A Brief History

Eldon Housing Association Ltd was formed in 1981 to assume full responsibility for the housing and homes for the elderly provided by the Croydon Guild of Voluntary Organisations, now known as Croydon Voluntary Action. We are a non-profit making organisation registered as a Charity under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.

Our portfolio comprises general, sheltered, flexible care, extra care and semi independent housing all within the London Borough of Croydon plus a flexible care sheltered housing scheme in Haywards Heath, West Sussex.

The aims and objectives of Eldon Housing Association Ltd are the provision of housing and associated amenities for people in housing need. We seek to maintain a high standard of management with a commitment to quality of service and tenant participation.

We are committed to a policy of equal opportunities and welcome applicants having close ties with Croydon regardless of age, race, ethnic or national origins, religion, sex, physical ability, appearance, marital status, sexual orientation or gender re-assignment.

The Association has not only grown in size over the years in terms of buildings but has diversified into providing support and consultation services to other Housing Associations and is a registered Domiciliary Care Agency.

We are a secure partner with Croydon Council and provide Facilities Management services to their older person’s specialist accommodation PFI project; know as Homes for the Future (New for Old) PFI Project.

Visions Mission Values

Our Vision

To be the best provider of affordable housing for older and vulnerable people within our area of operation.

Our Mission

Providing accessible and sustainable housing, supported by flexible and reliable services.

Our Values

Passionate, professional and operating with integrity
Caring about customers, staff and business
Respectful – listening and approachable
Innovative – always working to improve

Tenant Engagement, Involvement & Influence

Our approach to tenant engagement, involvement and influence is based on the following principles:

Clear about what and why: We will have a clear and shared understanding amongst our tenants, staff and Board about why we’re involving tenants, what we want to achieve and how we aim to achieve it, along with having the right structures and resources in place to help us do so. 

Everyone’s welcome: We recognise that all tenants have something to contribute and will support them in doing so wherever we can; continuously seeking to identify and encourage new voices to join in and play a part in shaping the services and community we all share, identifying and removing barriers to engagement and involvement and creating real and accessible opportunities that meet the diverse needs of our tenant profile. 

Building trusting and respectful relationships: We seek to develop open, honest and collaborative relationships, where tenants, staff and Board members respect each other’s viewpoints, priorities and experience; are willing to share (non-confidential) information; and feel comfortable and confident scrutinising, questioning or challenging what they see, read, hear or experience and suggesting new or better ways of doing things. 

Encouraging, enabling and supporting: We will invest in our tenant engagement and involvement activities, committing funds, time and resources to help tenants develop the skills, knowledge and confidence required to be effective in the activities they choose to engage with. Along with establishing an appropriate system for recognising, rewarding and/or reimbursing tenants for the time they give. 

Open to learning and improving: We will take time to listen to and learn from our tenants; respecting their views and lived experiences; understanding their priorities, concerns and aspirations; and making sure they are considered and used, wherever possible, to adapt our services, address local issues, and improve the way we operate.   

Sharing outcomes and impact: We will put structures in place to help us monitor, evaluate and review our tenant engagement and involvement activities, to ensure they remain accessible, fit for purpose and provide good value for money, not just in terms of what they cost to resource, but the improved efficiency and social value they add to our business, our tenants and their communities. We will then share the impact with our tenants, staff, Board and other stakeholders. 

What matters is what works: We recognise and appreciate that despite the best efforts of Eldon Housing and its involved tenants, some engagement and involvement activities may not be as popular or successful as others, or add the value originally intended. Where this is apparent and if necessary, we will be bold enough to end them, learn from them and move on to identify more suitable and popular alternatives. 

Strategic Aims & Objectives – Looking Forward

TO PROTECT AND ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF HOMES AND THE SERVICES THAT TENANTS VALUE

Our objectives are to:

1. Achieve a CQC ‘outstanding’ rating
2. Achieve Investors in People (Standard/Silver/Gold) award
3. Maintain tenants’ satisfaction with Eldon at 95% or above
4. Invest £1.7 million 1 over the next three years to maintain good quality homes that are safe to live in

^{Years 2-4 of the Asset Management Plan}

TO PENETRATE THE MARKET OF OLDER AND DISABLED PEOPLE’S ACCOMMODATION-BASED SERVICES IN ELDON’S CORE OPERATIONAL AREAS, CREATING NEW SUPPLY AND NEW SERVICES

Our objectives are to:

1. Pursue one new opportunity each year with our partner local authorities to optimise the use of land and facilities to improve the quality of supply and/or create new supply
2. Explore delivery partnerships with ethical investors that are building homes for older and disabled people but require housing and facilities management services
3. Expand housing and facilities management to other local social landlords providing sheltered, flexible care, and extra care housing
4. Consider bringing in-house, the care provision for all extra care schemes that Eldon owns. Redevelop schemes that we own that are no longer fit for purpose and to provide additional high-quality homes

