Aspire Housing is shortlisted for prestigious UK Housing Awards 2012

It’s been a great couple of weeks for Aspire Housing. Hot on the heels of our evening at Speaker’s House, and the preparation of not one, but two new Aspire Houses, comes the news that we’ve been shortlisted in the UK Housing Awards 2012.

The Awards are organised jointly by the Chartered Institute of Housing and Inside Housing magazine, and are the longest-established and most respected awards in the social housing sector. Aspire has been shortlisted in the ‘Specialist Housing Provider of the Year’ category, and we’re obviously up against some stiff opposition for the ultimate accolade. The winners won’t be announced until June and we’ve obviously got our fingers crossed that we’ll get the nod come Awards night. But, clichéd as it sounds, just making the short list is a huge achievement in itself and we’re thrilled that our Service, and the difference it makes to the lives of those with spinal cord injury, has been recognised.

Alex Rankin, Aspire’s Director of Services, says: “Every eight hours, someone is paralysed by a spinal cord injury. Aspire’s research shows that only 11% of those injured this year will leave hospital and go to a permanent, accessible property. Of the others, most will have to make to do, often in appalling living conditions that rob them of their independence, until their housing is sorted. Aspire’s Housing programme can and does make a huge difference, giving people a safe, accessible place to live whilst they arrange their future home. We’re delighted that our Service has made the UK Housing Awards shortlist and see this as testimony to the success of the work we do.”