… · Web viewTen years of encouraging others to be imaginative and innovative; giving people...

Achieving change: Expanding what we do

Rolling 3 Year Business StrategyCovering the period

Jan. 2016 – Dec. 2018

Publication Version – Approved by Trustees 7th December 2015

Version dated: 05/05/2023 18:39Registered office: 2 Babmaes Street, London SW1Y 6HD

Registered in England: Number 5319765. Registered Charity: Number 1113331

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CONTENTS

Background and Introduction Page 3

1.1 Background Page 3

1.2 Who are we? The Commonweal Project Cycle Page 4

1.3 Key changes in 2015 Page 5

1.4 What we do – Our projects to date Page 6

1.5 How we did against our 2015 ambitions Page 7

Vision, Purpose, Values and Strategic Targets Page 92.1 Vision Page 9

2.2 Purpose Page 9

2.3 Values Page 9

2.4 Ambitions Page 9

2.5 What do we offer as a charity? Page 9

2.6 Limitations Page 10

2.7 SWOT Analysis Page 10

2.8 Strategic approach – how we work Page 11

2.9 Project preference areas 2016 onwards Page 11

2.10 The criteria for accepting or rejecting potential projects Page 12

Organizational structure Page 133.1 Trustees Page 13

3.2 Advisory Panel Page 14

3.3 Meetings Page 14

Assumptions Page 154.1 Core funding Page 15

4.2 Resources Strategy Page 15

Outline Action Plan Priorities 2016 – 2018 Page 165.1 2016 Page 16

5.2 2017 Page 17

5.3 2018 Page 18

Version dated 05/05/2023 18:39

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BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION1.1 BackgroundThis is now the sixth annual update of Commonweal’s Business Strategy.

2016 Sees Commonweal reach its 10th Anniversary – ten years of seeking to support other partner organisations to set up and test the new ideas and new models of services and support they believed will help provide ‘housing solutions to social injustice’.

Ten years of encouraging others to be imaginative and innovative; giving people (project partners and beneficiaries) the space to get some things wrong and importantly ten years of encouraging them to learn from those experiences so the ideas, the projects are understood so that, we know what can be replicated by others; they are sustainable and crucially the people they support emerge stronger and better able to face the trials and tribulations of daily life.

We hope, as we come to the end of our first decade that as an organization, we too are constantly learning from things that didn’t always go the way we planned. As a Trustee Board and staff team we are increasingly reviewing our own learning and tweaking, hopefully improving, how we do things going forward. We know we have much still to learn although we also recognize we have come a long way since 2006 and have achieved a lot – we are valued by partners and recognized as sector leaders.

For our 10th Anniversary year we will rightly take pride in what we have achieved and what we have helped other to achieve – but we know in our hearts that we can and should do more. We hope to avoid the pitfall set out by the American community activist Saul Allinsky who once said:

“One of the most important things in life is …..that ever gnawing inner doubt as to whether you’re right. If you don’t have that, if you think you’ve got an inside track to absolute truth, you become doctrinaire, humorless and intellectually constipated.”

In 2016 we will expand the portfolio of projects we support: We will continue our main activity of providing bespoke housing owned by

Commonweal to project partners – we hope our next project in 2016 will be working with Quaker Social Action and others supporting young adult carers.

We will also go further in supporting projects where we are not necessarily providing or acquiring housing assets. Instead we will where appropriate provide direct revenue support for a small number of projects who already have access to housing but need support to deliver and test a new model or new service. Our first project which will start in 2016 in partnership with Elmbridge Rentstart in Surrey is their Feedom2Work: Buying the Future model bridging the gap between between homelessness and unemployment and work and stable tenancies.

We will continue to support new feasibility studies, supporting others to identify new areas of social injustice where access to appropriate housing at a given time can be part of the solution.

We will build upon our growing reputation as leading lights in the use of social investment funding – reviewing our current offer, learning lessons and growing our funding capacity.

We will continue to become better at getting our message across on lessons learnt and policy changes needed maximising the impact of our projects.


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In 2016 we have an ambition to launch a new annual competition to identify areas of social injustice where housing is part of the solution. This competition will be inviting entries from innovative thinkers who are not content to say what is wrong but have ideas and solutions to put it right.

