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An extra £10 million will be invested in a Scottish Government scheme to help homeowners struggling with mortgage repayments.

In Parliament, Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell said that the new money will mean the Home Owners' Support Fund is being backed by £35 million over this year and next.

The fund will build on and improve the existing Mortgage to Rent scheme, and include a new Mortgage to Shared Equity scheme.

Those eligible for Mortgage to Shared Equity will retain ownership of their home and enter into a shared equity agreement with the Scottish Government, having had their secured debt reduced to a manageable level.

The Scottish Government today also published a summary of the housing actions it has been taking since last year to respond to the changing economic climate, including additional support for first time buyers, incentives for a new generation of council housing and increased protection for home owners.

"The Scottish Government is determined to help Scotland's businesses and households deal with the impact of the economic downturn.

"That's why we have acted swiftly and decisively to bolster the Home Owners' Support Fund and respond to the changed economic circumstances and increased risk of repossessions.

"Today, I'm announcing an additional £5 million for the Home Owners' Support Fund, on top of the £5 million I previously announced on 8 December. In total, through the fund, we will invest £35 million over this year and next.

"We have instigated a series of measures that will help the housing market, the house-building sector and help ease the impact of the downturn on individual households.

"The Scottish Government has been ahead of the game compared to the position elsewhere in the UK, and I believe the package of actions announced today will provide vital support to families across Scotland struggling with mortgage repayments."

In her statement to Parliament on June 25, 2008, the Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced a package of major reforms to deliver lasting improvements to Scotland's housing system. This included the establishment of the new Home Owners' Support Fund.

The improved Mortgage to Rent Scheme and new Mortgage to Shared Equity Scheme will start on March 16, 2009.

DPHS(Fife) Gets Out and About…..
DPHS(Fife) recently presented information about our work at the Independent Living Roadshow in Carnegie
Conference Centre in Dunfermline and many thanks to customers old and new who were there to get the questions
rolling! It is the intention of DPHS(Fife) that we spread the word about our service but also that we start looking at
ways of gathering opinions from disabled people about housing….so watch out!
DPHS(Fife) have also attended other events in 2008 which included the Council For Voluntary Service Birthday
Celebrations at Rothes Halls which saw a whole hall full of voluntary groups highlighting how much work is carried
out in Fife by groups like our own.
Once again DPHS(Fife) attended the Older Peoples Stakeholder Event in Glenrothes which is always a busy event
and several new customers came our way from that. In addition our presence at the Multi Cultural Event held in late
summer (although you couldn’t tell from the weather) also led to our service being highlighted to many who did notknow about us.
If you are a member of a group or association who would like DPHS(Fife) to come along to do a talk or have a
discussion about housing please let us know. Many thanks once again to volunteers who assist us at such events.www.dphsfife.org.uk
NOT HAPPY ABOUT THE HOUSING SITUATION?
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
DPHS(Fife) wants to ensure that you have received appropriate housing information and advice so that
your housing application can best reflect your needs and be in the best position to come up with a match.
However, what if you have specific needs that are currently not being met? What if you are just fed up that
there is not enough accessible housing???? Unfortunately DPHS(Fife) is not funded to campaign however
we do try to ensure that unmet housing need is reflected by responding to the Scottish Government and to
the Local Authority when requested. But what can you do? There are several campaigns you may wish
to back and some information you may wish to look at: Scottish Federation of Housing Assocations has a campaign for 1% for 100% to increase the amount of rented housing built in Scotland. <www.sfha.co.uk> register your support
online.
Lifetime Homes – raise the issue with your local Councillor and MSPs.
<www.lifetimehomes.org.uk>
Inclusion Scotland – join and back their campaign for more varied and flexible housing across all tenures
www.inclusionscotland.org
Shelter Scotland – works to raise awareness of homelessness but also to campaign for
more rented housing and so signing up to their campaigns can also help. www.shelter.org.uk
With thanks to Fife Independent Disability Network for the opportunity to
address the conference and thank you to Robert Hunter for the photos.
www.fidn.org.uk

Newsflash!

New National Telephone Counselling Service for Disabled People.

From January 2008, LCIL will be hosting a new telephone counselling service for disabled people.

The name of the service is `Your Call’, and it is open to disabled people from all over Scotland. The `Your Call’ counsellors are all disabled people themselves, providing them with an understanding of what it means to live as a disabled person in Scotland. The counsellors work as volunteers, and are trained to a professional standard in counselling.

This will be the first service of its kind in the UK.

The service takes calls to its appointment line from 11am until 3 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, and from 11am until 1pm on Wednesdays. Calls are free from your home telephone, and from some, but not all, mobile networks.

The number is withheld so it will not appear on your phone bill.

Counselling can help people who are trying to come to terms with painful events from their past, or who need support through a current crisis or change in lifestyle. It can also help people who are struggling to manage difficult feelings such as depression or anxiety, or who are seeking direction and meaning in their lives.

A counsellor will not judge you, nor tell you how to live your life. Instead he or she is trained to help you explore your own situation and to support you to find your own way forward.

The `Your Call’ number is 08088 01 03 62, and the service is open to all disabled people in Scotland who are over the age of 18, and their immediate family members.


	DPHS(F) Scottish Charity No:SC032589 Company No:SC226571 E-mail:enquiries@dphsfife.org.uk