08-08-2025
Karbon Homes praises 'positive impact' of £2.8m social value activities
Karbon Homes has celebrated the 'positive impact' of its £2.8 million social value activities on customers and communities across the North East and Yorkshire.
The housing association worked alongside 47 contractors and suppliers in the 2024/25 financial year, matching a record number of social value commitments to various projects and charitable organisations in the region.
Their efforts were summed up in the annual social value report, which scrutinises the benefits of these initiatives on community wellbeing.
Philip Pollard, assistant director of customer and community engagement at Karbon Homes, said: "Social value is a key part of our procurement activity, using the returns we get from our contracts and suppliers to create valuable, often life-changing opportunities for our customers and communities.
"From helping residents find jobs to improving local spaces and supporting essential services, our programme really helps us go beyond just cash value.
"It's about people, futures, and real-life impact."
Karbon Homes also overhauled its social value measurement framework last year, ensuring that it aligns with their broader strategy.
The refresh ensures that the outcomes recorded accurately reflect the broader impact of Karbon's expenditure, particularly concerning employment.
Activities and investments are made for the benefit of customers, identified by working closely with regional partners to determine how Karbon's supply chain can best support them.
Jess Alexander, social value lead at Karbon Homes, said: "At Karbon, we believe in creating strong, thriving communities, and it's fantastic to be able to utilise social value commitments to bring real benefits to people's lives.
"I've loved being able to work with our contractors and suppliers to find ways they can make a lasting difference to our customers' lives."
The social value commitments of three material contracts suppliers, Jewson, CEF and Wolseley, have enabled Karbon to partner with the Greggs Foundation to fund breakfast clubs in 11 primary schools across the North East.
This £60,000 investment is part of a broader approach to combat the cost-of-living crisis, which is affecting numerous families in the area.
The Social Value Lead role within Karbon has been funded through its dividend from procurement partner Prosper's Social Value Dividend Fund.
Its dividend for the new financial year is also funding an additional Social Value Coordinator role within the structure.
Edward Baker, a resident of Consett, is among those benefiting from the breakfast club at The Grove Primary School.
As both a parent with children attending and a member of the school's teaching staff, he said: "The club is fantastic, not just for the kids but for the parents.
"I have to get to work first thing and without this before-school provision, I'd be at risk of not getting to work on time.
"My eldest does struggle when he first comes into school, but I find that having him come in that bit earlier to have breakfast helps him settle down and as a result his behaviour is a bit better.
"It's a big bonus for us.
"It also means that I don't need to worry about breakfast mid-week; I know the school's going to have it sorted."
