communities and expand the areas in which it works.
It will seek to extend the range of its housing provision
to meet the needs of the elderly and to respond to
the growing demand for home ownership. Shahjalal is
controlled by its membership and aims to operate in a
responsive and culturally sensitive way, meeting new
challenges and responding to new opportunities.
The Redditch Co-operative Homes (RCH) division
of Accord manages in excess of 300 properties in
Redditch to suit varied needs, from young single
people and families to older retired people as part of
the Breedon Housing Co-operative. Breedon Gardens
is a development of 33 two-bedroom bungalows for
tenants over 60 years of age. Breedon’s eldest resident
is 93 and the residents really demonstrate how cooperative
living can help support people with all kinds
of vulnerabilities / needs to help them live independent
within a mutually-supportive environment. The residents
at Breedon:
1. Go shopping together and there are a number who
do each other’s shopping and fetch prescriptions so
that they reduce the necessity for external agencies and
paid-for support
2. Includes a committee member who volunteers to help
change lightbulbs for customers who are unable to do
themselves, helping to prevent a drain on the repairs
budget and saves the tenants from having to pay an
external contractor to do for them.
3. Comprises an 85 year old tenant whose 62 year old
disabled son lives with her. Her son would probably
need separate supported accommodation were it not for
the fact that we built two bedroom bungalows meaning
they are able to stay together. The tenant has remarked
that she has peace of mind for when something
happens to her that with some floating support, her son
will be able to stay in the property without the upheaval
of having to move at what will be a difficult time for him
to deal with.
Colleagues within bchs have begun dialogue with
Paddock Co-op to gauge if there is interest to increase
their property portfolio to include the blocks of
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