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NEW SERVICE TO HELP DISABLED PEOPLE BECOME HOME OWNERS

A specialist advice service has been launched aimed at ensuring more people living with disabilities can participate in the Homestake shared equity scheme.

The scheme has been introduced by Communities Scotland, the Executive’s housing and regeneration agency, to help people on a low income who wish to become home owners but cannot pay the full price.

The new service will help registered social landlords to target and in some cases directly help disabled people to purchase homes through the Homestake programme.

It is being provided by Ownership Options, an organisation which specialises in home ownership issues affecting disabled people in Scotland.

Alistair Dickson, head of investment at Communities Scotland, said: “The Homestake scheme itself has already proven to be a great success. Over 50 Homestake developments were approved across Scotland in 2005/06. These will provide nearly 850 new affordable homes across the country.

“In addition, in its first nine months of operation, the pilot scheme operating in Edinburgh and the Lothians has given over 340 applicants the opportunity to purchase a property on the open market.

“A number of disabled people have already bought a home with the assistance of Homestake and this pilot project will help social landlords to ensure that more disabled people are offered the chance to benefit from the scheme.”

James Bee of Ownership Options, added: “Ownership Options is delighted to be working with Communities Scotland and the SFHA to ensure the Homestake scheme meets its full potential for disabled people.

“We look forward to providing a specialised service to registered social landlords which will allow disabled people to use Homestake to buy homes that suit their needs.”

Liz Burns, policy and practice officer at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, said: “SFHA is delighted that Ownership Options has been funded by Communities Scotland to provide a service to disabled applicants to the Homestake Scheme.

“It means that Homestake will be more accessible to potential disabled applicants and that our members will benefit from the experience of Ownership Options and will be able to widen access and offer an improved service.

“We will be working with Ownership Options during the project to ensure that information and good practice is shared.”

FURTHER INFORMATION

1. The service will be run on a pilot basis until 30 November 2007. Communities Scotland will commission an independent review of the service towards the end of 2007.

2. Homestake is managed by Communities Scotland and aimed at helping people on low incomes who wish to be home owners but cannot pay the full price. The scheme allows a registered social landlord to fund part of the house and the home owner buy a majority equity stake, normally 60 to 80 per cent. With the agreement of the grant provider however, the minimum equity stake can be reduced to as low as 51 per cent. This is likely to apply where a housing market is particularly pressured, or where people with particular housing needs have identifiable additional housing costs.

3. Homestake is targeted at people who aspire to be homeowners but whose incomes and resources is insufficient to meet their needs because of local housing market prices. A key target group are first-time buyers. However, the scheme is also designed to assist disabled people, older people, and people in the rented sectors who wish to move into home ownership and existing owners whose homes are scheduled for demolition.

4. Ownership Options is a not-for-profit organisation with specialist knowledge of the issues surrounding disabled people and home ownership in Scotland. Their aim is to create equal access for disabled pepople, including people with physical or learning difficulties, to mainstream home ownership. They use approaches that enable disabled people to achieve equal levels of inclusion, choice and control with non-disabled people in the housing market.

Communities Scotland was abolished on 1 April 2008. This is an archived site and the contents may no longer be accurate. If you are looking for information about housing and regeneration, please visit www.scotland.gov.uk For information about regulation and inspection, please visit www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk.