GREAT FUTURES
An insight into Peabody, our residents
and our great future together
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Peabody I Great Futures
Peabody I Great Futures
BUILDING A
GREAT FUTURE
Founded in 1862 as the Peabody Donation Fund, we are now one
of London’s oldest and largest charitable housing associations,
providing homes for nearly 80,000 people across the capital.
We have a powerful mission built on George Peabody’s ambition
to provide disadvantaged people with the opportunities they
need to live a good life.
We make London a city of opportunity for all
by ensuring as many people as possible have
a good home, a real sense of purpose and
a strong feeling of belonging.
A good home
A place that is safe, warm, clean, light,
well-maintained and evokes personal
pride.
Rosendale Road
A real sense of purpose
Regular endeavour through work,
learning, caring for others, personal
development or volunteering;
pursuits that people look forward to
because it makes them feel valued.
A strong feeling of belonging
Active involvement in the
neighbourhood and the spirit of
togetherness and friendliness that
goes with it.
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Peabody I Great Futures
Peabody I Great Futures
Peabody has more than 150 years’
experience in providing and
managing homes for Londoners.
We were pioneers in social
housing, and we have a key role
to play in shaping London’s future.
We want to create sustainable,
vibrant places to live that are
truly integrated into the wider
cityscape.
Through clear-sighted
management we have put
ourselves in a position of real
financial strength, allowing us to
increase our capacity for growth.
We raised £350 million through
a bond issue in 2013, which is
enabling us to not only build
more homes but to regenerate
existing ones. We’re on track to
deliver 1,000 new homes a year,
40% of which will be for private
sale, with profits used to fund new
affordable and social homes.
WELCOME
Peabody is well on its way towards becoming a truly
customer-focused, high-performance organisation, with
principles built on the strong foundation of our heritage
We are closer to our residents than
ever before, and our new improved
website means that they can
interact with us at a time and place
that suits them. Our residents are
closely involved in shaping and
evaluating our policies and services
and are helping us to deliver more
smartly on the ground.
In 2014 we welcomed Gallions
Housing Association, Tilfen
Land and Trust Thamesmead to
the Peabody Group. This gives
us greater buying power and
increased economies of scale,
and extends our mission further
across London. Gallions’ homes are
mainly in Thamesmead, where we
are already improving the quality
WE WERE PIONEERS IN
SOCIAL HOUSING, AND WE
HAVE A KEY ROLE TO PLAY IN
SHAPING LONDON’S FUTURE
of homes and neighbourhoods.
Over the next 10 years, we will
work with a range of partners to
translate our vision of a mixed,
economically active and vibrant
community into reality.
There are areas where we are
leading the housing association
sector. We run more community
programmes and help more
people into jobs and training in
London than any other housing
association. We have also made
a serious commitment to tackle
carbon emissions in our homes
and contribute to the wider debate
around housing and climate change.
However, our operating
environment remains challenging
and uncertain. Changes to the
welfare system have put our
residents under considerable
financial pressure, so we’ll
continue to support them with
employment and training help,
welfare benefits and budgeting
advice, and family support.
Stephen Howlett, Chief Executive
21ST CENTURY
PEABODY
We define an exemplary 21st
century community as a
place where:
• people feel they belong
• people have homes that
meet their needs and are
suitable for the changing
circumstances of life
• the landlord’s service is
tailored to the individual
• there is no child living in
poverty
• all residents are supported
in their daily lives and their
long-term aspirations
• the community feels part of
the wider, local area
• the community has a
sustainable environment.
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Peabody I Great Futures
HOMES TO
BE PROUD OF
Peabody I Great Futures
We’re investing for the future in affordable rented and shared
ownership homes and in the quality and sustainability of our stock.
We will continue to be known for top-quality design, creating living
environments that stand out for our residents and partners.
Great homes and cleaner,
greener estates
The original Peabody homes have
stood the test of time, architecturally
and functionally. That level of
sustainability for the future is crucial – it
supports quality of life for our residents
as well as helping to meet London’s
tough environmental targets.
We have carried out a great deal of
work to ensure that our properties
reach the Decent Homes Standard,
which sets out minimum standards for
social housing. A comprehensive asset
management strategy and long-term
investment programme will ensure
we continue to meet or exceed this
standard. Including the investment
in the external quality of our estates,
we will spend more than £165 million
over the next 10 years ensuring our
homes are fit for the future.