This latest strategy document outlines the views of Trustees setting out not just how they see the charity, its role and overall ambitions; a reflection on our performance against targets and ambitions over the last 12 months and specifically outlines the targets and milestones (as seen at December 2015) for the coming 36 months.

1.2 Who are we?Commonweal Housing is an independent action learning charity.

We use our resources to support and develop, in partnership with others (charities and housing associations), new and innovative role model pilot solutions to different forms of social injustice – taking them on our Project Cycle of testing, evaluating, promoting and replicating. This will generally be a 5-10 year cycle.

Trustees have described Commonweal as a patient investor and a patient partner

The Commonweal Project Cycle


Initiation

Pilot Phase

External Evaluation

Internal Evaluation

(wider lessons learnt)

Promotion and sharing of learning

Replication

Sustainment

Handover and Commonweal

withdrawal

Ongoing delivery by

others

New project research and due diligenceNew idea

sourcing – what’s the social injustice – what’s

the possible housing solution

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i. Idea Sourcing – To date experience has suggested a ratio of up to 30:1 in terms of ideas considered through to more detailed consideration and ultimate adoption. New ideas will come internally as well as from outside approaches and proposals.

ii. Detailed feasibility / due diligence stage– Including business plan review and demand analysis up to contract negotiations.

iii. Project initiation stage – Signing of contracts and fundraising if necessary.

iv. Pilot project implementation stage – Including process learning, constant internal evaluation and review and learning cycle.

v. External Evaluation stage – Actual evaluation arrangements to be established at stages 3 and 4. Expert external evaluation to be a review of the project ‘in full swing’.

a. Internal Evaluation Stage – increasingly Commonweal are formalising this second evaluation ensuring it is capturing the wider lessons learnt for the charity from the project – to shape its own future project development and delivery.

vi. Promotion stage – Campaigning and lobbying on the outcomes of the project and evaluation, seeking policy change / expansion.

vii. Replication stage – increasing the number of beneficiaries of the model

viii. Sustainment stage – supporting new partners to ongoing delivery and development

ix. Handover and Exit stage – enabling Commonweal Housing to extract its capital investment to enable investment in new projects and tackling emerging injustices.

Commonweal Housing Limited has a small core staff team of just four people who are overseen by a Board of Trustees.

The charity is extremely grateful to members of its voluntary Advisory Panel. These leading experts from across the fields of housing, charities and social injustice provide support, advice and guidance to our Chief Executive and staff team. We are grateful to these individuals for the generosity in their support of the work of Commonweal Housing.

Above all we remain indebted to the Directors and Staff of Grove End Housing Limited for their ongoing financial support for the charity. Quite simply without their help and foresight in establishing the charity and supporting its activities we would not be here. We are delighted that this close bond is set to continue in to the future.

1.3 Key advances in 2015 Further growth of our property portfolio with 6 new houses purchased in

2015 for our latest No Recourse to Public Funds project

Next step development and investment in our increased (and improved) communications and policy activity with the recruitment of a new External Affairs and Communications Coordinator

Commissioning and publishing of policy reports taking forward key lessons learnt from Chrysalis and Miscarriages of Justice projects – both providing new springboards for securing policy and operational change for


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women exiting prostitution and victims of miscarriages of Justice respectively.

Active development of non-property acquisition projects – notably partnership with Elmbridge Rentstart on their project Freedom 2 Work, approved by Trustees in December 2015 for commencement early in 2016.

Commencement of our new Learning Partnership with the Institute of Voluntary Action Research (IVAR) helping Commonweal embed strategic learning from our projects in how we operate and deliver as a charity.

1.4 Our projects to date: RESET (2006-2008)– meeting the housing and support needs of young people

exiting young offenders institutes

Re-Unite (2007 – to date) – providing housing with support to mothers who would be homeless upon release from prison. Cutting through the catch 22 of them being homeless and therefore unable to take custody and care of their children and because they don’t have care of their children they are unable to secure suitable family housing. The Re-Unite model is already being replicated this year to benefit other mothers and their children across the country.

