More than a landlord
We’re not just a landlord, we’re a social landlord. To us this means that delivering brilliant services is only the beginning. Our relationship with residents goes beyond a tenancy agreement, our role in the community beyond that of a housing provider. We’re always thinking about what more we can do to help improve life outcomes for residents and support neighbourhoods to thrive. This social purpose is our enduring reason for being – without it, we wouldn’t be Settle.
Support from Settle
At Settle, we know that part of our social purpose is to provide extra help and support to residents who are experiencing difficulties in their lives, such as loneliness, financial hardship or illness. We aim to be flexible and creative in the support we offer, understanding that everyone’s situation is unique. This additional support is provided directly by Settle colleagues, including by our Tenancy Support and Money Advice teams, and also by connecting residents with specialist local partners.
Tenancy Support Team
Our Tenancy Support Team provides specialist additional help for residents who are struggling to maintain their tenancies. The team works with residents on a one-to-one basis, helping them reach a place where they can overcome personal challenges, sustain their tenancies and move forward with their lives. This might include helping to build confidence, manage money or get back into work.
Money Advice Team
We offer a free, confidential money advice service to all our residents. Whether residents need practical support, help with budgeting, or guidance on managing their bills, our Money Advice Partners will help. Our support is honest, non-judgemental, and always delivered with respect.
Partnerships
Working in collaboration with other organisations allows us to drive our social purpose work even further. As a locally based organisation, we’re proud to have established really strong partnerships that enable us to draw on skillsets and support from partner agencies including the Police, Fire and Rescue Service and local/county councils to achieve better outcomes for Settle residents. And where we’re clear this will add extra value to the support available to Settle residents, we also provide direct funding to some organisations.
Here are a few examples of the partnerships we have in place to support Settle residents and the local community:
Joint Action Groups
Collaboratively tackle crime, disorder and community safety issues.
Adult Safeguarding Board & Children's Safeguarding Partnership
County-wide approach to supporting vulnerable adults and children
Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC)
Multi-agency meetings focused on supporting victims of domestic abuse.
Safe and well visits
Partnering with Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue to visit residents and offer advice on keeping safe and well at home.
Examples of where we provide funding support:
Pocket Power
So that we can refer Settle residents for additional help and advice to reduce household bills.
Survivors Against Domestic Abuse (SADA)
To support families and victims of domestic abuse. SADA provides a range of support including a safe environment to report abuse and help with housing/tenancy issues, including SADA Safe Space Provision.
Giving Something Back days
Giving Something Back days are a really important part of life at Settle. We encourage all colleagues to spend two days a year volunteering in the neighbourhoods where we live and work. It’s a great chance to step outside the day job and take part in something a bit different, all while giving back to our local communities.
Colleagues take part in a fantastic range of activities – perhaps renovating a school playground, helping at food banks, and delivering warm home packages to residents at risk of fuel poverty. We also encourage colleagues to use their Giving Something Back days to help maintain the green spaces in our residents’ homes where it is not possible for the household to do this.
Our chosen charity
Each year colleagues vote on a charity to support for the year ahead. Fundraising activities take place throughout the year, including raffles, bake sales, and a donation for every survey completed through our annual colleague survey. This makes a huge difference to local charities, raising funds recently for organisations including:
- It’s Never You, a community for families of children with cancer.
- Stand-by-me who support bereaved children, young people and their families in North Hertfordshire and Stevenage.
- Feed Up, Warm Up who offer food, friendship and support to homeless people and those at risk of homelessness in Hertfordshire.
- The Willow Foundation, working with seriously ill young adults aged 16 to 40 to give them uplifting and unforgettable Special Days.
- The Samaritans who respond to 10,000 calls for help every day, providing a listening ear to anyone who needs it.
- Home-Start Hertfordshire who support parents to give their children the best possible start in life.