About us - Strategy for success
Our recently reviewed business plan sets out key areas of activity for the next five years as we work to meet the diverse needs of our customers and to build upon our strengths.
Tackling social deprivation: Arawak Walton works mainly in the inner city areas of Greater Manchester. We continue to contribute to regeneration activities in these areas. Following Staff and Board reviews held over 2004/5 we have agreed that our work should be focused within the geographical boundaries of the M60 ring road. This incorporates parts of the local authority areas of Manchester, Trafford, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Oldham and Rochdale.
Maintaining financial strength:Our holistic approach to our clients' needs has ensured a high and continued demand for our housing and services. Following our successful bid for rent subsidy, our business plan now shows a healthy surplus and a strong balance sheet as we work towards achieving target rents. The Housing Corporation has agreed our implementation timetable. This confirms our status as a successful, financially viable organisation.
Developing multi-cultural neighbourhoods: We are proud of our specialist knowledge of African and Caribbean communities and their cultural needs. However, the ethnic profile of our tenant population confirms, that not only are we meeting our mission and stated objectives, but we are also providing services to increasingly diverse communities. We welcome the opportunity to address the needs of a more multi ethnic community within our stock and believe Arawak Walton is uniquely placed and committed to working with partner agencies to improve community cohesion, by creating sustainable, multi-cultural neighbourhoods.
Seeking new opportunities: We aim to provide our client group with a wider choice of housing by identifying new areas of operation, in particular by agreeing stock transfers with partner associations and local authorities.
Growing our stock: Using prudent assumptions, based on actual commitments, we have calculated that circa 50 homes will come into management over the next five years. We will achieve this through new development, stock transfers and further management opportunities. As a result, we will have 865 homes in management by March 2010. The high level of demand we have means that we require a much higher level of stock growth than the plan assumes. The agreement to work in a wider geographical area, together with confirmed support from a number of local authorities within those areas, enhances our ability to meet this aim and should open up further opportunities.
Playing a key role in regeneration activities: We were extremely pleased with the outcome of the Manchester/ Salford Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder lead and support partner selection process. It confirmed our status as a Black and Minority Ethnic RSL that will be supported to work across the Pathfinder areas to address the needs of the BME communities. We will be working closely with officers over the next few months to establish the practical processes needed to achieve this. As we already work closely with a number of the selected lead RSL partners, we will be in a position to start the work in a timely manner.
Seeking new opportunities: The plan assumes that stock transfer and management opportunities will come from closer working relationships with partner associations and the local authorities in which we work. Significantly, the new areas of operation we have identified will provide our client group with greater choice. We have established the demand for these new areas through recently commissioned research.
Improving our performance: In achieving our aims and objectives, we do not neglect our core work. During 2004/5 we have implemented a new computer system in response to and to facilitate our growth and need for better performance information. To maintain sound planning and financial control we will continue to improve our arrears performance, maintain our excellent voids performance and implement long-term planned maintenance processes that achieve value for money and deliver our asset management strategy.
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