Being involved as a customer is about more than sharing feedback. It’s about having a real say in how services work and how they improve.
Over the past year, we’ve seen that voice make a real difference.
What you say is now heard in the right places at the right time. Feedback goes directly to Gentoo’s Group Board, often on the same day. That means issues don’t just get discussed, they lead to action. You have helped shape some of the biggest changes this year, including a new housing model bringing services closer to neighbourhoods, a new Customer Engagement Strategy designed to make it easier to get involved in ways that work for different people, and the development of new service standards.
But what matters most is what this means day to day.
We’ve seen improvements in repairs, more support reaching people when they need it, and clearer communication. We’ve also seen continued investment in homes and support for families across Sunderland.
As customers, we know there is still more to do. This report shows the progress that has been made and the difference our feedback makes. It feels like we are being listened to, but the work does not stop here.
We want to see Gentoo keep improving services, and we will keep playing our part by sharing our experiences and ideas. Our voices matter, and we should keep using them so things continue to get better for everyone.
You told us services needed to be faster and easier.
You told us repairs were too slow.
You told us services felt too distant.
You told us you needed more support.
You told us you needed more practical and community support, but not everyone was accessing it.
You told us homes needed improving.
19,000 people are on our housing waiting list.
You wanted clearer information.
You wanted your voice to influence decisions.
You told us you want transparency.
This year has been shaped by listening to customers and responding in ways that make a real difference to everyday life.
You told us that the basics matter. When something goes wrong in your home, you want it fixed quickly. When you need support, you want it to be easy to access.
Those conversations have driven the changes we’ve made.
We’ve focused on getting closer to you, improving services, and offering the right support at the right time.
You told us that sometimes our services felt too distant, and that it matters to know who you’re dealing with. So, we made a big change
We introduced a new housing model built around smaller neighbourhoods, helping teams spend more time in the community and respond more quickly when support is needed.
We also introduced Support Coordinators, so when things change in your life, you have a consistent point of contact who understands your situation and can offer the right support.
The Mobile Housing Hub has brought services directly into neighbourhoods, with no need for appointments.
This more local, visible approach has helped us build stronger relationships and better understand the support people need in their everyday lives.
We know challenges do not stop at the front door. Feeling safe, supported and connected where you live can make all the difference.
That’s why we’ve focused on bringing support into our neighbourhoods so we can be there when it matters most, not just when something goes wrong.
For many families, it’s the simple things that matter. Through our bed provision scheme, 61 beds were provided, helping children get a better night’s sleep.
“It was like a burden off my shoulders.”
We also supported 279 families through our school uniform scheme, providing clothing for more than 565 children. Ninety-six per cent of families said it helped reduce financial pressure.
More than 6,000 customers attended community events, helping people feel more connected and supported.
“The support has gone a long way , it helps with the stress and worries of making sure you have the essentials for children going back to school.”
A war veteran with significant health and mobility needs was living in a home that no longer worked for him. Everyday tasks had become a struggle, and he was becoming more isolated.
Through our new housing model, we worked with partners to take a more personalised and joined-up approach. By bringing together housing, health and specialist support, we were able to find a home that met his needs and coordinate a move quickly.
The impact was immediate. With the right home and support in place, he regained independence, felt safer and saw a real improvement in his wellbeing. He described it simply as “a new lease of life.”
For another customer, early support made the difference between losing her home and keeping it.
A young mum with a baby was struggling with rent arrears, money worries and the impact of domestic abuse. Managing her home had become overwhelming, and she was at risk of legal action.
With support from a dedicated coordinator, she got tailored help that worked for her. This included support from specialist services, getting long-standing repairs sorted, acces to essential furniture, and help to better manage her money.
Step by step, things began to improve. Her rent arrears were cleared, her tenancy was secured, and she felt more confident managing things and asking for help.
Feeling safe in your home and neighbourhood is something everyone should be able to rely on. We understand the impact it has when that doesn’t feel the case.
