7 September 2018
Advance Housing & Support and HOLD won the Most Innovative Home Ownership Solution award at the NHAs in 2018, as well as being awarded Overall Winner.
After 20 years of providing HOLD, Advance is now the foremost provider of this scheme. They’ve helped more than 600 people to become shared owners and are proud of the product and the difference it has made to their customers’ independence and sense of wellbeing and safety.
The benefits of independent living are myriad but the main ones they have observed are:
- HOLD provides the homeowner with choice and control over where they live
- Disabled vulnerable people in stable housing are less likely to need emergency health or care interventions or local authority crisis housing
- Stability and security can aid recovery from mental health problems Home ownership can build confidence and encourage independence as well as bring peace of mind to families as their relative is secure in a long-term home of their own
- Individuals can choose to live closer to their families and support networks
Having helped many individuals achieve the level of independent living they wish, the shared owners’ feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. More than 95% of the people who moved into their own home through the scheme over the last 20 years are still living there.
Judges' comments (Most Innovative Home Ownership Solution)
This scheme really impressed the judges. A phenomenal programme and fully inclusive offer that is not delivered anywhere else nationally at this scale or with this commitment to a wide range of customers who have a series of different living and financial vulnerabilities. There are a lot of stakeholders involved, with whom Advance have created excellent partnership arrangements. This is a truly wonderful programme and an incredibly valuable service that empowers people with disabilities into home ownership.
Judges' comments (Overall Winner)
The judges were unanimous in their decision given that this wonderful product is making a major difference to the quality of lives of people who otherwise might be unrepresented. This scheme now has 600 people in shared ownership homes who would never have negotiated this without this help. All of us want somewhere safe and special to live, but some people’s need for security and stability is undoubtedly higher. Hats off to Advance... HOLD is a scheme the judges would like to see rolled out across every town and city in the UK. The judges said “It’s certainly innovative, it goes way past innovative and straight to inspirational.”
