50 Years of People Power: Celebrating the Women who Helped to Build Scotland’s Community-Based Housing Movement

A new report from the Intersectional Stigma of Place-based Ageing (ISPA) project highlights the key contribution women made during the birth of Scotland’s community-based housing association (CBHA) sector in the 1970s and 80s. Using an oral history approach with older women aged 65+, the research spotlights the significant contribution made by women as voluntary board members of new housing associations and co-operatives formed during this pivotal period in Scotland’s housing history to tackle place-based inequality and stigma.

The experiences of the women highlight several key themes. These range from the roots of their housing activism in urban decline and stigma, through to the importance of local people leading housing organisations and the challenges they faced as women, to the enormous successes of community ownership over 50 years on, and the challenging future that community-based organisations now face today. The study offers many wider lessons for resident involvement, culture and leadership in social housing, and the value of local, place-based knowledge in tackling stigma and inequality.