The Issue

After the pandemic, Soho Housing found itself at a crossroads.

Central London had changed. Not just in how it looked and moved, but in what it meant for the people who lived and worked there. For Soho Housing, this raised some tough questions about how to stay connected to its community while adapting to a city that was changing around it.

At the same time, the organisation was going through significant internal change, including higher than usual staff turnover, and the appointment of a new chief executive, Barbara Brownlee. Barbara stepped in during this massive period of disruption and was keen to lead Soho Housing into an exciting, but grounded, new chapter.

As its 50th anniversary approached, there was a shared recognition across the whole organisation, that they needed a refreshed vision – one with clarity, energy and purpose.

Our work focused on engaging directly with residents, staff and the board to articulate a renewed vision for Soho Housing and collectively shaping a practical pathway to bring that vision to life.

How did we fix it?

In true 4OC style, we believe the best way to delve into an organisation is through co-design and speaking to the people directly involved. Our specialist Housing team facilitated conversations with a broad range of stakeholders from Board level through to residents, adapting our approach to each group.

The phrase ‘Amazing place to live, amazing place to work’ had previously struck a chord with everyone, but on its own didn’t mean anything. It wasn’t grounded and embedded in strategic and day-to-day decision-making. At the core of a powerful vision is a common understanding of what an organisation constantly strives to achieve.

We engaged with Board members via one-to-one and group sessions, including founding members, which gave us unparalleled access to the organisation’s legacy and history. With Directors and Head of Departments, we spent time in one-to-one sessions to really understand the challenges Soho Housing has. We held group sessions for all 25 staff members, a resident workshop and worked with our partner, AKOU, who are supporting Soho Housing on a resident consultation project.

To support our qualitative work, we produced a number of deliverables including identifying key activities that would drive the vision and setting Design Principles to help how strategic and day-to-day decisions should be made.

The 4OC Magic

With the guidance of the staff and residents, 4OC co-designed the new vision and strategic direction for Soho Housing. It built on the strong connection it has to its communities, residents, and the provision of affordable housing and excellent services in the heart of London. In doing this it acknowledged the role that commercial lettings and activities play in facilitating this vision.

‘We support the unique communities that sustain diversity in the heart of London by providing affordable homes, commercial lettings, and excellent services for our residents’.

We agreed a set of Design Principles to embed the vision through its work and decisions – Resident and Community Catalyst; Know and be close to our residents and communities; Social and commercial together; and, Improve, innovate and be nimble

These principles helped to create a clear articulation of what working and living in the community will feel like. Into the future, they will continue to help to bind the organisation together and enable plans and activities to be aligned and purposeful.