strongly believe that the days of simply collecting rent are in the past. Delivering for our communities should be at the very core of the housing sector remit."
He added that the certificate was helping people move on to work experience and employment: "Having come from a similar background, I understand and am driven by a belief in creating opportunities and helping individuals and communities to flourish.
"We also instigate leisure projects such as the recent appointment of a resident artist, or the setting up of Easthall Park's two football teams which, with just a bit of inspiration and some start-up funding, have developed into a positive force for many young people in our community."
Unlocking the Potential is the product of an 18-month consultation process carried out by EVH, which represents more than 80% of Scotland's housing associations. It comes as the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations launches a new campaign to persuade the government to build 10,000 new homes for rent each year. The federation is calling on politicians, housing organisations, councils and financial institutions to work together to deliver much-needed affordable homes.
Meanwhile, Scottish Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell will today launch the first of a series of regeneration networks. The Scottish Goverment plans to create three such networks, with resources to appoint a coordin-ator and hold events to share ideas and experience. The networks will support work to protect and regenerate town centres and high streets, work to tackle poverty and regenerate communities, and workers in mixed communities.
The first of these, the Community Regeneration and Tackling Poverty network, will be launched today at a conference in Glasgow.
Yesterday, the leaders of a group of large London-based housing associations accused the UK's financial institutions of making it almost impossible for providers of social housing to access credit.
Foster Evans said regeneration should be at the top of the agenda for the housing sector, adding: "The resources that the government will provide in the next two years to support a learning network will undoubtedly help us be more effective."
But he said more needed to be done: "Further significant additional resources to kick-start the house-building programme would also help these activities, but also the construction industry, which has suffered so much in the credit crunch."
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