WHAT THEY SAY ‘New homes being built helps create jobs and gives home-seekers greater choice’ Ben Clay, Plus Dane ‘Our aim is to create 400 new homes by the end of next year’ Brian Simpson, Magenta Living Councillor Ann O’Byrne, above. Top, Bellway's Williamson Place is just one of the developments helping to transform the city L IVERPOOL Mayor Joe Anderson has pledged to oversee the provision of 5,000 new homes in the city. While this target includes family and executive housing, a large proportion are being built as part of the Housing Delivery Plan, many of which will be ‘affordable’ homes built in conjunction with the c ity Council’s Registered Providers of Social Housing or by private developers with significant input from the council. A key function of social housing is to provide accommodation to people on low incomes, with limits to rent increases ensuring that the homes are affordable. Over the next five years, the programme has the potential to provide a substantial number of new homes which are being constructed in response to demand from an increasing jobs market and a desire for better quality and choice. Labour Councillor in charge of the housing portfolio is Ann O’Byrne. She is confident that not only will Joe’s target be met, this mix of social, private and executive accommodation, needed to break the mould of low-value, terraced accommodation, is well on the way to becoming a reality, so transforming the city’s fortunes. Ann explained: “People are looking to move back into the city, and we’re seeing numbers beginning to stabilise again. Outside of London, Liverpool is the fastest-growing city in terms of its economy. People want to live here again and take advantage of everything the city has going for it, both economically and culturally.” One of the main focuses of social housing activity revolves around north Liverpool and the inner core area to the north and north east of the city centre. In the low demand terraced streets to the north and east of the city, old housing stock has been demolished and in its place exciting new schemes such as The Parks in Anfield and Williamson Place in Edge Hill have risen. Further afield, Claremont Gardens, Joshua Place, Ellergreen, Millbrook and Norris Green Village have seen poorer quality social housing replaced with popular new homes across a range of tenure options. “Residents are so proud of their new homes,” explained Ann. “Where once they would have a yard at the back of the terrace, they now enjoy their gardens. “Housing standards have been dramatically improved, and living standards have risen accordingly. Sustainable communities are beginning to develop, and as well as the neighbourly feel, people know they can feel safe in their homes.” Private landlords also play an important role in the city’s housing scenario, and there are opportunities to work with landlords to help meet the housing needs of the city and to redevelop empty houses. With increased standards lying at the heart of the Housing Delivery Plan, the Council has announced a 10 point pledge which aims to build on the positive engagement with many landlords in the city through its landlord accreditation scheme. The 10 point pledge makes it very clear what the Council expects of private landlords and the measures in place to ensure standards remain high. Working with a strategic housing delivery partner, the City Council will also endeavour to bring 1,000 empty houses back into use in areas of the city with high concentrations of such properties. Ann O’Byrne concluded: “Liverpool is such a dynamic and vibrant city, and its residents are so proud to live here.” Thanks to the Housing Delivery Plan and the Mayor’s 5,000 new homes goal, social housing is part of an exciting mix in the city and it’s opening the door to even more of those proud residents. ‘We have a crucial role to play in the strengthening and support of communities’ Roy Williams, Sovini ‘We play an important role in the overall provision of decent housing’ Alun L Hughes, of Wirral Methodist Housing Association ‘Our mission is to transform people’s lives and their communities Brian Cronin, Your Housing Group The Business of social housing An ECHO Business advertising supplement ECHO Business in association with In association with
Transcript
WHAT THEY SAY‘New homesbeing builthelps createjobs and giveshome-seekersgreaterchoice’
Ben Clay,Plus Dane
‘Our aim is tocreate 400new homesby the end ofnext year’
BrianSimpson,Magenta
Living
Councillor Ann O’Byrne,above. Top, Bellway'sWilliamson Place is just one ofthe developments helping totransform the city
LIVERPOOL Mayor JoeAnderson has pledged tooversee the provision of5,000 new homes in thecity. While this target
includes family and executivehousing, a large proportion arebeing built as part of theHousing Delivery Plan, many ofwhich will be ‘affordable’ homesbuilt in conjunction with the city Council’s RegisteredProviders of Social Housing orby private developers withsignificant input from thecouncil.
A key function of socialhousing is to provideaccommodation to people on lowincomes, with limits to rentincreases ensuring that thehomes are affordable.
