Welcome to the first issue of MHP Perspective, Metropolitan Housing Partnership’s (MHP) online magazine for our business partners and stakeholders. In it you’ll find our views on the issues affecting the housing and care and support markets, and the work we’re doing to create better homes and stronger communities.

It’s a new year and with it come fresh challenges and opportunities. MHP is shaping up for what lies ahead with a new Chair, Barbara Roche. Barbara is no stranger to MHP, having been on various member organisation boards since 2006. As a barrister and former MP and Government Minister, she brings with her a wealth of experience that will help us to deliver improving, innovative and diverse services.

At MHP we celebrate diversity and refuse to shy away from the most challenging work within the housing sector. That’s why in 2010 we will continue to:

• provide care and support services
• support refugees and asylum seeker
• regenerate communities
• implement a successful sustainability strategy and use the learning from our award-winning eco developments
• offer affordable homes for rent and affordable home ownership.

We don’t just manage homes we also provide help to the people who need it most, so our work ultimately contributes to a more equal society. In total we support over 80,000 households across the UK in many different ways, including:

• 36,800 customers who rent our homes
• 12,000 Care and Support service users
• 8,000 Metropolitan Home Ownership customers
• 12,000 Shared equity householders
• 2,500 refugees and asylum seekers
• 6,000 Home Improvement Agency customers
• 3,000 households affected by our Community Investment activity.

Four cornerstones guide our work, we:

• put our customers first in all we do
• have a passion for quality and do the best we can with the resources we have
• always look for the most business effective way of working
• have care and concern for employees.

This year the work we do will also be supported by sustainable growth and the consolidation of assets, so we can increase our financial strength and focus our efforts more effectively. For example, we will be reducing the number of local authorities we work with from 90 to 53 by swapping and selling homes with other housing associations in areas where we have few properties. This will require detailed discussions with tenants and other customers, as well as those local authorities affected. It should, however, help us to improve the services we provide. Consolidation means that some of our customers will have new and more local landlords, which should also result in them receiving an even better service.

The local communities we serve are at the heart of everything we do. Therefore we will continue to shape our organisation and the services we deliver to ensure our customers’ needs are paramount.

Bill Payne, Chief Executive, MHP.