Since our previous three-year plan ended this spring, the Supporting Communities team has been reflecting on our past work and how we can take things to the next level.

Our board recently developed a new three-year strategic plan that builds on the successes of our previous strategy while acknowledging the many challenges and changes that the past three years threw at us all and the political and economic uncertainty we find ourselves in now.

We have identified six strategic objectives for the coming period to strengthen SC so that it can grow, improve, and meet the needs of tenants and communities throughout Northern Ireland and expand our reach and influence further in the Republic of Ireland.

We are thinking bigger and better to create a more sustainable organisation!

Our Strategic Objectives for 2022-2025

1. Empower communities to create diverse and inclusive places where people are proud to live.

Our core work will continue as a priority, working to build up our existing groups. We will also help develop new groups in areas that need development. We will improve tenant engagement and community development practices across the island of Ireland so that people have a say in decisions that affect their areas.

We will also continue championing digital inclusion, working directly with groups and individuals to gain the digital skills needed to be active participants in today’s society. We will work to support the creation of community-owned social enterprises that support and sustain jobs and meet needs.

2. Continue to drive performance and transformation

We aim to become a thoroughly modern organisation, able to succinctly demonstrate the value of our work to all stakeholders through good use of data and digital platforms that meet the needs of our members.

We will ensure that Supporting Communities continues to be governed in line with the Code of Good Governance.

3. Increase visibility and presence across society

We will continue to increase the profile of tenant participation as a critical component of social housing provision and influence policymakers to raise the standard of tenant participation throughout the island of Ireland. We will promote our services and demonstrate our impact. We will build links and partnerships with others to spread the word!

4. Cultivate talent for the future

People are our best resource, so we plan to invest in providing them with the skills and experience required for the future. We want to nurture talent and find ways to retain high performers, equipping our current and future leaders to take us forward.

We aim to create an inclusive work environment representative of the communities we serve.

5. Improve financial sustainability

We will create a robust financial plan that secures existing income streams and uses resources effectively to ensure we are in the strongest position to make our mission and vision possible.

We also intend to reduce our carbon footprint by leading by example and helping community groups and organisations to work towards a net zero goal.

6. Realise the potential of our trading subsidiary

Now that our trading arm has become more established, we are ready to take some risks and aim even higher. There is so much we can do with this business to generate profits that can be reinvested into our charity!