May 23, 2007

A FLEDGLING housing group - which began without any offices or staff - has helped fill a gap in the property market.

Now more than a decade on on from its foundation, Dunbritton Housing Association (DHA) is celebrating its 15th anniversary of helping people to find homes.

It now has more than 600 houses, 16 staff, a large development programme and an enthusiastic management team.

Tim Rhead, one of DHA’s founders said: “One of the reasons that Dunbritton was established was because of the difficulty local authorities had in building new houses, especially since the right to buy came in the 1980s.

“So a housing association was the best method to provide new homes.

“The council at the time supported this as there wasn’t one in the area unless it was a specialist one like Beild, which provides homes for elderly people.

When he left the council he took on a leading position with Dunbritton and is now its convener, a role which he and other management committee members take on voluntarily.

Mr Rhead added: “I enjoy it very much.

"The housing association has been a great success and I hope it continues to go from strength to strength.”

Residents Ann Morrow and husband Matthew, were one of the DHA’s first clients.

She said: “We were in a tied house and had to move out. We heard about these new bungalows Dunbritton had built and applied and got one of them.

“We’ve not had any problems and got on well with Dunbritton.”