A delegation of housing experts from South Africa, including John Hopkins, the Chief Executive of the South African Housing Foundation, visited Brighton this week. The delegation had a tour of some of the 1,100 homes owned by Downland Housing Association in Brighton and Hove before visiting Brighton Housing Trust's (BHT) Recovery Project. The Recovery Project is a 30 bed centre that supports men & women with addictions to alcohol, heroin, crack cocaine & other drugs to become & remain drug free.
The delegation met with Downland Chief Executive Mark Perry and BHT's Chief Executive Andy Winter before meeting with Recovery Project residents to learn about their experience of homelessness and recovery from addiction.
Andy Winter said it was a particular pleasure to welcome the delegation from South Africa. "I was born and brought up in South Africa. It was particularly speacial to me to bring together people from my home country and service users of our Recovery Project.
"South Africa continues to face huge challenges, not least in the provision of housing, support services, HIV and Aids, poverty and drugs. I hope that the visit has been useful to them and that they have seen practice with us that could be replicated back in South Africa".
Downland has over 15,000 homes across the region. BHT works with 10,000 men & women each year, providing specialist mental health, alcohol & drug & homelessness services, as well as housing, debt, welfare benefit & immigration legal advice services. Both are members of the Affinity Sutton Group which has over 50,000 homes across England.
Other members of the delegation were Eleanore Blou-Spies (Executive Mayor, Knysa Municipality), Lauren Waring (Director, Community Services, Knysa Municipality) and Andrew Finn (Chairperson, Infrastructure Development & Integrated Human Settlements, Knysa Municpality). |