Sustain to be Awarded Silver Status by Birmingham Voluntary Sector Council

Sustain (UK) Ltd is to be awarded Silver Status by the Birmingham Voluntary Sector Council (BVSC), following a series of independent assessments of its business practices, accommodation, and support services.

The Silver Status is a reward for Sustain as being ‘Very good with only a few areas for improvement’ – with a score of 80% to 89%.’ 

Established by Birmingham City Council, the BVSC’s aim is to establish a ‘fairer and equitable Birmingham by supporting volunteers, charities and civil society to unlock the power of voluntary action’. 

A particular focus for BVSC has been the development of a new Quality Standard for registered providers of housing, with the ultimate aim of improving the standard of exempt accommodation across the city.

To achieve this, the BVSC has an established team of specialist inspectors drawn from different disciplines, with responsibility for assessing the quality of housing and accompanying support services. 

Sustain participated in the Supported Exempt Accommodation Quality Standards (SEAQS) process in June and July 2021, with the BVSC team interviewing a range of Sustain employees, as well as staff from an accommodation supplier, and inspecting a number of properties.

This included meeting Sustain’s Operations Manager, buildings managers and support workers.

The SEAQS inspection team also interviewed and surveyed a range of residents and visited accommodation at seven randomly selected buildings across the city.

Sustain’s CEO Ian MacGregor said: “I’m very pleased with the feedback received from the BVSC, and the award of the Silver Status. It’s a timely boost for the whole Sustain team.

“I fully support Birmingham City Council taking action to ensure that exempt accommodation and support services meet the required standards and that assessments are made public.

“There has been much scrutiny of exempt accommodation in recent months and years, particularly in Birmingham, so I’m hopeful that this kind of benchmarking exercise can regain the confidence of the public.

“We must ensure the right people are delivering services in the right way, as our industry is essential to supporting thousands of vulnerable people and creating safety and stability to their lives.”

Founded in 2009, Sustain (UK) Ltd accommodates and supports around 1,800 people across 400 properties.

For more information on BVSC and the SEAQS, visit https://www.bvsc.org/quality-standards