Case study

Renovated homes raise quality of life

A project to purchase and renovate poor quality tenements will provide hundreds of residents with secure, affordable homes.

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Project Snapshot

What

Property purchase, refurbishment and new build

Why

Improving the fabric of buildings to enhance the quality of life of residents

The cause

Govanhill Housing Association provides affordable housing for people in the Govanhill and Merrylee areas of Glasgow. This community-owned social landlord was formed following the demolition of slum housing in the late 1950s and 1960s, to tackle the poor quality of the predominantly tenement properties that remained.

Today, Govanhill has high levels of deprivation and inequality, as well as being the most diverse of Glasgow’s neighbourhoods.

Our support

Through the South West Govanhill Property Acquisition and Repair Programme, the Association buys neglected properties in the area to carry out repairs and improvements.

In 2017, to help fund this programme, Govanhill selected CAF Bank as a preferred lender. “It was important to us to work with an organisation with ethical objectives and policies closely aligned with our own,” explains Shannon Watson, Head of Finance and IT.

An initial £5 million loan facility was extended by £4 million in 2021, to further support the Association’s property acquisition and repairs programme, and ongoing new build schemes.

"Its similar ethical objectives and flexible, pragmatic approach to our ever-changing needs and pressures, has made it easy to work with CAF Bank"

Shannon Watson
Head of Finance and IT of Govanhill Housing Association

The impact

As well as raising living standards and tackling overcrowding, this ambitious programme will deliver a more effective system of property management and maintenance.

To date, Govanhill has acquired 370 flats for renovation to be offered for social rent. A further 64 affordable homes have been built, with 24 more under construction.

Shannon sums up the end goal, “Our hope is to improve residents’ quality of life, contributing to their wellbeing and to the area’s regeneration. By buying dilapidated tenement buildings and investing in their fabric and fittings, we’re providing safe, comfortable and affordable homes for the tenants who live here”.

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