Re-Unite is our flagship project in that it that has progressed through the Commonweal project cycle. In 2014 we outsourced the day to day coordination of the Re-Unite Network to Anawim (our Re-Unite partner in Birmingham) and the national membership body Women’s Breakout); this was part of our handover strategy. Our original partnership agreement and leases with Housing for Women in South London are due to expire within the current Plan period in 2017/18.

The Chrysalis Project (2009 – to date) – working with women seeking to exit prostitution, especially street sex activity, providing quality transitional accommodation aiding the move on from high support hostels and helping secure the positive steps forward they have taken in their lives. Chrysalis was positively evaluated in 2012 and replication, expansion and use of the learning from the project is increasingly becoming known. In 2015 we commissioned and published an update review of the policy landscape which identified that whilst some progress has been made, prostitution remains undiscussed by many mainstream women’s services and as such women seeking to exit prostitution are often not given the support and advice they need. Commonweal will be working with groups such as NIA and SASE to try to address that ‘blind spot’ and raise awareness of prostitution which we are clear is a form of violence against women and girls up the agenda.

Peer Landlords (2011 to date) – parallel supportive shared housing models being developed with two specialist delivery partners for young people and former hostel dwellers. The project aims to support growing self-esteem and peer mentoring to aid the transition to securing and maintaining independent housing and employment as well as reducing the risk of downward spiral once high support provision is withdrawn. The Peer Landlord project has already received recognition with Thames Reach winning one of the top awards in the prestigious 2014 Andy Ludlow Awards. The model is also attracting media attention with the online magazine Children & Young People Now due to publish a major feature on the Catch 22 Peer Landlord in early 2016. At the same time Commonweal will be publishing the final evaluation of the phase 1 pilot projects from the University of York and working with partners on the next Phase 2, stage – taking foreard the lessons learnt and improving the model, outcomes and impact.


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Miscarriages of Justice - The Libra Project (2013 to 214) - a joint project with a specialist CAB service addressing a key problem of limited housing options for many people who have been wrongly convicted and imprisoned. The implementation on the ground was complicated by the partnership structure, the solution was felt to be over-engineered and finally changes to Government policy around compensation claims for victims of miscarriages of justice meant the project was unable to deliver as originally hoped. However in 2015 Commonweal worked with the LSE to produce a ‘reasoned argument’ report highlighting the actions for central and local government to take to help address the ongoing social injustice. Commonweal continues to lobby Government Ministers using the learning from this project to seek policy change.

No Recourse to Public Funds (2014 onwards) – a project testing cross subsidised models of providing vital free accommodation for those caught in enforced destitution within the asylum system with no recourse to public funds and no ability to gain employment to support themselves and their families. Seeking to work with leading asylum support agencies to establish a sustainable business model and providing positive engagement with clients within the asylum system. Social investment funding was secured in late 2014 and Commonweal has bsecured the property portfolio in south and east London in 2015. Expert external evaluators are in place and already providing a vital feedback loop in the development of this project.

1.5 How we did against our 2015 ambitions

2015 COMMENTS

Re-Unite Ongoing watching brief on Re-Unite and

planned liaison with coordination partners Anawim & Women’s Breakout (bi-annual steering group meetings)

Regular liaison with Anawim and Women’s Breakout including Steering Group meetings and attendance at Re-Unite Network sessions.

Attendance at 6th Annual Re-Unite Replication Network conference

Progress on delivery of exit strategy from Re-Unite South London (with effect from 2016 onwards) buy-out of properties / return on investment

Ongoing conversations with Housing for Women. Intention to have plan agreed by Summer 2016

The Chrysalis Project Replication of model in place / momentum

growingStill work to be done. New ‘2 Years On’ research commissioned to be published early 2016. Increasing awareness of prostitution issues in mainstream services. Tool for seeking policy change.

Formal, planned and agreed withdrawal of Commonweal from frontline promotion / facilitating activity from Commonweal (report to Trustees by December 2015).

No formal proposal to withdraw at this stage. Ongoing review over 2016.

