We were delighted to be part of Soho’s summer fete last Sunday. Thanks to the Soho society for organising such a great event and everyone who came to see us at our stall!
Soho Summer Fete July 2024
Soho Housing joins HouseProud pledge scheme
Soho Housing is a member of HouseProud, a national network aiming to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues across the sector and has recently signed up to the HouseProud pledge scheme.
This pledge demonstrates our commitment to LGBTQ+ resident equality and support and gives us a framework to involve residents, increase LGBTQ+ visibility and ensure LGBTQ+ residents input into our policies and procedures.
If you would like to be involved, or have any questions about the pledge, please contact Rosie Butt, Housing Operations Manager rosie@sohoha.org.uk
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Soho Summer Fete July 2024
We were delighted to be part of Soho’s summer fete last Sunday. Thanks to the Soho society for organising such
From the last 50 years to the next: A visual history of Soho Housing Association, by D J Roberts
Image by Andy Keate Soho Housing Association is pleased to be welcoming guests to one of our first housing association
Soho Housing Association to welcome artists Diana Taylor, Jost Münster, and Jacob Wolff to 36 Great Pulteney Street
As part of our ‘At Home in Soho and Covent Garden’ campaign, the future-focused legacy of our 50th anniversary celebrations,
From the last 50 years to the next: A visual history of Soho Housing Association, by D J Roberts
Soho Housing Association is pleased to be welcoming guests to one of our first housing association homes at 36 Great Pulteney Street, to celebrate the work of the association over the past 50 years and look forward to the years ahead.
Visitors to the exhibition will be welcomed to ‘My Home in Soho’, Soho Housing Association’s dedicated room featuring archives from our last 50 years and highlighting the significance of the 2,500-strong residential community residing in Soho.
The exhibition will present the work of D J Roberts, who has researched and curated a timeline of collated images to showcase the history of the Association over the past 50 years, including a selection of memorable images that demonstrate the progression of the Association.
As part of ‘My Home in Soho’, we are proud to showcase selected works from 2022’s ‘A Seat in Soho’. Curated by Stella Cecil and Tiphaine Tailleux, the immersive exhibition explored issues such as housing, security, and loneliness through light illustration, photographic portraits, and audio portraits.
Visitors will also see D J Roberts’ neon sign, commissioned to commemorate Soho Housing Association’s 50th anniversary. The sign, a quote from Charles Dickens’ ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, is a description of memories being recalled in a home in Greek Street, Soho which is something our residents, some of whom have been with the Association from the start, say strikes a chord. It acts as reminder of our purpose at Soho Housing –providing affordable housing for local residents in the heart of London.
Alongside showcasing the work of Soho Housing Association over the past 50 years, we are delighted to be welcoming works by artists Diana Taylor, Jost Münster and Jacob Wolff.
As we come to the end of our 50th anniversary celebrations and turn to the next 50 years with optimism, the exhibition is a fitting acknowledgement of our achievements over the last half a century. The hard work of the past has paved the way for a bright future for Soho Housing Association and Soho’s residential community.
From 19th April, ‘At Home in Soho’ is open to the public from 1 pm – 6 pm, Wednesday to Saturday until the 8th June at 36 Great Pulteney Street, W1F 9NS.
Thanks to Andy Keate for the gallery images.
Soho Housing Association to welcome artists Diana Taylor, Jost Münster, and Jacob Wolff to 36 Great Pulteney Street
As part of our ‘At Home in Soho and Covent Garden’ campaign, the future-focused legacy of our 50th anniversary celebrations, from the 19th April Soho Housing Association is proud to host work from London-based artists Diana Taylor, Jost Münster, and Jacob Wolff at the iconic 36 Great Pulteney Street, the location of our first housing association home.
The three-part exhibition, ‘At Home in Soho’, will also exhibit material celebrating the past, present, and future of Soho Housing Association as well as the character of our local residential community.
‘At Home in Soho’ exhibition rooms:
Room 1: ‘Borrowed Time’, new paintings and collages by Diana Taylor
Diana Taylor
Room 2: ‘Stop – Repeat’, new paintings by Jost Münster and Jacob Wolff
Jost Münster
Jacob Wolff
Room 3: ‘My Room in Soho 74-24-74’, celebrating the past, present and future of Soho’s residential community
D J Roberts
The exhibition will be running until 31st May.