We have invested in the management
of communal areas too, with nearly
all of our estates meeting the highest
cleanliness standard, as agreed with
our residents.
Mint Street
Our Improve, Quality Homes and Play
programmes seek to build on this
progress by improving the quality
of external spaces and making our
estates greener, safer and more suited
to play. We work with a number of
partners such as the Greater London
Authority, London Wildlife Trust,
Groundwork Trust and London Tree
Officers Association. We are helping to
nurture similar ambitions across the
sector, through exciting partnerships
such as Neighbourhoods Green (www.
neighbourhoodsgreen.org.uk), which
aims to transform open spaces in
social housing.
Mint Street
Being great at the basics
A good home is not just about bricks,
mortar and the surrounding physical
environment. It’s also about the
quality of the services we provide as
a landlord. By involving customers
from procurement to delivery, and
drawing on their experiences and
feedback, we are providing tailored
services shaped around their needs
and aspirations.
27,000
Peabody has 27,000 homes across
London. 5,750 were built before 1900
and 2,300 before 1875
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Peabody I Great Futures
Peabody I Great Futures
THAMESMEAD
Pimlico
freed up some of the larger family
homes on the estate.
Building top-quality
affordable homes
Growth is an important objective
and we are gearing up to deliver
at least 1,000 new homes a year by
2015/16. Our current developments
include 259 new homes in Devons
Road, Tower Hamlets, 268 at Pembury
Circus, Hackney, and 169 at the
former Plaistow Hospital, Newham.
Working with leading architects, we
want to produce distinctive Peabody
homes, with good space standards,
which meet the needs of people in
London in the 21st century.
We are actively seeking out new
land for development to meet
our ambitions and our partners’
requirements. And where we can,
we’re making use of spare land on
our existing estates to provide more
homes, while growing and improving
services and facilities for residents.
For example, in 2011, we completed
a £10.5 million development on
our distinctive Pimlico estate.
Working closely with residents and
partners including English Heritage
WE WANT TO PRODUCE
DISTINCTIVE PEABODY HOMES
THAT MEET THE NEEDS OF
PEOPLE IN LONDON
and Westminster City Council, we
built 56 new affordable rented and
shared ownership homes, improved
the landscaping and built new
community facilities. Older residents
underoccupying larger flats on the
estate were able to move into these
energy-efficient lifetime homes
without needing to leave the area
many have known all their lives. This
Peabody has been an agent for
social and physical improvement
in London for more than 150 years.
We are continuing that tradition,
bringing new life and opportunities
to communities through mixed use
and mixed tenure developments.
In 2014, we acquired Gallions
housing association, which owns
6,500 homes, many of which are in
Thamesmead, south east London.
At the same time, we acquired Trust
Thamesmead, which runs community
programmes, and Tilfen Land, which
owns more than 100 acres of land in
Thamesmead. As well as regenerating
the area, we have plans to build 700
new homes (see right).
344,000
Over 344,000 households are on
social housing waiting lists in London
Silchester
Originally conceived as a “new
town” to address the housing
crisis after the Second World
War, Thamesmead has never
achieved its potential. Peabody
is uniquely placed to transform
Thamesmead as we now own
much of the land, housing
stock, and commercial and
community space in the town.
We are investing in a
comprehensive programme of
regeneration. Our plans include
improving the appearance
of outside areas, removing
walkways and garages,
demolishing some homes and
building 700 new ones. We
want to see better
use of the public and
community space, and more
garden and balcony space for
the new homes.
The area has plenty of green
open spaces and waterways,
good schools and improving
transport links. Crossrail will
be opening at Abbey Wood
in late 2018, which will
enable local people to reach
Canary Wharf in 11 minutes,
Farringdon in 20 minutes,
Tottenham Court Road in 23
minutes and Heathrow in
51 minutes. This will widen
the range of jobs available
to people who live in
Thamesmead.
Peabody has created
a specialist team – the
Thamesmead Strategy team
– to work on the long-term
vision for Thamesmead. The
team has brought together
representatives from Bexley
and Greenwich Councils, the
GLA, Trust Thamesmead and
Tilfen Land to develop the
Thamesmead Futures Plan. The aim is to attract
investment into Thamesmead
and make it a more attractive
place to live, work and visit.
