A LOOK INSIDE CURO with Victor da Cunha , Curo Chief Executive
Curo is a Bath-based housing association and house-builder with a growing portfolio of more than 13,000 properties across the West of England .
We ’ re building hundreds of new homes every year – both for social rent and for private sale . Over the next few years we aim to deliver up to 500 new homes a year .
As a charity we have no shareholders ; instead of paying out dividends , we reinvest our profits to deliver our social purpose .
PROFIT FOR PURPOSE Curo set up its house-building division in 2012 with a clear objective ; to create ‘ profit for purpose ’. We build houses to sell on the open market and use the income to subsidise the provision of affordable homes . This is the social purpose at the heart of our business and our response to the lack of government funding for essential social and affordable housing . For every two homes we sell privately we can deliver at least one affordable home , creating much-needed new housing for local families .
But there ’ s more to Curo than housing . We provide care and support services for thousands of people every year . Our independent living services allow people to remain living in their own home with the flexible support that they need . We run a Stepdown from hospital service that provides accommodation to people taking up a hospital bed , who no longer require medical treatment but are unable to return home . Our support services saved the public purse £ 15.6m last year and allowed nearly 3,000 customers to get more out of life .
We ’ re committed to helping customers into education and employment and we provide a number of work support programmes . Curo currently employs 12 apprentices , and we work closely with suppliers and contractors so that they can also deliver apprenticeships and work placements . For example , so far at Mulberry
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Sajid Javid , Ben Howlett MP and Curo Chief Executive Victor da Cunha at Mulberry Park
Park , our flagship development in Bath , we ’ ve delivered 11 placements , 17 jobs with training for local people and one apprenticeship .
MULBERRY PARK We ’ re currently working on multiple sites , the best-known of which is Mulberry Park in Bath , a significant scheme both locally and nationally . The site was designated as a Housing Zone by central government in 2015 – together with our neighbouring Foxhill Estate – highlighting its importance in providing vital homes in the city . Mulberry Park will deliver 700 high quality , energy efficient homes – of which 30 % will be affordable housing - a new primary school and nursery , enterprise space , a park and public open spaces . We intend to use the profit created from this project to regenerate the Foxhill estate .
We believe that in order to create successful , sustainable communities , we need to do more than just build houses . For example , we ’ re investing £ 10M in the new community hub we ’ re building at Mulberry Park . This is ten times the sum required by the planning permission , but we think it ’ s a key part of the new neighbourhood we ’ re creating .
MANAGING 13,000 HOMES As well as building new homes , Curo owns and manages one of the largest residential portfolios in the West of England , including many Georgian buildings . Looking after our existing stock is one of our core activities , and we ’ re investing huge resources and skills in this . In 2015-2016 we reinvested 31.1 % of our income in planned improvements and maintenance of our homes .
MAJOR EMPLOYER IN THE REGION
Curo employs more than 500 staff and this year our turnover will exceed £ 100M . We place great emphasis on customer service and workplace culture and we work hard to attract and retain talented people in a competitive market . Curo was recently ranked 27th in the top 100 not-for-profit organisations to work for in the UK , in the prestigious Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies list . We were awarded their Two-Star ‘ Outstanding ’ rating based on how engaged people are at work and how they feel about their employer . We ’ re delighted and very proud of this result which reinforces our culture and vision – to provide great customer service and to be a modern , customer-driven , ethical business , which makes a positive contribution to people and places .
For more info : www . curo-group . co . uk
@ Curo _ Group
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38 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2017