We’re investing £1million to fit out 300 re-let homes in new standard

We have committed to spend £1m to fit out 300 of our homes with a new re-let standard.

It will fund work to 300 homes in 2020-21 on what will be known as the Fresh Start Standard – which includes fresh decoration throughout, new flooring and other renovations.

Our board signed off the investment following a successful pilot on ten of our homes last October.

Kevin Rodgers, our Chief Executive, said: “We believe very strongly that it is our duty to make sure when people move into our homes they get a fresh start.

“Too often social housing tenants start of off on the wrong foot, with none of the essentials they need to be able to live well in a home.

“We believe this could be part of the solution to address many tenancy sustainment issues related to affordability, eviction and abandonment, particularly for single people who are struggling on low incomes and receiving Universal Credit.

“The Fresh Start Standard is the first step in us saying that we think our customers deserve better and we are committed to making sure they get the right start with us.”

We piloted the Fresh Start Standard in ten of its homes in October 2019.

It followed a project which was led by an in-house team, which worked with innovation organisation !WhatIf?, to conduct research on what customers wanted most from their new home. From this the team created the new standard.

The project will be closely monitored to establish the benefits it brings for tenants and the organisation.

Earlier this year Citizen launched the Tenant Support and Wellbeing Service, a 24-hour, seven-day a week telephone counselling service for all its tenants – believed to be the first service of its kind in the sector.

“We know that a lot of our customers face really difficult circumstances and we believe a big part of our role is giving them access to services that will build their resilience and make life easier for them,” Kevin Rodgers said.

“The launch of our Tenant Support and Wellbeing Service and the Fresh Start Standard is just the start of what will become our wider approach to giving our customers a foundation for life – that is the role that social housing providers should play.”

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