When it comes to reaching different groups of tenants, it is rare for a housing provider to be excellent at reaching all of its tenant groups, all of the time. Some providers are good at engaging their elderly residents, others their youth and young adults, whilst others still are experts at reaching residents who live in rural areas. Some providers are excellent at embedding tenant participation in governance, for others thier strengths lie in tenant-led estate and housing design. What is most important is that we can learn from each other and make improvements to our own services.
As part of its role as South West RIC champion, Carrick Housing has profiled all housing providers active in south western Britain, and all but the smallest providers are shown in the tables below. It has also undertaken a survey of providers to identify areas of involvement expertise that providers have. This information is being used to facilitate provider 'dating' so that housing organisations seeking help in specific areas of tenant involvement can approach other organisations which have excellence in that subject. For further information and to access the online survey, please see the menu item 'Housing Dating Agency' to the left.
PHP will move forward with this great piece of work, and will continue to support housing providers in making links with other organisations.
To access the information about housing providers in each area and their specific strengths at involving tenants, click on one of the smaller regions in the following list:-
- Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
- Devon, Plymouth and Torbay
- Somerset, North Somerset, Bath & North East Somerset
- Dorset, Bournemouth & Poole
- Bristol
- Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire
- Wiltshire and Swindon
- Regional Housing Providers
- National Housing Providers
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
| PROVIDER | TYPE | MAIN AREAS | STRENGTHS (WHERE KNOWN) |
| Carrick Housing | ALMO; est. by Carrick DC in 2003 | Falmouth; Truro; Penryn; Perranporth; St Agnes | Involving tenants in rural areas; inter-agency and partnership working; Beacon Community Regeneration Partnership; Seniors' Forum; Tenant compact; tenant board members; community centres; fun days |
| Coastline Housing | Stock transfer from Kerrier DC; est. 1998 as Kerrier Homes Trust | Camborne, Redruth, Helston, Porthleven | Tenant scrutiny panel monitoring involvement, customer services, complaints etc; with ability to request report from any staff member and directly hold to account |
| Cornwall Council | Local Authority (Unitary; inherited stock from former Caradon DC and North Cornwall DC) | Bodmin, Wadebridge, Callington, Launceston, Saltash, Bude, Torpoint, Liskeard; Camelford | Tenant roadshows and cream tea outdoor events in rural areas; tenant newsletters; involvement in housing options reviews |
| Cornwall Rural HA | Housing Association est. | Cornwall | |
| Council of the Isles of Scilly | Local Authority (Unitary) | St Mary's, Bryher, St Martin's, St Agnes | |
| Earle's Retreat | Almshouses | Falmouth | (No involvement groups) |
| Emily Brydges Willyams Memorial Houses | Almshouses | Gorran Haven | |
| Ocean Housing | Stock transfer from Restormel BC; est. 2000 | St Austell, Newquay, St Blazey, Lostwithiel, Grampound, Par | |
| Penwith HA | Stock transfer from Penwith DC; est. 1994 | Penzance, Newlyn, St Ives, St Just, Hayle, Marazion | Peninsula Tenants' Committee |
| Poor's Lands Charities | Almshouses | Wadebridge | (No involvement groups) |
| Stephen Hutchens Charity Trust | Almshouses | Paul | (No involvement groups) |
| St Petroc's Society | Hostels | Truro |
Devon, Plymouth and Torbay
| PROVIDER | TYPE | MAIN AREAS | STRENGTHS (WHERE KNOWN) |
| Charity of Alice Dale | Almshouses | Axminster | |
