A TEAM working to provide expert advice and support to community housing organisations in the South of Scotland has been recognised for the third time at the annual Empty Homes Awards.
South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH) won in the Outstanding Contribution category for their ongoing work throughout the region.
The judges celebrated SOSCH’s continued good work even with limited resources and were impressed by the team’s perseverance in the face of significant challenges.
There are more than 43,500 empty homes in Scotland, including 1,767 in Dumfries and Galloway.
Tahmina Nizam, from the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, said: “SOSCH are worthy winners of this award, for their tireless efforts to support community housing in the south of Scotland.
“Their repeated success at the Empty Homes Awards demonstrates their extent of their fantastic work and the scale of their contrition to the region.
“There are thousands of empty homes in the south of Scotland, they weren’t built to sit empty and it’s more important than ever that we make best use of the assets on our doorstep. I hope this success can inspire others; If you own an empty home but need support to bring it back into use, then visit our website for advice and details on how to get in touch.”
Mike Staples, chief executive at SOSCH, said they are delighte to win, adding: “We have worked hard to prioritise the reuse of empty homes and buildings when working with communities, providing much-needed locally affordable homes, but also contributing to place-making, regeneration and net-zero.
“The award is testament to strong partnership work across Southern Scotland and we’d like to thank Scottish Empty Homes Partnership and the community organisations we have been fortunate to support.”