Start formal discussions with St.MB on clear and sustainable exit strategy from Chrysalis south London (with effect from 2017 onwards) buy-out of properties / return on investment

Initial conversations held with St.MB at quarterly review meetings on buy-out options.

Peer Landlords Year 3 interim report received by Q2 Following staff changes at CHP – agreed to cancel

interim report to focus on final document Publication of ongoing findings and Version dated 05/05/2023 18:39

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learning from partners Publication of findings in early 2016. Final evaluation report received and

published Q4 Ongoing Promotion and campaigning for

replicationPartners actively growing awareness in the sector

Detailed discussions with existing social investors on replication / expansion opportunities

Positive engagement – potential to support Business Development Manager post to push replication and take up in 2016 (TBC).


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Social Investment Model / Capital Funding Successful reporting back to

investors and positive feedback received

Ongoing positive engagement with all social investors – invitations to speak at events from a number of them.

Delivery of agreed capital funding strategy to support new project delivery

New investment sought for 2016 project – positive initial feedback - ongoing.Submission of Big Potential grant application to develop the CWH investment model / offer further in 2016

Miscarriages of Justice Formal end of property / project

agreement with MJSS.Report commissioned from LSE and published in October.

Used as springboard for lobbying for policy change. Commissioning lobbying research to

promote / increase housing options and availability for victims of miscarriages of justice – subject of 2015 Heads Up report.

New Project Delivery – No Recourse to Public Funds

Evaluation partner in place by end Q1 Agreement completed in Q2 – evaluators now actively engaged.

Property acquisition programme completed by Q3

Delay in programme to assess new purchase areas – final properties being purchased aim to complete end Q4 hand over to Praxis Q1 2016

New 2015 Project Programme in place Approval and funding to be in place

by Q2 2015Two projects approved in Q3 – one requires capital funding currently being pursued - aim to complete agreements probably Q1 2016

Commencement of project Q3 2015 (subject to approval and funding)

Project starts now 2016

Ongoing delivery and evaluation scheme in place

Evaluators to be appointed in 2016

Organizational Management New Advisory Panel in place Q1. Slimmed down panel met Feb 2015. Internal project impact evaluation tool in

place Q2Work with GtD ongoing – data collection only quarterly therefore slowly building up meaningful comparison datasets.

Achieve renewal of PQASSO Level 2 Award (or consideration of level 3?)

Following cost benefit review, decision to progress at Level 1 only – application submitted Q4 2015 – assessment pending.

Review of Commonweal’s environmental accreditation

Not undertaken to be revisited in 2016

Successful external audit – February Clean audit and report. Production of Annual Review for sign-off by

Trustees – AGM June 2015Annual Impact Review published June 2015.

Strategic Away Day – November to include further specific review of Communications and Positioning Strategy and general operating priorities post General Election

New External Affairs Coordinator leading discussion at November awayday.


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2. COMMONWEAL HOUSING’S VISION, PURPOSE, VALUES, AMBITIONS AND STRATEGIC TARGETS – RE-AFFIRMED BY

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES DECEMBER 2015

2.1 Vision: ‘Developing innovative housing solutions to social injustices, capturing the learning and achieving replication of proven successes and take up of lessons learnt’

2.2 Purpose:

‘A housing charity established to continue a family philanthropic legacy that aims to work in partnership with others as a test bed, innovator, researcher and campaigner for new models and new ways of working to find housing based solutions to different forms of social injustice.’

2.3 Values:▫ Innovative, rigorous, learning, campaigning▫ No fear of failure only fear of not knowing why things fail (or work)▫ Openness and integrity▫ A genuine commitment to working with partners who can deliver work in

supporting people who fall through the net because of social injustice

2.4 Ambition:‘Achieving policy and operational change with lessons learnt from supported projects – securing positive and enduring benefits for those experiencing social injustice.’

2.5 What do we offer as a charity?Housing – The flexibility to target and acquire bespoke housing options specifically for projects rather than trying to fit new housing schemes and projects in to an existing property portfolio.

Passion – A genuine sense as an organization and a Board of Trustees that demonstrably ‘want to do good’ and are determined to do just that.