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Peabody I Great Futures
Peabody I Great Futures
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SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS
Peabody has installed solar photovoltaic panels on over
350 properties across the capital. The installation costs
are repaid by the government-funded Feed in Tariff.
We generate around 1.3MWh of energy per year, which
powers estate services such as lifts and emergency
lighting. Turning housing estates into energy hubs will
be an increasingly important element of meeting the
government’s Zero Carbon Homes agenda.
BedZED
Taking a lead on reducing
carbon emissions
Our commitment to environmental
sustainability is serious and deeprooted. It goes without saying that all
new developments meet the Code
for Sustainable Homes requirements.
We are preparing a strategy for the
next five years to help us meet the
challenge of the government’s Zero
Carbon Homes agenda. With 1,000
homes per year being added to
our development pipeline, this is a
considerable challenge for us and
other landlords.
One of our biggest issues is reducing
carbon emissions from existing
homes. We recently completed
research programmes with De
Montfort University and the Energy
Technologies Institute to look at
retrofitting homes to improve their
energy performance. Building on
this, we have entered into a new
research programme funded by the
Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) to
investigate how we can best deliver
low-energy refurbishment in our
£45,000
Our Home Energy Advice Service has
identified savings totalling £45,000
for some of our poorest households
homes, to create knowledge for the
housing sector.
In 2013, Peabody launched a
sustainability advice service offering
face-to-face advice to residents about
how to reduce their energy costs and
water costs and improve the comfort
levels in their home. We save £170
per household per year on average.
We are working with London boroughs
to improve recycling on estates.
And we have a new partnership
arrangement with Thames Water to
retrofit water efficiency devices to our
homes during maintenance visits.
The scale of the environmental
challenge is immense. It will only
be met by powerful partnership
working between social landlords, all
levels of government, utilities firms
and residents themselves. Peabody
has set out its approach to meeting
these challenges in its Environmental
Sustainability Strategy.
REGENERATING ST JOHN’S HILL ESTATE
We are redeveloping our St
John’s Hill estate in Battersea,
replacing the existing 351 homes
with 528 new homes that will
provide a superb, modern living
environment for residents. This
major regeneration scheme,
funded wholly by Peabody, will
bring to life key elements of
our 21st century community
concept. The current estate was
built in 1936. It is outdated, with
poor space standards and open
areas, and too many places that
encourage antisocial behaviour.
Though we aim to double the
density of the site, we will keep
the same amount of open space.
The new homes will have better
room sizes and will include around
a third more three bedroom or
larger affordable homes, in keeping
with the local need for more family
accommodation. All properties
will be finished to Lifetime Homes
standards and achieve high
energy efficiency ratings. The
redevelopment will produce a more
mixed and balanced community,
with a balance between affordable
and market homes. We also aim to
provide modern, dedicated older
people’s accommodation and a
range of new community facilities,
including shops, studios, play
areas, car club parking and highquality open spaces. All existing
residents will be offered homes on
the new estate.
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Peabody I Great Futures
Peabody I Great Futures
We run the biggest social and economic development
programme of any London housing association, providing
a wide range of services to support thriving, sustainable
communities. Working on and around estates in some of
the most deprived areas of London, we are well placed
to reach the most excluded, taking support right into the
heart of the community.
Peabody’s dedicated community
investment service was established
in 1997 to tackle poverty at its roots –
poor education, low skills and lack of
opportunity.
Since then, tens of thousands of
people in London have benefited
from a service spanning training
and employment activities;
citizenship activities for young
people; specialist housing and
activities for older people;
volunteering opportunities; digital
and financial inclusion services;
support for vulnerable families; and
health and wellbeing projects.
THRIVING,
SUSTAINABLE
COMMUNITIES
In 2013/14 alone, we helped 415
people into long-term employment;
1,086 people accessed training
opportunities; 1,000 young
people benefitted from our youth
programmes; and 4,797 people took
part in our health and wellbeing
programmes.
Supporting people to fulfil their
potential not only helps them
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In 2013/14 alone, we helped 415
people into long-term employment
as individuals; it benefits their
community, and it benefits London.
At the heart of the community
Our London-wide network of
community centres offers a
tremendous range of activities and
opportunities. Often run with the
help of local volunteers, each is a
unique part of its neighbourhood.
Some have a particular focus on
youth work, including youth clubs,
while some are used for older
people’s activities or as meeting
places. But all play a central role
in bringing the local community
together and helping people to
reach new goals.
