A not-for-profit housing and care group based in Worcester, with about 120,000 homes, over 100 care homes and student and key worker housing in England and Scotland.
Sanctuary is a not-for-profit housing and care provider that reinvests its income in its customers rather than paying shareholders. It describes its goal as good quality homes and sustainable communities where people choose to live. Its brands cover Sanctuary Housing, Sanctuary Supported Living, Sanctuary Care, Sanctuary Keyworker and Sanctuary Students. By its own count it runs 110 care homes, more than 650 supported housing services, accommodation for NHS staff and key workers at hospital sites, and housing for over 10,000 students at universities. Wikipedia puts its stock at about 120,000 properties and 250,000 residents.
The group says its values are ambition, quality, inclusion, sustainability and integrity. Ambition means investing in and caring for people and communities, and inclusion means respecting and valuing the diversity of its people. Sanctuary Care has a campaign called Warriors of Waste as an example of its sustainability work. It also builds new homes for affordable rent, shared ownership and outright sale, and runs regeneration projects.
Sanctuary began in July 1969 as a charity called the World of Property Housing Trust, later renamed WPHT Housing Association, with the aim of providing housing for people in need. It is headquartered in Worcester and works in England and Scotland, with Sanctuary Scotland active in Glasgow and Paisley, and projects in places such as Cornwall, East Cambridgeshire and Hackney. Recent additions include Cornwall Care in 2022, Swan Housing as a subsidiary from 2023 and Johnnie Johnson Housing as a subsidiary from 2024. Its customers include young people with learning disabilities, families, aspiring nurses and retirees.
The group says it invests in and cares for its people. Its central services teams for finance, technology, HR and sustainability earned Gold Investors in People status in June 2024, according to Wikipedia. The honest picture also includes that the Housing Ombudsman has found severe maladministration in several cases about damp, leaks and complaint handling, and that workers took part in a pay dispute walk-out in April 2024. We mention these so you see the whole organisation and not only its own description.
Because Sanctuary combines housing, care, student accommodation and development, it employs people in many roles. These include housing officers, repairs and maintenance teams, care workers and home managers, supported living staff, development and regeneration specialists, and central teams in finance, HR, technology and sustainability. If you want to work in property and also care for people, this mix is unusual. The group's own website is the place to check how each part is organised.
Website: www.sanctuary.co.uk
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