Supporting communities

Our commitment to social purpose goes beyond that of landlord and developer. We are committed to improving the long-term prospects of society and our communities to maximise our positive social and environmental impacts.

Connecting the community

We are investing in underutilised community buildings, to create a network of Community Hubs for our customers to remove barriers to both our services and those of other local voluntary organisations. Via our Community Hubs, customers can access free face-to-face support on a range of issues such as managing finances, health and wellbeing, employability and skills, as well as attend sessions hosted by local organisations such as wellbeing groups to encourage social interaction, ‘playdate’ sessions for those with young children.

At our Community Hub in Gorelston, we also worked with social enterprise Volunteer It Yourself, to revamp the community space and enlisted the help of young local residents to gain hands-on work experience in trade skills to give the building and garden a new purpose. Thanks to a successful application for Arts Council England funding we’ve been able to work with local residents and street artists Reprezent Project to design and create a series of murals inspired by the history and diversity of the local area for display at the hub’s outdoor areas.

Supporting St Francis Employability

We recently joined forces with property solutions provider, Fortem, to fund and erect a new roof for St Francis Church in Coventry.

The Church is also home to St Francis Employability, which aims to transform its local community and the lives of local people, helping them to move towards social and financial inclusion, meaningful engagement in employment and education and living a fulfilling life. As well as being a registered foodbank and social supermarket, the charity offers job search support, English lessons, skills courses, financial planning advice and friendship groups.

During a Business in the Community “Seeing is believing” visit we attended, it was evident that the roof of the Church had experienced disrepair over many years and had sustained water damage which had begun to affect the support that the charity could offer the local community and those in need.

Watch our film to see how we worked together with Fortem to arrange for a new roof to be put in place to ensure that this important support hub wasn't lost for the local community.

Installing lifesaving defibrillators

We have been working to install lifesaving defibrillators in our communities. After identifying that there were no defibrillators – an essential lifesaving tool for anyone in cardiac arrest - near to some of our Better Days hubs, we applied to The Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) Community Automated External Defibrillators Fund, aimed at increasing the number of defibrillators in public places where they are most needed to help save lives. We were successfully awarded 50% of the cost which we matched to raise the total funding required and then worked with our contractors who installed the defibrillators for free.

Volunteering to make a difference

We take responsibility to actively give back to our communities and good causes through volunteering. Volunteering helps our colleagues be a part of making a difference, develop new skills, and build relationships with others. That’s why we offer colleagues eight hours per year to invest in a cause of their choice.

Projects our colleagues have recently volunteered for have included:

Planting shrubs, bulbs and bedding plants at Hayley House in Belvedere, along with reshaping borders and painting outdoor furniture to create a new-look garden for residents
Working together with Southern Land Services to enhance the garden for residents of Wheelock Close
Volunteering for the Samaritans ‘Operation Christmas Child’
Volunteering to be an Involvement Champion at The Brain Tumour Charity