We look forward to welcoming both artists and guests to 36 Great Pulteney Street in the coming weeks.
Sandringham with its coat on: an ambitious restoration project in the heart of London
As those who have recently travelled down Charing Cross Road may have seen, at Soho Housing Association, we have been undertaking an ambitious development and restoration of our Sandringham Flats property. As part of our ongoing ‘At Home in Soho and Covent Garden’ campaign, we are working to maintain this heritage property at the heart of the city, whilst ensuring the comfort and quality of life for residents of the 125 homes within the building.
As is essential with any major works on a residential property, our priority has been to ensure our residents’ day-to-day experience is considered throughout the project lifecycle. A resident liaison officer has been a crucial part of our engagement strategy, meaning that there was someone onsite to address any questions from residents in the property.
The project initially intended to replace the single glazed windows on the building. However, upon inspection, it became evident that additional works such as brickwork and concrete repairs were needed to ensure the property’s ongoing durability.
Although these additional works were unforeseen, they are crucial to the successful delivery of the project, supported by partnership with Durkan, a developer with prior experience on central London restorations and who could draw upon this experience to ensure that the development was carried out efficiently and with the resident’s interests at heart.
A project like the Sandringham Flats renovation is a significant undertaking for any affordable housing provider but we have navigated the balance between meeting residents’ needs and bringing the property to modern standards while ensuring that the building’s historical facade and legacy were protected. As a result, we continue to deliver safe and quality homes at the heart of London at rents that local people can afford.
‘The echoing footsteps of years’: new D J Roberts neon installation for Soho Housing
Recent visitors to Hanway Street may have noticed a new addition to our office. D J Roberts, the London-based multidisciplinary artist who earlier this summer produced the set of posters commemorating our 50th anniversary, has once again returned to Soho Housing – this time, in neon.
Inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities and the memories of its protagonist, Lucie Manette’s settlement in Soho from revolutionary France, D J produced an enlarged neon replica of Dickens’ handwritten version of the line ‘The echoing footsteps of years’ – how Dickens described Lucie’s memories of Soho, and something that strikes a chord with many of our long-time residents.
After a rather infamous start – has anyone heard the tale of the disappearing neon? – the installation can now be found hanging in our Hanway Street office.
We hope you have the opportunity to see it soon. It’s a wonderful mark of our 50th anniversary, and a reminder of our purpose at Soho Housing.
Many thanks D J, and many thanks to our residents for making this a fantastic 50th anniversary year.
Communicating with You
We have been looking closely at our resident feedback and know that the thing that most of our residents complain about is our communication. You are very clear that we have not been getting back to you quickly enough. That includes returning your phone calls and replying to your emails.
We are a small organisation and so don’t run a dedicated customer call centre however we do want to improve our performance in this area and so are making a new customer promise to you all.
If your housing officer cannot answer their phone when you call them, they will reply to all voice mails within one working day. All emails will be acknowledged immediately, and a full response sent within five working days.
We really hope this improves your experience of our service.
Soho Housing June 2023 Affordable Housing Conference
Was it a conference or was it a fiftieth birthday celebration!
Approximately 80 people; stakeholders, staff, residents and board members joined forces in St Anne’s community hall to discuss the pros and cons of living right in the red hot centre of London. We debated the joy of being part of the original 15 minute city alongside the difficulties of noise pollution and lack of green space. Everyone agreed , however difficult it is , we need to find a way to develop more affordable homes and so we continue looking forward to the next fifty years of Soho Housing delivery.
Fifty for Fifty keeps on growing
The centrepiece of our anniversary celebrations is our Fifty for Fifty initiative to thank our residents who make up the vibrant and diverse fabric that is central London today. We are looking to partner with businesses that would be happy to donate items for our residents to enjoy. We will of course recognise all support on our new website and our social channels, and are excited to share we have already received pledges from some great local organisations including:
Apex Lifts and Escalators Engineers Ltd, Axis Europe Plc, Barclays, Business and Office Cleaning, HR Circle, John Brooks, Masher Brothers Ltd, Potter Raper, RLS law, Savills, Soho Theatre, Swale Heating, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Turnkey Fire Service, Willmott Dixon Holdings Limited. L’Escargot Restaurant and our contractors refurbishing Sandringham Flats, Durkan
The newly commissioned series of posters by London based multi-disciplinary artist, D J Roberts, can be seen in the basement of Baaria 78 Charing Cross Road.