Corporate plan 2025-2030 - homes you can build a life in
Who we are
Formed in 2017, Connexus is a rural housing association with its heritage in Shropshire and Herefordshire. We provide over 10,000 affordable rented homes and associated support services across the two counties.
A shift in focus
A shift in focus
I’m pleased to introduce the Connexus 2025-2030 Corporate Plan, homes you can build a life in. The plan has been developed with the input of a wide group of our internal and external stakeholders, including most importantly, our customers.
It builds on key themes from our previous plan, reaffirming our commitment to providing good-quality, safe, and affordable homes — fundamental principles that will always guide Connexus. Where we do want to see change is in our service delivery, with a focus on building trust in our services as well as ensuring we are operating as efficiently and effectively as possible.
As well as building trust, we will of course continue to build new homes, with this plan shifting the focus to look at our existing land, the properties we have, and the needs of the local communities we serve. Regeneration will play much more of a role in our developments over the next five years, aiming to replace homes which are no longer fit for purpose in the same places or close by — ensuring affordable housing doesn’t disappear from our communities.
This will require strong collaboration with local authorities, as well as support from political leaders and the government. With this in mind, we’ll focus on making the organisation more outward facing, highlighting local issues, and advocating for rural affordable housing.
This plan is a confident step forward, shaped by those we serve and work alongside. It reflects our commitment to providing good quality, affordable homes while adapting to the evolving needs of our communities. I'm excited to see the positive impact of it over the next five years.
Kate Smith
Chief Executive
A new vision for Connexus
A new vision for Connexus
Homes you can build a life in is more than just the title of this corporate plan — it’s our new, long-term vision for Connexus. With it, we aim to provide more than just bricks and mortar; we want to create homes that offer safety and security. Homes that wrap around our customers and their families, allowing them to thrive in the rural communities we serve, regardless of circumstances.
During the plan’s development, we have spent significant time reflecting on what we aim to achieve. Alongside a new vision, we have established a new purpose that embeds themes of safety, quality, and affordability into the very foundation of our approach. We know this will provide confidence and reassurance for our customers.
As well as a new vision and purpose we have a new mission. This builds on our core purpose and will serve as a constant reminder of the things we must consider every day to realise our vision. Commitments with associated strategies and plans will make sure we deliver this mission on time and on budget.
Homes You Can Build a Life In will run until 2030, providing us with ample time to effectively deliver on this ambitious programme of work. It will also provide long-term stability for the organisation, allowing time to embed necessary changes and ensuring the plan’s positive, lasting impact.
I’d like to thank everyone who has been involved in developing this document for their time, insight and inspiration. I look forward to working alongside colleagues, customers, and partners over the next five years to bring our new vision to life.
Michele Ibbs
Chair of the Board
Purpose, mission and vision
Purpose, mission and vision
Purpose
To provide good quality, safe, affordable homes.
Mission
We are a business, with social objectives at our heart, providing good quality, affordable and safe homes that our customers are proud to live in. We create inclusive neighbourhoods, sustainable rural communities, and provide services that support our customers to build a life in their home.
Vision
Homes you can build a life in.
Our commitments
Our commitments
Our plan is based around four commitments, which reflect the areas where Connexus can make most impact for its customers and communities. Each commitment explains in detail what we will do, with associated strategies and plans put in place to ensure the necessary resources and funding are available to deliver the outcomes needed.
Committing to better affordable homes
We will build and maintain safe, good quality, affordable homes that our customers can build a life in.
- Review our portfolio of homes and other assets and step back if costs are too high or keep them if there is a community need.
- Building homes that meet local need through new build and regeneration, aiming for around 200 homes a year
- Place based strategy — commit to a proportion of new homes ‘replaced in place’ — recognising this may cost more and impact the overall number of new homes
- Balance investment between old and new homes by investing through a structured asset investment programme
- Develop flexible financial tools to review our investment in homes so we can decide to invest more occasionally if it’s possible
- Meet our future regulatory requirements for EPC compliance and net zero and improve existing home energy efficiency
- Improve our property data and insight.
Driving efficiency and improving services for customers
We will provide amongst the best customer experience, delivering efficient and effective services for our customers.
- Get the basics right first time, every time
- Offer convenient evening and weekend appointments
- Aim for top quartile customer satisfaction and experience
- Make it easier to do business with us
- Reshape our customer engagement
- Learn from complaints and feedback
- Drive efficiencies annually to reinvest and maintain business sustainability
- Manage contracts, colleagues and stakeholders in the most effective and appropriate manner
- Improve our void turnaround and re-let times
- Check back annually on whether we can, or should, remain independent — or whether there are opportunities to partner with other organisations which would bring benefits to customers and Connexus.
Investing in communities, opportunities and skills
We will invest in communities through the provision of homes, services and jobs delivering this in a colleague environment that makes a social difference to our communities, values contribution, hard work and effort, and provides opportunities for all to progress a career and learn skills.
- Invest in housing as a core of the community — more than just the bricks and mortar — make our homes somewhere people are proud to live
- Recognise we have a place in the community
- Support older people to remain independent longer
- Support the most vulnerable in society to have the foundation to live well
- Support young vulnerable people to access more than a roof over their head
- Be a great local employer, by being a great employer.
Being a leading voice in rural affordable housing
We will become a leading voice for rural affordable housing, campaigning for investment to maintain sustainable communities.
- Raise our profile, shout about who we are
- Raise our voice for the overlooked problems of rural life
- Rebuild our reputation with customers and stakeholders
- Lead from the front in the stakes for our future
- Play our part in the Rural Housing Alliance, Rural Services Network and NHF Rural Network.
Delivering outcomes from our commitments
Delivering outcomes from our commitments
Delivering on each of these commitments would help us achieve the following outputs and outcomes at the end of the plan we will have:
- Satisfied our customers by getting it right first time, and our tenant satisfaction measures will have improved
- Created a customer journey which is easy, regardless of how you contact us, online, in person or on the phone
- Improved our repairs service, so you can choose when we call, daytime, evening and at the weekend
- Delivered up to 1000 new homes by 2030, and significantly improved the quality and energy efficiency of our existing homes
- Delivered year on year efficiencies and recycled these savings into better customer service
- Improved our colleague engagement and colleagues will recommend us as a great place to work.
Our Values
Our values
Our PRIDE values define the behaviours we uphold — shaping how we work, interact, communicate, and support one another. They shape the way we act every day, which is why we place them at the heart of delivering an improving service for our customers.
Our PRIDE values are:
Passionate
We care deeply about our work and our customers and take pride in serving people and communities. This shows in our energy, enthusiasm and commitment to going the extra mile, and building for the future.
Respectful
We deal with people of all ages, all backgrounds, all needs and requirements and we treat everyone fairly, considerately and as individuals.
Involving
We develop services for people, making sure we listen to what they need and involve them all the way. We learn from our experiences and always look to grow and develop together.
Determined
When we start something, we see it through. We are decisive, focused, and tenacious and work around challenges to find the best outcome.
Effective
We aim to get it right first time and to do the simple things well, because that sets the standard and everything else follows. We deliver.