Housing challenges for older and disabled people can be addressed – Housing Options Scotland Road-Show
Housing Options Scotland (HOS) is about to embark on a two-week road-show in the North and South of Scotland. The bus tour will aim to inform and provide older and disabled people with practical advice and support to solve their housing issues. With funding and support from the Big Lotteries Awards for All programme and the Scottish Government, the Scottish charity will stop in 9 towns, starting in Inverness on Monday 25th July.
Moira Bayne, CEO of Housing Options Scotland says:
“With our branded bus we will be able to reach hundreds of people with whom we could not normally readily engage due to social, geographic or economic disadvantage.”
The support offered by Housing Options Scotland is essential and relays the Scottish Government’s vision for 2020 to ‘provide an affordable home for all, including housing to meet the needs of disabled people’.
Moira Bayne adds:
“Older people, disabled people/families, disabled veterans and their carers, will have the opportunity to learn about the options open to them. They will be able to speak face-to-face about their situation with trained professionals and engage with our trained peer support volunteers who have themselves been through the journey of trying to find the right house in the right place.”
Housing Options Scotland has helped over 600 people last year. Amongst these are Margaret and Gordon Macdonald from Evanton, Highland. The couple came to HOS to seek some help with finding a new accessible house.
Margaret remembers:
“HOS guided us through the housing process and changed our lives for the better. Once we found the right home in the right location everything else fell into place.”
Today they want to help others by sharing their experience and showing them that accessible housing is available to anyone.
For more information about the Housing Options Scotland road-show and where to find them, you can visit their website www.housingoptionsscotland.org.uk or speak to a member of staff on 0131 247 1400.