Focus – Small portfolio of projects. Commonweal Housing will indentify priority project areas on a periodic basis; where possible seeking to maintain a balanced portfolio of projects especially in terms of areas of social injustice being addressed.

Innovation and Ideas – A willingness to identify and accept new and challenging ideas where it is felt they can deliver solutions.

Independence – The charity does not normally seek to deliver the solutions or replication itself and can therefore lobby and campaign for policy change or future replication funding from a position that does not impact upon (or could be seen as conflicted by) its own future business plans or income streams.

Learning and Evaluation – Commissioning of independent evaluation of all our projects as well as documenting learning from our partners as projects progress

Promotion – An expectation of sharing our learning, positive or negative, to aid replication of successes and to inform future policy and operations where our projects have failed.

Funding – Generous ongoing funding from our principle benefactor and a growing track record in successfully attracting and utilising external social investment

Self awareness – we take time to review our strengths and weaknesses and will actively encourage project partners to do the same.


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2.6 LimitationsA key limiting factor at this stage is capacity and the need for Commonweal Housing not to overstretch in terms of financial or human resources. The risk of raising expectations which cannot be delivered would thus impact on credibility.

The Trustees will seek to grow capacity prudently and appropriately over the course of this business strategy period to ensure delivery of our ambitions.

Other specialist expertise will brought in as and when required from professional consultants and advisers notably around areas such as IT, HR, legal, surveying and PR.

2.7 SWOT AnalysisAs part of our annual consideration of the world in which we are operating a full SWOT analysis is considered by Trustees. In summary as at December 2015 this looked like:

Strengths Willing to take risks Wide canvas to work on Experience in what we do (growing

track record) Forefront of social investment Enthusiasm and passionate about

the issues Eagerness to learn Secure operational funding for the

charity Partnership building Self awareness (individuals and

organisation) Supportive Trustees

Weaknesses Limited capacity – financial and

staffing Time frame of projects – don’t always

see quick results Potential to be blinded by passion

and conviction for the issue - ‘triumph of hope over expectation? Need for dispassionate due diligence

Limited evidence / data – small scale pilots

Difficult to summarise Commonweal in a 30 second ‘elevator pitch’

Not delivering projects ourselves – who best to champion findings and replication

Opportunities Further Trustee engagement (e.g.

lobbying / promotional activity) Changing political priorities Rapidly rising housing market - £7M

property balance sheet Strong balance sheet – possible

additional funding options Building upon social investment

track record Non-acquisition project stream

increasing scope of projects to support

Increased lobbying hooks as track record & projects grow

Moving out of London focus for new pilots

Interested market place for issues we are engaged with (e.g. shared housing, avoiding re-offending)

Threats Changing political priorities Ongoing public spending cuts Busy market place – lots of

organisations working in areas we are interested in

Rapidly rising housing market (more expensive to deliver new project houses)

Poor or no replication and / or use of learning

Not knowing new property markets well enough

• Strong balance sheet (potentially dissuading future investment or grant funding)


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2.8 Strategic approach – how we work

Commonweal Housing has the ability (in terms of charitable objectives) and the willingness (on the part of Trustees) to consider potential projects across a broad range of different housing needs or areas of social injustice.

However, the limited resources mean it cannot do everything. Commonweal Housing will have a wide range of target areas it will consider, but once one has been selected we aim to go in deep and have a significant impact. Our ambition as stated previously is:

‘Achieving policy and operational change with lessons learnt from supported projects – securing positive and enduring

benefits for those experiencing social injustice.’

Working with our new Learning Partners – the Institute of Voluntary Action Research (IVAR) Commonweal is increasingly adopting an internal evaluation and review mindset and processes used by other social sector and impact focused organisations – summarized as:

So What? – What does this pilot project tell us? What is important?

AND CRUCIALLY

Then What? How to make maximum use of this information to help others better address this form of social injustice

2.9 Project preference areas 2016 onwards

The scope of Commonweal’s charitable objects are very wide and whilst staff and Trustees will always consider interesting new ideas that emerge ‘out of left field’, in an effort to focus activity Trustees periodically set priority or preference areas.

From their latest discussions 3 key themes are emerging where Trustees are interested to explore opportunities and value in future Commonweal activity.

