By Janey
This week Be the Start is encouraging people to ‘be the start of more vibrant communities’. We’re interested in hearing from people and organisations fostering connected, healthy communities. We believe flexible working, which supports a wider range of businesses and working habits, is part of the answer.
We asked Stephen Howlett from one of London’s oldest and largest housing associations, Peabody, how they are supporting communities and how good quality housing can improve life chances and provide better opportunities for local communities.
Peabody has more than 20,000 homes across the capital, housing some 55,000 people. We have also formed a grouping agreement with Gallions Housing Association with the intention that they will become part of the Peabody group. This will enable us to extend our mission across the capital, improving homes and creating vibrant communities for more Londoners than ever before.
But for us the key to creating vibrant communities goes beyond just bricks and mortar, it’s also about ensuring as many people as possible have a real sense of purpose and a strong feeling of belonging.
Our founder George Peabody believed in a society where everyone makes a contribution according to their ability, talent and resource. As George saw it, you had to make an effort if you wanted to see positive results.
Although times have changed greatly since we were founded just over 150 years ago, the spirit of London remains the same and these beliefs still prevail at the heart of everything we do.
We spend £3 million a year on community support projects that have a positive impact on people’s lives, and are really proud that over 150,000 people have benefitted from these programmes.
We’re working to help as many people as possible into employment, by providing employment and skills training through our neighbourhood learning centres, apprenticeship opportunities, and supporting our residents in setting up their own enterprises.
Last year more than 850 young people participated in programmes and activities which help them stay safe, lead healthy and active lives and engage in community life. We continue to support them by providing meaningful and engaging activities, designed by young people themselves, to promote self-esteem and encourage them to maximise their potential.
We’re also supporting Peabody communities to be more active, engaged and resilient - through opportunities for volunteering, health and well-being initiatives and our community hubs. We help parents and families in equipping themselves with the skills to improve family life, as well as enabling more people, particularly our older residents, to access and benefit from digital technologies.
As communities are squeezed by austerity, stagnant wages, cuts to benefits and rising unemployment, community investment has never been more important. Housing associations like Peabody are uniquely placed to help reach the most excluded and break down the barriers preventing the fulfilment of individual and collective aspiration in our communities.
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