We also have four learning centres
across London offering employment
and training support, exercise classes
and parenting classes.
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Peabody I Great Futures
Peabody I Great Futures
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Health and wellbeing
Peabody was the lead housing
association in the Big Lottery-funded
£4.6 million Activate programme,
which from 2007 has offered a
diverse portfolio of more than 80
community-led projects themed
around healthy eating, active
lifestyles and good mental health.
The projects range from doit-yourself bike maintenance
workshops and cookery classes to
relaxation sessions and inner city
wildlife conservation.
Residents have helped to plan and
deliver many of these projects,
gaining skills and experience and
ensuring they will become selfsustaining. From 2007 to 2014, more
than 65,000 people have benefited
from Activate. In 2012 the Big Lottery
awarded us a further £1.8m to
continue the programme.
Digital inclusion
For many of us, digital technologies
make it easier to communicate,
maintain social networks and access
information, goods and services. But
not everyone is able to enjoy these
benefits, with many excluded due to
low income, poor heath, limited skills
or disabilities.
We’ve developed a number of
projects to address this, including
free WiFi access for residents living on
our estates in Islington and Fulham.
We also have a Peabody DigiVan – a
mobile IT learning centre that travels
to our estates offering internet
training to our residents.
In 2010 we launched our Net Worx
project, in which digitally savvy
young people introduce older people
to the benefits of using the internet.
Although the project began as an
65,000
65,000 people in London benefitted
from the Activate wellbeing
programme from 2007 to 2014
OUR VOLUNTEERS GIVE ONE-TOONE TUITION TO PEOPLE WITH
LITTLE OR NO IT EXPERIENCE
AND EACH WORKSHOP FOCUSES
ON A DIFFERENT THEME
intergenerational one, it has now
evolved, and we have people of all
ages teaching and learning on the
workshops, which take place at our
community centres across London.
Our volunteers give one-to-one
tuition to people with little or no
IT experience and each workshop
focuses on a different theme, such
as communicating with friends
and family, shopping online and
searching for information.
By 2013, more than 70 volunteers
had been involved in delivering the
workshops, and more than 3,000
learners had benefitted from them.
In 2013 we joined the Digital
Champions Network for Housing, an
online training resource for people
who wish to teach computer skills in
the community.
We will continue our digital inclusion
work until all of our residents have
access to the internet.
NET WORX
“PEOPLE CAN LEARN AT THEIR OWN PACE”
Owen D’Lima, 81, has lived on
the Lillie Road estate for more
than 20 years. He has been
attending Net Worx sessions at
the community centre there for
around three years.
‘I got my first camera at 17 and
went on to become a professional
photographer – I still take photos
for weddings and other events.
I worked for Lambeth College
teaching photography and doing
presentations until 2007 so I
was no stranger to technology.
However, although I knew a fair
bit about computers and
technology, I always felt I could
learn more.
“I first came across the Net
Worx project two years ago. It was
incredibly convenient for me and
everybody there was very friendly
and helpful. All the learners get
personal attention. Net Worx takes
an interest in individuals and helps
them with their needs.
“Some people are faster learners
than others, but people can learn
at their own pace. It doesn’t matter
if you have forgotten something,
the tutors show you again and
explain clearly and patiently.
“I ‘m now an advanced learner
and have taught other learners
things, especially about using
cameras. But I have also learnt a
lot myself. I have an Apple Mac
computer, but I wasn’t sure
about what it could do. Through
the Net Worx project I have
learnt about so many new
functions and programs.
“For me the project has been
great. I love learning and think
everyone should be free to learn as
much as possible. I am so grateful
to Peabody and all the volunteers
who have helped us.”
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Peabody I Great Futures
Peabody I Great Futures
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THREADS SEWING PROJECT FOR GIRLS
Natalie Bell is senior fashion trainer
at Threads, a fashion design project
in Hackney for young women
aged 10 to 18 whose lives may be
affected by local gangs. The project
aims to teach young women skills
in fashion design, tailoring, textiles,
jewellery making and styling.
“Gang culture is quite prevalent
in this area but if we catch girls at
10 and give them an interest like
sewing, they would rather do that
than hang about on the street,”
says Natalie. “Fashion attracts
young girls to the project but
we also add in mentoring, career
advice, trips to galleries, help with
literacy and budgeting. .