In broad terms these themes are: The links between housing and employment especially low paid employment

and affordability. This theme covers such issues as:o Links with apprenticeships, tied housing and developments of the

Peer Landlord shared housing model Options for encouraging or facilitating asset, equity or value flow from

housing through to occupants:o Sweat equity or homesteading models, increasing access to shared

ownership for groups and sharers Identifying early on likely losers from the current affordability crisis across

London and the south east:o Larger families, special needs groups but also considering ideas for

engagement with housing development options such as system build or alternative models.

Trustees are also keen to explore new funding structures and shared equity / part-ownership models where Commonweal / our funders do not necessarily take 100%


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ownership of the property. This will include working in partnership with other charitable, or not for profit funders.


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2.11 The criteria for accepting or rejecting potential projects

The following ’10 point criteria’ is used as an initial guide to assess whether potential projects may be suitable for development and support from Commonweal Housing:

1. The pilot project should ideally be able to be established in an area where the Charity feels it has the resources, knowledge and capacity to engage actively with the delivery partner. This could be London, the wider south east or other major metropolitan areas with easy travel links to the capital e.g. Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds etc. Commonweal will seek to replicate projects nationwide where needs exist and where suitable partners can be found.

2. The project must either solve a housing need that is not currently being solved, or endeavour to solve a need in a more significant and measurable way than is being achieved by current solutions.

3. The project must be supported by demonstrating a clear understanding of the details of the housing need being experienced by people with that need.

4. The project will be operated in a spirit of openness to offer learning and help for those who would want to replicate the prototype on a larger scale.

5. The project must be suitable for being developed as a prototype role model, striving for best practice at all stages.

6. The prototype project, when proven, should either be suitable for being replicated on a larger scale by other organizations or on delivering learning that can shape future policy or service delivery.

7. The medium to long term performance of the project must be assessed according to the criteria set by third party experts, who will measure and report on performance at pre-determined frequencies.

8. Commonweal Housing will principally provide the housing or the finance for the housing element of the project, but will work with partners on securing revenue funding where necessary.

9. The project must go through rigorous levels of scrutiny and due diligence to test viability.

10. The project must, within a 7 to 10 year period, return Commonweal Housing’s initial housing investment according to agreed terms so that it can be recycled in other housing projects.


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3. ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

3.1 Trustees

Commonweal has a Board of 7 Trustees who are also Directors of the charitable company.

The Trustees undertook a governance review in 2014 and established a formal Remuneration Committee to consider the senior executive pay and benefits provided by the charity and to report back on this to the full Board. Trustees agreed no further Committees were needed with all other business appropriately conducted at the regular Board meetings.

As part of the governance review Trustees have considered again the appropriate skills, experience and competencies required by the Board to appropriately oversee the management and operations of the charity.

These have been identified by Trustees as:

Core Organisational Management / Oversight skills:Strategic planningProject managementOperational managementFinancial management (budgets - A/Cs)Financial management (Treasury - investment)Legal experienceFunders and fundraisingMarketing & PRCampaigning and lobbyingReal Estate / asset management

Monitoring and evaluationQuality assurance systems

Knowledge of our Operating environment:Social injusticeHousing & homelessnessVoluntary sectorPublic sectorSocial/political environmentEqual opportunities and diversityGovernance and regulation

A skills self-assessment undertaken by the Board in 2014 concluded that all core competencies were covered amongst the Board membership at either level 1 (In depth knowledge holding a qualification or have experience at a senior level and feel fully able to guide the charity and other Board member) or level 2 (reasonable knowledge and experience able to understand key points, provide appropriate governance and oversight seeking appropriate reassurances / further information). A further formal self-assessment review will be undertaken in 2016.

The Trustees are therefore content that the current Board possesses the relevant skills and experience to provide appropriate oversight and governance of the charity.

The Board will continue to review this periodically as the activities of the charity change over time.

In December 2015 Trustees endorsed the self-assessment undertaken by the Chief Executive and the Treasurer / Company Secretary confirming that the charity was compliant with the Charity Commission checklist of recommended internal financial controls – CC8.


