Council leader sees how Wheatley housing and care staff work together

LEADER of West Lothian Council Laurence Fitzpatrick saw for himself how Wheatley housing and care staff work together to support customers.

almondvale development

Councillor Fitzpatrick joined Wheatley Chief Executive Steven Henderson and Wheatley Chair Jo Armstrong for a tour of Almondvale Court in Livingston town centre.

The 146 homes, built in partnership with West Lothian Council, are a great example of Wheatley’s new-build, housing and care teams working together to transform the community and provide life-changing services to customers.

Almondvale Court includes 92 mainstream homes for Wheatley Homes East, a mix of one, two and three-bedroom flats, with 66 for social rent and 26 for mid-market rent.

It also includes 45 Livingwell homes, the Group’s service – provided by Wheatley Care – to support older tenants to live in their own homes for longer

Also on site are nine supported flats for Wheatley Care, providing personalised support to people living in their own homes, maximising independent living and improving their quality of life.

Councillor Fitzpatrick got a tour of the site and met staff and customers from Wheatley Homes East, Livingwell and Wheatley Care.

Leader of West Lothian Council Councillor Lawrence Fitzpatrick said:  “Increasing the amount of social housing and enabling people to live independently are two key aims for West Lothian Council, and this development brings both those aspirations to life.

“It’s inspiring to see this development being created in Livingston which will provide so many people with new homes and a huge range of care support and services.

“This model of housing care is something that we are incorporating into some new build council housing projects that we are currently developing for young people and for people with learning disabilities.”

Wheatley Chair Jo Armstrong said: “Almondvale Court is a great example of Wheatley providing homes suitable to people’s needs, and our housing and care teams working closely together.

“Our Livingwell complex – the first outside Glasgow – helps older tenants live happily, healthily, and securely in their own homes for longer.

“Our colleagues in care help the people they work for get the most out of their lives and achieve their own positive outcomes, while our housing teams work tirelessly to support tenants in every way they can.

“The energy-efficient features of these homes help us cut our carbon footprint and help tenants with their bills too.”

The £17.7m Almondvale Court development includes a £9.2m Scottish Government grant and the developer is the Cruden Homes East. The final phase of the homes should be complete early next year.

Monday, December 05, 2022