Longhurst Group officially launches Improving Lives 2025 strategy

Longhurst Group is proud to have officially launched our Improving Lives 2025 strategy, which outlines how we will do even more to support our customers and colleagues over the next six years and beyond.

The wide-ranging plans were launched at the inaugural Improving Lives 2025 Conference, which was hosted by TV star Matt Johnson and featured a panel of guest speakers including best-selling author Jack Monroe, mental health campaigner Neil Laybourn and Paralympic medallist Ade Adepitan.

Our Improving Lives strategy outlines how we will continue to live our values and realise our vision from now until 2025 and beyond, ensuring that what we deliver is part of our integrated offer and accessible to all.

As well as making an even bigger contribution to solving the housing and social care crisis in the areas where we operate, we will focus our strengths and our resources into supporting our customers and colleagues with their health and wellbeing and their economic resilience.

Speaking at the launch, Chief Executive Julie Doyle said: “This is a really important step for Longhurst Group.

“We really wanted to be ambitious with this strategy. As an organisation – the board, colleagues, and customers – we’ve been working really hard to define what success will look like in six years’ time? What would really make a difference to our customers’ lives?

“We know that one in three of our customers, are living with disabilities and we also know that our customers are also living longer. We know that we are going to be housing more people, with complex needs, moving forward.

“We also know that more and more people are living with mental health issues, which is a huge issue for the housing sector. We know that people are getting poorer and finding it harder and harder to make ends meet.

“These are three key areas that we’ve identified and will focus on to really make an impact. We are absolutely committed to this strategy and doing even more to improve lives.”

Among those to speak at the event was Sunday Times best-seller and poverty campaigner Jack Monroe, who shared her powerful story which you can listen to, in full, below

She said: “At every stage of the two years I was living in poverty, there were so many opportunities for intervention - for people to say 'are you managing alright' or 'is everything ok at home' or 'are you claiming all the benefits you are entitled to?’ ‘Can I give you a Food Bank referral form?’ ‘How did you get that bruise?’ ‘Why have you got a bandage on your wrist’.

 “We are all here today as we have a common purpose. We don't want this to happen to anybody else.

“It has been brilliant to meet people who are clearly so driven and passionate about this. It is something I feel very strongly about.”