TO PROMOTE ELDON’S SERVICE OFFER TO INDUCE FUTURE FUNDERS, PARTNERS, EMPLOYEES, AND SERVICE USERS

Our objectives are to:

1. Commission and implement a communications plan to refine key messages, raise Eldon’s profile, and publicise the quality of the service offer
2. Upgrade the website to present Eldon as a modern, dynamic, and high-quality operation
3. Improve the communication flow between tenants, senior officers, and the board to ensure Eldon maintains good customer insight and is responding effectively to tenants needs
4. Make annual submissions for at least two reputable industry awards to raise awareness of the quality of Eldon’s new developments, the quality of the service, and/or the innovative and successful partnerships that we have helped to create.
5. Commission stakeholder perception surveys every two years to get a temperature check on Eldon’s public profile

TO PRESERVE INDEPENDENCE, FINANCIAL STRENGTH, GOOD LEADERSHIP, AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

To strengthen financial and organisational resilience our objectives are to:

1. Carry out an annual board effectiveness review ensuring a comprehensive review is externally commissioned once every three years. A light touch review to be carried out in the intervening years
2. Ensure adherence to the risk management framework is maintained with an annual review of the risk register, annual update of the assets and liabilities register, and stress testing of the business plan at least once a year and when there is a significant event
3. Review the value for money strategy each year in the context of benchmark comparison, and update the improvement plan to continuously drive efficiencies
4. Review the treasury arrangements each year to ensure Eldon is getting the best return on investment and securing competitive borrowing rates
5. Modernise IT infrastructure by reviewing the key databases and programmes to ensure systems and processes are efficient and add value
6. Develop a learning and development programme for the senior management team and central (head office) staff to ensure they continue to build and maintain skills to lead an effective and efficient business
7. Commission a review of rents and service charges
8. Draft development assumptions to set the parameters within which Eldon must ensure new developments are financially viable

Board of Management and Senior Management Team

Board of Management

Our multi-skilled Board of Management is lead by our Chair, Hony Premal.

Our Board meets quarterly and is responsible for the governance and strategic direction of the Association ensuring that our obligations to our tenants and clients are understood and met

Board members contribute their specialised skills to our Audit & Risk Committee, which meets regularly to review the Association’s performance against strategic objectives, budget, and targets. Additionally, our Quality Assurance Committee meets regularly to oversee the company’s compliance with statutory and regulatory obligations.

Senior Leadership Team

The Senior Management Team are all based at our Kenley Head Office and are responsible for the Association’s operations, stability and the future development of the business in line with our Vision, Mission, Values and Objectives. The team comprises:-

Susan Faridi, CEO, Susan has over 30 years’ experience working in social care and supported housing, working for local authorities, charitable organisations and housing associations. Susan has joined Eldon with extensive leadership experience in supported, sheltered and extra care housing and development. She also has wide-ranging experience in charity management and governance.

Prior to this role, Susan was the Chief Executive for The Finchley Charities, a registered housing provider and Almshouse charity, providing sheltered housing and grant giving to community and charitable groups as well as to individuals in hardship. Before this, Susan was the Director of Services at Stoll, a military charity and housing association providing supported housing and a range of services to veterans and those transitioning from the British Armed Forces.

Susan was also a group Board member and Chair of the Care Board at Hill Homes, a housing association providing sheltered and Extra Care Housing.

Linda Strong, Head of Housing, Care & Support, has a passion for delivering outstanding services to older people, that enable and empower them to live their best lives. Linda has 24 years of management and leadership experience in housing, care and support. She has been responsible for a range of services providing registered care and support to a variety of client groups, with significant experience in vulnerable older people housing, particularly Extra Care. Prior to commencing at Eldon, Linda was Care & Support Assistant Director at Notting Hill Genesis for 9 years, with direct responsibility for 13 Extra Care sites and over 200 older people leasehold units. Linda brings knowledge, skills and experience at a senior and operational level in registered care, regulation compliance, supported housing, procurement, contract management, new business development, financial management, leadership and change management.

Dawn Knee, MSc HRM, Assoc CIPD, Head of People and Resources.  Dawn has over 20 years’ experience working in HR across both the education and charity sector.  Dawn is responsible for People and Resources at Eldon and brings a wealth of experience in managing this function.  As Head of People and Resources at Eldon Dawn, leads with a focus on fostering a supportive work environment for staff, which in turn ensures our team delivers excellent services to our tenants across the scheme.

Board of Management – Profiles