New merged housing association to serve Perthshire’s tenants

Oct 18 2011 by Andrew Welsh, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

A NEW housing association was unveiled yesterday – with Perthshire Housing Association joining forces with Dundee-based Servite Housing Association.

The new Caledonia Housing Association will boast a turnover of over £15 million and emerge as a significant employer in the Tayside area.

With offices in both Dundee and Perth, the organisation will employ almost 200 staff and own and manage around 4000 properties, with plans to build up to 100 additional housing units in Perthshire and Angus within the next year.

The new organisation aims to respond to challenging times in the affordable housing sector while retaining the highest levels of service and support for residents.

Caledonia has also made a major commitment to investment in its existing properties, with an average of £3-4 million each year being spent on improvements and maintenance.

The association will also maintain a strong focus on continuing to build additional new properties across the region.

A spokeswoman said: “The merger of two respected associations offers a real opportunity to review how services are delivered, focussing on quality and value for money.

“This will see a new customer information centre put in place to offer a modern approach to dealing with customer enquiries.”

Julie Cosgrove, Caledonia’s chief executive, declared: “Delivering optimum customer care to our residents is at the very heart of this merger, particularly in increasingly challenging environments.

“The merger will allow us to deliver high-quality services during tough times for both housing associations and their residents. Ultimately, this is our way of responding to the challenges which exist in the wider environment, using our resources more effectively, driving efficiencies and improving services.

“By joining forces, we create a stronger, more rounded organisation, focusing on all client groups from families to older people and those requiring additional support.”

Perthshire-based Ian McMillan, chairman of Caledonia Housing Association and previous chairman of PHA, added: “The creation of Caledonia is the culmination of over18 months of discussion and consultation with a range of agencies and, most importantly, our tenants.

“It provides the ideal opportunity to build on the strengths of both organisations for the benefit of our tenants.

“Further benefits will be realised through our financial strength which will allow us to continue to build new affordable homes in the region.

“I would also like to acknowledge both the commitment and positivity of our residents and staff which has been evident throughout this process.”