COMMUNITY CONSULTATION – 2010   Helmsdale & District Development Trust  Helmsdale Housing Project, Rockview Place COMMUNITY CONSULTATION – 2010 80% response from 962 population, this provided the evidence to support a bid to IIF. Identified that ‘affordable housing’ was one of the top two priorities for the community Scottish Government Innovation & Investment Fund, awarded £110,000 to the HDDT, Sept 2011 – one of two community groups awarded To construct 4 affordable homes, owned by the community for the community Budget for the project, as per the bid was £458k. However, upon completing ‘Elemental Cost’ this grew to £596k So there was an uplift, to the tune of £138k

PARTNERSHIPS HDDT THC HSCHT AHS HIE

FUNDRAISING Some serious fund raising had to be undertaken, how did we strategize this ? Identify the likely possible sources, Highland Council, HIE, Rural Housing Programme etc. We quickly built up a comprehensive list of potential funders. We researched the funding list, even going back up to 2 years of their accounts, which detail the organisations they had granted money too We selected the following, potential grant funders:

GRAND TOTAL 548,000 FUNDER Y N START TOTAL 369,000 IIF 110,000 PLOTS 90,000 PRIVATE FINANCE – CURRENTLY 6%> 30 YEARS, 2 YRS INT FREE 140,000 THC 12,500 WDF 1 3,000 WDF 2 4,000 HIE 9,500 START TOTAL 369,000 EDF Energy 25,000 Bank of Scotland Community Fund 19,000 People in Communities Fund 68,000 Scottish Power Renewables The Tudor Trust 55,000 Coastal Community's Fund Caithness & North Sutherland Fund 29,000 Quaker Housing Trust Gordonbush Fund 5,000 Estate Owners Contribution Garfield Weston Foundation The Trust House Charitable Foundation 30,000 Esmee Fairburn Foundation CHK Charities Ltd 13,000 TOTAL 179,000 260,000 GRAND TOTAL 548,000

LESSONS LEARNED BE TENACIOUS BE TRANSPARENT SEEK HELP FROM ALL AGENCIES, NETWORK LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR POTENTIAL FUNDER APPLY COMMON SENSE GET FEEDBACK FROM A REFUSED BID BE REALISTIC HAVE AN EXIST STRATEGY, BEFORE IT LEAVES THE COMMUNITY WITH A LIABILITY DETACH YOURSELF FROM THE EMOTION

HELMSDALE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND PLOTS – PHASE 1 Plot 5 = 0.12 acres Plot 6 = 0.10 acres Plot 7 = 0.16 acres