Making living easier - the YHN way. Our 2023/24 Business Plan

We are extremely proud of what we have achieved as an organisation since the launch of our ‘Doing Basics Brilliantly’ business plan in April last year. Last year, we helped over 550 learners enhance their IT knowledge through our ‘Get Online’ course; supported customers in challenging circumstances sustain their tenancies and helped our customers access over £1,400,000 in unclaimed benefits.

Our customers will always be at the heart of the decisions we make and our new twelve month business plan, ‘Making living easier’, will provide us with the flexibility to continue to support you in an ever-changing world. Your voice is vitally important to us, and we know that many of our priorities from last year remain equally as important for you this year. In recognition of what you have told us, through surveys including ‘Your home, your voice’, customer focus groups and door knocking, we are adding two new objectives to our business plan.

Supporting you through the cost-of-living crisis has always been an important part of our role within the city and we will continue to provide you with access to tailored support, whilst also ensuring we develop our net-carbon plans.

Tina Drury,

YHN Managing Director

The bigger picture

This business plan is only part of the story and it’s designed to give our customers, staff and partners a snapshot of what we are about and what we are working towards. It is underpinned by a series of other plans which detail exactly what we will do to help us achieve our vision over the coming years.

Our vision

'First for housing' - We want to be recognised in the local area as the provider of choice for those in housing need. The homes and services we offer and the customer experience we deliver will be exceptional. 

Our purpose

'Making living easier' - We are so much more than a housing provider. Through our range of additional services, we will support customers who need a bit of extra help in other areas of their lives too, enabling them to live more easily. 

Our values

• Ready – Together we’re prepared for anything
• Amazing – Exceed expectations
• Revolutionary – Have courage to be bold
• Energetic – Make every day count

Our Brilliant Basics

• Communicate
• Accountable
• Respect
• Empathy

Our objectives

• Revolutionary services that support successful living

In 2023-2024 we will...

Give Customers a bigger voice - We will work together with customers through our engagement offer to ensure that customer feedback and insight will be at the heart of all YHN’s actions and decisions. We will measure YHN’s performance using the Regulator’s Tenant Satisfaction Measures. We will learn from all feedback, improving the customer experience, and clearly reporting our performance and improvements back to customers.

Customers will have several different ways to share their views with us and know that their views are at the heart of our decision making. They will feel confident that their feedback is listened to and acted upon, and be able to have clear accountability on our performance.

Make it Easier for Customers to Access the Services They Need - Continuing to to reduce call waiting times in 

the contact centre will be one of our main priorities. We will prioritise staff development to ensure they have the right information, skills and attitude to deliver the best possible customer service each and every time. We will also develop the quality of the transactions which customers can complete online so that customers who are able to can self-serve at a time convenient to them. 

Customers will speak to highly knowledgeable staff that deliver consistently excellent customer service. Customers who choose to use our online services will have a more seamless experience.

Improve Access to, and our Range of, Support Services to Sustain Tenancies - All customer facing staff will have training in Psychologically Informed Environments, resulting in a more customer focussed approach. We will communicate with customers to provide more clarity on our support services. This will improve the customer journey around the support services we offer and provide a better experience. We will continue to work with our partners to improve customers’ ability to sustain their tenancies. 

Customers will receive comprehensive, holistically informed support from knowledgeable staff. They will experience a seamless, joined up journey through our network of support to ensure they sustain their tenancies.

• Amazing places where people are proud to live

In 2023-2024 we will...

Deliver a Repairs Service with Customers at the Heart - We will remain committed to developing our repairs 

service to make it easier for customers to report and track their repairs. We will work with customers and front-line operatives to ensure those closest to the reality of the end-to-end journey are able to feed into defining an excellent repairs process. Using customer journey mapping we will ensure challenges are identified and that the learning from 

these improves our service.

Customers will receive an excellent responsive repairs service for everyday repairs and maintenance issues.

Ensure our Customers Homes are Safe - We will remain up to date with building safety legislation and prioritise investment in building safety. We will work closely with our partners to go beyond minimum building safety  requirements to trial new approaches and develop best practice. We will communicate clearly with customers on all issues relating to building safety, so they are aware of the safety features of their homes. 

Customers will feel as safe as possible in their homes. They will know that building safety is our first priority.

Improve the Look and Feel of Our Neighbourhoods - We will work with our partners and customers to understand local neighbourhood concerns regarding anti-social behaviour and develop solutions to tackle it. A range of intervention tools (from early prevention to formal enforcement powers) will help ensure our customers feel safe in their communities. We will develop tailored support with our customers to combat the issues that matter the most to them. 

Customers will feel listened to and empowered to be part of the solution to anti-social behaviour in their  neighbourhoods. Our focus on prevention of anti-social behaviour will ensure customers feel safe in their homes. 

• Strong Business, Fit for Today Ready for Tomorrow

In 2023-2024 we will...

Net Zero- Making Efficiencies for the Future - We will support Newcastle City Council in their net zero ambitions for Council owned homes. We will use available funding to deliver energy efficient upgrades to the housing stock which is most in need in line with NCC’s Asset Management Plan. YHN will develop and deliver its own Net Zero action plan covering operational activities such as the agile working policy, office sustainability, a focus on recycling and review of the YHN fleet.

Customers will receive communications and support to help use energy in the most efficient way possible. This, in conjunction with our support services and cost-of-living crisis response, will help make living easier for customers in these exceptionally trying times.

Support Customers Through the Cost-of-Living Crisis - We will continue to help customers through the cost-of-living crisis by increasing energy efficiency in homes and maintaining our support services offer. We will focus on keeping household bills down and household incomes up through a combination of good advice and practical 

help. We will respond flexibly to changes in the external environment and adapt our services to continue to help our most vulnerable customers and families in need.

Customers will know that they can turn to us for fair, impartial support regardless of their situation. We will work to develop practical solutions with customers to ensure we are helping to maximise their income and reduce household bills. 

IT that Enables an Excellent Customer Experience - We will invest in transforming our systems to improve usability and eliminate duplication as well as investing in our IT equipment to enable an agile workforce. Ensuring that training is delivered to improve the skills and knowledge of our colleagues will enable YHN teams to deliver a more efficient service to our customers. 

Customers will experience a better service from us through interactions with staff who have all the right information and knowledge to hand and the service is seamless.