We have a wealth of experience in the delivery of complex and innovative change across the entire Cairn Housing Group. Over the past seven years we have significantly modernised Cairn Housing Association and established the Cairn Housing Group. This has included improvements in governance arrangements, an overhaul of our approach to borrowing, enhancements in customer service delivery, investment in our people and organisational development and significant investment in ICT, including a move to Cloud computing and a shift to digital services.
Cairn is a strong and viable organisation, with available capacity to invest and support new partners entering the Group. We have excellent relationships with our funders and have recently secured a £50 million low cost private placement supporting our 30-year financial plans giving us security and financial stability to plan and invest for the future. The placement will fund continued growth via partnerships and new build development as well as enhanced investment in planned maintenance and the remodelling of existing retirement properties.
We have an experienced development team who have a track record of delivering new build development with partners in communities across the country. Our team has established strong relationships with Scottish Government, local authorities and development companies and is projected to meet an ambitious target to build at least 400 homes over the next five years.
Cairn has an established track record of successful mergers and transfers of engagements with other organisations over the years, and recent experience of working with another Association to form a successful constitutional partnership to be a partner association within the Cairn Housing Group.
Our work in partnership with ANCHO in North Ayrshire, centred on building relationships, trust and confidence between management teams and Boards. The compelling offer to tenants of ANCHO around rent guarantee, commitment to continued access to local services, job security for staff and accelerated stock investment, secured an overwhelming positive ballot result – 94% in favour, with a turnout of 61%. The team are already well underway in delivering the partnership promises.
We know how to work with others and we know how to deliver.
Members of the Cairn Housing Group benefit from corporate ‘back-office’ services including Human Resources, Finance, Health and Safety, Business Improvement, ICT and telephone systems support, our new build Development Team, our Cairn Connect contact centre, legal support, and expertise in customer involvement, marketing and communications and governance administration.
Cairn has invested significantly in ICT systems and hardware to support frontline service delivery. The Group is delivering on an ambitious Our Digital Futures Strategy, which includes mobile working solutions for staff and a powerful self-service portal for customers.
We provide a progressive working environment where staff feel valued, motivated and that their health and wellbeing are looked after. We promote a culture where commitment, skills and talents of staff are nurtured, valued and rewarded.
In 2018 the prestigious Sunday Times/Best Companies organisation listed Cairn as the 24th best non-for-profit company to work for in Scotland and in the top 50 not-for-profit organisations to work for in the UK.
In a collaborative Group structure, we have more capacity to build strong and thriving neighbourhoods, by creating new places to call home, providing opportunities to participate and increasing local employment opportunities. The Cairn Housing Group manages a Community Fund which has supported dozens of tenant groups and community organisations to develop projects and initiatives. We have introduced systems and services to meet the challenges of Universal Credit and Welfare Reform. Our Welfare Benefits Advice Service supported customers to secure over £600,000 in additional income for customers in 2016/17.