Over the next five years, theprogramme has the potential toprovide a substantial number ofnew homes which are beingconstructed in response todemand from an increasing jobsmarket and a desire for betterquality and choice.
Labour Councillor in chargeof the housing portfolio is AnnO’Byrne.
She is confident that not onlywill Joe’s target be met, this mixof social, private and executiveaccommodation, needed tobreak the mould of low-value,terraced accommodation, is well
on the way to becoming a reality,so transforming the city’sfortunes.
Ann explained: “People arelooking to move back into thecity, and we’re seeing numbersbeginning to stabilise again.Outside of London, Liverpool isthe fastest-growing city in termsof its economy. People want tolive here again and take
advantage of everything the cityhas going for it, botheconomically and culturally.”
One of the main focuses ofsocial housing activity revolvesaround north Liverpool and theinner core area to the north andnorth east of the city centre.
In the low demand terracedstreets to the north and east ofthe city, old housing stock hasbeen demolished and in its placeexciting new schemes such asThe Parks in Anfield andWilliamson Place in Edge Hillhave risen.
Further afield, ClaremontGardens, Joshua Place,Ellergreen, Millbrook andNorris Green Village have seenpoorer quality social housingreplaced with popular newhomes across a range of tenureoptions.
“Residents are so proud oftheir new homes,” explainedAnn. “Where once they wouldhave a yard at the back of theterrace, they now enjoy theirgardens.
“Housing standards have beendramatically improved, andliving standards have risenaccordingly. Sustainablecommunities are beginning todevelop, and as well as theneighbourly feel, people knowthey can feel safe in theirhomes.”
Private landlords also play animportant role in the city’shousing scenario, and there areopportunities to work withlandlords to help meet thehousing needs of the city and toredevelop empty houses.
With increased standardslying at the heart of the HousingDelivery Plan, the Council hasannounced a 10 point pledgewhich aims to build on thepositive engagement with manylandlords in the city through itslandlord accreditation scheme.
The 10 point pledge makes itvery clear what the Councilexpects of private landlords andthe measures in place to ensurestandards remain high.
Working with a strategichousing delivery partner, theCity Council will also endeavourto bring 1,000 empty housesback into use in areas of the citywith high concentrations ofsuch properties.
Ann O’Byrne concluded:“Liverpool is such a dynamicand vibrant city, and itsresidents are so proud to livehere.”
Thanks to the HousingDelivery Plan and the Mayor’s5,000 new homes goal, socialhousing is part of an excitingmix in the city and it’s openingthe door to even more of thoseproud residents.
‘We have acrucial role toplay in thestrengtheningand support ofcommunities’
RoyWilliams,
Sovini
‘We play animportantrole in theoverallprovision ofdecenthousing’
Alun LHughes, of
WirralMethodist
HousingAssociation
‘Our mission isto transformpeople’s livesand theircommunities
BrianCronin, Your
HousingGroup
TheBusinessofsocialhousing
An ECHO Business advertising supplementEC
HO Business
in associationwith
Inassociationwith
Thursday, June 26, 2014 NEWS 3★★★★
The business of social housing
Why small - and local - is beautiful
THE housing associationnot-for-profit sector isdominated by largerplayers, ranging in sizefrom those set up in
recent years to receive housingstock transferred by localcouncils to regionally andnationally-operatingorganisations.
In amongst theseare small, localhousing associations,such as WirralMethodist, who playan important role inthe overall provisionof decent housing.
Smaller housingassociations, rootedin the localcommunities theyserve, are physicallycloser and often more attunedto their tenant’s needs andthose of their neighbourhoodaround them. For these reasonsthey are well placed to offer adirected service and contributeto the identification of keyissues locally.
As a result, they are oftenwell respected, having highsatisfaction amongst tenants,and offer cost-effective serviceswhich see resultant financialsurpluses ploughed back intotheir work in the community.
With boards of voluntarymembers to directpolicy and direction,such organisationsare valuable socialenterprises churningfinancial resourcesclose to home.
At WirralMethodist HousingAssociation, we cometo work each day inthe community weserve.
We can see withour own eyes what
needs to be done and, from thepeople who come to us for help,we can understand where thechallenges are that need to bemet.
In this way we can undertakesympathetic, sensitivedevelopments that meet the
needs of those whose voicesmight otherwise be overlooked.
