________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
and innovation enables Fortem to break down silos, lead from the front, and build meaningful, early-stage connections that drive impactful change.”
Turning to projects, Fortem recently won Best Retrofit Project at The Northern Housing Awards for its work with Sanctuary on a £ 9-million retrofit programme in Shiregreen, Sheffield. This ambitious project aimed to improve housing conditions, tackle fuel poverty, and create local employment opportunities. As with every project, an essential component of its success was putting residents at the heart of operations. Speaking about the project, a Sanctuary resident commented:“ Everyone was so respectful around my house. They left everything very clean and tidy, no mess at all. I suffer with mental health, and it took a lot for me to have this work done, but everyone made me feel at ease, I didn’ t blink an eyelid. I felt like I was always kept in the loop and informed of everything.”
Fortem’ s work with Sanctuary is just one example of how the company collaborates with others to create longstanding partnerships. Fortem also works with organisations like Birmingham City Council and Lincolnshire Housing Partnership( LHP), the latter of which resulted in Fortem winning Best Customer Service at The Northern Housing Awards.
“ We’ ve recently expanded our contract with Sanctuary to include retrofit improvement works in the Northwest and Yorkshire,” Andrew shares.“ We are delivering a capital works programme for LHP and we’ re also looking to support their Wave 3 funding retrofit works and repairs access service. This expansion has been largely due to our impressive customer journey and our outstanding access figures.”
People first
Another key area of focus for Fortem is sustainability, and the business has outlined a 2030 sustainability strategy: For Our Future. Focusing on three themes – For Planet, For Homes, and For Communities – the strategy aims to support clients as they strive to reduce carbon emissions and build homes that protect the wellbeing of future generations.
Fortem is leading the way in the UK’ s social housing market and will undoubtedly continue its current trajectory.“ In terms of growth, we’ re focusing on three things: listening to our customers, concentrating on our people, and further understanding our market,” Andrew states.“ Listening to and engaging with residents is a
152