When you have values that are set in stone, it makes the decision making process within your company so much simpler.
Our values stemmed from our mission which was to create an effective solution for homelessness, one that focused on mental health to enable the person living in it to press the refresh button on their lives. We vowed that this solution should not contribute to damaging the planet.
Being planet friendly has meant that the construction of our homes is made using MMC, less waste, more control over smart materials, much smaller carbon footprint, less environmental disruption and we have taken the time to maximise use of UK materials.
As such, we’ve attracted like-minded businesses in the area who share the same values as us so the vision is naturally growing which makes it a heartwarming place to work.
Protecting the planet is as much as a future focused value as it is a current one when we’re designing our homes. What we mean by that is that we want it not only be made in a planet-friendly manner, but we also want it to run for its inhabitants in a planet-friendly manner too. Everything is electric within our design so it can be charged via renewable sources at a much lower cost.
Because the homes are relocatable, they also won’t go to waste if the land needs to be freed up for other council activity.
Helping to solve the homeless crisis has meant delving into the topic much more deeply. Our research has taken across the broad spectrum of related charities and articles on the psychology of mental health when attributed to having a safe and warm home.
During our time researching this we’ve become aware that temporary housing causes just as much anxiety and unrest with its participants so we made sure that our solution incorporated logistics to solve this as well.
Many current solutions do not take into account government regulations for space, height, storage. Because these regulations reflect our values, of course we’ve followed them, sometimes even exceeding them. They set the standard which we’ve worked hard to meet, again vetoing anything that doesn’t match up.
Fresh air = fresh thoughts
Air quality needed to be just right and we’ve made countless decisions to ensure that whilst the houses function in a smart way, they’ve been designed with top quality air flow to ensure the health of their inhabitants. Adapted shipping containers have such poor air flow, mould is able to grow so easily, they are simply creating greater problems in the future.
Working from home is now the norm so we’ve created spaces within our homes for people to do just that. Many temporary housing places don’t allow people to hang up pictures and make it feel like home, we do.
Having values has implemented our design decisions. It’s been a tough and long process. There have been so many factors that have made us have to stop what we’re doing and reevaluate another way forwards but it’s been all the more rewarding to do so.
Values have an impact across the business
From choosing suppliers with the same ethos to hiring team members who we can trust to further spread our mission, that initial mission has been our guiding light. To the point where we can’t imagine how a company can function without them.
It’s not just a tick box approach, it’s a future focused holistic solution to temporary housing and homelessness.