We go the ‘extra-mile’ andoffer a personalised approachthat treats people asindividuals.
The smaller housingassociations offer somethingdifferent and remind us thatpeople can make a real impactat a local level to thecommunity in which they live.
In a world which is used tothinking that big is best, itserves as a useful reminderthat the most effective serviceis that operated locally by localpeople for local people.
That is what WirralMethodist has been doing forthe past 50 years and plans todo for the next 50.
Alun L Hughes, Chief Executive of WirralMethodist Housing Association Ltd, on howsmaller housing associations are contributingto the provision of decent housing
Soon to be completed flats at New Brighton represent Wirral Methodist HousingAssociation’s latest contribution to meeting housing need in Wirral
WIRRAL METHODISTHOUSING ASSOCIATION
On aJourney ...On a Mission2014 is a special year of celebration for Wirral MethodistHousing Association as it reflects back on 50 years ofleading the way in providing decent affordable housingthroughout Wirral, one of the first housing associationsestablished on Merseyside.
The charitable Industrial and Provident Society, foundedby eight Methodists moved by the plight of those inhousing need around them and driven by Christianconcern, set about making a real difference to people’slives by fundraising to buy houses for rent at, “reasonablerents ... irrespective of colour, class or creed”, thuscreating a ‘safety net’ for families failed by the system.Such farsightedness was three years before the influentialTV drama “Cathy Come Home” raised national awarenessof the scandal of lack of housing options availableand spawned the growth of the housing associationmovement.
From its home in Birkenhead, the Association has grown
through its innovative, commitment to neighbourhoodsand individuals, to over 800 homes, providing shelteredaccommodation for the elderly, family housing, flats overshops for young people and specialist housing for thosewith special needs. Also through its commercial investmentactivity in the Hamilton Quarter of Birkenhead and inEllesmere Port, it is combating the decline of the shoppingstreet scene, ensuring shops stay open for business.
Chief Executive, Alun Hughes said, ”The challenges facingpeople trying to secure decent affordable housing forthemselves are as real today as when the Associationwas formed. We are in danger of returning to the housingworld that would have been familiar to our Founders50 years ago and the needfor our services is greaterthan ever”
NEWS Thursday, June 26, 20144 ★★★★
The business of social housing
Living and breathing social valueJames Flannery, director ofcommunity regeneration at Fusion21, ondelivering community regenerationthrough procurement and partnership
FUSION21 has workedwith many registeredsocial landlordsacross the Merseysideregion in helping
provide social value throughcommunity regeneration.
Members using ourprocurement services meanthey arecompliantwith TheSocial ValueAct. The Actrequires local authoritiesand other commissioners ofpublic services to considerhow their services canbenefit people living in thelocal community.
We collaborate with sociallandlords, residents, localagencies, contractors andsuppliers to deliver a widerange of programmes, skillstraining courses,commissioned consultancyprojects and employment
opportunities within localcommunities.
Whatever scheme weundertake, social valuecomes as part of thepackage. Fusion21 lives andbreathes social value. It’swhat we do and we areproud of creating over 1,300
jobs and,through ourmembers,bringingbenefits to
local communities worthmore than £30 million.
We monitor the impact ofour social value delivery bythe use of Regeneration andLocal Economic BenefitPlans. These contain clearobjectives, set targets andprovide detailed progressreports and analysis.
We look forward to ourcontinued partnership withregistered social landlordsand other organisations in
delivering communityregeneration projects acrossMerseyside to benefitcommunities and localpeople.● Visit socialvalue.co.uk tosee examples of our workacross Merseyside or emailus at [email protected] more information.
Fusion21 has worked with South Liverpool Homes (SLH), Building Skills for the Futureand Countryside to create opportunities for apprentices on regeneration programmes inSpeke and Garston
Procurementand CommunityRegenerationthat delivers
0845 308 2321fusion21.co.uksocialvalue.co.uk
#socialvalue
Our Procurementframeworks include:
Bathrooms, Central Heating,Grounds Works, High Rise, Kitchens,
Lifts, Roofing and much more.
NEWS Thursday, June 26, 20146 ★★★★
The business of social housing
IT’S a really exciting timefor Plus Dane. We wereawarded the Help to Buycontract in March and wenow cover the whole
North West region, assistingbuyers in finding their idealnew home.
