Section: Registered Social Landlords

Associations In Line for Awards

The social housing sector came up trumps in the finals of the prestigious North of England Business Excellence Awards 2007, with five housing organisations amongst the 15 finalists.

Often described as the 'business Oscars', the awards are open to private, public and non-profit organisations of all sizes. All are subject to rigorous assessment over a number of months by a team of independent, specially trained assessors.

The five housing organisation finalists are:

Calico was set up in 2000 to manage housing transferred from Burnley Borough Council. With over 4,500 properties, it is the town's biggest landlord.

The awards assessors commended the 'open and enthusiastic atmosphere' and found evidence of continual improvement in the operation at all levels.

It is the second year running that Calico has reached the finals - last year it walked away with the Special Award for Customer Results.
Dane Housing Group manages 4,000 homes across Cheshire and beyond. Established in 1998, it provides homes to a diverse range of residents including people with autism, learning disabilities and mental health issues.

Working in partnership, it also provides short-term accommodation for homeless people including those with alcohol or substance misuse problems.
The awards assessor team said it was "dedicated to providing an exceptional customer experience".
Gentoo was formed with the transfer of over 36,000 houses from Sunderland City Council in March 2001. Based in Sunderland but covering much of Wearside, it is committed to modernising over 29,000 homes at a cost in excess of £356 million.
Gentoo has also been the driving force behind the revival of Sunderland city centre, converting a number of listed buildings to provide luxury apartments.
The assessor team commended its 'clear and challenging objectives' and 'sustained determination, flexibility and creativity' from staff and management.
Established in 1970, Venture is a charitable housing association that manages 1,300 homes in Liverpool and Wirral. It employs its own direct labour force, including community caretakers which patrol areas of Liverpool 6 and Birkenhead to supervise open spaces and report environmental concerns.

Assessors said the organisation should be 'proud of its progress'.
Warrington Housing Association was formed in 1975 and now provides 1,200 affordable homes, most for rent but some for shared ownership. It owns the Gateway Resource Centre, which brings together some 30 organisations to provide a vibrant community hub for the town centre.
The awards assessors commented on the team's 'commitment and drive to improve the service they provide to the people of Warrington'.

RSL Update

Servite Houses boosted its London presence to more then 7,500 homes after completing a merger with Thames Housing Association. Servite will amalgamate its south London operations with Thames, creating a ServiteThames arm to manage more than 5,500 units of general needs social housing south of the river.

The merger brings Servite Houses stock to more than 18,000 homes around the country in its five key regions of London and the south East, West Midlands, East Midlands, West Sussex and Merseyside.

The merger follows extensive consultation with residents in both associations and approval from the Housing Corporation. About 2,200 residents and 70 staff will join Servite Houses as a result of it.

Two years ago, Servite Houses almost doubled its London presence by merging with Riverhaven Housing Association.
Nottingham Community Housing Association (NCHA) and design agency Purple Circle scooped the Roses Design Silver Award in Corporate Literature for NCHA's A Housing Manifesto for the East Midlands. It was written to mark the 40th anniversary of Cathy Come Home - the groundbreaking drama that highlighted the lack of affordable homes in the 60s.

Reviewing social housing in the intervening years, NCHA's manifesto called for urgent action across the East Midlands in order to meet the growing demand for decent social housing.

The long established Roses Design Awards celebrate the very best in British design and architectural talent. The awards are highly respected within the design sector and it is a great honour just to secure a nomination.

The Roses Award comes hot on the heels of a similar placing for NCHA in the recent Fresh Awards.

Section: Registered Social Landlords

Associations In Line for Awards

RSL Update

Housing Monthly Diary

Reporting on October 2007

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