View publication - Chartered Institute of Housing

PART TWO: LEADING TOMORROW
How Fabrick are gearing up to deliver on the sustainable
neighbourhoods agenda over the next 5-10 years
By Allison Joynes, Organisation Development Manager, Fabrick Group
Summary
The housing industry is facing unprecedented change. Aligned with an
economic climate of continued uncertainty and the withdrawing of many key
services at a local level, it is perhaps understandable that some of our peers
are retrenching their positions and refocusing their activities on core housing
activities at a time when the needs of our customers are increasing. Fabrick,
however, have taken a different view. We have acknowledged that there are a
number of external factors that will directly impact upon our ability to deliver
services at a level of quality that our residents deserve. We have taken account
of that within our business plans, but, we have also recognised that there are
many ways in which we can work in partnership with agencies in our
neighbourhoods to ensure that we are making the best use of assets and the
best use of the resources that are available. This can best be described as our
approach to financial viability whilst also demonstrating the need to evidence
social value outcomes and supporting sustainable neighbourhoods.
Preparing for change
As we prepared for the potential impact of welfare reform, knowing we had a good
relationship with our local authority partners who were also about to lose resources, we
took an honest look at how we delivered services to our neighbourhoods and the
difference we were actually making. The structure, that had stood us in good stead as a
social housing provider, was formed around housing management. We had housing
managers supported by housing officers supported by administration staff. As such, and
by default, the service had become process driven, acting reactively rather than
proactively to demands placed upon it by customers. In fact, a systems thinking project
confirmed that we were managing by exception and therefore only really providing a
service to 20 per cent of our customers – those who either came to us, or whom we
visited as a result of an tenancy issue (not paying rent and/ or housing benefit not in
place, anti-social behaviour etc.) Proactive steps had to be taken to ensure that our
structure was configured so the main focus of all staff working within neighbourhoods
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