Covering a wider area andtaking on thisnew project hasmeant we’ve nowrecruited a biggerteam in ourLiverpool office,where we’rebased. So, notonly will the Helpto Buy scheme begreat for our clients, it hasbeen a really positiveoutcome for our companytoo, helping the economygrow.
The Help to Buy 1programme is only availablefor those wanting a newbuild property. If you’re
eligible then you can receiveup to a 20% loan from theGovernment funded throughthe Homes and CommunitiesAgency. The loan is interestfree for the first five yearsand you’ll only need a 5%deposit to buy a property(depending on your mortgage
lender).This scheme is
aimed at peoplewho arestruggling to savea large depositbut who couldotherwise beexpected tosustain a
mortgage, so it’s a reallygood way of getting on theproperty ladder.
And although around 90%of people who take advantageof the Help to Buyprogramme are first timebuyers, it’s now got a broadereligibility criteria. It’s also
open to home owners whoare looking for a new buildproperty; maybe somethinglarger for a growing family.Having a much lower depositto find can really speed upthe process for families eagerto move.
Plus we can also offer youadvice and support findingsolicitors and independentfinancial advisors to easeyour moving process.
What’s more, this scheme
also helps the housing supply.New homes being built helpscreate jobs and gives homeseekers greater choice. Thegreater the confidence in themarket, the more new homesare being built, boosting thelocal economy.
Our not-for-profit companyalso offers homes for rentand for purchase throughother schemes.
We are a one stop shop forall home ownership products.As well as the Help to Buyscheme, we also offer shared
ownership and older personshared ownership, all ofwhich are supported by theGovernment.
You can browse thedevelopments available onour website,www.helptobuynw.org.uk.
Helping people buy their homesBen Clay, director of Homes Hub andnew business for Plus Dane, talks aboutthe positive changes winning the Help toBuy contract has brought to the business
Ben Clay
One of the developments available through Plus Dane in St Kevin’s Drive, Kirkby
Redrow Homes, Liverpool City Council and LiverpoolMutual Homes are delighted to announce:
• The delivery of 1,500 new homes• The refurbishment of 1,000 empty properties
• Investment of more than £200 million• The creation of hundreds of jobs
BUILDING OUR FUTURE
visit: www.liverpool.gov.uk/buildingourfuture
Images typical of Redrow homes. Details correct at time of going to press.
Thursday, June 26, 2014 NEWS 7★★★★
The business of social housing
WELL, what afantastic 12 monthswe've had! In Junelast year we movedto new premises on
Hamilton Street in Birkenhead,and at the same time relaunchedthe organisation asMagenta Living.
The move to the newbuilding means that all ofour departments are nowunder one roof, which hasvastly improved how ourresidents can access ourservices. These include applyingfor jobs, making benefit claims,and using our computers with freewifi – all of which can be done inour 'customer hub.'
The Credit Union is also basedhere three days a week, which is agreat service for those who don't
have a High Street bank. We reallywant to empower our communitiesand help them in every walk of life.
In addition to this, we havetaken on seven apprentices thisyear and recently completedrefurbishing the last of our eight
tower blocks. This waspart of a £28m investmentprogramme, bringing allof our social housing up tostandard, and is afantastic achievement.
Looking forward, we'recommitted to continue
providing the same high standardof service that we do now.
We have a number of excitingnew developments currently beingbuilt across the region, and willcontinue working with the counciland our other partners to helpregenerate communities to
improve life for everyone.Our aim is to create 400 new
homes by the end of next year, andwe're halfway there already.
The landscape of social housingis changing and there are manypeople – including those inemployment – who are nowstruggling to find suitable homes,so we want to extend our servicesto reach as many people aspossible.
Moving forward tohelp the communityBrian Simpson, chief executive for MagentaLiving (previously Wirral Partnership Homes),discusses the organisation's successful year and itsexciting plans for the future
Brian Simpson
Magenta Living opened its latest mixed housing development,Chapelhill, in Moreton, in April
Vision is to be more than just a landlord
OUR vision is to bethe best; the bestlandlord, bestemployer, bestbusiness and best
investor in communities.One Vision Housing (OVH)
was established in 2006following a stock transferfrom Sefton Council.
We are the largestregistered provider of socialhousing inSefton,Merseyside,with morethan 11,700homesthroughout the borough,including over 550 leaseholdproperties.
