Kingdom praised for helping vulnerable people stay at home

Kingdom Housing Association has saved the NHS and Fife Council an estimated £48 million by helping vulnerable people live at home, an independent study has found.

The report by Optimal Economics, launched by Housing Minister Kevin Stewart this week, also found the association had created 700 jobs and generated £40m for the Fife economy.

Mr Stewart said: “It is clear that while the Kingdom Group’s primary role is to meet housing and related services, it also generates many other benefits for the areas in which it works, supporting and sustaining local communities in Fife.”

The report identified over the past four years, Kingdom has carried out 974 medical adaptations to meet people’s needs and undertaken 3,200 small repairs for older and disabled private owners.

It is estimated the work generated savings of £48m in hospital and care costs by enabling people to live at home.

Other Kingdom activities highlighted include providing support and care to 256 people in 2016, assisting 2,000 people into employment and helping regenerate eight communities by providing around 1,000 new homes.

The new Pitscottie Road development in Cupar, visited by the minister, cost £7.2m with £3.6m of funding provided by the Scottish Government, £250,000 from Fife Council and the balance from Kingdom.

It will provide 49 new affordable homes for social rent to meet a full range of housing needs.

The development is part of the Scottish Government’s drive to deliver at least 50,000 affordable homes during this parliamentary term.