When did it all begin?
Orwell Housing Association was formed in 1963 in Ipswich, employing no staff and managing only a handful of properties. Today, Orwell Housing Association own or manage over 4,300 homes providing safe and secure accommodation for over 8,200 people and operate in 12 local authority areas. We employ in the region of 800 people and provide housing, care and support services with customers at our heart.
Orwell occupies a refurbished Victorian building at 325 London Road, Ipswich, as our Registered Head Office.
Customer care
Orwell has an enviable track record of delivering customer‑focused services to tenants and service users and remains committed to continually learning and improving. The most recent survey shows that 71.9% of tenants were satisfied with the services they received from Orwell.
Our values
We live by our values which are:
People Focused
People are at the heart of Orwell. By recognising people’s diverse needs and strengths and treating everyone fairly we can improve services to our customers and support our teams to run a brilliant organisation.
Ambitious
We are ambitious to grow and improve, so that we can do more and realise the full potential of Orwell, our teams and our customers.
Collaborative
We will work with other to seek out best practice. We will collaborate with customers, colleagues and values driven organisations to co-develop solutions.
Effective
We will embed efficiency and effectiveness across Orwell, ensuring we have the resources to support our teams to be fully committed, professional and knowledgeable and provide the highest possible service to our customers.
Together we make a difference
Orwell's business and partnerships
The majority of Orwell’s housing is located in the Ipswich and Lowestoft town areas; however, in recent years Orwell has evolved and has properties in all districts within Suffolk, South Norfolk, North Essex and Cambridgeshire. Orwell also manages (as well as owning the majority of) five sheltered housing schemes, twelve extra care housing schemes, eight schemes supporting adults with learning difficulties and eight temporary supported housing schemes including two women’s refuges.
Orwell is currently the largest supported housing provider in Suffolk, in partnership with a number of different agencies to provide housing management, support and care services in a wide range of accommodation. The agencies we currently work with include: Access Community Trust, Affinity, Anglia Care Trust, Avenues Group, Break, Care UK, Dimensions, ENS, Family Mosaic, Heritage Care, Heywoods Grange, Home Group, Julian Support, Leading Lives, Mencap, Papworth Trust, Suffolk Social Care Services, The Benjamin Foundation and United Response.
Orwell’s current budgeted turnover is approximately £55m. The Statement of Comprehensive Income and the Balance Sheet can be viewed in the Annual Report.
How does Orwell financially support itself?
Orwell Housing Association is non-profit making and is only permitted to make a surplus which must be reinvested in Orwell to carry out improvements to existing stock. Additionally, Orwell bids for funding from Homes England to build and refurbish properties which increase the Association’s housing portfolio. The Association is one of 95 organisations which are Homes England partners for development.
Who makes the decisions?
Orwell is overseen by a Board of up to twelve members. Orwell’s services are regularly reviewed by working groups involving tenants.
The Executive Team consists of our CEO and four directors across the service areas of:
Orwell is generally regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing, which ensures that its processes and practices comply with their requirements and that it is financially viable. Orwell’s care services are regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
Our performance
To ensure that we are providing a good level of service to our Customers, we have set a range of targets to monitor our performance.
To see how we are performing follow the link below.
Orwell Housing Association Registration
ORWELL HOUSING ASSOCIATION LIMITED is a registered society with charitable status under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 with registration number 16460R
Other pages to explore… Below you can find other information about Orwell.
Our Board
Since Orwell Housing was founded in 1963, our Board has played a central role in guiding our direction. Their leadership and insight have shaped the organisation over the decades, helping us grow into the organisation we are today.
Our Executive Team
In this section you can find information about the Orwell Executive team.
Privacy Policy
This privacy notice tells you what to expect when Orwell collects personal information about you.
Complaints & Compliments Policy and Procedure
We sincerely welcome complaints and compliments from anybody who has received either a poor or good service from Orwell. In this section you will find all the information relevant to complaints.
Publications
You can find all publications from each of the different sectors at Orwell below. From the Newsletter to the Annual Report. Just click on the image and enjoy our publications.
Terms of Use
These terms of use (together with the documents referred to in it) tells you the terms on which you may make use of this website.
Website Accessibility
We have created this website in accordance with certain web standards and government guidelines. Find out more here.
Safeguarding
On this page you can find out about safeguarding and what Orwell does to promote safety in and out of schemes.
Sustainability at Orwell
We are committed to improving the energy efficiency of our homes. This will make your homes warmer and more comfortable to live in. And it will help to fight against climate change.
Our Performance
Learn more about our latest customer satisfaction and health & safety performance.
Orwell is currently the largest supported housing provider in Suffolk.
Together we can end domestic abuse 