Loreburn Housing Association’s Hallam House in the Dumfries & Galloway village of Beeswing was victorious in the Chartered Institute of Housing awards
A housing association that was on the brink of failure three years ago has won a major award for a village development for people with learning disabilities.
Loreburn Housing Association’s Hallam House in the Dumfries & Galloway village of Beeswing won the Excellence in Development for Rented Properties Award at the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Excellence Awards.
The award marks a remarkable turnaround for the association since coming out of a two-year period of intervention by the Scottish Housing regulator in 2015.
The development consists of five purpose-built supported housing units for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, with a dedicated staff base and means those from the area with specialist needs can now be housed locally rather than outwith the region.
Built by the association with additional funding from the Scottish Government and the local council, Hallam provides local specialist care for people who previously had to be moved outside the area because of a lack of suitable supported accommodation.
Lorraine Usher, chief executive at Loreburn Housing Association, said: “Hallam House is a unique example of partnership working at its best and I was delighted to see it recognised by the Chartered Institute of Housing.
It has created much-needed affordable homes for local people with disabilities who previously had to be moved outside the area
“Working together with Dumfries and Galloway Council and the Scottish Government, we have created a first-class facility with state-of-the-art technology that has brought so many benefits to the village of Beeswing and surrounding areas.
“It has created much-needed affordable homes for local people with disabilities who previously had to be moved outside the area.
“Living at Hallam House has allowed these people to spend much more valuable time with their families. The development has also created local jobs and brought a disused site back to life, which is all great news.”
As well as the award for Hallam House, the organisation also reached the final in two other categories, Housing Team of the Year and The Robina Goodlad Excellence Award for Women Achievers in Housing for chief executive Lorraine Usher.
