Frank Sweeny described CHA’s transformation from a housing provider to being a social enterprise and community development agency. This change has ultimately led to CHA being the national winner for Scotland in the UK Housing Awards for 2007.

CHA has diversified its activities into wider action so that they are more involved in the communities in which they serve. The board began a process in 1998 that ultimately led to CHA becoming a community based economic regeneration organisation. As part of this exercise CHA changed its rule book so that it was eligible for European funding.

The first project, Radio City, started in 1999. It promotes healthy eating and flexible learning to residents. Starting this first new enterprise took time – 5 years of planning – due to the new skills that had to be learned and the new partnerships that had to be built. However, these new skills have since led to a stream of new initiatives including two new social enterprise centres which provide high quality business services to local small businesses and voluntary groups.

The critical factors to success has been developing new partnerships with other social enterprises and developing skills in relationship management. CHA has gone on to develop a number of intermediate labour market schemes. An example is the Impact Arts project which helps young people sustain their tenancies by being directly involved in the interior design.

As new partnerships have been forged and projects delivered successfully CHA’s reputation as a partner has been enhanced and this has meant developing new schemes and ideas has become easier.
Overall the whole experience has helped CHA as an organisation to think and act more strategically and has made them more resilient and inventive.

Jim described the regeneration of the Whitehill estate in South Lanarkshire. The experience has helped the Council understand how to measure the success of communities. The success of this award winning scheme has relied on changing the reputation of the area – not just the physical environment.

The council achieved this by engaging with the community through the development of Neighbourhood Management Plans. They also built desirable new properties and introduced a clampdown on anti social behaviour.