We have been named in this year’s Biggest Builders list – an annual survey which is compiled by Inside Housing.
The survey ranks housing associations across the country by the number of completions in 2022/23 and this year we have been ranked in 27th place.
This is a rise of six places in comparison to last year’s survey.
In 2022/23 we completed 564 affordable homes and 66 for market sale. Of the 564 affordable homes, 227 were affordable rent, 172 were social rent and 165 were low-cost ownership homes.
Our Executive Director of Development Nick Byrne said: “It’s great news that we have appeared in this year’s Biggest Builders list again and it’s brilliant to have increased our ranking this time.
“The last year has been another unusual year for construction with many builders experiencing supply chain issues. We weren’t able to handover as many homes as we would have liked due to these supply chain issues, but we are proud to have completed 564 homes across the West Midlands.
“I’d like to thank the development team for all their hard work over the last year and as a West Midlands based housing association it’s great to be recognised alongside national builders who have also made the top 50.
“At Citizen we are committed to investing in our housing by building homes for those who need them as well as improving the places our customers already live.”
Pride Month is an opportunity for us to raise awareness around sexual diversity, to improve the attitudes of society, and to encourage inclusiveness.
June is the month chosen to celebrate Pride as it was the month of the Stonewall riots in 1969 – the protests that changed gay rights for a lot of people in America and beyond.
Pride month is a time for us to celebrate LGBTQ+ inclusion at work. We have made a video about why LGBTQ+ inclusion and Pride Month is important to us and our ambitions to create a safe and inclusive workforce. The video and other content will be promoted during the month and will be shared more widely as well – including across our social media channels.
But Pride Month is not just about the Pride Month flags, the LGBTQ+ Pride Month facts, or Pride Month resources, because LGBTQ+ inclusion takes place 365 days of the year. At Citizen, we are committed to equity and diversity. We want all our customers, staff, and board members to have equal chances to learn, work and live free from discrimination, harassment, and prejudice.
We want everyone to be themselves and we want everyone to feel safe and comfortable bringing their full selves to work.
Jerome Williams Equality and Inclusion Manager said, “LGBTQ+ Pride is all about people coming together in love and friendship, to show how far gay rights have come, even if in some places there is still work to be done.”
“Our new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy (due for publication later this year) will set our EDI direction for the next three years and will commit us to actions that will ensure we have a workforce that is representative of the communities we operate in, achieve equity in our workplace and our communities, celebrate difference and promote belonging. As part of the development of that strategy we will be asking our customers to contribute to ensure that its inclusive of your needs. We will keep you updated on progress and how you can share your views with us in the coming months.
“We want everyone to be themselves and we want everyone to feel safe and comfortable bringing their full selves to work.”
Nine community groups across the West Midlands will benefit from funding to improve wellbeing in our neighbourhoods.
The groups applied to our Citizen Local Fund – a pot of money available for projects running in our communities – and were given the opportunity to apply for up to £5,000.
The aim of the fund is to support our residents and communities to thrive. We support ideas and projects that promote mental and physical wellbeing, reduce social isolation, bring communities together and enhance local areas.
The projects which have been successful include:
Hillfields People Project Watch Centre – the funding will be used to expand their work of providing life-skills support, advice and guidance activities for young people and adults living in Hillfields
St Peter’s Centre, Hillfields – the money will help to buy a new cooker, fridge and freezer to help with the community lunch that is held there. There is an increase in demand for their service due to the cost of living
Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre – The centre plans to use the funding to create an animation which will address the myths and stereotypes that create a culture of rape as well as removing the stigma around talking about sexual violence and abuse
Wardon Community Lunch, Worcestershire – The money will help support a community lunch event where people from the local community prepare and eat a meal free of charge all under the guidance of a professional chef
Coventry House Project with Coventry City Council – The project supports young people aged 16 and 17 who are in care to move into their own flats and learn the life skills they need
Drought Resilient Allotment and Garden Plan, Worcester – money will be used to build a raised bed with water storage underneath for 1,000 litres of water to use during a drought
Shine a Light, Play Therapy for Children with Cancer, Coventry – this will help fund counselling support provided by counsellors and therapists for any child who is affected by any type of cancer. It will also support play therapy sessions with a qualified specialist.
Cyclemoor, Stoke Aldermoor – the club will use the money to help people in Stoke Aldermoor learn how to ride bikes, enjoy outdoor actives and improve their mental and physical wellbeing.
Skipton Lodge Breakfast and Lunch Clubs, Coventry – Funding will help to provide cooking equipment needed to host the clubs in the kitchen at Skipton Lodge
Sandra Tod is one of our customers who takes part in the Skipton Lodge Breakfast and Lunch club.
She helps to cook the food which residents enjoy.
She said: “I’m so pleased our group has been successful in the Citizen Local Fund. I enjoy cooking for those who live at Skipton Lodge and bringing people together.”
Our Customer Engagement Partner Verity Darbyshire said it’s great for us to be supporting people living in our communities.
She said: “It’s fantastic that all these nine groups have been successful in the Citizen Local Fund and that the money is helping people who are living in our communities across the West Midlands.
“At Citizen we want to work with our partners to make a difference to our customers and communities and the Citizen Local Fund does just that.
“We are thrilled to hear from Sandra that the money will be a huge help to those who take part in the club at Skipton Lodge.
“Congratulations to all the people who have received money through the Citizen Local Fund, we hope it helps achieve your goals.”
The next round of the Citizen Local Fund is currently open until the end of June and grants of up to £3,000 are available.
If you know someone who would benefit from the Citizen Local Fund, encourage them to visit our website and apply by filling in the form here.
Work has started to build 19 affordable homes on the site of a former garden centre in Birmingham.
We’ve partnered with Enrok Construction to build the homes on Wellington Road in Handsworth.
The project will see four one-bed apartments, 11 two-bed houses and four three-bed houses built on the former Hirons Garden centre which closed in 2022.
The new development will provide homes for up to 72 customers.
Our Development Project Manager Bleddyn Lloyd said: “It’s brilliant to see that work has started to build these affordable homes in Handsworth.
“All of the homes being built on the site are affordable which means it will help with the demand for affordable housing in the area and help those who are currently waiting on the housing lists.
“We are pleased to be working with Enrok Construction on this development and we’re looking forward to seeing the homes being completed over the next few months.”
This is the first project we’ve worked on with Enrok Construction who are based in Derby.
Jordan Mallisch, Managing Director of Enrok Construction said: “There is an urgent need for affordable housing across the West Midlands, so we are excited to be underway on our first project with Citizen and to be delivering great homes for local people.
“I hope this is the start of a great partnership together and I am looking forward to seeing the scheme develop over the next 12 months.”
The site is due to be completed at the end of 2023.
We use cookies on this website. Cookies store information that allow us to improve our website and your browsing experience. By clicking agree or continuing to use our site you consent to our use of cookies. Data is transferred outside of the EEA for which we require your consent below. To find out more about cookies click here, or view our privacy policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.
Where personal data is transferred outside of the EEA, we require your explicit consent, that is provided by you sliding the control to the green/on position
Analytics cookies
We'd like to set Google Analytics cookies to help us improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone. For more information on how these cookies work please see our 'Cookies page'.