Our communities arediverse and unique. Webelieve we have a crucial roleto play in the strengtheningand support of them. Wegenuinely want to try andensure that our customershave the very bestopportunities, services andoptions available to them –wherever they live.
We are more than just alandlord. We provide youthengagement projects,employment and skills clubs,
community projects , like theFord Lane Youth Club inassociation with Everton inthe Community, and ourannual family fun day,Boofest, which takes place onAugust 8 this year.
We have allocatedNeighbourhood Officers tosupport customers in theirtenancy, a dedicated teamproviding welfare and
Police to help make thecommunities safer places tolive.
As part of our businessstrategy, we involve residentswherever possible, usingtheir invaluable knowledgeand understanding of theissues affecting them, theirfamilies and neighbours, toensure that we focus ourattention and efforts on thethings that matter most.
In recent years, theoperating environment forsocial housing providers haschanged dramatically, and so,like many other housing
associations, we are nowoperating in new markets tocreate financial capacity toensure continued investmentin our existing businesses.
In November 2011 webrought our propertymaintenance servicein-house, generating incomefor OVH while also gaining
more control over the qualityof the repairs services ourcustomers receive.
We have since created agroup structure, The SoviniGroup, which is set up in away that allows us to bringtogether both not-for-profitproviders, like One VisionHousing and Pine Court
Housing Association; as wellas commercial enterprisessuch as Sovini PropertyServices, Sovini Homes andmore recently, Sovini TradeSupplies.
Through the Sovini Groupwe will continue to createfinancial capacity andsignificant additional
funding for OVH and PineCourt through thecommercial ventures.Already since our groupstructure was set up, we haveinvested £15m back to thehousing associations,creating new homes andinvesting in the widercommunity.
Roy Williams, CEO of One VisionHousing on how important it is to be partof the community and how listening toresidents is key to success
Roy Williamswith residents ofone of OneVision’s newestdevelopments inSefton
Thursday, June 26, 2014 NEWS 9★★★★
The business of social housing
Giving people a better quality of life
I joined South LiverpoolHomes in 2005 and theorganisation didn’t haveit’s eye on the ball, so tospeak, but we turned it
around and now largerbusinesses come to us to tryand replicate how we dothings – as a not-for-profitorganisationwe spend ourmoney onour tenants.
Forcurrenttenants it’s importantmaintenance is carried outefficiently. We have a jointventure with Penny LaneBuilders who ensure the bestmaintenance results andreal customer servicesatisfaction.
For people looking for ahome, we’ve set up a ThinkSouth Liverpool campaign,which is all about letting
properties that peopleactually want to live in.
If they have the means,then they can choose wherethey want to live and bringup their children, it createshappier, thrivingcommunities because peoplecan get a home of their
choice.We look
out for thebest interestof thetenants. We
heard a young mum had twochildren but no beds for thekids so decided to let theproperty as ‘furnished’ so wecould supply her with thefurniture she needed. Wewant people to have a betterquality of life.
A lot of people can findthemselves in troubled timesand situations, so we go andknock on doors, sit down
with them and try to helpthem.
That could be offeringenergy efficiency advice,benefits advice, tenancysupport services, referralsor maintenance services.
In response to thebedroom tax, the companyhas tried to find anothersolution. Years ago, manyproperties were larger, threebedroom homes but nowthey’re under occupied. So,now we have developed moresmaller homes, aiming tocreate a more stableneighbourhood where peoplecan afford to live.
We’re also renovating abuilding on Booker Avenue,which will be shared-ownership propertiescompleted to a highstandard. In the currenteconomic climate peoplewant affordable, qualityhomes and we’ve had lots ofdemand for these properties.
The company alsosupports a lot of localcharities and organisations.South Liverpool food bankhelped 4,000 local peoplewithin 12 months – there’s alot of people who can’t affordfood and everyday essentialsso have to choose betweenpaying rent, heating their
homes or going withoutfood.
South Liverpool Homesdoes a lot of fundraising andactivities to show its supportand we also support TheWhitechapel Centre.
We like to go out in to thecommunity and help peopletoo. Last Christmas we gaveout 180 hampers to the
elderly community, thatcould make a big differenceto someone’s life. We alsogave vouchers to schools andthe lucky winners couldselect a bike from Halfords.
As well as catering for thecommunities, the companykeeps its employees happytoo. South Liverpool Homeslanded the number one slot
in the Sunday Times’ Top100 Best Not-for- profitOrganisations to Work For.
