Charities and trusts
All of our guardians volunteer for at least 16 hours per month, which makes us uniquely suited to work alongside charities and trusts. Beyond caring for the property, we can direct our guardians towards our clients’ voluntary projects and help support existing residents.
Client: Women’s Pioneer Housing
Project type: sheltered housing
Property type: flats
Duration: 1 year, 1 month
# of guardians: 7
# of properties: 5
Client savings: £26,000
Social impact: 1,992 hours of volunteering
Mary Flux Court is a sheltered housing scheme run by Women’s Pioneer Housing, an organisation that provides homes and services for women who need extra support but want to maintain their independence.
Women’s Pioneer Housing had ambitious plans to carry out major works to increase the properties’ capacity. They decided to house guardians in the empty flats instead of securing them using metal screens, providing a reassuring presence for the current residents. We collaborated with Women’s Pioneer Housing for the first time in 2014, to house seven guardians in five spaces.
Due to the unique situation at Mary Flux Court, guardians who moved in were briefed on and signed up to additional responsibilities. This included focusing some of their volunteering hours on helping the residents, for example running IT support sessions, gardening and social events such as knitting and film clubs.
“It’s a win-win situation for us. We didn’t want the flats to look empty in case someone vandalised or squatted them. Instead we handed over the flats to Dot Dot Dot. They looked after them well and also made themselves very useful locally.”
Christine
Housing Director at Women's Pioneer Housing
When Women’s Pioneer Housing were ready to move on with their development plans, we handed the properties back with 30 days’ notice, on time and in good condition.
Client: Toynbee Hall
Project type: development
Property type: diverse range of spaces, including commercial units
Duration: 10 months
# of guardians: 65
# of properties: 30
Client savings: £80,000
Social impact: 6,277 hours of volunteering
Toynbee Hall is a charity which has given deprived communities a voice and access to free advice and support from its base in London’s East End since it was founded in 1884.
Over time, the charity became a housing provider, particularly for its own volunteers. In 2014, Toynbee Hall committed to a regeneration project, which included both the refurbishment and extension of existing structures, and the insertion of new buildings. In 2015, long standing tenants therefore needed to be rehoused, as redevelopment work neared its start date.
Dot Dot Dot placed and managed 65 property guardians to secure 30 different properties, including 1-bed flats, studios and unadapted commercial units. We used a holistic approach, going beyond providing security by guardian occupation. For large periods we were based on site and also provided estate management services, including fire alarm testing, waste management and litter picking.
