The finalists for The All Ireland Housing Awards have recently been announced and we are delighted to be shortlisted in 4 categories. The CIH All-Ireland Housing Awards recognise and celebrate the creativity, passion, and innovation of housing organisations and individuals from across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
We are proud to see our work recognised at this level and we share this pride with all our fantastic partners and tenants. Read on to learn about our shortlisted projects.
Best Housing Story – The Heathers Armagh
The Heathers in Armagh is a Choice supported living complex in partnership with Inspire Wellbeing. The three bungalows each have 4 bedrooms for adults with Learning Disabilities and challenging behaviours. The story of one of bungalow, The Willow, illustrates how a creative approach to a significant challenge supported living can bring stability for individuals as well as the immediate community
Excellence in Customer Services- Choice Services Ltd Repair Appointment Process
Choice Services are the in-house service provider for Choice Housing and have continued to grow, meeting the challenge of maintaining over 4,700 homes. Choice Services’ success is directly linked to a strong “tenant first” culture. Extensive engagement with tenants highlighted the need for improvements around repair appointments. The team understood that improving this customer journey would benefit tenant and business alike. A new system and processes were implemented to give tenants more control over the repairs process, and in doing so reduce complaints, increase efficiency and raise service delivery standards.
Housing Team of the Year- The Brickworks cross departmental team
The Brickworks, built by Choice Housing and completed in 2020, is a general needs scheme providing 42 homes in South Belfast. With almost 12,000 people on the waiting list for social housing in Belfast The Brickworks is a crucial urban scheme. Initially the community welcomed this development with a positivity. However, during the first phase there were issues of anti-social behaviour and stakeholders expressed concern regarding the second phase. Choice immediately engaged a cross-departmental team to tackle these challenges head on.
Working in partnership
Over the last 24 months the Comhar consortium (McQuarrie, Sisk, WSP, Choice Services, Oaklee Housing and Choice Housing) working collaboratively with the NDFA, Dublin City Council and four other Local authorities (Kildare, Louth, Wicklow & South Dublin) have developed six new communities well integrated into their environment, and delivered 534 new affordable rented homes from one bedroom flats to family houses.
The winners will be announced in February- cross your fingers for us and watch this space!