“I take the girls shopping to
buy fabrics and we’ve run stalls at
markets, so they learn about selling,
pricing and marketing.
“A lot of the girls come from
Muslim backgrounds and don’t
Peabody has secured 161
apprenticeships for young people
through Ladder for London
companies. We are implementing an
organisation-wide apprenticeship
programme, with the aim of
apprentices taking five per cent of all
new job vacancies at Peabody.
Supporting young people
Creating new work opportunities
A central part of our role is to help
people gain the skills to take up
employment. For those who can,
paid work is an effective route for
reaching their potential and living a
fulfilled life. We want people in our
communities to avoid the position
where work is hard to find or a
constant struggle to retain.
Our four learning centres provide
employment and training help in a
friendly, supportive atmosphere.
Job Centre Plus refers participants,
or they drop in, and once they are
registered, they can come in regularly
to receive one-to-one support.
Each centre has an employability
skills tutor, who supports clients
who might need help with literacy,
numeracy and basic IT, and an
employment broker, who helps
clients find a job.
Employment brokers help people
to search for jobs online, write CVs
and cover letters, fill in application
forms and prepare for job interviews.
We have strong links with a range of
employers and recruitment agencies.
We also organise opportunities
for participants to develop their
employability skills through work
shadowing, work placements or
apprenticeships at Peabody or other
We engage our young people with
sport, fashion and music projects to
develop their skills and confidence.
Some of these projects focus on issues
that young people are concerned
about, such as knife crime or gangs.
In 2011 we launched a fashion
design project in Hackney called
Threads to reach young women
aged 10 to 18 whose lives may be
affected by local gangs. The project
aims to teach young women skills
in fashion design, tailoring, textiles,
jewellery making and styling. There
are also opportunities to improve
basic skills such as numeracy,
literacy and budgeting. Several
girls have progressed to art and
APPRENTICESHIPS
Peabody is a partner in the
Evening Standard’s Ladder for
London campaign, which helps
young people into work through
paid apprenticeships. HRH Prince
Andrew, pictured left, is patron of
the scheme, which was launched
at our Pembury estate in 2013.
The scheme is targeted at young
people aged 16 to 24 who aren’t
in education, employment or
training. The apprenticeships
are focused on the wide range of
blue-collar trades that form part of
Peabody’s supply chain, covering
construction, engineering,
maintenance and transport.
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fashion colleges and many others
have accessed support from our
employment service, with at least
four finding a job.
Tackling child poverty
We want to create communities in
which no child is living in poverty.
Peabody’s estates are largely located
in inner London boroughs, which
have among the highest rates of
WE WANT TO CREATE
COMMUNITIES IN WHICH NO
CHILD IS LIVING IN POVERTY
economic deprivation and child
poverty in England.
In 2011 we commissioned research
from the University of York to
investigate child poverty on Peabody
estates and to look at ways we might
tackle it. The report measured child
poverty in two main ways – material
deprivation and life chances. The
research showed that what mattered
most to parents was that their
children were confident, did well at
school, and had access to safe, green
spaces where they could play with
other children.
At our child poverty conference in
November 2012 we launched the
Peabody Children’s Community,
a partnership between Hackney
Council and Peabody, based on
Pembury Estate in Hackney. The
project aims to create a continuous
network of support for residents on
the estate, helping young people
from birth, through early childhood,
through school, onto vocational
training or university, and into work.
In America a similar approach
increased educational attainment,
got people into work, and improved
the community’s health and
wellbeing. It also contributed to a fall
go out very much, but they’re
allowed to come to Threads on a
Saturday as their parents know
it’s a safe environment.
“We had one 14 year-oldgirl who was referred by social
services because she was having
problems at home caused by
her mum’s new boyfriend. She
was overweight and miserable
and obviously quite neglected.
We provided her with a mentor,
a theatre costume designer,
who is getting her to design a
complicated period costume.
By giving her really intensive
one-to-one attention it’s allowed
her to develop her skills. She
had a lot of issues around her
body image but she’s been in
two photoshoots and a fashion
show and now feels good about
herself. She’s blossomed into a
confident, articulate girl.“
1 million
In the second quarter of 2014,
there were almost 1 million
young people not in education,
employment or training
in crime and antisocial behaviour and
a reduction in the wider economic
and social costs of unemployment.
The first phase of the London project
will focus on 16-19 year olds not in
employment, education or training
(NEETs).
