05 September 2001

Group Provides Structure To Meet 21 St Century Challenge

One of Scotland's largest housing associations, Link, has agreed to adopt a new structure to equip the organisation to meet the challenges posed by major changes in the areas of housing, community regeneration and community care.

From September the group has split into six separate businesses under the overall control of Link Group, each of which will focus on a particular aspect of Social Inclusion.

The name Link Housing Association has been adopted by a charitable subsidiary which will manage and maintain the 5,000 social rented dwellings in the Group's stock with tenant numbers on the board increased and the board able to bring greater focus to housing, maintenance and estate management issues.

Link Homes provides homes for sale and carries out development work across the group. Its company structure will also allow it to seek equity investment from other partners.

Inverlink identifies care in the community projects and low- cost home ownership and mixed tenure developments for the group itself and a range of partners.

Linkliving becomes a charitable subsidiary offering "person-centred' support to both Link and Non - Link tenants in their homes.

This structure ensures its separation from Link's landlord function and allows greater service user involvement and should enhance its ability to fund - raise.

Linkwide, also with charitable status, works to sustain communities by developing and providing non-housing wider action initiatives in healthy living, employment, training, community development and the environment.

Finally, Link Property provides a commercial property management service to sharing owners, owner occupiers and tenants in Link's market rent and mortgage - rescue properties. Following last December's merger with Gap Housing association, there are around 1,500 customers in this category.

Link Group Chairman Douglas Sievewright said: "I am confident that our new structure will prove both flexible and responsive and will enable our staff to meet both the needs of our tenants and the wider community of which we area a part.

Photo

Page last updated on Wednesday, 23 July 2008