The Trust occasionally buys houses which come onto the market to meet particular local housing problems which require urgent solutions – particularly the lack of housing for key incoming workers like teachers and similar providers of essential local services.
For example , in 2003 the Trust bought an ex-council house in Kinlochbervie to provide a “stepping stone” house so that incoming workers could secure a good local base for themselves and their families and make it a lot easier for them to start their new jobs, get to know the locality and find a good long-term housing solution.
As a result two teachers and their households have rented the house for this purpose, settled into their jobs and the community and then found houses for themselves locally. “Stepping stone” houses are let on a short assured tenancies and the Trust is presently (Spring 2006) in the process of buying a surplus to requirement Police House in Melvich which will be let on the same basis for the same purpose.
In Acharacle the Trust bought a former Nurse’s house and converted it into 4 bed-sit units with shared kitchen, lounge and bathroom etc. These are let to single key incoming workers who have included several teachers at the local Primary School and research workers at the nearly aquaculture centre.
The Trust has also, in the past, bought houses to tackle acute care and homeless needs although the public funding for tackling these problems is nowadays, channelled exclusively through Housing Associations.
The locations of the Trust’s 16 houses are as follows:
- Acharacle x 2
- Ardgour
- Ardvaser
- Borgie
- Clovulin
- Daviot
- Gariloch
- Glencoe
- Kinlochbervie
- Lochaline
- Lochcarron
- Lybster
- Melvich (New)
- Portree
- Skerray
- Watten
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