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The Trustees receive quarterly updates on the Strategic / Corporate Risk Matrix for the Charity and formally review this list of key strategic risks annually at the December Board meeting.

3.2 Chief Executive’s Advisory Panel

Since 2010 Commonweal Housing has had in place an informal ‘Advisory Panel’. The panel includes leading figures in the charity sector, housing, legal, social injustices and academic and was initially established to provide an important sounding board for the Chief Executive who when first appointed was the only staff member. Commonweal remains a small charity in terms limited staff resources (just 4 paid employees as at December 2015).

The Advisory Panel is an informal voluntary arrangement with no role at all in the governance of the charity. There is no remuneration offered for anyone joining the panel, although Commonweal Housing would cover reasonable travel expenses.

For 2015 a smaller Advisory Panel was established currently with 4 members with scope to recruit up to two more.

The intention for 2016 is to engage the Advisory Panel on a more formal basis with the aim of holding no less than 2 meetings / working lunches each year, helping the Commonweal staff team initially and through them the Board identify and assess the merits or otherwise of new potential projects.

3.3 Meetings

Board meetings currently take place every quarter with the June quarter meeting also operating as the AGM. This frequency is considered appropriate for the effective Governance of the charity. Trustees also hold an annual strategic away day in the autumn where they invite Advisory Panel and other guests to participate and share their expert views and thoughts on how best Commonweal can and should deliver its charitable objectives.

Trustees may from time to time (as agreed at a formal Board meeting) agree to receive items requiring urgent decisions outside of the quarterly Board cycle by email for comments and decisions to be confirmed by Trustees by email. Where such out of cycle items are agreed to be received Trustees will confirm ahead of time their view on whether unanimous approval is required from Trustees and if not unanimous then whether and how an emergency Board meeting will need to be convened.

In addition to formal Board meetings Trustees meet periodically on a one to one basis with the Chief Executive. The Chair meets with the CEO on average every 6-8 weeks and ad hoc with other Trustees.

Trustees also receive periodic Board Briefings from the Chief Executive outside of the Board meetings updating them on key issues and items of news and issues of interest for the Charity.


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4. Assumptions & Core Strategies4.1 Core Funding

In making the proposals set out in this outline 3 Year Business Strategy, the following assumptions have been made:

- Grove End Housing, a not for profit property company formed in 1967 as an Industrial and Provident Society, will continue for the duration of this strategy, to be the principle funder for the activities of Commonweal Housing.

-GEHL will continue to provide the revenue support that is necessary to enable the charity to meet its core operational and revenue costs, including the covenanted interest payments due on its social investment programme.

- GEHL’s committed revenue support to the charity provides the capacity and opportunity for Commonweal to leverage other sources of capital funding from social investment and similar options.

- Commonweal Housing will continue to seek major new capital funding for new project development / property acquisition from social investors. To this end the Trustees will consider options for restructuring our current offer to new investors to seek to maximize the capacity of the Charity whilst fairly sharing risks and rewards with investment partners.

- Commonweal Housing will seek to identify new core income streams, where viable and appropriate, which may include, over the terms of this plan, options such as (but not necessarily specifically or exclusively): Capital investment for property purchases via third party philanthropic and

other investment funds and / or investors Market renting of residential property not allocated to specific charitable

projects (up to Charity Commission income limits); Revenue return on invested project capital via rental income where this can be

accommodated in individual project business plans; Return on intellectual capital invested in role model projects, possibly via

replication by franchise or license, but also including potential consultancy activity where fees may be charged by Commonweal Housing, focused upon the learning and unique business operations of the organization.

4.2 Resources Strategy To maintain positive relations with principle funder (GEHL) by demonstrating

positive outcomes and activity:i. Maintain core office / operational costsii. Secure additional capital funding delivery

Provide a secure medium term depository for philanthropic investment funds and companies’ corporate social responsibility budgets / funds

Target additional third party funding for extras (including but not specifically): i. Boosting pilot phase property portfolios – enhancing critical mass,

increasing evidence base for proof of concept ii. Acquiring property stock for replication projectsiii. Acquiring additional properties for existing role model pilots


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Identify philanthropic and social investment funds Medium term (7 year +) deals to minimize risk of loss against capital investment

Actively court other Trusts and Foundations for strategic tie-ins and relationships (capital)

5. ACTION PLAN JAN 2016- DEC 2016DRAFT THREE-YEAR ACTION PLAN (Priorities highlighted in bold)

5.1 2016 Re-Unite Ongoing watching brief on Re-Unite – biannual Steering Group meeting.

