Ingredients:

• Popular ‘shop’ network
• New estate offices
• Bases in community and multi agency centres
• Staff who know the local area
• Range of services offered from lettings to repairs

While other Housing Associations have centralised, we have gone more local. Building on our already well established and popular ‘shop’ network, based in district centres. Being local enables us to work closer to tenants and, from a tenants’ point of view, makes us more accessible. 90% of our tenants live within walking distance of one of our 13 local shops and offices.

Our local bases range from our shop on the High Street of the popular market town of Wellington that serves 1,000 tenancies, to our Community House at Donnington Wood that serves a specific estate of 296 properties. Being on the doorstep, in the way most suited to that area, gives us an important local presence.

We have opened two new estate offices, have a new dedicated base in a local community centre and an office in a multi agency centre. This means we have been able to get even closer to our tenants by operating on estates that have their own specific needs and where a need for more intense local working is identified. By converting two of our flats into estate offices the Trust has got as close as possible to customers.