Our 24Housing Award Nomination!

We’re delighted to have been nominated for a 24Housing Award this year. We’ll be heading to Coventry tomorrow evening to find out the results. We’re excited to hear about some of the great things that have been happening in housing this year. And we’re looking forward to both seeing some current partners and meeting some new ones.

Why have we been nominated for an award? Read on to find out for yourself!

An Innovative Approach to Estate Regeneration

Housing providers across the country are pursuing estate regeneration.  Managing empty properties is an essential part of this process and this increasingly involves property guardians. During regeneration there is change to both physical assets and, most importantly, communities.  That is why, unlike other property guardian companies, Dot Dot Dot places social value at the heart of what we do.

We believe that social sustainability – building communities that people want to live in – becomes even more important during change.  By preventing decline, we can improve regeneration outcomes, ensuring that new homes are provided in an area that has retained a sense of identity and community. This makes new homes more attractive for new and old residents alike.

Our Approach to Guardianship

Our innovative approach to guardianship is a winning combination.  We select our guardians carefully. From artists to zookeepers, all are reliable and flexible and are committed to giving back to the community through volunteering.  In return, guardians live for less in properties of a good standard knowing they will be treated with respect.

Housing providers save money through property guardianship. But by working with us they also address the social issues associated with regeneration, and enable others to invest time in initiatives that benefit their communities.

For local residents our guardians become valued neighbours. They prevent social isolation and encourage a sense of community and pride during the transition phase. This should not be underestimated.

Our approach doesn’t just work with one kind of property owner or guardian or neighbourhood. Rather, we’ve worked successfully from inner-city estates to home-counties villages. And managed everything from office blocks to stand-alone houses with all sorts of owners. We’ve flexed our methods to suit local needs, but our overall approach has stayed the same.

Where has it worked?

Providing a friendly face for elderly residents in sheltered accommodation

So far this year, we have placed over 40 guardians into properties in High Wycombe. This has been to oversee building security and to strengthen community amongst the remaining residents of a complex, late stage, sheltered accommodation transition.

Our guardians were chosen due to their commitment to and confidence in befriending the elderly as well as their ability to tackle anti-social behaviour.  Consequently they have integrated well with the remaining residents and during 2016 they will achieve the equivalent of 4+ years of fulltime work in volunteering.

One building, over 30 properties, 65 guardians and 6,277 hours of volunteering

In 2016 Dot Dot Dot guardians in an East London building volunteered with 263 organisations, for an amazing 6,277 hours. Additionally, they recorded 15 anti-social behaviour incidents as well as spending 41 hours litter picking!

Beyond the Award Nomination

We have a 100% track record of returning properties in good condition with vacant possession, on time and on budget. Moreover, we truly believe our innovative model works because of our values and not despite them.  Now a team of 18 dedicated individuals, we are not just a social enterprise. We are a business and we are ethical and fair, a good employer and a great organisation to partner with.

So it’s for all those reasons that we’ve been nominated for a 24Housing Award. We’re looking forward to discovering the outcome and celebrating either way. So thanks for the nomination 24Housing – we’re excited for tomorrow!

Hopefully reading this article has convinced you of the great work we do in different contexts. This could be regeneration, commercial buildings or otherwise. Consequently, if you have an empty building and you’d like us to look after it, please get in touch!

Dot Dot Dot Does Open House! Some Staff Picks

It’s London Open House this weekend, which makes our staff excited! At Dot Dot Dot we’re fortunate to work in interesting areas with lots of interesting buildings. This includes everything from iconic estates and brutalist masterpieces through to doctors surgeries and supported living units. We’re privileged to deal with an array of fascinating buildings that make great homes for our guardians.

Our staff are passionate about the built environment and enjoy the diversity of architecture in London. Therefore it makes sense that Dot Dot Dot staff are raring to go for London Open House weekend! For the uninitiated, Open House is an annual weekend where a great number of London’s more unique and interesting buildings open their doors to the public. Here’s some staff members with their recommendations:

Tom’s Open House Highlights

I’m going on a friends birthday ‘Open House Crawl’ on Saturday. We’ll be going to sites across Hackney. One of the things I most enjoy about Open House is exploring buildings across a neighbourhood or borough. By doing this you really join the ‘dots’ and get a feel for the character of development in the area.

In Hackney there’s a number of old entertainment halls that I’m looking forward to seeing, as well as some experimental housing. I would have been dead keen to see the sewage works in Tottenham but it’s booked out. Sewage is more interesting than we give it credit for!

Poppy’s Open House Selections

This year I’m focusing on Tower Hamlets to get away from the crowds.  However, I will be starting in Farringdon to have a look at the Crossrail site; it would be good to know if all the disruption to my life over the last year has been worth it!

 I’m excited about seeing new social housing projects in Tower Hamlets, like the revamp of the Aberfeldy Estate – an area Dot Dot Dot is familiar with. I’m also keen to look at some iconic social housing – Robin Hood Gardens.

In general I like the accessibility and variety of Open House and the fact it allows you to take a different approach to buildings you see every day. I’d encourage everybody and anybody to give it a go.

Hopefully this blog has provided you with some food for thought and some outings for this weekend. And you’ve got to know what some of our staff do in their spare time!

Feel inspired by this to live in one of our many interesting buildings? Apply now.