Spinnaker Housing Group
Spinnaker Housing Group was set up in 1998. It is the holding company for Medina Housing Association, set up in 1990, and Western Challenge Housing Association, set up in 1969.
The Group operates across the South of England in the main but also in the Midlands providing affordable housing for rent and sale for both general and specialist needs in partnership with local authorities, health trusts, The Housing Corporation and a range of voluntary organisations.
Currently there are 10,000 homes in management with a further 250 homes being added each year.
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Our objective is to run the organisation as a business but we do not trade for profit. We plan to make surplus income each year but this is all re-invested in the work of the subsidiaries to maintain existing homes and help finance the building of new ones.
The Group Board is responsible for the overall strategy and direction of the business and is made up of independent members and representatives of Medina and Western Challenge Housing Association. The boards of Medina and Western Challenge Housing Association work to their own operational plans agreed with the group board and have direct responsibility for all service delivery to residents in the areas they cover.
Spinnaker is also negotiating a proposed merger with the Signpost Housing Group, and aims for the new, combined group to be set up and approved by the Housing Corporation by summer 2007.
Mission Statement
In partnership with our tenants, residents and communities, we will provide homes that people want to live in.
We will help people make a home by developing and maintaining a variety of high quality, reasonably priced housing, and by working with our residents and partners in making communities which are safe, tolerant, healthy places to live in.
Key Values
1. An organisation that provides services that people want to use
2. An organisation committed to equality
3. An organisation that partners want to work with
4. A group that other organisations would want to be a part of
5. An organisation where people are empowered to succeed
The Association has a variety of homes to suit many different people’s needs:
- General rented homes for single people and families
- Sheltered homes for older people
- Supported homes for people with a variety of support needs including learning disabilities
- Keyworker accommodation specifically for doctors, nurses, police, teachers and other workers in important service areas
- Shared ownership home where people can buy part of a home and pay rent for the rest.
Western Challenge has property in ownership/management in over forty local authority areas, and services are provided via the Association’s head office in Christchurch, Dorset and regional offices in Southampton, Bristol, Exeter, Reading, Leicester and Gloucester.
Building our future
The provision of new homes has always been a most important objective for Western Challenge, as the locations in which the Association operates all have varying degrees of shortages of affordable homes. The Association's Business Plan thus projects that around 200 new homes will be provided each year and this target has been achieved or exceeded in recent years.
The bulk of the Association's development programme is family rented accommodation, together with a growing number of housing for sale on a Shared Ownership basis (click here for more information). However the development activity also participates in providing a smaller volume of specialist housing for residents with special needs. This is primarily carried out in partnership with Health Trusts, Health Authorities and Charitable Care Agencies. This type of activity tends to be undertaken in, or close to, areas where the Association has existing business.
Western Challenge has enjoyed a reputation for innovation in finding solutions to housing need. For example, through the branded Home Challenge model, Western Challenge has provided successful solutions to bed and breakfast issues faced in a number of Local Authority areas in which it operates, while its Seldown Park development in Poole won Best New Social Housing Scheme of the Year at the 2006 Excellence in Housing Awards.
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Western Challenge has also positively responded to the Government's Starter Home Initiative, which aims to assist essential key workers (such as health and educational professional's) in the community to purchase a home of their own - successfully providing schemes in a number of key Local Authority areas.
Partnering
Western Challenge embraced partnering from day one when the Egan Report was first published and now has a most successful team of contractors, consultants and suppliers with whom it works. The Association is always happy to give consideration to adding partners to the list, particularly when both the Association and the new partner can demonstrate added value, and is now represented on the Housing Forum Steering Group, the Housing Forum Benchmarking Steering Group and is registered for Construction Clients Charter. In order to maintain specialist knowledge and remain focused, Western Challenge has also established Strategic Partnerships with a select number of Local Authorities.
Key Local Authority Partners
Bath & North East Somerset
Bournemouth Borough Council
Borough Of Poole
Christchurch Borough Council
Isle of Wight Council
New Forest District Council
Southampton City Council
South Gloucester Council
Test Valley Borough Council
Wessex Development Partnership
Wessex Development Partnership (WDP) is a consortium of six housing associations, lead by Western Challenge, and working with local authorities, house builders and the Housing Corporation to develop affordable housing for rent and sale.
WDP is one of the Housing Corporation’s accredited national development partners. Over 2006 to 2008 the partners will spend over £34 million in Government grants and produce around 900 homes for rent and sale across the south of England.
The strength of WDP comes through its shared commitment to strong communities supported through provision of high quality, affordable housing. It adds value through positive collaboration on:
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WDP Members Western Challenge Medina Housing East Dorset HA Weymouth & Portland Housing Purbeck Housing Vectis Housing |
- Sustainability and environmental strategies
- Asset management
- Business development and marketing strategies
- Shared design briefs
- Shared IT based procedures and processes
- Shared procurement processes, maximising buying power
Affordable Warmth and Environmental Strategies
Western Challenge is taking advantage of the support services from its Powergen EnergyAdvantage agreement to develop an Affordable Warmth Strategy/Action Plan and an Environmental Strategy/Action Plan – using the methodology provided by the Environmental Matrix for Housing software (also provided through the EnergyAdvantage agreement).
The approach is seen as a pilot which could spread to other group members in due course, and lead to development of group-wide Affordable Warmth and Environmental policies for Spinnaker as a whole.
Products, Services and Projects
This organisation has these products, services and projects to offer:
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Seldown Park Eco-Village, Poole |
Seldown Park in Dorset was developed by Western Challenge, in partnership with the Borough of Poole, won Best New Social Housing Scheme of the Year at the 2006 Excellence in Housing Awards... |