Our History

The Association is a not-for-profit organisation formed in 1990 by local people concerned at the lack of affordable homes within the area. We are a Registered Social Landlord (RSL) and a Scottish Charity (No. SC037849). We have a subsidiary Venachar Ltd which was established in 2013. We are also a registered letting agency (Letting Agent Registration Nos.: LARN1907004 and LARN1904083).

We serve the communities of rural Stirling - that part of the Stirling Council area extending to the north and west of the A9 – an area of around 750 square miles, around half of which falls within Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.

We currently own 659 homes for social rent. We have 13 sharing owners and through our subsidiary Venachar have 5 Mid-Market rent properties which are located in 18 communities throughout the area, stretching as far as Tyndrum and Killin in the north and to Strathblane in the south west, with the small town of Callander roughly in the centre. We also provide a factoring service to 39 owner occupiers.

We have an active programme to build new homes. Our office is in Doune.

Our Vision and Mission

Our vision is strong and attractive rural communities.

Our mission is to provide affordable, quality housing and support community aspirations.

We will build and manage affordable homes and other services to help our communities grow and thrive. We will do this by working closely with our customers, communities and local stakeholders. Great service and value for money will be at our core and we will strive relentlessly to balance both.

The following values will shape how we do business:

Accountable	Our Board will provide strong strategic leadership and oversight, ensuring tenant and other service users’ priorities are protected and at the forefront of all that we do. All our staff will be accountable and we will always be transparent.
Ambitious	We are committed to being excellent, and maximising opportunity for our people and the tenants and service users that we serve.
Caring	The services that we deliver will meet the needs of our tenants and service users and will be delivered by professional and caring staff. We care deeply about the design, life-long quality and cost of our homes, and their impact on the physical and social environment.
Collaborative	We will work collaboratively with all sections of the local community, our tenants and service users, and with our partners to improve the lives of our residents. We will be a proactive member of our local communities, seeking out new, innovative ways to address issues that impact our residents.
Inclusive	We are strong advocates of equality and diversity, and value the perspectives and contributions of everyone with whom we are connected.
Respectful	We will treat everyone with respect: this is equally important for those outside the organisation, such as customers, communities and partners, as it is for our employees and Board.

Rural Stirling Group

Our current Strategic and Business Plans are availalbe in the Library section of the website.

We annually review our Business Plan, Delivery Plan and Key Risks

Finance

Our annual accounts and our annual financial returns to the SHR are available in the Financial Information page in our Library on the website.

How we are run

The Association is an independent body overseen by a volunteer Board of Management of up to 15 people. These currently include Association tenants, local community activists and people with professional expertise who have an interest in, and commitment to, the work of the Association.

A list of our current Board members and our Staff organisational structure is available in the Governance Documents page in the Library on the website

The Board takes all strategic, policy and major financal decisions. A team of professional staff and other agents are employed to advise the Board and to carry out the day-to-day business.

Each year we submit an Annual Assurance Statement to the Scottish Housing Regulator, and produce an Annual Performance Report for our members, tenants and all other stakeholders.

The Regulator reviews our annual submissions and provides the Association with an Engagment Plan. These plans are available in the Library on our website on Scottish Housing Regulator page.

Board Members

Board Members are commited to the work of the Association and freely give up their own time. There are usually seven Board meetings each year, and the dates of our Board meetings can be found in the Governance page in the Library section on the website. Copies of Agendas and Minutes of Board meetings are available on the website.

Rules of the Association.

The Board is elected by the members of the Association at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Life Membership is open to everyone who supports our objectives, in accordance with our Membership Policy, and on payment of £1. We currently have around 135 members, the majority of whom are tenants of the Association.

Being a member entitles you to:

Take part in our AGM
Elect members of the Board
Stand for election
Receive regular newsletters and other information about the work of the Association.

If you would like to join the Association please contact the office for a membership application form by phoning 01786 841101 or email enquiries@rsha.org.uk .

Involving our tenants

The Association seeks to involve its tenants and service users in important decisions affecting the services they receive. Through our Customer Engagement, Participation and Scrutiny Strategy, along with questionnaires and surveys, we provide opportunities for our tenants' input into the review and development of new service standards and policies, plans for investment in our stock, and the annual decision on rent levels. Tenants are also encouraged to stand for election to the Board.

If you are interested in getting involved in anyway or would like more information please contact your housing officer or the office by phoning 01786 841101 or email enquiries@rsha.org.uk.