A new method of sharing expertise has been launched by Social Enterprise West Midlands, part of the Aspire Group. The new web portal is funded by 16 housing providers and will allow them to share best practice.
The portal will focus on five themes:
- Understanding – supplying the information housing providers need to get started with social enterprises;
- Buying – all housing providers need to know in order to buy from and do business with social enterprises;
- Doing – providing the knowledge necessary to partner with social enterprises and benefit from it;
- Enabling – providing access to social enterprise work and business opportunities;
- Finding – facilitating access to social enterprise specialists to provide support.
Melanie Mills, chief executive, Social Enterprise West Midlands, said, “There are some fantastic examples of great practice from across the UK, including First Ark in the North West, Walsall Housing Group and Trident in the West Midlands to Shepherds Bush Housing Group and Plymouth Community Homes in the South. We hope sharing the peer-to-peer learning will create even more social impact.”
Seed funding for the Social Enterprise and Housing Hub was provided by Amicus Horizon, Aspire, B3 Living, Bolton at Home, Cross Keys Homes, Festival Housing, Gedling, Knightstone Housing, National Housing Federation, Orbit, Placeshapers, Plymouth Community Homes, Severnside Housing, Sovereign Housing, Together Housing, Trident, Two Rivers Housing and Walsall Housing Group.
