Multimillion-pound community investment by London’s largest landlords helped 320,000 people last year

Fiona Fletcher-Smith, chair of the G15 and group chief executive of L&Q, said the awards highlighted the essential role that housing associations play in fostering vibrant, empowered communities and helping to tackle rising living costs and the housing crisis.

Delivering support through more than 200 community centres, G15 members highlighted how they had created safer, more sustainable neighbourhoods, alongside employment advice, training and apprenticeships, and activities and opportunities for young people.

Ms Fletcher-Smith added: “Our social value work removes barriers to engagement and opportunity, especially for marginalised groups, to help create a more level playing field for residents in deprived areas.” 

The G15 houses one in 10 Londoners, builds a quarter of all the capital’s new homes, and owns or manages more than 770,000 homes across the country.

Dawn Wightman, director of customer and communities at A2Dominion, said: “This year’s Community Impact Report shines a light on the incredible contribution residents, local groups and partner organisations make to the lives of our customers. There are many ways they’ve made a positive difference, from mentoring projects for young people to providing mental health and cost of living support. 

“The G15 Community Awards is our way, as a group of housing associations, to say thank you and recognise the achievements of volunteers, residents and community organisations who have gone above and beyond to help others and make our communities great places to live.”

The G15 has previously warned the government that schemes which add social value and plug gaps in state services are at risk without urgent action.

In November, the group published a report, Room to grow: supporting London’s communities, on the value of and threat to those services.

It said: “We are uniquely placed and motivated to do this. Unlike many other public sector or non-profit actors, we have a pre-existing relationship with over 800,000 residents and so intervene through a position of familiarity, knowledge and trust.

“This means we can help residents overcome any issues they may face well before they reach crisis point, reducing pressure on stretched public services. 

“In many communities, our density of homes enables us to act as ‘anchor institutions’, co-ordinating local partners and activities to bridge gaps in service provision that have emerged following austerity and local authority cutbacks.”

The G15 said that landlords’ voluntary activities “contribute to key cross-party objectives including improving growth, reducing economic inactivity and eliminating poverty”.

However, it said the services are “under real threat” in the current uncertain economic climate “as housing associations juggle various demands on their income”. 

“Several G15 members have taken difficult decisions to cut back on their social impact work so that they can prioritise the essential core work of repairs and upgrades.

“Further cutbacks are inevitable without a boost to housing associations’ finances,” the group warned.