| Colebrook Housing Society | Housing Association | Plymouth | City-wide best practice days. Tenant involvement on interview panels, focus groups and with production of articles. |
| Cornerstone | Housing Association | Exeter | |
| East Devon District Council | Local Authority | Sidmouth, Exmouth, Honiton, Ottery St Mary | |
| Exeter City Council | Local Authority | Exeter | |
| Exeter Municipal Charities | Almshouses | Exeter | |
| Ford Street & Maynard Almshouse Charity | Almshouses | Tavistock | |
| Mid Devon District Council | Local Authority | Tiverton, Crediton, Collumpton | Successful Dreamscheme project; working with young people in an area of ASB to clean the area of litter, graffiti etc in exchange for rewards e.g. activities and trips. Developing a Youth Forum |
| Newcombes HA | Housing Association | Crediton | |
| North Devon Homes | Stock transfer from North Devon DC; est. 2000 | Barnstaple, Ilfracombe, South Molton | Highly skilled tenants' forum |
| Parkview Society | Housing Association | Devon | |
| Plymouth Almshouse & Assistance Charity | Almshouses | Plymouth | |
| Plymouth Charity Trust | Almshouses | Plymouth | |
| Plymouth Community Homes | Stock transfer from Plymouth City Council (Unitary); est. 2009 | Plymouth | |
| Red Devon Housing | Housing Association | Dawlish | (No involvement groups) |
| Riviera Housing Trust | Stock transfer from Torbay Council; est. 2001 | Torquay, Torbay, Brixham, Paignton | Development of estate-based groups; localism; mystery shopping; focus groups e.g. ASB; cyclical works |
| South Devon Rural HA | Housing Association | Totnes, Ivybridge, South Brent | Healthy eating days; tenant newsletter |
| Tamar Housing Society | Housing Association | Plymouth | |
| Tarka Housing | Stock transfer from Torridge DC; est. 2007 | Bideford, Torrington, Holsworthy | |
| Teign Housing | Stock transfer from Teignbridge DC; est. 2004 | Newton Abbot, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Buckfastleigh | |
| Tindal Housing | Housing Association | Newton Abbot | |
| Tiverton Almshouse Charity | Almshouses | Tiverton | |
| Tor Homes | Stock tranfer from South Hams DC; est. 1999 | Totnes, Dartmouth, Ivybridge, Salcombe, Kingsbridge | |
| West Devon Homes | Stock transfer from West Devon BC; est. 1999 | Tavistock, Princetown, Okehampton, Chagford | Tenant panels, team-building, embedding involvement |
Somerset, North Somerset, Bath & North East Somerset
| PROVIDER | TYPE | MAIN AREAS | STRENGTHS (WHERE KNOWN) |
| Barnabas HA | Housing Association | Yeovil | |
| Bath Housing Co-op | Co-operative | Bath | |
| Bath Solo HA | Housing Association | Bath | |
| Blue House | Almshouses | Frome | |
| Charity of William Paulett | Almshouses | Stogursey | |
| City of Wells Almshouses | Almshouses | Wells | |
| Falcon Rural Housing | Housing Association | Taunton Deane, West Somerset, Sedgemoor | |
| Flourish Homes | Stock transfer from Mendip DC; est. 2001 | Shepton Mallet, Frome, Wells, Glastonbury | Excellent resident training programme including condensed residential training weekends for new policy formulation |
| German Lutheran HA | Housing Association | Bath | |
| Homes in Sedgemoor | ALMO; est. by Sedgemoor DC in 2007 | Bridgwater, Axbridge, Burnham, North Pertherton | |
| St John's Hospital | Almshouses | Bath | Stakeholder group dealing with accommodation modernisation; newsletter; resident meetings |
| Julian House | Hostels | Bath | |
| Lantern Homes | Housing Association | Bath | |
| Locking Deanery Housing Society | Housing Association | Weston-super-Mare | |
| Magna West Somerset HA | Stock transfer from West Somerset DC; est. 1998 | Minehead, Watchet, Williton, Taunton Deane, Sedgemoor | Service review and monitoring groups, e.g. sheltered housing; tenancy and estate management; repairs and maintenance monitoring |