We treat our staff properly,if we have happy people thenwe tend to get happy clients.They work in a demandingarea with a lot ofresponsibility but they’resupported by their employerso they enjoy their work.
Julie Fadden, chief executive of SouthLiverpool Homes, discusses how helpingpeople improve their quality of life is reallywhat matters; whether that’s finding themthe right home or helping them throughtroubled times
Julie Fadden fromSouth LiverpoolHomes with tenants
Calderstones Grove is an exciting new development of 2 bedroomapartments in Allerton, ready to move into this summer! Thestylish apartments are available to buy on a shared ownershipbasis (subject to eligibility).
With shares from 25% to 75% available, and theability to increase your shares over time, this reallyis an opportunity not to be missed.
If you’d like to find out more about Calderstones Groveand how you can make one of these fantastic apartmentsyour own, get in touch today!
We’ve got the secret toyour dream home, andwe’re ready to share it...
0151 285 5630thinksouthliverpool.co.ukMake South Liverpool your home
NEWS Thursday, June 26, 201410 ★★★★
The business of social housing
Creating life-changing opportunities
SOCIAL housingproviders areideally placed tobring about realand lasting
change to the areas inwhich we work.
At Your HousingGroup, our mission is totransform people’s livesand communities andwe achieve this not onlyby investing in highquality housing but bydelivering employmentand trainingopportunities.
We also deliver and
support a huge range ofprojects that bringcommunity benefits.
Although ourorganisation worksacross the whole of theNorth West of England,our regeneration workin Anfield is somethingthat I am particularlyproud of.
The Anfield Projecthas a vision toregenerate the area andis a partnership of YourHousing Group,Liverpool City Counciland Liverpool Football
Club.The work we have
been doing inAnfield is aboutmuch more thansimple bricks andmortar, it’s aboutcreating a safe andpositive area to live.
It’s not only afocus on physical
regeneration, but also acommitment to workingtogether with ourpartners andcommunity groups tocreate life-changingopportunities. People inthe area can already seea new Anfield emerging,with new andrefurbished housingand communityfacilities beingcompleted on a monthlybasis.
The partners areabsolutely committed toworking with localpeople to help create arevitalised communitywhere people want towork, live and bring uptheir families.
Brian Cronin, Chief Executive,Your Housing Group on howsocial housing can bring out lastingchanges to people’s lives
The Parks in Anfield
Somuch choice...THE Regenda
Group is taking afresh look ataffordablehousing. Isn’t it
time you did the same?Because everybody’s
housing need isdifferent, there is no“one size fits all”solution.
You may be surprisedto discover stylishapartments, modern
designer homes andtastefully refurbishedlisted buildings are nowincluded in theexpanding Regendaproperty portfolio.
Housing associationshave a number ofimportant roles toperform.
Providing a greaterchoice ofaccommodation,matching family needand personal aspirationsto the perfect home iscentral to what we do.
Housing associationsare evolving andRegenda has become aleading player inshared-ownership,helping residents get onthat all-importantproperty ladder, with arange of affordable andinnovative financialpackages to suit theirincome.
Across Merseyside,Regenda Homes Ltd nowhas a significant andgrowing selection ofattractive propertyavailable for sharedownership.
For those who arelooking to rent a smallflat, a terrace or adetached home, Regendaalso offers an extensiverange of properties ataffordable rents.
By putting the needsof our residents first,Regenda has become oneof Merseyside’s leadinghousing associations.
We understand thateverybody has differentneeds and differentcircumstances.
At Regenda weprovide an excellentrange of services and awhole spectrum ofrented and homeownership choices tofulfil every need.
● For more informationvisit www.regendahomes.com, or call 03447360063
Michael Birkett,Group CEO, theRegenda Groupexplains howRegendaunderstands thateverybody hasdifferent needs andcircumstances and provides anexcellent range of services
The RegendaGroup hastastefullyrefurbished TheFoundryApartments
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Thursday, June 26, 2014 NEWS 11★★★★
The business of social housing
A brighter future for local housingYOUR Housing Group
is one of the UK’slargest socialhousing providerswith more than
32,000 homes across theNorth West, Yorkshire andthe Midlands.
