Our Social Investment Strategy

When you look at our mission and vision, you can see the definitions are really broad, but at the same time, we know that we need to focus our efforts on areas that are relevant to both our communities and our business.

Therefore, to ensure that we do this, we have adopted the following priorities that will hopefully give us outcomes  that benefit our communities in the best way possible. Each of these priority outcomes has projects and work that contribute to achieving our overall social aims. 

1. Stronger more resilient communities:  Supporting the capacity of local groups and individuals enabling them contribute to their own communities. 
2. Improved places and reduced environmental impact:  Enhancing the local environment, and acting responsibly to  reduce our impact on global environmental issues.
3. Stronger more resilient local economy:  Enabling more people to be active within our local economies,  and supporting local business to develop and grow.  
4. Healthier and happier people in our communities:  Providing and supporting activities and services that improve wellbeing and reduce social isolation.

One Manchester will target resources to achieve our  social priorities according to the following principles:

1. Evidence and intelligence based:  Combining insight of frontline staff customers  and partners, with data analysis to inform decision making and stimulate creative solutions. 
2. Place based:  Understanding the unique characteristics that define places within our neighbourhoods with consideration to both needs and assets. Ensuring that investment priorities are adapted to ensure they are appropriate at local level. For example, we are currently undertaking an in depth analysis of three neighbourhoods in Ardwick, Gorton North and Clayton, analysing a range of statistics,  plus speaking to residents and businesses in those areas and other partners. This information is being used to identify our investment priorities.
3. Leverage and partnership:  Working with partners to help increase our impact by helping secure additional resources and coordinating efforts with others who share our social objectives. There are many examples of our partnership work where we have been able to achieve more and attract extra resources for our communities, but one great example is our joint work with Healthy Me Healthy Communities and local groups in Anson and Coverdale & Newbank to establish Community Shops to support people facing food poverty.
4. Social Innovation:  We are an imaginative organisation, always looking for new and innovative ways of investing, partnering and bringing people together to make a long-lasting, positive impact on the communities in which we work. We have established a social innovation working group involving board members, staff and partners to help identify and develop innovative projects and ideas. Our approach to funding includes innovative approaches such as Community Soup events and crowdfunding campaigns, this means we only  fund projects we know that local communities want and support.
5. Enabling long term sustainable solutions:  Whilst we can respond and react to opportunities we will prioritise work towards sustainable and lasting solutions to social issues. All organisations who received funding from our community fund get offered support from our staff, often helping them with skills and knowledge to help improve their organisations.

One Manchester recognises that there are numerous ways in which we can and do achieve our social objectives.
 

1. In house services:  We provide a range of services, supported by our staff that have a direct impact on improving people’s lives. For example, our One Money team provide free financial advice and support, and our Opportunities team provide a range of support to help people develop the skills and confidence to find employment. 
2. Pro-bono support:  Our core staff support local communities with their time and expertise, adding value to local projects and organisations. For example, our surveyors have helped a range of local projects recently, helping identify and address a range of building issues including Fallowfield Library, the Power House, Pakistani Community Centre, Levenshulme Library and the Aquarius centre.
3. Commissions: We commission social enterprises, charities, and businesses helping them to build capacity and achieve our social objectives. For example, we have recently commissioned the Architectural School for Children (TASC) to undertake work with local schools and community groups to engage people in improving local landscapes.
4. Joint ventures:  We partner with other public agencies, businesses and charities to establish joint projects and ventures. For example, The Pod is a partnership involving One Manchester, Bubble Enterprises and Mosscare Housing Group. We work together to provide space and support for start-up businesses. The aim of the Pod is to support and develop enterprise to help create vibrant, prosperous, sustainable communities across South Manchester.
5. Community Grants:  We provide grant funding to community organisations, enabling them to provide services and facilities in our communities. For example, we have pledged to invest £100,000 through our community fund, now in its second year. We have also provided further grants for neighbourhood events and activities.
6. Social Finance:  We will consider investing in social enterprises in order to help grow sustainable socially purposed organisations that contribute to our objectives. We will explore innovative approaches to community investment such as match funding community shares. For example, we are currently exploring new opportunities to invest in initiatives across Greater Manchester that meet our social outcomes through Social Impact Bonds, Community Shares and other forms of investment.
7. Asset licenses /leases:  We make use of our commercial, residential and community assets to support community projects and host a range of activities. For example, we have provided Manchester Active Voices with office accommodation to support their youth empowerment and mentoring programmes,  we have also provided rooms to local projects such as the Carers Forum to support networking activities.
8. Supply chain:  We have policies and processes in place to ensure that Social Value is considered in all of our procurement activities engaging our supply chain in delivering on our social priorities.For example, one of our larger suppliers, Keepmoat have delivered a range of social benefits to the community whilst completing a large One Manchester construction project, investing in local facilities such as the Cornerstone homeless shelter, and hosting apprentices and work experience placements for local people. By taking a strategic approach to coordinating these activities we aim to make a significant and lasting impact  on our priorities.

We will focus our investment priorities on the areas in which we manage housing stock, however we will also support social projects that make more sense at a city wide or Greater Manchester scale. Our main priority areas can be seen on this map:

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Our theory of change shows the various ways in which we are working towards our social  priorities. We have developed a set of social performance indicators which along with our case studies we will use to produce a set of social accounts on an annual basis. The pdf of our social investment strategy includes this theory of change.