Hjaltland Housing Association - Bryan Leask
Hjaltland Housing Association
Hjaltland Housing Association provide high-quality social housing and affordable homes for people throughout Shetland. It was originally formed to aid the Shetland Islands Council in providing housing for incoming oil industry workers. By March 2024 the Association had grown to provide 881 homes, distributed throughout Shetland from Unst to Sumburgh, and from Sandness to Whalsay, with over half of the Association’s houses in Lerwick. This ensures they are delivering high quality homes and services to communities throughout Shetland.
The Association work closely with Shetland Islands Council, and now have several properties providing homes for people with particular housing needs. Hjaltland also hold charitable status and are regulated by the Scottish Housing Regulator.
Hjaltland brings in depth knowledge and understanding of the Shetland community to the Partnership. Housing is a central and key element of the different aspects of what Hjaltland is trying to achieve, with their wider aims aligning with the Shetland Partnership’s vision. They have an ambition to support the communities of Shetland, and by providing more homes they are opening up more opportunities for organisations to recruit across the island.
Find out more about Hjaltland Housing Association on their website.
Bryan Leask, Chief Executive
Bryan believes the partnership can best serve the community by making sure that different voices are heard. He believes it is important to make sure that everyone has a chance to express their feelings on the different organisations and services and the impact they have on living in Shetland.
In three years’ time Bryan would like the partnership to achieve more joined up working between partner organisations. He believes long-term strategic planning is important so that there is a clear idea of what Shetland will look like in the future, with the aging workforce and working together to provide housing options key priorities.
Bryan believes the greatest strength of the partnership is the opportunity it provides to hear from different people to get a better understanding of what is happening across different areas. He also likes that it gives the Third Sector a voice it may not have otherwise. The ability the Network gives to collaborate on long-term future planning can also have a positive impact for Shetland.