Cordale Housing Assocaition has received the Chartered Institute of Housing's Excellence in Regeneration Award.

The award, which is sponsored by the Scottish Centre for Regeneration, recognises the invaluable role that housing organisations play in the transforming communities across Scotland and was presented at the Chartered Institute in Housing Scotland Conference in Aberdeen by Housing and Communities Minister, Alex Neil MSP.

Alex Neil recently visited Renton to officially open the Waterside View and saw first hand Cordale's achievements in the village.

Cy Neil, Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland, said: "Cordale Housing Association has been a catalyst in improving the area and the lives and prospects of the people there."

Cordale Housing Association’s latest development has been hailed by the Scottish Government as a shining example to other communities across Scotland.  Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil officially unveiled the £7.4 million Waterside View development in Renton on Monday, 2 March 2009, which includes 40 extra-care apartments for older people and 11 socially-rented family homes.  The development forms part of a multi-million pound investment in the area by the Scottish Government.

Mr Neil said: “The work of this housing association is an example to the other 170 housing associations in Scotland of how to do it.  The big attraction of this Association’s work is that it is not just houses, they have built a pharmacy, a healthy living centre, a supermarket, a post office, extra care housing and all the other facilities that go with it.  It is also about attitude and ambition and Cordale is not resting on its laurels. They don’t see this as the pinnacle of what they are going to do, it is just the latest project in the regeneration of Renton.  This development is not just about provision of housing it’s about quality of life for our older citizens.  As I go round the country I will be telling folk to come here to see not just what Cordale Housing Association has done in relation to Waterside View but in relation to all the other activities which have been going on and also to try and steal some of your ambition and your passion for the community.”

West Dunbartonshire Council leader Iain Robertson described the development as “inspirational”
He said: “Waterside View is a very exciting development and may be the model of care in the future for our elderly.  It provides a standard of housing which allows people to live more independently for a much longer time and to have a much higher quality of life.  And intensive support is available to them if and when they need it.  I hope to replicate it throughout West Dunbartonshire at some point in the future."

Once more Cordale Housing Association has completed another phase of new build housing in Renton.  This phase is different from our other schemes where we normally build only general need housing.  Of course we have built a range of house types to meet the needs of our tenants, housing list applicants, applicants who have been nominated from the Council under the nominations agreement and applicants who have been referred to the Association under the Section 5 Homelessness Protocol from the Council.  This time however, we have also built what can best be described as an apartment block to meet the needs of older people with support requirements.

The first point I would make is that from the outset, Cordale Housing Association have built and let houses to those in most need.  We have used various criteria for establishing need from tenants in our development area, who have always been the first priority to allow the Association to continue our development programme.  Secondly, we have a nominations agreement with West Dunbartonshire Council that gives them 50% nomination rights to our housing.  Thirdly, there are housing list applicants and internal transfer applicants that must be considered.  I am sure anyone reading this must be wondering how we prioritise need.  This is done by having an Allocations Policy that is points and quotas based and geared to satisfy housing need.  The policy must also comply with the law in Scotland, which means the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001.  The Management Committee and the staff are responsible for formulating all of the Association’s policies.  This of course includes the Allocations Policy.  The staff are responsible for implementing our policies on a day to day basis and must keep records of all their activities with regards to their actions.  Both staff and Committee are independently audited by the Scottish Housing Regulator, who will examine our policies, procedures and outcomes to ensure that Cordale Housing Association are complying with the law and are operating in an open and transparent manner.  If however, anyone is still not satisfied they can complain to the Association and ultimately the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, who again is completely independent of Government and any housing bodies.

So why am I bothering to write this?  Well, personally I feel that over the years local people may have become confused about what or who Cordale Housing Association should be housing.  Our aim has always been to make Renton a better physical place to live and to encourage local people to take more responsibility for the social activities of our community.

I would argue with anyone and the evidence shows that Cordale, along with other organisations have made Renton a better place to live through the provision of high quality affordable housing that meets the need of the people who live in them.  At no time or place did I or any of Cordale’s Management Committee or staff say that these homes were exclusively for people either born or living in Renton.  We have always said that we would “not give people a better standard of housing to enjoy their poverty in”, no mention of where the people must come from.

I hope that this article clears up any misunderstandings that may have occurred in our community.  However, if anyone is in any doubt or have a query please speak to our staff or a Committee Member about it.  If you do not wish to speak to us, seek advice elsewhere from one of our local Councillors, our MP or MSP, the Citizens Advice Bureau – anywhere or anyone other than the Post Office gossip!

Archie Thomson, MBE

"FANTASTIC" - that was how the family of a heart transplant patient
described Cordale Housing Association.

Nineteen-year-old Kirsty McGhee was diagnosed with acute cardio myopathy in June and desperately needs a transplant. The family's former home in Bonhill, a cottage flat, was totally unsuitable for Kirsty's needs and would have left the teenager a virtual prisoner.  Her mum Helene said: "We had lived in our home in Bonhill for 21 years and when Kirsty was diagnosed we just thought adaptations could be made and we would be able to stay there.