As well as a wide range ofhomes for social andaffordable rent, YourHousing Group also provideshomes for saleand sharedownership, aswell as ExtraCare housing forthe over 55s andsheltered andsupportedaccommodationfor older people and youngadults.
Your Housing Groupdoesn’t just build homes –major investment is beingmade in the regeneration ofwhole communities, buildingcommunity facilities,landscaping of communalareas and providing vitalfacilities for more vulnerableresidents. All of which helpdeliver their commitment to‘transform lives andcommunities.’
PARTNERSHIP WORKINGWith an enviable track
record of successfulpartnerships, the group hasformed uniquecollaborations with localauthorities, NHS healthproviders and a range ofinvestors. Thesepartnerships have helpedunderpin an extensivedevelopment programme,
which is in excessof £150m,contributingsignificantly tothe Government’sambitions todeliver 150,000homes.
A sector leaderin developing homes andcommunities, Your HousingGroup is embarking on anambitious programme ofdelivery over the comingmonths.
The development teamcurrently has 1,427 units dueto complete by March 2015 aspart of the Affordable HomesProgramme, funded by theHomes and CommunitiesAgency. With ambitions togrow even more, YourHousing Group expects to
complete 1,000 homes a yearfrom 2015.
TRANSFORMING ANFIELDAs the leading housing
provider for Anfield, YourHousing Group has a greatcommitment to residents andthe wider community. Astrategic partnership,between Your HousingGroup, Liverpool CityCouncil and LiverpoolFootball Club, was formedlast year with a vision totransform the landscape ofAnfield.
The ambitious plans wereoutlined in the SpatialRegeneration Framework(SRF) and include a numberof proposals to regeneratethe area and, potentially,create some 700 long-termjobs.
Proposals outlined in theSRF include new housing,new business and retailpremises, a training hotel, aproposed expansion ofLiverpool FC’s stadium and arange of new communityfacilities in the area,including in Stanley Park.
Since 2009 the Group hasinvested in excess of £23minvolving 202 properties inAnfield.
This has included creatingnew, modern homes, as wellbringing back in to use anumber of long-term vacantproperties which hadblighted the area.
The project seeks nothingless than a totalrevitalisation of Anfieldthrough the delivery of theregeneration programme butone that also createssustainable long termbenefits.
To achieve this ambitionan innovative approach hasbeen taken in a number ofareas. In relation to housing,it can be seen in the
provision of ‘2 into 1s’, one-bed terraces re-developedinto larger, three-bedroomproperties which are moresuited to the housing needsof the families in the area.
The houses are created bytransforming two small early20th century terraces intoone spacious, modern, three-bed, family home with open-plan living space, upstairsbathroom, and garden withseating area.
HESTIA CAREERSYour Housing Group has
also led several projects overthe last 18 months to createnew job opportunities.
Hestia Careers is aninnovative apprenticeshipprogramme creatingopportunities for youngpeople in the ever growing
catering and hospitalitysector. The project is apartnership between YourHousing Group, the IslaGladstone and the City ofLiverpool College. Ten youngpeople are currently takingpart in the programme,placed with employers,including Liverpool FootballClub, London CarriageWorks and Hard Day’s NightHotel.
The aim of the programmeis to raise aspirations of localyoung people and providementoring and support toenable them to develop andsucceed.
In a truly unique approachto job creation and futureeconomic growth, the AnfieldProject also proposes to builda 100-room training hotel onthe new Anfield Square.
This would create 50 jobsand offer training to 10people at a time in facets ofthe hospitality trade.
In addition, an innovativepilot procurement schemeearlier this year, betweenYour Housing Group andcontractors FlanaganBuilding & MaintenanceServices, has already,resulted in 16 jobs, includingtwo full-time apprenticeshippositions.
All 16 new employees werelocal, living within 10 milesof Anfield.
As one of the largesthousing providers in the UK,Your Housing Group areideally placed to deliverinnovative developments,large scale regeneration andto successfully transformlives and communities.
Extensiveregeneration isbringing benefitsto the whole ofAnfield
Hestia Careers is an innovative apprenticeship programme in a partnership betweenYour Housing Group, the Isla Gladstone and the City of Liverpool College
Properties in Tancred Road, Anfield, have beentransformed
Lookingto Rent?
For details visitsymphonyhousing.org.uk/homes-to-rent
LHTPart of Symphony Housing Group
Properties across Merseyside from£90 per week & no deposit