| NS Housing | Stock transfer from North Somerset Council (Unitary); est. 2006 | Portishead, Weston-super-Mare, Nailsea, Clevedon | |
| SHAL Housing | Housing Association | Bridgwater, Sedgemoor, Taunton Deane, W.Somerset | |
| Shape HA | Housing Association | Bath, Weston-super-Mare | |
| Shepton Mallet United Charities | Almshouses | Shepton Mallet | |
| Sidcot Friends Housing Society | Housing Association | Winscombe | |
| Somer Community Housing Trust | Stock transfer from Bath & North East Somerset Council (Unitary); est. 1999 | Bath | |
| Stonechester HA | Housing Association | Bath, Somerset | |
| Taunton Deane Borough Council | Local Authority | Taunton, Wellington | |
| Wellington Rotary HA | Housing Association | Wellington | |
| Yarlington Housing Group | Stock transfer from South Somerset District Council; est. 1999 as South Somerset Homes | Yeovil, Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, Wincanton, Langport |
Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole
| PROVIDER | TYPE | MAIN AREAS | STRENGTHS (WHERE KNOWN |
| Almshouse of St John the Baptist | Almshouses | Sherborne | |
| Boscombe Rotary & Inner Wheel HA | HA | Bournemouth | |
| Bournemouth Ace HA | HA | Bournemouth | |
| Bournemouth Borough Council | Local Authority (Unitary) | Bournemouth | |
| Bournemouth Churches HA | Housing Association | Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth, Salisbury, Reading | |
| Bournemouth Housing Society for the Elderly | Housing Association | Bournemouth | |
| Broadway Park HA | Housing Association | Bournemouth, Poole, Wimborne | Dorset Resident Involvement Group |
| Christchurch Housing Society | Housing Association | Christchurch | |
| Chubb, Whetstone & Napper's Almshouses | Almshouses | Dorchester | |
| Corfe Castle Charities | Almshouses | Wareham | |
| East Boro Housing Trust | Housing Association | Wimborne | |
| East Dorset HA | Stock transfer from East Dorset DC; est. 1990 | Ferndown, Wimborne, Verwood, Corfe Mullen | Fun days; Bike project for children; mystery shopping; door-knocking; focus groups; impact assessments available on website |
| Kilmersdon Rural HA | Housing Association | Dorchester | |
| King Alfred HA | Housing Association | Shaftesbury | |
| Magna HA | Stock transfer from West Dorset DC; est. 1993 | Dorchester, Bridport, Sherborne | Area panels |
| Mill Street Housing Society | Housing Association | Dorchester | Balloting of all tenants |
| Municipal & Owen Carter Alms Charities | Almshouses | Poole | |
| Poole Housing Partnership | ALMO; est. by Borough of Poole (Unitary) in 2004 | Poole | Youth engagement strategy via youth parliament; fun days; focus groups; Press Gang youth journalism project; sports |
| Purbeck Housing Trust | Stock transfer from Purbeck DC; est. 2004 | Purbeck, Wareham, Swanage, Upton | |
| Signpost HA | Stock transfer from North Dorset DC; est. 1994 as North Dorset HA | Shaftesbury, Blandford Forum, Gillingham, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Devon | Resident-led design in creation of new homes and estates; Design & Project Toolkit (via Source Development Partnership) |
| Soroptimist HA (Poole) | Housing Association | Poole | |
| Sovereign Twynham | Stock transfer from Christchurch BC; est. 1989 as Twynham HA | Christchurch, Dorset, Hampshire | |
| Weymouth & Portland Housing | Stock transfer from Weymouth & Portland BC; est. 2000 | Weymouth, Portland |
Bristol
| PROVIDER | TYPE | MAIN AREAS | STRENGTHS (WHERE KNOWN) |
| Aashayana HA | Housing Association | Bristol | |
| Bristol City Council | Local Authority (Unitary) | Bristol | Service user groups; embedding involvement in a new structure. Part of Bristol Housing Partnership. |
| Bristol Charities | Almshouses | Bristol | |
| Bristol Community Housing Foundation | Housing Association | Bristol | |
| Bristol Youth Housing Co-op | Co-operative | Bristol | |
