One Housing Group broke the mould when it created Arlington – a homeless hostel built at the heart of a larger development offering commercial space for a range of social enterprises, a conference centre and artists' studios. The model has been so successful that there are now plans to build another two in London with potential sites in Tower Hamlets and North Kensington already being explored.
One has already put up £2m towards the next Arlington which is expected to cost around £25m. It hopes its new charity arm, Arlington Futures, will generate a new fundraising stream to support the development and attract capital investment.
One's group director of housing, care and support Kevin Beirne says: "We have a business case and a funding model which works and One Housing Group can underwrite that. We will go forward with projects, and then fundraise."
But for the Arlington model to work – with its mix of social enterprise businesses and arts alongside studio flats for low earners and hostel rooms for the homeless – finding the right site for the development is crucial.
"They need to be located in areas like Camden, in order to attract vibrant social economy partners. It's important that the site works for them [as well as for us]," he says.
Making it to the shortlist of the Guardian's public services awards partnership category has been a real morale boost at a time when public and voluntary sectors have been squeezed, says Beirne.
"It's been really good to have a good news story. Money is important, but our staff's first call is with the ethos of what we are trying to achieve, which is difficult to measure in terms of money. Awards like this, and particularly one from the Guardian with its national profile, increases the feel good factor.
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