Clydebank Housing Association reflects on pandemic response

Alongside its regular services, Clydebank Housing Association (CHA) has said that it has been able to address some of the negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic in its community.

In May 2020, CHA was awarded £52,900 from the Scottish Government’s Wellbeing Fund to deliver food parcels, ready meals, children’s packed lunches, food for black and minority ethnic residents and online activity tutorials for children. Over the 15-week project, more than 11,375 cooked ready meals, 2,146 food parcels, 2,400 kids’ packed lunches, £1,800 of food for BAME groups and 1,100 kids’ activity packs were distributed to people in need in the local community. This fund also provided £1,200 of Farmfoods vouchers for families to purchase essential items and provided £18,000 of funding to Strathclyde Autistic Society to provide 20 families with one to one support and respite during these very difficult times.

CHA said that the feedback it has received has been "overwhelming" and it demonstrated the current difficulties being faced by its tenants, residents and the community as a whole.

Sharon Keenan, CHA Chief Executive, said: “We have been so overwhelmed by the response we have had to our Wellbeing project and delighted that so many tenants and members of the community have benefited throughout the pandemic and, in particular, during full lockdown.

“These have been, and still are, difficult times for all, and, although our project has ended, CHA will continue to offer assistance and guidance to its residents and signpost to services whenever we can. We could never have achieved any of it without the support and assistance from our many volunteers and partners, Café81 and Centre81 Steering Group, and we thank them all so much for their unwavering and selfless commitment to the project and to the community.”

CHA’s Centre81 facility remained open during the full lockdown period and offered the use of the main hall to the Northwest Food Bank to provide a foodbank service within Clydebank. Centre81 staff also contributed to the Scotland Cycle Repair Scheme to carry out 41 repairs, which helped people with essential bike maintenance, arranged online cookery classes and delivered grow bags and garden boxes for residents to grow their own produce.

Alongside running the Wellbeing Fund, CHA also ensured that all of its tenants received personal wellbeing calls, offering support and signposting them to appropriate agencies for support. Through these calls, CHA organised 280 food parcels for its tenants, signposted tenants on to the West Dunbartonshire Council Crisis Team and collected and delivered prescriptions.

Thanks to the generosity of its contractors and consultants, CHA was able to launch a Celebration Fund to help its residents recognise and celebrate special occasions, such as birthdays and anniversaries, which had been missed during these difficult times. CHA was delighted to distribute over 40 £20 vouchers to those who were nominated.