Investing in our communities
By working in partnership and seizing every opportunity, we can make a huge impact and help create sustainable and resilient communities.
We know that healthier communities are stronger communities
Supporting our customers is at the heart of what we do. We are committed to creating place based, community centred programmes which promote health equity and contribute to the resilient communities’ agenda.
We are proud to be to driving economic and social growth and building on the unique strengths of our neighbourhoods. We do this by investing in emergency help to get households through hard times, developing long-term programmes to match local people to training and job opportunities and tackling the wider determinants of health to improve wellbeing and create stronger communities.
Good health starts at home
We see the relationship between health and housing as pivotal in creating stronger communities and sustaining tenancies. In improving people’s health, we are also supporting people into employment, alleviating poverty and lifting families out of economic deprivation.
Our health partners recognise the value in having housing as a key partner around the table. As a strategic partner of the NHS in the Black Country we are working together on innovative schemes to engage communities most impacted by health inequalities, taking a preventative approach that is helping to ease the burden on health services.
This includes our community health champion model which is allowing us to engage with customers who have language barriers to understand their health needs.
Building resilience
Our social prescribing service aims to sustain tenancies and reduce pressures on health and social care services by tackling health inequalities and building resilience.
The team works with some of the most deprived communities who face the worst health outcomes, helping customers lead happy and healthy lives.
The service has been independently evaluated by HACT (the Housing Associations’ Charitable Trust).
Unlocking social value
We aim to make a positive difference to customers and communities through all our work. We unlock as much social value as we can to tackle the inequalities in our operating area and enhance the long-term wellbeing and resilience of individuals.
Breaking down barriers
We work with unemployed residents from some of the most deprived communities in Walsall, offering them steps into jobs and training that help to reduce health inequalities and build more resilient communities.
Our pre-employment course Work4Health aims to give participants the knowledge, skills, and expertise to apply for a range of NHS positions. Run in conjunction with Walsall NHS Healthcare Trust, Walsall College and the DWP the award winning programme is tackling and solving some of the barriers that people may face when applying for jobs via normal recruitment channels.
Tackling health inequalities
We are committed to tackling health inequalities, but we cannot do it alone. If you are part of a health or social care organisation based in the West Midlands, we want to hear from you.
Sharing best practice
Our work has been shared in a number of national reports.
The Housing Ombudsman’s Spotlight report ‘Relationship of Equals’
Kerslake Commission on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping
NHF: Every decision about care should be a decision about housing
Holding onto Home: Engaging with tenants to sustain their tenancies
NHF Better Social Housing Housing Review Report – One year on
What’s new in our communities
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