Local businesses, schools, and
voluntary and community groups will
be brought in by the council to look
at how to improve young people’s
aspirations and life chances on the
estate. The pilot is backed by Save
the Children, who will be measuring
progress in the Children’s Community.
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Peabody I Great Futures
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We all want to feel we belong, that where we live is
truly home. We think it’s vital to recognise this basic
human need and use it day by day to inform how we
interact with our residents and communities and to
improve our services.
Local experts, local services
Working across 26 London boroughs,
our neighbourhood management
model is changing the way we work,
providing localised services, with
residents at the centre of everything
we do. Our neighbourhood-based
approach enables us to build strong
relationships and really get to know
and understand how we can best
respond to key local issues and
priorities.
Peabody’s Neighbourhood Managers
are local experts, tasked with
understanding residents’ needs,
improving their access to local
services, understanding partners’
priorities, delivering our service and
supporting networks in a professional
and accountable way.
A PLACE
THAT FEELS
LIKE HOME
As part of the new model,
we are developing an agreed
Neighbourhood Charter for
Peabody residents and other
stakeholders setting out how
they want to contribute to the
long-term improvement of their
communities. We are committed to
increasing people’s capacity to shape
improvements both in their quality of
life and the surrounding environment
that affects the way they live.
Open all hours
Our contact centre, Peabody Direct,
provides support to our residents
through a number of channels
including email, face to face, website
and telephone, with an average of
20,000 phone calls received every
month. It’s open from 8am to 8pm
OUR AIM IS TO BE A DIGITAL
FIRST ORGANISATION AND
TO MAKE THE MOST OF OUR
SERVICES AVAILABLE ONLINE
weekdays and an emergency out-ofhours service is provided throughout
the night and at weekends.
Peabody Direct’s main objective is to
deliver excellent customer service,
and it has invested in the latest call
management and call monitoring
technology to ensure this. New
staff attend a comprehensive fourweek induction programme, and
all staff have monthly call audits
to monitor their performance. Its
customer satisfaction performance is
monitored by independent customer
satisfaction surveys, and it regularly
exceeds its targets.
Our new website is more user friendly
and provides more services online –
including a residents’ portal where
users can securely view their account,
update their personal details, report
issues and request repairs.
Our aim is to be a digital first
organisation and to make the most
of our services available online. This
is more cost effective for Peabody,
and more convenient for residents, as
they will be able to interact with us at
a time and place that suits them.
We seek to provide greater usability,
ease of access, consistent high quality
and a faster speed of response.
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Peabody I Great Futures
Peabody I Great Futures
Residents with influence
We have given our residents powers
to shape and scrutinise our services,
making sure they can influence the
quality and level of service into their
homes.
We have a formal structure that
places residents at all levels of the
organisation, including our Board,
and we promote the involvement of
all sections of the community.
The range of involvement options
includes more than 30 residents
associations and other community
groups, regional and sheltered
housing forums, a customer panel
made up of over 100 residents and a
Resident Scrutiny Panel. Peabody also
has an active, ongoing dialogue with
residents through feedback and its
annual service satisfaction survey.
Resident involvement was key to
the procurement of our new
responsive repairs and maintenance
service with Axis. Resident
representatives were fully involved
in the process to select the right
WE HAVE A FORMAL
STRUCTURE THAT PLACES
RESIDENTS AT ALL LEVELS OF
OUR ORGANISATION, INCLUDING
OUR BOARD
partners to help deliver a high quality
service for all our residents.
The new contract ties remuneration
firmly to improvements in customer
satisfaction. Our aim is for residents
to experience benefits such as
flexible appointments, reduced
waiting times, more effective
communications and a better
standard of repair.
Supporting diversity
We are committed to promoting
equality and diversity within the
communities we serve. We collect
information about residents, such
as whether a person is disabled or
speaks English as a second language,
and tailor services to meet their
needs. We also run programmes that
encourage all residents to take an
active role in their communities.
“OUR ROLE IS TO MONITOR SERVICES”
Sharon Turner is Vice Chair of the
Resident Scrutiny Panel, a group
of 14 Peabody residents from a
variety of backgrounds.
“I’ve been active with our local
residents association for many
years, and the Regional Forum
put me forward for the Resident
Scrutiny Panel,” says Sharon.
“Other people on the Panel are
totally new to involvement, so
we’re a really mixed group.
