about fourwalls

Four Walls was set up in 1983 and was first registered with Scottish Homes, now Communities Scotland, in 1986. It is constituted as a fully mutual housing co-operative, set up to provide safe, secure and affordable housing for women and women with children in Glasgow . The building was completed in 1994.The Co-operative owns 11 flats within a purpose built development in Carnarvon Street, Glasgow. This is a popular area of the west end of the city, adjacent to Charing Cross and close to Glasgow University. The flats are variously designated for use by single women, families and for shared occupancy.

The stock comprises:

2 shared flats, each for 3 women, and:

4 x 1 Bedroom Flat

2 x 2 Bedroom Flat

3 x 3 Bedroom Flat

 

Three rooms in the basement offer communal space for tenants groups and committee meetings, a laundry and a small staff office.

Four Walls Housing Co-operative is governed by a voluntary committee elected each year at its Annual General Meeting. It currently has 9 committee members, 7 of whom are tenants, and 2 are co-opted members. As a fully mutual co-operative, all members must be tenants, and all tenants must be members.

The Co-operative has no staff directly employed but contracts services from a managing agent. The arrangement covers housing management, reactive maintenance, planned and cyclical maintenance and major repairs. At this time this is being carried out by a temporary housing manager. Financial services are provided by FMD Financial Services.

ethos

Fourwalls was set up to provide safe, secure and affordable housing for women and women with children. Fourwalls is unique in providing a housing option to women who wish to live in a women-centred environment, and to have a meaningful input to the decisions that govern their housing provision. Women are attracted to the idea of living in a women-only housing co-operative for a variety of reasons which include the following:

• Many women who have approached Fourwalls for housing are lesbian or bisexual and as such have often experienced discrimination in the wider world as well as in other housing situations. Fourwalls provides the opportunity to live in a safe community surrounded by other women with shared experiences. This is an invaluable and unique housing option that Fourwalls has set out to provide.

• Single people are traditionally not given priority on HA lists and Fourwalls sets out to address the needs of single women with regard to accessing secure housing. Fourwalls is aware of the issue of the scale of women’s hidden homelessness.

• Violence against women is an endemic problem in our society and for women who have experienced such violence Fourwalls can provide a safe and empowering living space.

• Fourwalls as a co-operative also offers the opportunity for tenants to be involved and to participate in the decisions that affect the running of the Housing Association. This can afford a sense of ownership and therefore security to tenants that they may not have in a differently constituted HA.

All the tenants who live in Fourwalls have made the positive choice to live in this unique women-only housing co-operative. The fact that all tenants hold this in common gives a sense of solidarity, trust and community.