Providing more than a home is still Kingdom Housing Association’s mission - 40 years on

The Lochgelly lodging house provided housing and support to 44 homeless men who had nowhere else to go.

Kingdom’s mission in the intervening 40 years has been to provide more than just a home for its tenants.

And it has certainly fulfilled its goal, offering tenants not just the keys to their own front door but also opportunities to gain employment.

It has proved to be a winning formula with Kingdom developing more than 5000 new homes, just over 4000 of which remain within its portfolio today.

The association, which is a registered charity, has also secured a host of awards and accolades along the way.

But Kingdom Group chief executive Bill Banks is more proud of the other projects and community benefits the charity has managed to establish over the years.

He said: “Kingdom was founded in 1979 when people involved in the lodging house closure and homelessness in general got together as they realised the problem was not going to go away.

“Initially, the aim was to help single homeless people.

“From having no properties at that time, we have since grown to develop more than 5000 properties, just over 4300 of which are still in our portfolio.

“But we’ve also diversified over the years and our mission today, as it has always been, is to provide more than just a home for our tenants.

“Kingdom Housing Association is the parent company of the Kingdom Group, which includes both Kingdom Initiatives and Kingdom Support and Care.

“The association also operates and manages the Fife Care and Repair Service, the Fife Small Repairs Service and Kingdom Works, our employability project.

“We now employ more than 400 members of staff, some of whom are tenants who have been employed via our employability project.

“We receive about 60 per cent of our funding from the Scottish Government, as all of our rents are significantly lower than other landlords.

“And, as a charity, all of the profits are ploughed back into our various projects – there are no dividends to pay to shareholders.”

At the moment, Kingdom is two years into a five-year programme to provide an additional 2000 homes in Fife, having raised £85 million in private borrowing for the scheme.

In around 18 months time, it will source a further £80 million to complete the project.

Bill said: “With 12,000 people currently on the Fife Council and housing associations waiting lists, there will be no problem letting those homes.

“Around 30 per cent of all our homes are built to meet the needs of those with mobility issues or the elderly.

“Someone who lives in a two-storey council house with mobility issues can move into one of our properties, freeing up another home for a family.

“So in our 40-year history, we’ve actually let more than 11,000 tenancies.”

Kingdom is also keen to help younger people and runs construction academies four or five times a year to help them.

Bill said: “There is a real skills shortage in the construction industry.

“Our academies are aimed at 16 to 24-year-olds, giving them the training they need to get into the industry.

“We have around a 90 per cent success rate among participants who have gone on to secure apprenticeships or employment as a result.”

In the next couple of months, Kingdom plans to employ a homeless person to work in its sustainable tenancy programme too.

Bill explained: “We already have a tenancy officer but we want someone to work with them who has been homeless, knows some of the pitfalls and can share their own experiences.”

Even in its 40th year, Kingdom staff are focusing on helping others rather than celebrating their own achievements.

A host of charitable events will be held to raise funds for Kingdom’s main charity for 2019, Alzheimer Scotland, as well as a host of other good causes.

Bill added: “Gary Haldane, our head of digital, will be cycling some 180 miles around Fife, right around the perimeter of where we have homes, in one day.

“We’ll also be organising a charity fun day to celebrate our 40th and to thank our staff and the many partners who have helped us get to where we are today and contributed to our success.”

Brief history of Kingdom Housing Association

Kingdom was registered as a Housing Association in 1979, following the closure of the last lodging house in Lochgelly.

In 1985, Kingdom appointed its first members of staff and opened its first office.

In 1986, the first project was completed at Victoria Terrace, Dunfermline and sites in Glenrothes and Dunfermline were purchased.

Kingdom completed its first project in central Fife, at Bevan Court, Glenrothes, in 1987.

In 1988, Clement Court, Auchtermuchty was the first project in north east Fife, which included Kingdom’s first house designed to full wheelchair standard.

In 1990, it acquired 140 properties at The Henge, Glenrothes.

Kingdom won a Civic Restoration Award for Kingsbarns in 1993. It also obtained Investors in People accreditation and established a community care partnership.

1994 saw the completion of the 1000th Kingdom property.

A year later, it converted Kirk on the Green, Leslie, into 12 new homes; implemented the Fife Care and Repair project and the Saltire Centre Office, Glenrothes opened.

In 2000, it launched the Small Repairs Service and provided its 2000th new home.

In 2004, its 25th anniversary year, Kingdom was selected as the preferred partner for the Fife regeneration programmes in Buckhaven and Methil.

The Fife Housing Association Alliance was set up in 2006.

In 2009, it started work on the first passive house for social rent in the UK in Pittenweem.

In 2010, it introduced the emergency repairs service.

Kingdom completed the first mid-market rent project at Bakers Lane, Kirkcaldy in 2012.

And in 2017, it signed the preferred Registered Social Landlord development agreement with Fife Council.