Sanctuary Housing is a large housing association based in Worcester, England. It is part of the Sanctuary Group, which also includes other organisations such as Sanctuary Care (running more than 100 care homes), Sanctuary Students (accommodation), Sanctuary Supported Living, Sanctuary Scotland (social housing) and Sanctuary Homes (development).[1]
Housing
Sanctuary's "The Orchards", Worcester
Sanctuary manages 120,000 properties in the United Kingdom,[2] with around 250,000 residents. Sanctuary is a trading name of Sanctuary Housing Association, an exempt charity in England and Wales.[3]
Sanctuary Homes received a £3.4 million grant from the Scottish Government in 2019, to finance housing developments in Paisley, Renfrewshire.[4]
Sanctuary runs a supported living operation for more than 500 people with learning disabilities.[5]
Since 2016, Sanctuary has been redeveloping the former Glasgow Victoria Infirmary as The Victoria, including into 209 homes.[6][7]
Mergers
Cornwall Council's Cornwall Care was absorbed into Sanctuary, who also acquired the council's care homes, in June 2022,[8] and Swan Housing Association became a Sanctuary subsidiary, with a view to a full merger in future, in February 2023.[9]
It was the subject of a Channel 4Dispatches documentary in March 2019 in which tenants complained about various issues including damp, woodworm and flooding. The Regulator of Social Housing is said to have found no breaches of their standards.[11]
It was attacked in the House of Commons in July 2019 by Mark Francois MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, who said it was ‘highly dysfunctional’ and had “consistently provided a poor maintenance service to many of my constituents over a period of many years”. Shortly after this Rochford District Council, which is Conservative controlled, issued a joint statement with the association in which it said it had worked “successfully” with the association for 12 years.[12]
Sustainability
Along with four other housing associations – Abri, Anchor Hanover, Home Group and Hyde – Sanctuary is part of the Greener Futures Partnership (GFP). The GFP collectively owns 300,000 homes and members collaborate to improve energy efficiency and develop decarbonisation solutions.[13]
Racism
In 2020, Sanctuary was accused of treating a black woman, Selma Nicholls (the CEO of a talent agency) unfairly compared with her white neighbour. Nicholls was refused a temporary rent freeze which she requested due to financial difficulties, while her white neighbour (requesting this under the same circumstances, for an identical property) was allowed one. Compared to her neighbour, Nicholls suffered a compounded loss of approximately £30,000 as a result.[14]
