Background

For forty years, Community Controlled Housing Associations have provided both high-quality housing and built environments, whilst improving their local social and economic neighbourhood environments. In addition, however, CCHAs also provide a range of care and support services and other initiatives which have a direct impact on the health and wellbeing of people in their communities. The potential savings to public sector budgets of the prevention and early intervention activities which CCHAs are involved in are huge and we continue to make the case for the role of the housing sector in these key policy agendas.

Our members’ contribution

Crucially, CCHAs’ work covers a huge array of activities which help to support the Scottish Government’s national Health and Wellbeing Outcomes. CCHAs’ contribute to health and social care policy agendas  by –

  • Undertaking strategic planning for quality housing across tenures and life-stages.
  • Providing (or facilitating) ‘fit for purpose’ housing for rent or for sale.
  • Arranging and undertaking adaptations to the home (also by helping owners and private tenants to fund and undertake adaptations).
  • Providing people with information and advice on: their housing options; welfare and money advice; advocacy support, befriending services.
  • Signposting people to other services, including health and social care services.
  • Providing combined housing with care or support services operating on a variety of different models (including sheltered, very sheltered, core and cluster models).
  • Providing local, personal and preventative services including: Care and Repair services; ‘handyperson’ services; stair cleaning; snow clearing; garden maintenance, activities and projects to reduce isolation; activities and projects to improve physical health and mental wellbeing.
  • Building capacity at local level. In CCHAs case, providing opportunities for local people to participate by being on the Board of their local association or by being involved in wider CCHA related activities.

 

Sir Harry Burns, ex Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, speaking at a GWSF event on health and wellbeing.

GWSF’s work on health & social care

  • GWSF is closely involved at both national, and at local authority level in Glasgow, in health and social care policy agendas. We represent our members at relevant groups and stakeholder events where we feed in the CCHA perspective, and make the case for more CCHA involvement in these policy areas, which are so crucial to the health and wellbeing of tenants.
  • Health and Social Care Integration – GWSF has been closely involved in the integration agenda on behalf of its members. Along with SFHA, ALACHO and representatives from the Scottish Government and the NHS, we are members of the Housing Partners for Health & Wellbeing Group. The group’s over-arching remit is to monitor how integration is developing in relation to housing sector involvement within all local authority areas as it moves forward.
  • In Glasgow we continue to sit on the steering group which oversees the ‘Accommodation Based Strategy’ strand of the Integrated Care Fund. As we’ve kept members updated on, the main project funded is Community Connectors (CCs) which aims to connect older people, their families, and carers with the ‘wrap-around’ services (provided by the third sector). CCs is now up and running in the three host housing association hubs who are all Forum members, and we hope that it will be rolled out to other associations soon.

Key documents

GWSF Response – Glasgow’s Strategic Integration Plan (Dec 2015)

Commission on Housing & Wellbeing – GWSF response 2015

No place like home

GWSF film about supporting older people, 2012 (11 minutes)