Corporate Social Responsibility
Social Value Delivered since April 2023
Community Project Delivered since April 2023
Helping Hands funding awarded to community groups since April 2023
About Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Unitas
Welcome to our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) webpage
Unitas is committed to its social, environmental and economic responsibilities. Unitas is a value-led organisation that is clear about its role within wider society. We are dedicated to improving the quality of life for people and the communities in which they live. We aim to achieve this by providing decent housing and related services, improving existing homes and working with a range of partners to benefit the community.
Unitas is committed to improving our local communities and maintaining the city council’s housing stock to ensure we provide decent homes to those in need.
Year on year we will invest millions of pounds through planned projects to improve the housing assets across the city. Our commitment to CSR will be evident through the engagement we have with our workforce and in our local communities. It is also reflected in the investment we continue to make in our environmental approach with an emphasis on protecting and enriching our environment.
Our belief in these principles is reflected in both our vision and our approach to business planning and continuous improvement.
How we will make an impact
4 objectives
Within these four areas there are also a number of action areas we have identified that will have the most impact:
- Valuing and investing in our staff
- Developing employees by offering suitable training
- Investing in the wellbeing of our workforce
- Building thriving communities
- Raising money for local charities
- Providing career opportunities to those living within the local area
- Responsibly managing our supply chain
- Support and encourage suppliers, treating them fairly and with respect
- Combine ethical procurement with value for money
- Encourage protection of the environment
- Develop an approach to improving recycling / waste infrastructure
- Respecting our responsibilities
Tri-Services and Veterans Support Centre
In summer 2022, we completed a project where we renovated and decorated the iconic Tontine Building, Hanley for use by Tri Services and Veterans Support Centre.
Tri Services and Veterans Support Centre is a charity run by volunteers who are themselves, veterans. Since their inception in 2015, they have helped approximately 20,000 people, offering a variety of services and support systems. These include a Walk-in Hub, Foodbank, Rest & Recuperation Retreats, Classes and Courses and Battlefield Tours, in addition to mental and physical health support.
Tri-Services were also helped by Novus Property Solutions along with Councillors Lilian Dodd and Joanne Powell-Beckett.
CSR Co-ordinator Rachel Forster said, “This has been a fantastic opportunity for Unitas and Novus Property Solutions to work in partnership and renovate and decorate such an iconic building in the heart of the city so that Tri Services can provide a much-needed service for our veterans.”
Armed Forces Champion, Councillor Lilian Dodd commented, “I cannot thank both Unitas and Novus for the fantastically hard work in the renovation of the Tontine Building. Both companies have ensured that the Tri-Services Veterans Support Charity can now expand their services and reach and support so many more Veterans across our City. The transformation is amazing and will now provide a welcome, relaxing, safe haven for all their visitors.”
Abbey Hulton Litter Pick
Unitas were approached by the Honeycomb Group who were carrying out a community initiative in Abbey Hulton, Bucknall and Bentilee over July 2022.
The Community Week of Action aimed to improve the appearance and environmental value of the areas as well as helping to reduce the risk of fly tipping.
We were asked to help and support the week, and as a result members of our Environmental Group, Andrea Beale, Sarah Degg and Linda Peake took part in a litter picking session
Linda, who chairs our Staff Environmental Group said, “we do a lot of litter picks and tidying of our local area in Northwood. It’s lovely to be asked to go out into Stoke-on-Trent and we hope to be able to do more in the future.”
Joiners Square Community Centre
Joiners Square Community Centre is a busy and well-used centre in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent, offering a variety of classes, meetings, activities and private hire uses. It is managed and operated by the Joiners Square Community Centre Committee. Unitas was first approached by Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Community Team as the Committee were looking for help to provide new doors to the main hall.
Our friends at Novus Property Solutions provided a fire boarded partition wall along with a double fire door. We then helped with decoration and finishing to ensure that as well as appearing modern and professional, the committee and hall were completely fire compliant and more energy efficient.
CSR Co-ordinator Rachel Forster said, “We have worked in partnership with Joiners Square Community Centre Committee and Novus Property Solutions to ensure that the work will benefit the local community and make the building more aesthetically pleasing and warmer.”
Unitas Helping Hands
About the fund
The Helping Hands Fund is a fund set up with the following objectives:
• To enhance and engage the local communities within which we work.
• To invest and empower our residents, service users and the local community to create a positive impact.
The fund is made up from money received from weighing in scrap metal and holding fundraising events. Local people, community groups and charities can apply for funding, materials, volunteers or sponsorship (donations / advertising) to help make a change in their local area.
Eligibility Criteria
• Is the project based in Stoke-on-Trent?
• Does the project/event address community/social issues?
• Does it offer provision for the residents of Stoke-on-Trent?
• Is the project based/run on a council estate?
• Is the property council owned?
• Who will benefit from the project/event?
• What difference will the project/event make?
• Is there partnership working with other groups/organisations?
How it works
We have funds, materials and skills available to help fund community-based projects and these can be applied for through our application process.
There is no limit to what you can apply for as each project will be assessed on an individual basis. So tell us how you’d like us to help and we’ll be in touch.
The application process
Before your application can be granted, there are a few things we must do before we can approve any applications.
Helping Hands Step 1
If you feel you or your organisation has a project that could benefit from the Helping Hands Fund, firstly check that you/your project meet the criteria set out below and also detailed within the application form.
Helping Hands Step 2
Once you’re happy that you/your project meets the criteria, simply fill in the Application Form and once completed, send the form to one of the team via governance@unitas.co.uk.
Applications will be reviewed at the end of each month and you will be advised of the outcome of your application within 2 weeks of it being reviewed.
Apply for Unitas Helping Hands
To apply for Unitas’ helping hands fund you can either apply online, or you can download our application form by clicking the download button below.
