ACHA Annual Report
Argyll and Bute Council · 13 December 2023
Back to Oban Lorn & The Isles Area Committee — 13 December 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Update to Argyll and Bute Council Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee Michelle Mundie Chief Executive 13th December 2023 1
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Investment Programme In previous years extensive programmes of investment have been carried out. This has resulted in the programme for this year being targeted to any fails which have been identified as part of our stock condition survey.(Excludes any work done through our Warm Homes Team) 2
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Adaptations Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) have been successful is obtaining £450,000.00 in Scottish Government Grant to allow us to progress essential aids and adaptations for our most vulnerable customers across Argyll and Bute. In Oban, Lorn and the Isles we have recently completed 26 adaptations to assist our customers sustain their tenancies and increase their enjoyment of their home. Another 13 adaptations are planned for later this year. 3
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Warm Homes Fund Our Warm Homes Fund Project is continuing to replace inefficient electric heating with Air Source Heat Pump systems. At the end of October 2023 we have installed 1289 new systems to homes. 575 of which have been installed in Oban, Lorn and the Isles. We will also complete External wall Installation to 26 properties and install Doors and Windows to an additional 4 properties. This funding from the Home Energy Efficiency Programme for Scotland: Area Based Scheme (HEEPS/ ABS) benefits both ACHA tenants and Private Home Owners. 4
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Business, Energy, Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Whole House Retrofit Programme ACHA have won funding through a central government scheme to retrofit energy efficiency measures including external wall, internal wall, under floor insulation, windows, doors and renewable heating systems. There are eight Lorn and the Isles properties benefiting from the BEIS project. These improvements could see tenants benefiting from up to a 60% reduction in energy costs. 5
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Exemplar Estates ACHA has committed £300,000 per through our “Exemplar Estates” initiative to improve the environment in and around our properties. The following slides show works completed in Oban, Lorn & the Isles in the last year. Works completed under this programme last year include the following: 6
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Exemplar Estates Scalpay Terrace Before
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Exemplar Estates Scalpay Terrace After
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Exemplar Estates Croft Avenue Before & After
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Bayview Gypsy Travellers Site - Before
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Bayview Gypsy Travellers Site - After
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Exemplar Estates, Dunbeg
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Exemplar Estates
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Putting our Tenants and our Communities First Welfare Rights ACHA’s Welfare Rights service has produced the following results in the period since the 1st April 2023: 14 Area Total Income Number of Clients Lomond £ 565,190.68 224 Oban Lorn & the Isles £ 595,473.65 232 Mid Argyll & Kintyre £ 540,661.87 228 Cowal & Bute £ 550,114.60 247 Totals £2,251,440.80 931
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Other Updates • Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) was successful in obtaining Lottery Funding (Warm & Well Argyll & Bute) of £20,000.00 for the provision of air fryers, slow cookers, electric blankets, winter duvets, microwave, thermal curtains etc. This funding allowed us to provide assistance to 56 of our most vulnerable customers in Oban, Lorn and the Isles. The project was designed to offer customers benefit advice as well as small appliances and other household items to help reduce energy costs. 15
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Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” Other Updates • Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) has recently been successful in attracting addition funding of £28,475.00 via the Scottish Governments Social Housing Fuel Support Fund which will allow us to reach out to more vulnerable customers to offer them similar support to the above. 16
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Other Updates Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” 17 2023 Scotland Housing Awards 27th October 2023 Argyll Community Housing Association is delighted to announce that their Tenant Scrutiny Group the “Your Voice Group” won the Excellence in Tenant Scrutiny Award and their Warm Homes Team won the Net Zero in Housing award for their Whole House Retrofit Project at the Chartered Institute of Housing’s Scotland Housing Awards 2023. The Tenant Scrutiny award is for landlords and their tenants who can show excellence in working collaboratively to scrutinise work and embed scrutiny within the culture of the organisation. The Your Voice Group are a Group of tenants from across the Argyll & Bute area who take an in-depth look at ACHA’s housing services, identifying areas where they think things might be improved or changed. The Net Zero Housing award recognises partnership work with the contractor, Procast, to deliver whole house retrofit upgrades to properties across various locations in Argyll, including the islands of Islay and Tiree. The project forms part of ACHA's long-term journey to net zero and climate change with the residents being at the forefront.
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Other Updates Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” 18 Pictured From left to right: Kirsty Wells, Housemark, Paul McLennan, Minister for Housing, Jennie Niven and Jane Lindsay, Your Voice Group Members, Yvonne Angus, ACHA, Callum Chomczuk, CIH Scotland. Pictured From left to right: Kirsty Wells, Housemark, Richard Turnock, Chief Executive, Riverclyde Homes, Claire Morrison, ACHA, Lachlan Wood, ACHA, Gina Gordon, ACHA , Callum Chomczuk, CIH Scotland.
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Other Updates Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” 19 Scottish Energy Efficiency Awards June 2023 Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) were nominated for two awards at this year’s Scottish Energy Efficiency Awards and were successful in winning the Regional Large Project of the Year category, along with receiving highly commended in the Regional Landlord/Housing Association of the Year category. The latest award follows on from previous success in both the Scottish and National awards and recognises the major investment and improvements the association has made over the last number of years. Photo: Lachlan Wood from Argyll Community Housing Association, (left) with Ashley Brown (centre) from Pas Safe Solutions who sponsored the Regional Large Scale Project of the Year and Kirstie Adams (right) from Pro-Cast, the contractor which nominated ACHA.
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Other Updates • ACHA’s 10 10 10 initiative; 11 schools in Argyll and Bute received an award in 2023. Oban High School was one of the successful schools. • ACHA’s Community Action Fund; we continue to welcome applications from all areas of Argyll and Bute for funding from the Community Action Fund. 13 registered charities have received an award from the fund of up to £500 so far in 2023/24, including 1st Connel Brownies, Seil Island Community Hall and Lorn Toy Library Vision – “Delivering Quality Homes and More Homes in Great Places to Live and Work.” 20