Telling our story
Much of what we do is achieved through working successfully with partners. Whether that’s a leader or chief executive of a local authority, councillor or an MP with similar ambitions, the bedrock of our work is partnership.
But how do we make that happen?
We’re a busy bunch, grabbing every opportunity to talk more about what we’re doing while also attracting opportunities for collaboration. We want to tell our story in a way that evokes a positive response. So, we’re keeping our stakeholders informed, from investors and MPs to customers and the media, to make positive change happen.
Homelessness roundtable
We also work closely with our partners and stakeholders to share insight and best practice. During the past year this has included hosting a roundtable with the Local Government Chronicle to discuss homelessness responses during the pandemic and prevention strategies for the future. We also commissioned a piece of primary research* to understand more about public perceptions of homelessness as well as the impact of the pandemic on home and job security.
The key findings from our survey revealed that:
- Half of UK adults (51%) think that more affordable housing is the most important long-term solution to ending homelessness.
- 81% of UK adults agree that homelessness can happen to anyone.
- Only half of UK adults (52%) agree that it’s possible to end homelessness for good; one in five (22%) disagree that it’s possible to end homelessness for good.
- 85% of UK adults agree that everyone has the right to a warm, safe home; only 3% disagreed.
*September 2020 online survey of 1,500 UK adults, conducted by Dynata on behalf of Abri. The figures are representative of all UK adults (18+).
Working with government
Our customers are important to us, so we’re always looking at how we can help make where they live a great place to be. One of the ways we do this is by taking part in discussions with decision makers to help shape policies that can improve quality of life in communities.
So, how do we get heard?
There’s always a lot going on in both our sector and in government. This means there are opportunities to raise our voice, and the voices of our customers. We do this in four main ways:
- We respond to government consultations on subjects that relate to our business and our customers.
- We contact MPs and stakeholders directly to let them know what we’re doing and how we can support them and their constituents.
- We provide written and oral evidence and case studies to APPGs to support them in shaping policy and making positive change happen.
- We also speak regularly at events, roundtables and webinars, and occasionally lead them too. We invite MPs and other stakeholders to meetings, and we listen to our customers to find out more about what would benefit them and their community. This is an on-going priority and will always be an important part of what we do.