Independent living project wins accolade at the annual Chartered Institute of Housing Awards
A project that could transform the future homes and communities of three distinct Scottish neighbourhoods has won a national accolade at the annual Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Awards.
Blackwood Housing & Care’s Peoplehood project was honoured for its innovative collaboration with a host of non-housing partners, including Edinburgh University, imaging equipment specialist Canon Medical, and car rental giant Enterprise.
The £12 million Peoplehood project is being rolled out across Charleston in Dundee, Buckie in Morayshire, and Cardonald in Glasgow and sees participants benefitting from assistive technologies such as free tablet computers and WiFi access. The project also delivers e-bikes, electric cars, and a host of equipment and activities within the communities, according to local demand.
The three-year initiative will create a blueprint for active neighbourhoods with age-friendly homes, supported by cutting-edge technologies, making independent living achievable and sustainable as people grow older, with safe outdoor spaces to sustain physical activities.
The three-year initiative will create a blueprint for active neighbourhoods with age-friendly homes, supported by cutting-edge technologies, making independent living achievable and sustainable as people grow older, with safe outdoor spaces to sustain physical activities.
Alzheimer’s Society’s ‘Assistive technology – devices to help with everyday living’ report states that assistive technology can bring benefits that help people to live well.
Assistive technology helps to promote independence and autonomy; improve confidence and quality of life; help manage potential risks in and around the home; support people to live at home for longer; help with memory and recall; maintain certain abilities, such as medication reminders; and provide reassurance to carers and help them to feel less stressed.
During its three-year pilot, the Peoplehood project aims to show how sustainable communities of the future can help people – particularly those with age-related conditions or disabilities – to live longer, healthier lives while remaining independent in their own homes.
Now, the pioneering initiative has won the award in the Working in Partnership category of the prestigious CIH Awards. Blackwood has worked closely with nine major partners across Peoplehood.
Simon Fitzpatrick, Development & Commercial Director at Blackwood Housing & Care, said: “Working in partnership is key to delivering an exemplar project and we believe it has been vital in our work to create a future-proof model that will allow people to live healthier and happier for longer.
“Winning the partnership award for Peoplehood signifies the importance we have placed on co-design. We’ve not only worked in partnership with experts providing specific industry knowledge but also real people living in our neighbourhoods.
“We believe through doing this, we’ll really learn what it really takes to develop thriving healthy neighbourhoods of the future and to be recognised by CIH is a great start.”
The partnership category celebrated those across the housing sector that have developed, delivered or driven progress through collaboration with other organisations.
In Peoplehood, Blackwood has worked closely with nine partner organisations: University of Edinburgh; Canon Medical Research Europe; Carebuilder UK; CENSIS; Cisco International; Enterprise Rent-a-Car UK; Lewis & Hickey Architects; Mydex CIC and The DataLab.
Peoplehood develops and delivers products, services, and business models with other partners to support people to achieve five more years of healthy ageing while living independently in their own home.
Peter Moir, who is the project Chair on Blackwood’s Board, commented: “We are committed to being at the forefront of innovation in supporting independent living and healthy ageing through a neighbourhood approach. We recognise that a focus on partnership working is important to capture a host of expertise and viewpoints.
“It’s fantastic to see Peoplehood recognised on a national level acknowledging the hard work of everyone involved in the project and showcasing how it is already making a major different to the lives of those in these three diverse Scottish neighbourhoods.”