Housing 21, a leading not for profit provider of Retirement Housing and Extra Care, has won an Investors in People award at a ceremony in London on Tuesday 19 November.

The organisation, which specialises in housing and care for older people of modest means, was selected as the winner of the Third Sector Award by a panel of judges which included the CEO of Investors in People and the Director of People at CIPD.

The Investors in People Awards celebrate the best in people management practice amongst Investors in People accredited businesses.

Meeting tough competition from Swiis Foster Care Scotland, Pioneering Care Partnership, Barod and Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Housing 21 was recognised as an organisation that ‘knows where its focus needs to be and has a clear idea of how to achieve its mission’. The award was presented on stage by Grahame Smith, the General Secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress.

Housing 21 supports independence and choice for older people through providing quality housing and care, managing over 20,000 properties and providing over 42,000 hours of social care each week. As an organisation which achieved the Gold standard in Investors in People in 2018, it has been one of the main driving forces in positive changes for Care Workers in the sector.

Last year, the organisation introduced changes for its care workforce which included guaranteed hour contracts, more opportunities for progression and a wage that sits at least 10% above the National Living Wage. Since doing so, its level of staff retention now sits higher than the national average within the sector.

Sophia Nakhooda, Head of People & Strategy at Housing 21 said: “We’re over the moon to win this award. It reflects our continued commitment to invest in our people and their potential.

“A key part of this award win was our work around improving pay and conditions for our Care Workers. Helping to give our care staff the confidence to progress within their careers is something we are all really passionate about at Housing 21.

“We hope that this award win will help us attract new people into the sector and support our ambition to be an employer of choice.”