“Our role is to monitor and
examine Peabody’s services, and
also to pick up on what is of most
concern to residents, look at it
in detail, and wherever possible
make recommendations for
improvements.
“It has taken time and energy
for the Panel to learn and develop,
but I have really enjoyed the
process and I think we all work
well together. For our first
scrutiny review the Panel
chose the Estate Controlled
Environmental Improvement
Budget, a £300,000 fund
available to residents to make
improvements to local areas.
“We recommended ways
of improving the bidding
process, ensuring it is fair,
and making the fund more
widely known so that it can be
better used. We are looking
forward to seeing the changes
we’ve recommended being
implemented.
“For our next scrutiny
review we’ll be looking at
communications between
residents, Peabody and repairs
contractors, an area that
we know is important to all
Peabody residents.”
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Peabody I Great Futures
Peabody I Great Futures
Targeting antisocial behaviour
We’ve introduced a number of new
initiatives to deal with antisocial
behaviour (ASB). We now have a
qualified crime prevention officer
on our community safety team who
works on crime prevention projects
and sanctuary schemes. He also
advises on works to properties for
vulnerable residents and victims
of crime or domestic abuse. This
is an innovative step for a housing
provider, as this role usually sits
within the police or local authority.
In 2012 we launched a mediation
service, for which we trained 12 staff
within our resident services team.
Working in pairs, the mediators help
our residents to sort out disputes
caused by loud music, noise and pets,
for example. The service has already
successfully resolved many cases.
We provide ASB and domestic abuse
training to our frontline staff. Our
successful Domestic Abuse: Good
Practice for Housing Providers training
package has so far trained 156
Peabody staff and more than 552
people from external organisations.
We are the only training provider
delivering housing-specific domestic
abuse training.
Support for families
Our tenant and family support
team offers an outreach support
and advice service to residents
23
people know how to access the local
services they want and need.
BY CONNECTING UP SERVICES
WE CAN HELP OUR OLDER
RESIDENTS STAY ACTIVE,
HEALTHY AND ENGAGED
and families in general needs
accommodation who are at risk of
losing their tenancies or who need
extra support to manage their
tenancies successfully. In addition,
we deliver a 13-week parenting
programme Strengthening Families,
Strengthening Communities to
increase parents’ confidence and
skills, helping to achieve positive
change in family relationships.
Participants share knowledge
and experience as parents, and
learn practical, useful parenting
skills around issues such as gangs,
community and domestic violence,
depression, drugs and alcohol.
Reaching out to older people
Our extensive outreach work
delivers support to older people
across London and complements
our specialist and sheltered housing
provision. In addition to our many
smaller projects, we are running
major programmes in Tower Hamlets
to prevent isolation and ensure older
Since 2000 the Sundial Centre has
worked closely with Tower Hamlets
Council, local health agencies and
voluntary partners to provide high
quality, innovative services to older
people in the borough. We also run
Well Met, a befriending scheme that
matches older and vulnerable people
with volunteer befrienders, who can
offer companionship and help with
everyday living.
We also offer floating support to
older people living in our general
needs accommodation across
London, visiting them in their homes
to help with health, welfare benefits,
family and social concerns, mobility
or housing issues.
In 2012 Peabody introduced our
Winter Warmers project, in which
staff volunteers visit residents over
80 to check they are warm and well.
We have trained 75 employees from
across the organisation to check
boilers, bleed radiators, and hand out
advice leaflets from Age UK. At the
same time they look out for any other
issues affecting the resident, such as
problems paying fuel bills.
By connecting up services we can
help our older residents stay active,
healthy and engaged with their
communities.
Welfare reform
The changes to benefits introduced
by the coalition government in April
2013 mean that some of our residents
are having real problems trying
to make ends meet. Our welfare
benefits team supports residents by
helping them get the benefits they’re
entitled to, assisting with claims and
advising on budgeting.
18%
It is estimated that by 2034, 18%
of the population in London will
be over 60
“I’VE SEEN A REAL DIFFERENCE IN MY FAMILY”
Collette Watson-Blythe, from
West Norwood, attended
the Strengthening Families,
Strengthening Communities course
in September 2013.
