Clarion Futures delivers £125m in social value

Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group, delivered £125m in social value 1 to its residents and communities in the financial year 2018-19.

The charitable foundation is investing £150mn over 10 years to deliver one of the biggest social investment programmes in the country.

Clarion Futures focuses on three core areas: jobs and training, financial and digital inclusion and making Clarion estates and neighbourhoods more attractive and vibrant places to live.

Between April 2018 and April 2019 Clarion Futures:

• Supported 4,009 people into work.
• Placed 250 people into apprenticeships.
• Helped 81% of people to sustain their employment for six months or longer.
• Awarded £255,337 in community grants to 58 projects across the country.
• Improved or upgraded 31,239m2 of communal land and buildings.
• Involved 320 young people in 27 Community Ambassador programmes, contributing thousands of volunteer hours.
• Supported 1,803 residents with one-to-one money guidance and energy advice.
• Helped 3,731 residents to access free debt advice.
• Delivered 14,536 digital skills support interventions.

Long-term place making is at the heart of Clarion Futures and includes providing grants to help residents improve their communities as well as extensive support for younger residents, including mentoring and community ambassador programmes.

Free national employment and training service

The charitable foundation offers a free, national employment and training service providing a wide range of opportunities to residents, including work placements, apprenticeships and employability training.

Supporting 4,009 people into work in one year is a record for Clarion Futures and makes the housing association one of the largest providers of employment support in the country. Of the 4,009 people supported into work, 50% were from BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) backgrounds and 25% were aged 25 of younger.

Clarion Futures is also the lead partner for Love London Working, a London-wide employment support programme funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the European Social Fund (ESF) and delivered through a consortium of housing associations.

Phil Miles, director of Clarion Futures, said:

“At Clarion, we’re about so much more than bricks and mortar, as demonstrated by the wide-ranging support we’ve provided to our residents and communities over the last year."

“We’re proud of the positive impact we’re making in communities across the country and are committed to supporting even more people, places and projects in the coming year.”

Jason Davis, an employment support officer for Clarion Futures who was recently named ‘Adviser of the Year’ at the ERSA Awards, said:

“The best part of my job is building relationships and helping people realise their potential. I recently worked with one of our residents who was socially isolated, helping him to build his self-confidence, explore employment opportunities and secure a full-time job in a local business."

“He’s now come off benefits and is feeling positive about his career path. It’s outcomes like this that show the difference Clarion makes.”