Formal review of outsourcing arrangement Q3 and end of initial two year Service Level Agreement with Anawim & Women’s Breakout

Confirmation of formal exit strategy agreed with Housing for Women by end Q3

The Chrysalis Project Replication of model in place / momentum growing Final agreement with St. Ms of clear and sustainable exit strategy from

Chrysalis south London (with effect from 2017 onwards) buy-out of properties / return on investment

Peer Landlords Replication business plan agreed by Commonweal and investment partners

Q3 Commencement of stage 2 pilot models with Catch 22 and Thames Reach

based on learning from initial evaluation.

Social Investment Model / Capital Funding Successful reporting back to investors and positive feedback received

Formal review and where necessary re-modeling of future social investment offer – Paper to Board – Q3

No Recourse to Public Funds Year 1 evaluation report received Q3

Quaker Social Action – Young Adult Carers Conclusion of funding and project agreements – Q1 Acquisition of property stock completed in Q4

Minimum 2 meetings of external advisory group

Elmbridge Rentstart: Freedom 2 Work Project Completion of Project Agreement and commencement Q1 External evaluators in place by end Q2

Expert Advisory Group established and minimum 2 meetings held

Organizational Management 10th Anniversary celebration event – Q2

Successful external audit – February

Minimum two formal meetings of the Advisory Panel by end Q3


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Production of Annual Review for sign-off by Trustees – AGM June 2016

Biennial Governance Review Q3

Strategic Away Day - November

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5.2 2017 Re-Unite Ongoing watching brief on Re-Unite and planned liaison with lead organisation

Initial handback of properties from Housing for Women – Q4The Chrysalis Project Final agreement with St. Ms of clear and sustainable exit strategy from

Chrysalis south London (with effect from 2017 onwards) buy-out of properties / return on investment

Peer Landlords Established replication model Replication seminar (Q2)

Quaker Social Action – Young Adult Carers External evaluator in place in Q1 Minimum 2 meetings of external advisory group

Elmbridge Rentstart: Freedom 2 Work Project 1 year interim findings report Q1 Advisory Group to discuss findings and discuss way forward or

dissemination

Social Investment Model / Capital Funding New capital funding strategy in place to support new project delivery based

upon recycled capital from sale of initial project properties.

No Recourse to Public Funds Year 2 evaluation report received Q3

New Capital Property Acquisition Project – for delivery 2018 Formal project sign-off by Board no later than Q4

Ongoing process of idea sourcing, liaison with Advisory Panel

Organizational Management Successful external audit – February

Review future capital funding / Social Investment structure in place to supplement ongoing support from GEHL.




22

5.3 2018 Re-Unite Sale of Reunite propertiesThe Chrysalis Project Implementation of formal plan for Commonweal exit

Peer Landlords Ongoing delivery of established replication business plan

Quaker Social Action – Young Adult Carers 1st year interim findings report Q1 Advisory Group to discuss findings and discuss way forward or

dissemination

Elmbridge Rentstart: Freedom 2 Work Project 2nd year interim findings report Q1 Advisory Group to discuss findings and discuss way forward or

dissemination

Social Investment Model / Capital Funding Ongoing delivery of agreed capital funding strategy based upon recycled

capital from sale of initial project properties and / or new social investment.

No Recourse to Public Funds Final evaluation report received Q3

New Capital Property Acquisition Project – for delivery 2019 Formal project sign-off by Board no later than Q4

Ongoing process of idea sourcing, liaison with Advisory Panel

Organizational Management Consideration of renewal of PQASSO accreditation

Successful external audit – February

Review future capital funding / Social Investment structure in place to supplement ongoing support from GEHL.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5.4 2019 Implementation of new three year business plan and strategy as

agreed by Board December 2018.


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