When did it all Begin?
Orwell Housing Association was formed in 1963 in Ipswich, employing no staff and managing only a handful of properties. Today, Orwell Housing Association own or manage over 4,300 homes providing safe and secure accommodation for over 8,200 people and operate in 12 local authority areas. We employ in the region of 800 people and provide housing, care and support services with customers at our heart.
Orwell occupies a refurbished Victorian building at 325 London Road, Ipswich, as our Registered Head Office.
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Customer Care
Orwell has an enviable track record of providing customer orientated services to tenants and service users. The most recent survey indicated that 93% of tenants were satisfied with the services Orwell provides.
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Our values
We live by our values and they are:
Together we are people-focused
People are at the heart of our business. By recognising people’s diverse needs and strengths and treating everyone fairly we can both serve our customers better and support our teams to run a brilliant business and improve services.
Together we are ambitious
We are ambitious to grow the organisation so that it can do more and realise the full potential of Orwell, our employees, and those we support and house.
Together we are collaborative
We will work in partnership and search out best practice. We will collaborate with tenants, customers and colleagues and like-minded organisations to develop solutions together.
Together we are effective
We will be economic and embed efficiency across our services ensuring we lead the way with our knowledge and expertise. We will ensure that our teams are committed and competent to be the best at what they do in order that they can provide the highest possible standards of service.
Our Vision
Orwell’s vision is to make a positive difference to the quality of life and future opportunities of our customers, employees and communities.
Together We Make A Difference
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Orwell's business and partnerships
The majority of Orwell's housing is located in the Ipswich and Lowestoft town areas; however, in recent years Orwell has evolved and has properties in all districts within Suffolk, South Norfolk, North Essex and Cambridgeshire. Orwell also manages (as well as owning the majority of) five sheltered housing schemes, twelve extra care housing schemes, eight schemes supporting adults with learning difficulties and eight temporary supported housing schemes including two women’s refuges.
Orwell is currently the largest supported housing provider in Suffolk, in partnership with a number of different agencies to provide housing management, support and care services in a wide range of accommodation. The agencies we currently work with include: Access Community Trust, Affinity, Anglia Care Trust, Avenues Group, Break, Care UK, Dimensions, ENS, Family Mosaic, Heritage Care, Heywoods Grange, Home Group, Julian Support, Leading Lives, Mencap, Papworth Trust, Suffolk Social Care Services, The Benjamin Foundation and United Response.
Orwell's current budgeted turnover is approximately £55m. The Statement of Comprehensive Income and the Balance Sheet can be viewed in the Annual Report.
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How does Orwell financially support itself?
Orwell Housing Association is non-profit making and is only permitted to make a surplus which must be reinvested in Orwell to carry out improvements to existing stock. Additionally, Orwell bids for funding from Homes England to build and refurbish properties which increase the Association's housing portfolio. The Association is one of 95 organisations which are Homes England partners for development.
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Who makes the decisions?
Orwell is overseen by a Board of up to twelve members. Orwell's services are regularly reviewed by working groups involving tenants.
The Executive Team consists of our CEO and four directors across the service areas of:
- Customers & communities
- Care & support
- Resources and growth
- People and culture
Orwell is generally regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing, which ensures that its processes and practices comply with their requirements and that it is financially viable. Orwell's care services are regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
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Our Performance
To ensure that we are providing a good level of service to our Customers, we have set a range of targets to monitor our performance.
To see how we are performing follow the link below.
Our Performance
Orwell Housing Association Registration
ORWELL HOUSING ASSOCIATION LIMITED is a registered society with charitable status under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 with registration number 16460R
Other pages to explore...
Below you can find other information about Orwell.