Abri came into being in 2020 following the culmination of two strong housing providers. Bound by a set of clear commitments, our Achieving Together 2020-2025 corporate strategy prioritised improving our homes, services and communities; building more homes and creating a united and resilient organisation. Along the journey to Achieving Together, none of us could have predicted the challenges ahead, or the resilience and determination our colleagues and communities would show in facing them.
The same year Abri and Achieving Together were launched, the world profoundly changed. Covid-19 disrupted daily life and reshaped the way we worked and delivered services. Alongside the pandemic, Brexit and political uncertainty added further instability. The rising cost of living placed enormous pressure on households for a prolonged amount of time, with 96% of our rental customers in 2022 reporting a monthly increase in living costs, and 83% said this was making their situation worse.
Within the sector, the tragic death of Awaab Ishak sharpened the focus on damp, mould and how housing associations manage their homes; the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final reports transformed fire safety regulation and new Consumer Standards created a higher bar for transparency and accountability.
Resetting our priorities and regionalising our services
Although our strategic priorities were still in line with our customers’ needs, it was clear that the way we delivered them needed to change. So, in 2023 we stepped back, listened to our colleagues, customers and partners and refreshed our Achieving Together strategy.
In March 2023 we placed further emphasis on creating ‘inclusive communities’ and made this our eighth strategic priority. In December 2023, following the partnership with Silva Homes, we adopted a regional model for housing operations, and added our ninth strategic priority ‘to retain a local focus as we grow.’
We knew that by growing in scale we became a more financially resilient organisation with access to more opportunities and investment for our customers, but we were mindful not to become disconnected from our customers and communities and the unique challenges and opportunities each faced.
The regional model completely changed how we would deliver our strategy. It transformed Abri’s focus to customers-first, making our housing teams more empowered, accountable and visible to customers, whilst supported by local governance.
What we achieved together
Over the course of the five-year strategy, and all its evolutions, Abri, and our customers have seen significant improvements in services and delivery. We have:
Invested in homes and communities
- £467 million invested into improving our existing homes
- 16,000 people engaged in community programmes: from Good Grub Clubs to community pantries
- Implemented a specialist damp and mould team, delivering faster, more effective resolutions
Built new homes
- 5,194 new homes delivered, over 80% of which for social or affordable rent
- 4,982 more in the pipeline, keeping us on track to mee our original target of 10,000 homes by 2030.
Increased customer satisfaction
- We are now one of the top housing associations for customer satisfaction, with 74.5% of Low-Cost Rental Accommodation customers satisfied overall in 2025
Growing stronger in the face of adversity
We achieved all of this in part due to our strong partnerships. These have made us capable of expanding our impact, securing funding to invest in our homes and communities and in 2024, saw us take on the stewardship of Octavia Housing. Now that we’ve increased our scale, we are more financially resilient than before, equipping us better than ever to deliver more homes, better services and stronger support.
But we know our work doesn’t stop there. Whilst we’re proud of how far we’ve come, we’re not complacent. One in four customers still are not satisfied with our services, and almost half of our Low-Cost Home Owners feel we need to do better
They’ve told us what to focus on next:
- More consistent repairs
- Better care of communal areas
- Dealing with ASB more effectively
These three themes are our priority to get right for our customers and we’re reporting on these quarterly to demonstrate our commitment to improve.
But we aren’t stopping there. In true Abri fashion, and as custodians of Octavia Hill’s legacy, we want to do more. Right now housing waiting lists are at an all-time high and too many families are living in unsustainable environments; children are doing their homework in the same place they eat and sleep, a lack of a permanent address impacts people’s ability to hold down a job and build roots in community, and for many the dream of homeownership is no longer affordable.
Over the last year Abri have been working with our customers, colleagues and partners to understand how best we can step up to meet and address the challenges our communities are facing. We also have a government who recognises the UK’s housing crisis and just last year announced once-in-a-generation investment into affordable housing, and with that significant development targets. Now is not the time to rest on our laurels. Now is the perfect opportunity to be bold and ambitious in what we want to achieve.
A bold and ambitious strategy for 2026-31
Our new strategy builds on the foundations of Achieving Together while addressing the realities of today: ageing stock, risks to community cohesion, a housing crisis and rising expectations from customers and the government alike.
It sets out how we plan to become one of the largest and best-performing housing associations in the UK, focusing on three core themes: ideal homes, ideal services and ideal organisation. With housing high on the agenda within the government and across the country, our new strategy gives us the confidence and belief to push on and achieve our ambitious goals.