HELENA PARTNERSHIPS

SOCIAL ACCOUNTS 2015/16

Helena Partnerships social accounts will be presented in two parts:

  1. Financial accounts
  2. Project outcomes and return
  3. Conclusions
  4. Recommendations

PART ONE: FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS

The purpose of the financial accounts is as follows:

  1. To provide information for investment decisions
  2. To report on performance
  3. To report on compliance to the Social Value Act

These accounts will provide a summary of the investments and the return by the following categories:

  1. Environmental
  2. Economic
  3. Social

Reporting

The return, due to the nature of social investment does not always have a monetary value but should have a social value. Social value can sometimes be ascribed a proxy financial value. Therefore return will be shown in these accounts using the following measures. Each of these measures has relevance to decision making.

  • OutputsDefinition: The multiple of the outcome – which addresses the aim
  • OutcomesDefinition: The change that has taken place
  • Proxy valuesDefinition: A financial proxy value ascribed to outcome.
  • Financial returnDefinition: Cash return

The proxy values used were developed by HACT. They are well being values which are gained by an individual and reflect the increase in well being experienced by an person following a successful project. The value is the equivalent cash value a person would need to have the same uplift in well being.

Qualitative assessment

Each project in which resource and finance is invested will have varying degrees of complexity. Social investment is intended to provide a solution to a problem. The complexity and difficultly in solving the problem will vary according to the nature of that issue.

For example getting a healthy and experienced adult into work will be relatively easy compared to helping a poorly educated, young person with complex barriers and a drug habit to attend and complete a training course. The ratio of resource needed to the outcome will be greater in the latter, resulting in fewer outputs. Thus productivity and value for money should always be assessed within the context of the project.

This will be addressed by applying a complexity factor: High. Medium or low

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS

ENVIRONMENTAL
Project / Investment
£’s / Outcome / Outputs / Environmental return: reduced carbon per year tons / Projected annual Savings to tenant
(assuming 5% increase in bills) / Productivity per £ saving from year 1 investment / Productivity per property / Complexity
Factor
External wall insulation Year 1 / £392,717 / Properties with improved energy efficiency / 51 / 290 / £400 / £982 / £7,700 / Medium
Year 5
Year 10 / £nil / Properties with improved energy efficiency / 51 / 1450 / £2,100 / £187 / - / Medium
£nil / Properties with improved energy efficiency / 51 / 2900 / £4,400 / £89 / - / Medium
PV Installation / £1,505,265 / Properties with improved energy efficiency / 623 / 571 / £150 / £10,035 / £2,416 / Medium
ECONOMIC
Project / Investment
£’s / Outcome / Outputs / Financial return / Well -Being value / Productivity per £ / Productivity per person / Complexity
Factor
Financial inclusion / £148,974 / Income gained for tenants / 267 tenants / £1,566,476 / - / £13 / £453 / High
£26,046 / Budget/debt managed / 91 / £402,285 / £85,737 / £286 / £15 / High
My Home Finance – Loans to tenants / £400,000
Loan write off / Aggregate savings for 245 tenants against an APR of 272% / 313 loans advanced / £54,749 / £230,831 / £7 / - / Low
£400,000
Loan write off / Average savings per tenant against an APR of 272% / 245 / £223 / - / - / £1,633 / Low
SOCIAL
Project / Investment
£’s / Outcome / Outputs / Financial return / Well -Being value / Productivity per £ / Productivity per person / Complexity
Factor
Employment / £102,210 / People helped into work / 172 / - / £759,613 / - / £594 / Medium
Training / £5,379 / People helped into training / 142 / - / £32,914 / - / £38 / Low
Young People / £73,542 / Engaged in positive activities / 1908 / - / - / - / £39 / Low to high
£13,903 / Helped into work / 7 / - / £55,031 / £1,986 / High
£16,859 / Helped into training / 31 / - / £18,118 / - / £544 / High
£13,903 / Reporting an improvement in confidence / 27 / - / £139,766 / - / £463 / High
Unlocking Potential / £75, 000 investment / 1st Entry Level Qualification / 97 / 10% rate of return / - / - / Capital investement should be returned / High
Digital inclusion / £32,832
Total / Attending support sessions / 126 / - / - / - / £261 / Medium
Improved digial skills / 87 / - / - / - / £377 / High
Health / £349,293
Total / Reporting an improvement in well being / 125 / - / £545,128 / - / £2,459 / High

SOCIAL ACCOUNTS 2015/16 PART 2: PROJECT OUTCOMES AND RETURN

The purpose is as follows:

  1. To provide a summary of some the projects
  2. To provide more detail on outcomes
  3. To summarise the nature of the investments made

The social return is expressed in outcomes, outputs and in monetary terms using well being values developed by HACT.

The case studies of projects under each strategic theme.

  1. Environment
  2. Employment
  3. Young People
  4. Digital inclusion
  5. Financial Inclusion
  6. Health

ENVIRONMENT

Helena has invested in external wall insulation (EWI) and fitting photo voltaic cells to its properties to reduce carbon emissions and to help reduce tenant’s energy bills.

