The Highland Council is the strategic housing authority for Caithness as well as being the largest provider of social rented accommodation, with over 2,200 houses and flats in the area. Council housing is concentrated in Wick, Thurso, Castletown and Lybster.
Pentland Housing Association based in Thurso is the next largest rented housing provider in the area and has properties on a number of sites.
The Caithness Housing Development Forum brings together representatives of the Council’s Housing and Planning Services, Pentland Housing Association, Highland Housing Alliance, Highland Small Communities Housing Trust, and HIE Caithness & Sutherland, who work in partnership to provide new housing opportunities in the urban and rural settlements in Caithness. Pentland Housing Association is the Council’s principal partner in the social housing building programme.
The Highland Council Housing Service Plan is available to view Highland Council’s guide to Housing Options There is now a common housing register in Highland which is used by all the housing associations and the local authority.
Housing need in Caithness was the subject of a recent Caithness Partnership survey. It demonstrated that there is housing need in the county, particularly in the areas outside Wick and Thurso. People may be in housing need because the home they are living in is overcrowded, or it is not suitable for their physical abilities, or they may be young people living with parents longer than they wish because of a lack of available housing. These are just some of the situations which lead to housing need.
The survey report is available to read here.
Community Councils that feel there is a housing need in their area can contact the Highlands Small Communities Housing Trust. This organisation is working hard to help provide housing for local need in small rural communities in the Highlands. For more information call 01862811153 or see the HSCHT website
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