Insight

In a guest blog for CIH Scotland, Grampian Housing Association chief executive Neil Clapperton shares what his organisation has been doing to support the current national emergency. Now is the time for associations (and council housing departments) to show what they can really do at a time of nation

Martin Gavin, Homeless Network Scotland’s head of external relations, looks at how to frame discussions about what happens next, so that the best ideas surface quickly. Since the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group (HARSAG) recommendations were submitted in 2018, centred around rapid

The Springburn office of ng homes is named after Ned Donaldson. But who was Ned Donaldson? Kieran Findlay recalls the contribution of the activist and the post-war battle to stop the privatisation of council housing at Merrylee. It was a cold sleety December day in 1951. Slum landlordism and sublett

Colleen Rowan, policy and research lead at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF), discusses the Supporting Communities Fund and why its recognition of community anchors is so important. Along with colleagues in housing and other sectors, GWSF was delighted to see the

It is almost three years since Sally Thomas left her role at Teesside-based North Star Housing Association to become chief executive of membership organisation the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA). Having spent her entire career in the English social housing sector she made the mov

A fall in the number of planning applications combined with the postponement of the expected fee increase in June may result in longer-term effects on the planning system, writes Heads of Planning Scotland.

Today would have been the annual Housing First Scotland conference in Edinburgh, an event that last year attracted 350 delegates and speakers from across the world. The theme was going to be a celebration of the first full year of the Housing First Pathfinder, and today Homeless Network Scotland, wh

Duncan Smith, who works in the social housing sector, has contributed this piece as part of his quest for more information about housing architect George Gibson. Several years ago, just after starting my current job, I undertook some research on the properties we were refurbishing at the time. I fou

Andrew Fyfe argues that retirement villages are set up in such a way that helps to insulate and protect in the case of a pandemic. According to figures published by the National Records of Scotland 338 of the 656 deaths recorded between 20 and 26 April were in care homes. Care homes are current

Next month marks the centenary of Scotland’s first council housing estate, the Logie Estate in Dundee. Lauren Brown reports.

Duncan Smith draws on his experience in Scotland's social housing and construction sectors to outline the potential for post-COVID change and how EnerPHit could be a solution at scale. It’s hard to imagine where we are just now compared to just three months ago, it seems a different

Scotland’s Housing Network private sector housing officer Jim Hayton discusses the resources available for people living in flats during the coronavirus lockdown. Dealing with the pressures of coronavirus and the need to remain at home most of the day is difficult enough if you live in a detac

With the Community Right to Buy for Sustainable Development coming in to place last weekend, land commissioner Megan MacInnes looks at what it means for communities and for land reform. Last weekend marked the launch of the latest in the Scottish Government’s land reform toolkit – the Co

Maggie Brünjes, Homeless Network Scotland’s chief executive, looks at an unfair pandemic and the reasons why they are today publishing a new framework* to help redress this across homelessness policy and services. Already we know that the risk and impact of COVID-19 is not distributed equ

As staff across the Kingdom Group adjust to new ways of working to ensure they deliver vital services to tenants and customers, Bill Banks highlights the great work that different teams are doing in these challenging times.