A home is more than just a physical place – it’s about feeling part of a community where everybody has an equal opportunity to belong, grow, and thrive.
This is what we stand for – not just for our customers and communities, but also for our colleagues in making sure Abri is a great place to work.
The world is changing and it’s right that we’re held to account on what we’re doing to make it a better place. How we’re tackling climate change. How we’re building more affordable, sustainable homes. How we’re looking after our customers, colleagues and communities, and empowering equal opportunities for all and how we’re making sure Abri is managed to the highest standards.
We can only make a significant impact and bring real change if we’re totally transparent on our ambitions, strategy, what we’ve delivered and how. That’s why we’re an early adopter of the sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing, launched by the ESG Social HousingWorking Group. It’s not just a way for us to share what we’re doing; it’s a set of standards that anchor and guide us and provide a constant source of accountability and consistency for our environmental, social and governance issues.
Climate change is one of Abri’s seven strategic priorities and central to our values and purpose as an organisation. In the spring of 2021, we appointed Rose Bean as our first ever ExecutiveDirector of Assets and Sustainability to help steer our journey to achieving net-zero carbon by 2050. We’re committed to hitting this target and recognise the huge impact the social housing sector can make in both cutting carbon emissions and embedding the behavioural shifts that support long-term change.
Sustainability means safe, warm, and efficient homes for our customers, leading to better life chances, health, and wellbeing. It means our communities can thrive, surrounded by green spaces and having the opportunity to get involved in outdoor projects. It means our colleagues have a great place to work, promoting healthier and more agile ways of working that support them and our planet.
ESG means that we can achieve more when we hold ourselves accountable to higher standards. We’ve retained our A3 credit rating from Moody’s, reflecting our strong liquidity and commitment to deliver more homes and reinvest in existing properties. We also hold G1 for governance and V1 for financial viability in our first In-Depth Assessment (IDA) since becoming Ari.
We’re confident we’ve got good ESG practice covered, but there is always more to be done, and more to learn. By bringing together investors and providers, we can share information in a more organic way and make sure that we manage risks collaboratively. We’re always looking for opportunities to work with like-minded people and organisations. If you believe in finding new, better, greener ways of working; or making sure everyone is included and has equal opportunities in life, we’d love to work with you.
More information can be found on our website, www.abri.co.uk.
Gary Orr
Group Chief Executive