“My husband and I have three
children – two boys aged 12 and 19
and a girl aged 15. We were doing
the best we could, although we
knew there were probably lots of
things we could do differently! The
course was life changing for me. I
went on a journey with a group of
total strangers and we all became
friends. The main thing I took away
was how important it is to spend
special time with each of your
children, to just listen and hear what
they’re saying. It’s really effective.
“My natural inclination is to offer
advice, but now I just listen and I
find that the children often come
up with their own solutions. I also
learnt how to turn negatives into
positives – for example, my 12-yearold is very talkative so instead of
telling him to keep quiet I tell him
what a good communicator he is!
It’s called pulling out the gold.
“I would recommend the course
as I’ve seen a real difference in my
own family. I have a much richer
relationship with my children. I
was so impressed that I decided to
become a parent facilitator and I’m
now delivering the course in Pimlico.”
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Peabody I Great Futures
Peabody I Great Futures
25
We’re committed to sustaining our financial strength,
using it to deliver services of the highest quality and drive
measured, responsible growth. We also want to work with
and influence government with bold, forward-thinking
ideas that tackle the big social and economic issues in
London’s communities.
A Customer First culture
We have made rapid progress
in developing the first class
organisation that will allow us to
deliver on our goals. A strong guiding
framework, with excellent customer
service and financial efficiency at its
centre, now provides a clear focus for
our work.
Every Peabody employee has been
trained in the bespoke Peabody
Customer First programme, and
all managers have been trained to
become Customer First coaches.
Monthly coaching sessions between
managers and team members are
DRIVING
PEABODY
FORWARD
designed to embed customer service
skills and Peabody Behaviours. And
our Leadership and Management
Programme for managers is closely
linked to the Peabody Behaviours
(see below).
Staff performance assessments
are now based 50 per cent on
individual performance against the
Behaviours. Employees can also
nominate colleagues for monthly
Best Behaviour awards, which reward
excellent work.
1,000
We have some 1,000 full-time
employees across head office,
housing management, maintenance
and community services.
We are making sure Peabody lives and
breathes excellent customer service to
create a true Customer First culture.
The Peabody Behaviours
The Peabody Behaviours are a
comprehensive set of principles
for staff.
Customer Focussed
We deliver excellent service.
Results Focussed
We get things done.
Collaborative
We work effectively with others.
Can Do
We are positive and helpful.
Principled
We are trustworthy and fair.
Continuously Improving
We are always looking to
get better.
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Peabody I Great Futures
Stronger systems
We are driving our systems and
processes to work much harder
for us and contribute more clearly
to business excellence. We have
invested heavily in our IT, including a
comprehensive database of customer
information that will enable any
Peabody employee to track and
monitor the contact each customer
has with us, so they can understand
any issues and respond appropriately.
Our management information is also
improving, helping us deliver better
quality and performance in key areas
of the business.
Influential growth
Peabody has been part of the London
skyline for more than 150 years. With
our strong heritage of influencing
social policy, it is right that we
continue to make our voice heard
with government at national, regional
and local levels.
Where we can we will lead. Elsewhere
we will look to maximise our
contribution. And everywhere we
will work closely with our partners to
ensure that our thinking, energy and
Peabody I Great Futures
WE ARE ADDRESSING THE SHORTAGE OF
HOUSING IN THE CAPITAL BY BUILDING
THOUSANDS OF NEW HOMES
proposals work towards delivering
practical solutions on the ground for
London’s communities.
We are addressing the shortage of
housing in the capital by building
thousands of new homes.
Gallions joins the Peabody Group
Gallions Housing Association joined
the Peabody Group in 2014, which
means we now manage around
27,000 properties, giving us greater
economies of scale and stronger
buying power. Peabody’s size and
financial strength will enable us
to work with Gallions and other
partners to refurbish and improve
Thamesmead and invest in its long
term future, without diverting any
WITH OUR STRONG HERITAGE
OF INFLUENCING SOCIAL
POLICY, WE CONTINUE TO MAKE
OUR VOICE HEARD
resources from existing Peabody
residents. Over the next 10 years
we plan to invest at least £225m in
regenerating Thamesmead, building
700 new homes, refurbishing existing
homes and improving our parks and
neighbourhoods.
We strongly believe there is a
unique opportunity to transform
Thamesmead over the coming years,
which includes developing attractive
new housing, cultural and economic
opportunities that will excite
existing and prospective residents
and visitors alike.
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Peabody I Great Futures
JN: MKT_14_018/SEPTEMBER 2014