The last of our non-traditional and hard to heat housing stock has been insulated with external wall insulation. The 51 properties were located on the WIndlehurst estate and the works were completed in late 2015.

Each property was subject to a RdSAP survey which provides a summary of the energy efficiency of a property and the projected savings following proposed work. Typical SAP energy rating for a property was 59 in band D which is a poor performance. In comparison a good performance in Band B would score above 81.

All the walls of the properties were wrapped in external wall insulation which were then covered in a self coloured render. To maintain a healthy air balance the properties were fitted with a ‘Dry Master’ whole house ventilation system. This allows fresh air to be introduced into the property while maintaining the integrity of the insulation.

Helena attracted £300,000 of exernal funding from REECH to fit the insulation. The cost to Helena was £392,717 making the total project cost £632,717

Helena also commissioned Golden Gates Housing Trust to instal 623 photo voltaic cells on our properties.

OUTCOME STATEMENT

The energy efficiency of our homes has been improved and the cost of maintaining a warm home is being reduced.*Any savings are dependent on how heating systems are used.

EMPLOYMENT

Employment is a priority for Helena. We invested over £100,000 and provided the following support:

Job Clubs

Helena Client Incidental Expense(ICE) Fund

Job Events

There were two job clubs run throughtout the year, in Newton and St Helens town centre. People receive one to one support in job search, CV writing and applying for jobs.

The Helena ICE fundprovides small grants to tenants to remove barriers to work such as a tool kit and work clothes. Grants are paid up to £100 each.

Job events are held in community venues and have employers with live vacancies, training agencies and information and advice support all under one roof. The events are tailored to a single employer or to a specific job market such as hospitality. Events this year included a hospitality fair in Newton and a rail maintenance open day in St Helens.

Helena secured over £130,000 of external funding to help people get into work in the travel industry , including free travel passes and training for coach drivers, track maintenance and HGV drivers.

OUTCOME STATEMENT

Helena is proactively helping people to find and enter into work

YOUNG PEOPLE

Young people remain a focus for Helena. They are our tenants and citizens of the future. Helena invested directly in the following projects to help young people in our neighbourhoods:

Make it Happen

Helena Youth Voice

roomoo

Mentoring

Unlocking Potential

Make it Happen is a lottery funded project that provides positive activities for young people in priority neighbourhoods during school holidays. Activities include arts, soccer and traditional street games. Many volunteers support the project receiving training to run activities.

Helena Youth Voice (HYV) is a flexible panel of young people using social media as a platform. Helena consults with young people to gain their insight into its services. A smaller group of members work on projects such as mystery shopping and formed a project team to develop roomoo (see below)

Roomoo is a web site aimed at young people to help fill the gap in the provision of careers guidance. It was developed by a project team of young people supported by a grant from Fusion. It contains a unique portfolio builder, a careers search facility, links to employers and a CV builder. Partners using roomoo include The Princes Trust, JCP, National Citizens Service and Groundwork Trust.

Mentoring provides intensive one to one support to young people facing challenges in their lives that prevent them from fulfilling their potential.

OUTCOME STATEMENT

Young people are being helped to find opportunities, engage in positive activites and fulfil their potential

*some figures included in employment figures

DIGITAL INCLUSION

Helping our customers get on line is a corporate priority for Helena. We aim to have 80% of our customer transacting with us on line by 2020. Some of our tenants will struggle with the technology, the cost and the skills needed to do this.

Helena developed ‘Digital For All’ – free support sessions provided in community venues. Tenants are invited to drop and learn new digital skills and become familiar with the technology.

We use Learn My Way at the Digital for All sessions, which is an online training system that helps people learn and practice digital skills.

OUTCOME STATEMENT

Helena is supporting tenants to get on line and develop digital skills

FINANCIAL INCLUSION

Helena provides homes to many tenants on lower incomes and on state benefits. We provide guidance and one to one support to help tenants maximise their income, gain additional income and grants and access low cost loans.

Our programmes under financial inclusion include:

Money advice

Budgeting advice

Debt advice

Low cost loans via My Home Finance

We have two full time benefits advisors and officers in the womens refugeworking with tenants to gain additional income. An officer providing budgeting advice to those on welfare benefits and starting to claim universal credit.

Helena funded a debt advisor in the St Helens Citizens Advice Bureau to hel people manage their debts.

We also invested half a million pounds in My Home Finance to help provide low cost loans to tenants.

OUTCOME STATEMENT

Helena is helping people to gain additional income, manage debt and avoid high cost loans

WELL BEING

Helena provide a variety of ways to help tenants to improve their well being, both physical and mental.

We have worked on the following:

Mens health projects

Activities for older people

Healthy eating

Supporting more vulnerable tenants

We have engaged men through arts and media to help improve mental well being.

Activities for older tenants include events on avoiding falls, ‘come dine with me’, gentle dancing and sessions on dementia.

We have worked with more vulnernable tenants through our Staying Home Team who work closely with people to give them the support they need to saty in their own home and avoid going into hospital.

The Viking Wheel Chairs group have been active playing regular basket ball and peole have been finding out how to eat cheaply and healthily using frozen food.

OUTCOME STATEMENT

Helena are helping tenants to improve their well being, stay safe and at home