Which Way Home? 15 PRACTICE EXAMPLES: Developing housing options within Simon Communities Midlands Simon: procuring scattered apartments in the community. Part of the challenge in acquiring new property is seizing opportunities for procurement as they arise. The approach by Midlands Simon highlights what can be achieved at different points in the housing market cycle. Midlands Simon took advantage of specific initiatives during periods when the housing market has been very buoyant when funding via the Capital Assistance Scheme was available, and also during the recession when leasing options became viable (www.midlandssimon.com). Dublin Simon: developing the potential for satellite (hub and spoke) units, to provide access to accommodation to service users from High Support Housing to move to a lower support model for some residents. North West Simon: the design of new build apartments in Letterkenny was own door, making them very suitable long-term options for Service Users. The project was able to take advantage of the Capital Assistance Scheme just as demand was dropping. When the Capital Assistance scheme was no longer available, North West Simon was still able to lease a further 12 houses, as there were vacant unsold houses as a consequence of the recession. These acquisitions have enabled North West Simon to provide support to families (www.northwestsimon.ie/?pagid=supported-housing). A challenge for developing the supply of A further issue was the financial constraints that accommodation was the attitudes of planning to individual Simon Communities were operating new accommodation or developments. It was felt under, with the acquisition of apartment blocks, that the attitudes of planners, as well as rather than scattered stand-alone apartments the perceptions by the wider community, tended to only viable option. There was a wide range of steer developments to locations where Simon perspectives between respondents over the pros Communities already had stock, thus risking and cons of providing accommodation as blocks, ghettoising service users. An additional issue with rather than scattered sites. A couple of planning were reported negative attitudes of respondents noted that as part of the transitioning planners towards congregate housing models. to a housing-led approach, they would ideally focus on reducing the size of the blocks they were currently using. On the other hand, different respondents noted advantages in terms of the case PRACTICE EXAMPLE: loads that support workers could operate at (as Attitudes to the acquisition opposed to time spent travelling between sites); of properties within the levels of peer support between residents, and also wider community issues with regard to managing and addressing anti-social behaviour. Midlands Simon worked with the media, and with the wider community as part of the There was some discussion by respondents of the process of acquiring new properties. These potential for developing models for acquiring activities helped to diffuse potential tensions properties, with recognition of the specific skill sets and promote the needs of people who are necessary for housing procurement and property homeless as part of the community. management, as distinct from a housing management function related to tenancy sustainment.
Which Way Home?
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