| Bristowe (Fair Rent) HA | Housing Association | Bristol | |
| Brunelcare | Housing Association | Bristol | |
| Downend Folk HA | Housing Association | Bristol | |
| King's Barton HA | Housing Association | Bristol | |
| Lodge Co-op HA | Co-operative | Chew Stoke | |
| Missing Link HA | Housing Association | Bristol | |
| Perry Almshouse Charity | Almshouses | Winterbourne | |
| Redland HA | Housing Association | Bristol, Somerset, S. Glos | |
| Second Step | Housing Association | Bristol, North Somerset, Bath | |
| Self Help Community HA | Housing Association | Bristol | |
| Solon South West HA | Housing Association | Bristol, S. Glos | Resident forum; monitoring; inspections; mystery shopping |
| Somewhere Co-operative HA | Co-operative | Bristol | |
| United HA | Housing Association | Bristol, S. Glos, N. Somerset | |
| West of England Friends' Housing Society | Housing Association | Bristol | |
| 1625 Independent People | Housing Association | Bristol, S. Glos |
Gloucestershire & South Gloucestershire
| PROVIDER | TYPE | MAIN AREAS | STRENGTHS (WHERE KNOWN) |
| Bromford (Fosseway) Living | Stock transfer from Cotswold DC; est. 1997 as Fosseway Living | Cotswolds, Cirencester, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Litchfield | |
| Bucklehaven Charity | Almshouses | Cheltenham | |
| Campden School HA | Housing Association | Chipping Campden | |
| Cheltenham & District HA | Housing Association | Cheltenham | |
| Cheltenham Borough Homes | ALMO; est. 2003 by Cheltenham BC | Cheltenham | |
| Cirencester Housing Society | Housing Association | Cirencester | |
| Fountain HA | Housing Association | Frampton-on-Severn | |
| G3 Inspiring Individuals | Housing Association | Gloucestershire | |
| Gloucester Charities Trust | Almshouses | Gloucester | |
| Gloucester City Homes | ALMO; est. 2005 by Gloucester City Council | Gloucester | |
| Gloucestershire HA | Housing Association | Gloucestershire | |
| Gyde Almshouses | Almshouses | Stroud | |
| Merlin Housing Society | Stock transfer from South Gloucestershire Council (Unitary); est. 2007 | Kingswood, Yate, Bradley Stoke, Thornbury, Chipping Sodbury , Stoke Gifford | |
| National Benevolent Institution | Housing Association | Tetbury | (No involvement groups) |
| Oxbode HA | Housing Association | Gloucester | |
| Severn Vale Housing Society | Stock transfer from Tewkesbury BC; est. 1998 | Tewkesbury, Winchcombe, Churchdown, Ashchurch | |
| Society of Merchant Venturers' Almshouse Charity | Almshouses | Clifton | |
| St Lawrence's Hospital Charity | Almshouses | Cirencester | |
| Stroud District Council | Local Authority | Stroud, Dursley, Wotton-under-Edge, Nailsworth, | |
| Two Rivers Housing | Stock transfer from Forest of Dean DC; est. 2003 | Coleford, Cinderford, Newent, Mitcheldean | |
| Wyedean HA | Housing Association | Forest of Dean, South Herefordshire |
Wiltshire and Swindon
| PROVIDER | TYPE | MAIN AREAS | STRENGTHS (WHERE KNOWN) |
| College of Matrons | Housing Association | Salisbury | |
| Devizes & District Housing Society | Housing Association | Devizes | |
| Duchess of Somerset's Hospital | Almshouses | Froxfield | |
| Kennet Housing Society | Housing Association | Marlborough | |
| Marlborough & District HA | Housing Association | Marlborough | |
| Ridgeway Community HA | Housing Association | Devizes, Wiltshire | |
| Salisbury City Almshouse & Welfare Charities | Almshouses | Salisbury | |
| Sarsen HA | Stock transfer from Kennet DC; est. 1995 | Wiltshire, Glosucestershire, Bristol, Somerset | |
| Selwood HA | Stock transfer from West Wiltshire DC; est. 1989 as West Wiltshire Housing Society | Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon, Melksham, Warminster, Westbury | |
| Swindon Borough Council | Local Authority (Unitary) | Swindon, Highworth | |
