South of Scotland Community Housing

SOSCH provides expert advice and support to community organisations at each vital stage of a community-led housing project, from the first conversation through to the completion of low-energy, safe, secure homes (and beyond). An award winning Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO), we work with community organisations and other partners in order to appraise localised housing issues and identify solutions within the wider context of community-ownership of land and assets and Land Reform. We support communities to deliver housing as an element of community- led regeneration, both within rural and urban locations and including mixed-use developments. Our work enables and encourages partnerships and we also provide Monitoring and Evaluation services to other housing projects and providers. SOSCH was a partner in the EU Interreg #SHICC project until Sept 2021 and is now an inaugural member of the European CLT Network, promoting knowledge exchange and furtherance of the #communityledhousing model across Europe. Our recent project support has included the delivery of Scotland’s first community-owned passive-certified homes in Closeburn (winner “Housing and Regeneration”, SURF Awards 2020), Scotland’s “Best Long-term Empty Home Restoration” (Scottish Empty Homes Awards 2021) in Moniaive, the Old Police Station in Langholm (Scottish Empty Homes Awards winner 2022, Scotland's Towns Partnerships Award Winner "Best Town Centre Living", 2021, SURF Award shortlist "Housing and Regeneration 2021) and the redevelopment of the former Bank of Scotland in Wigtown for community-led housing and business use. We are supporting the community-led regeneration of Dumfries Town Centre by Midsteeple Quarter and the development of a new housing-led masterplan at Ladyfield for Crichton Trust. Community resilience, sustainability and repopulation are central to our work, helping people to live and work in the South of Scotland.