Over the past year, we:
We also know that not everyone reports ASB, and some people aren’t sure how to. Our dedicated teams and specialists take concerns seriously and act quickly. You can report ASB in a way that feels easiest for you by:
If you’re in immediate danger, always contact the police on 999.
We’re always out and about in your neighbourhoods whether we’re hosting events or dropping by, we’re there to listen, have a chat and support you. Keep an eye on our social media to see where we’ll be next, we’d love to see you there.
We know a repair isn’t just about your home. It affects your day-today life.
You told us that repairs were taking too long, and that not knowing what was happening made things even more frustrating. So we focused on improving both speed and communication.
We’re starting to see that change take shape. Average repair times have reduced from 29 days to 16 days, and we’ve been clearer about what you can expect.
Service standards include:
But fixing things quicker is only part of it. Being kept informed matters just as much. We’ve introduced simple videos to explain what happens during repairs and appointments, so the process feels clearer from start to finish.
Getting in touch also needed to be easier. You told us that waiting on the phone could be frustrating, so we introduced call-backs and queue updates to give you more control over how you contact us.
At the same time, a huge amount of work continues every day to keep homes and neighbourhoods running as they should.
For many customers, the biggest changes are the ones you feel every day at home.
We’ve continued to invest in our homes to make them safer, warmer and more comfortable to live in. For some, these improvements have completely changed how their home feels. It’s not just about the work itself, it’s about helping people feel comfortable, secure and proud of where they live.
We invested £45 million in improving 6,500+ homes and focused on making them warmer and more affordable to heat.
Gentogether is a new way of working with local contractors to improve homes, delivering better quality work and a more joined-up service.
So far:
Customer Eileen said:
"I absolutely love my new kitchen… it feels so fresh and welcoming."
Alongside improving existing homes, we are continuing to build new homes to meet demand.
This is the highest number of affordable homes Gentoo has delivered in a single year and helps more people across Sunderland access safe, good-quality homes.
Money can sometimes feel difficult to talk about, but feeling in control of your finances makes a real difference to everyday life.
Customers told us they were worried about the cost of living, so we focused on making support clearer and easier to access.
To help, we created the Your Money Matters guide to help people understand their options, access support and feel more confident managing their finances.
We will continue making support clearer and easier to access so customers know where to turn when they need help.
Everything we do is made possible through the investment of your rent. Put simply, your rent helps keep homes safe today and ready for the future.
We’ve created clear explanations about how rent is used, including a short video and a simple guide. Customers have also helped review this information to make sure it is easy to follow and answers the questions that matter most.
We have worked to make information about rent and money easier to understand through simple guides and videos developed with customer input.
Providing good services isn’t just about making changes. It’s about being clear on how well those changes are working.
Each year, we measure our performance so we can understand what’s improving, where we’re meeting expectations and where we can do better.
We will continue sharing performance information so customers can see what is working well and where we need to improve.
There’s been real progress this year, but we know there’s still more to do. You told us that repairs and communication need to keep improving, and that services should feel easier to access and more reliable.
Over the next year, we will continue improving repairs and communication, be more visible in neighbourhoods, keep investing in safe, warm homes, and continue to build much-needed affordable homes.
We’ll deliver a service improvement plan focused on making the overall customer experience better and launch our Knowing Our Customers campaign, so we better understand who you are, what matters to you, and how we can respond in the right way.
We’ll also strengthen support so it reaches people earlier, when it can make the biggest difference.
Most importantly, we’ll keep listening because that’s how we keep improving.
Over the next year we will:
Most importantly, we will keep listening because that is how we continue to improve.
There are lots of ways to get involved and have your say on the services that matter to you.
You can:
Your voice matters. It helps us improve services and neighbourhoods for everyone.
We want to be open about our performance and the services we provide. Performance information is published online so customers can see how we are doing and hold us to account.
If you have questions about this report, please contact communications@gentoogroup.com.
Gentoo Group Limited is a charitable community benefit society, registration number 7302.