Housing Associations
It proved to be a very valuable experience in many ways. I definitely have been prepared to enter the world of business ownership.
Nichola Williams — Participant
Tree Shepherd works with a number of housing associations to help improve and enrich the lives of residents.
Most recently, Hexagon Housing approached us to help local residents set up their own businesses, responding to a growing interest in self-employment within the area they worked.
The Community Investment Team (CIT) initially trialled a business advice service, but soon realised residents required a package of support. Tree Shepherd then went on to deliver a comprehensive Start Your Own Enterprise programme and develop a start-up network.
By the end of the programme 100% of the respondents said they were ‘confident‘ at starting their own business, with 42% ‘very confident’. We continue to work closely with the CIT and support them as the local businesses flourish.
Read more about our work with housing associations in our Annual Report and Social Impact Study (p. 14-15).