| Westlea Housing | Stock transfer from North Wiltshire DC; est. 1995 | Chippenham, Calne, Malmesbury, Wootton Bassett, Cricklade | Employment of Resident Design Advisors in £28m project over 3 years; training; surveys; newsletters; design panel; impact reports |
| Wiltshire Council | Local Authority (inherited stock from former Salisbury DC) | Salisbury, Wilton, Amesbury, Mere, Tisbury | County-wide residents' forum including RSLs and other housing providers - Wiltshire Tenants' and Residents' Voice. Participation in Wiltshire Housing Partnership. |
| Wiltshire Rural HA | Housing Association | Chippenham |
Regional Housing Providers
| PROVIDER | TYPE | BASE | STRENGTHS (WHERE KNOWN) |
| Devon and Cornwall HA | Housing Association | Exeter | |
| Knightstone HA | Housing Association | Weston-super-Mare | |
| Raglan HA | Housing Association | Poole | |
| Sanctuary Shaftesbury | Housing Association | Exeter | |
| South Western Housing Society | Co-operative | Weston-super-Mare | |
| Westcountry HA | Housing Association | Torquay | |
| Western Challenge HA | Housing Association | Christchurch | Broad range of involvement opportunities |
National Housing Providers operating in South West Britain
| PROVIDER | TYPE | BASE | STRENGTHS (WHERE KNOWN) |
| A2Dominion | Housing Association | Staines | |
| Abbeyfield | Housing Association | St Albans | |
| Ability HA | Housing Association | Staines | |
| Advance Housing & Support | Housing Association | Witney | |
| Affinity Sutton | Housing Association | Borehamwood | |
| Anchor Trust | Housing Association | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | |
| Bromford Living | Housing Association | Swindon | |
| Chapter 1 | Housing Association | London | |
| Chiltern Hundreds HA | Housing Association | Amersham | |
| Circle 33 Housing Trust | Housing Association | London | |
| Elim HA | Housing Association | Rudgeway | |
| English Rural HA | Housing Association | London | |
| Frontis | Housing Association | Warrington | |
| Guiness Hermitage | Housing Association | Havant | Area panel; getting excellent membership; service improvement groups focussing on repairs, ASB, community investment etc. |
| Guiness Care & Support | Housing Association | High Wycombe | |
| Habinteg HA | Housing Association | London | |
| Haig Homes | Housing Association | Morden | |
| Hanover HA | Housing Association | Staines | |
| Hastoe HA | Housing Association | Kingston upon Thames | |
| Home Group | Housing Association | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | |
| Housing 21 | Housing Association | Beaconsfield | |
| James Butcher HA | Housing Association | Theale | |
| Jephson HA | Housing Association | Leamington Spa | Marches HA Tenant Contact Scheme; 'The Voice' tenant panel |
| L & Q West Neighbourhood | Housing Association | Slough | |
| Langley House Trust | Housing Association | Witney | |
| Livability Housing | Housing Association | London | |
| Methodist Homes HA Care | Housing Association | Derby | |
| Midland Heart | Housing Association | Birmingham | |
| Moat Homes | Housing Association | Dartford | |
| Places for People (BCHG) | Housing Association | Preston | Street clean-up sessions at Redwood Hostel in Bristol involving hostel residents and elderly residents from a neighbourhing Housing 21 estate |
| Richmond Fellowship | Housing Association | London | |
| Rooftop Homes | Housing Association | Evesham | |
| Salvation Army HA | Housing Association | London | |
| Sanctuary HA | Housing Association | ||
| Sanctuary Care | Housing Association | ||
| Sanctuary Carr-Gomm | Housing Association | ||
| Soha Housing | Housing Association | Didcot | |
| Sovereign HA | Housing Association | Newbury | |
| Swaythling Housing/Radian | Housing Association | Eastleigh | |
| Teachers' HA | Housing Association | London | |
| YMCA | Housing Association | Manchester |