"But occupational health came out and said it would require a stair lift inside and outside and they couldn't do it.  That came as such a shock. Doctors said we couldn't take Kirsty out ofhospital unless we had somewhere suitable to take her home to.  We submitted forms to a few housing associations and Cordale got back to us to say they had a wheelchair property available. Cordale were the only association that has seen to Kirsty's needs.

"We were given a viewing on the Friday and had the keys on the Monday and were able to take Kirsty home.  We all love it. I would describe it as fab. The house is just so perfect in every sense of the word and has made a massive difference to Kirsty.  She's been up to the Carman Centre and has had her friends down here. It's much easier for her to get out and about. She is able to socialise and that couldn't have happened with the old house.

"Everything is accessible now. With hospital appointment it's now just a case of taking Kirsty in her wheelchair straight out and into the car, before she had to be carried out.  When she comes home she can come in and go straight in for her shower.  It's easier for nurses coming in to Kirsty and for her carer as well.

"We had a beautiful home in Bonhill and I loved it there but we've all
settled in here.  This house and Cordale have changed our lives."

Cordale’s Allocation Policy was made child’s play for Renton residents. Renton’s Weekindo drama group prepared and performed sketches for Cordale Housing Association tenants, residents and housing applicants highlighting different issues associated with housing allocations.

The event, entitled ‘How kin ah no get a hoose?’ was commissioned by Cordale and facilitated by Renton Community Development Trust (RCDT) and the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS).  It aimed to dispel myths surrounding allocations and gave people the chance to raise any issues and ask questions.

The topic was chosen because Cordale's success in housing has meant that there is a low turnover of properties but a high number of applicants. 

The evening also gave Cordale the chance to seek the views of tenants and residents on any other issues in the village.  Every Cordale tenant,  housing applicants and local residents were invited along to the evening of entertainment in the newly opened CE Centre, which has been renamed Ma Centre.

After each sketch, Archie Thomson, of RCDT, and Jamie Ballantine, of TPAS, invited questions and comments from the audience and Cordale staff were on hand to answer any queries. 

The sketches follow on from a highly successful Baddiel and Skinner type event last year which also encouraged discussion, questions and contributions from the audience in a relaxed setting.  Archie said this year’s event repeated that success.  He added: “The sketches covered typical questions staff are asked by housing list applicants and was very successful with over 70 people attending.  The objective was to help tenants and housing applicants to understand a bit more about the housing allocation policy and why Cordale does what it does.  The feedback from the audience was very positive and this will be fed into Cordale’s decision making process.  I think major praise must go to Cordale for being so bold in taking this method of involving tenants, residents and housing applicants in this process. It was a first for Cordale and once again we are leading by example as I don’t think this approach has been tried anywhere else in Scotland.  Hopefully the young people involved, who were exemplary, will also start to pick up the strands of the allocations process and what their responsibilities are within their communities.”

Cordale Housing Association is now recruiting for its Management Committee – a group which has helped transform Renton over the last 15 years and been involved in developments such as the new very sheltered housing in the village.

The Committee – which comprises of local people of all ages who share a common interest in improving the area – may also be involved in shaping plans for Alexandria and Dumbarton where Cordale believes it can achieve similar success.

In the last year, Cordale has achieved planning permission for Scotland’s biggest social housing development at Dalquhurn and progressed with construction work on Renton’s first very sheltered housing for older people in the village. It has also developed plans for the regeneration Alexandria town centre and has been in talks with resident groups from three areas in Dumbarton about how Cordale can transform their communities.

All you need to get involved is enthusiasm and a desire to make a difference. Full training is provided. Committee Members must attend 10 Management Committee meetings a year, as well as participate on a sub-committee. The Management Committee will be re-elected at the annual general meeting on Friday 12 September 2008.

As well as the Committee, Cordale is also seeking new members for the Association, and this is not restricted to residents.  Membership of Cordale only costs £1 for life membership and is open to anyone over 18 years of age (or 16 years for tenants).

Cordale has invested almost £35m in the local economy during the last 10 years and plans to inject a further £50m-plus over the next five years as it builds more 279 new homes for rent and sale.
Many of its plans and initiatives are developed in response to residents’ wishes and needs.

On 3rd June 2008, West Dunbartonshire Council's Planning Committee approved a planning application from Cordale Housing Association to build 279 homes for rent and sale in Dalquhurn Estate, a 30 acre site in Renton.  This development, which was the biggest land acquisition by a single housing association in Scotland, will transform the site of the former mill works (which was once the centre of the textile industry in the Vale of Leven) from a contaminated wasteland (lead, copper zinc from the former bleach works) into one of the most desirable places to live in West Dunbartonshire.