Supporting ‘Homes for Life’

We are proud to support this year’s Scottish Housing Day theme of “Homes for Life”.

This theme encourages the housing sector to reflect on how we can better support people in later life as their needs and priorities evolve. At Caledonia Housing Association, we believe that everyone deserves a safe, accessible, and adaptable home, no matter their stage of life.

Through our recent work, highlighted in our EDI and Group Annual Reports, we have made significant progress in ensuring that the homes we provide are built and maintained with the future needs of our tenants in mind.

Some key initiatives that demonstrate our support for “Homes for Life” include:

• Accessible and Adaptable Homes: We’ve reviewed our Design Guide to ensure that all new properties are adaptable and capable of accommodating changes in health needs. This flexibility allows tenants to remain in their homes with dignity and comfort as they age.
• Wheelchair-Accessible Housing: We’ve incorporated wheelchair-accessible features in many of our new developments, to ensure that these homes are more accessible and to enable tenants to retain their independence for longer.
• Partnerships with Health and Social Care: Our collaboration with Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership has led to the development of purpose-built homes for tenants with specific health needs, further reinforcing our commitment to tailored, accessible living spaces.
• Retirement Housing and Care Services: We manage over 565 retirement properties and provide registered care services at three very sheltered sites, offering enhanced care and a range of service options to support tenants as their needs evolve. Caledonia’s vision for retirement housing is to ensure that every tenant has access to services that meet their changing needs and aspirations, allowing them to continue living independently and comfortably in homes designed to adapt to their later-life requirements.
• Community Anchor Project: This initiative has reduced social isolation among older tenants by providing digital classes, social events, and information sessions across our 17 retirement schemes.
• Medical Adaptations: Despite pressures on Scottish Government funding support, we continue to complete a significant number of property adaptations to help tenants live independently in homes that adapt to their requirements. During the year we completed 104 medical adaptations to our customers properties, and a further 330 adaptations to properties in the wider Dundee and Angus communities through our Care and Repair service.
• HOPE (Helping Our People Engage) Project: This project has reduced loneliness and isolation by encouraging individuals to participate in local activities, with over 400 referrals managed this year.

These initiatives are central to our vision of providing homes and services that make life better, ensuring tenants remain safe, comfortable, and supported at every stage of life.

We look forward to continuing our efforts and collaborating with other housing organisations and partners to support the “Homes for Life” campaign and create a future where everyone has a home that meets their evolving needs.