Who is Sustain UK?

Founded in 2009, Sustain UK Ltd is a specialist social landlord based in

Birmingham, providing housing and support across the city to vulnerable people, many of whom are living under the threat of homelessness.

Many of Sustain’s residents have serious mental health issues or are recovering from alcohol and drug dependency.

Sustain UK is responsible for managing and maintaining the quality of the accommodation and support provided to its 1,800 residents.

Big challenges

When Ian MacGregor took up the post of Chief Executive in 2021, Sustain UK faced a number of internal and external challenges, not least the fact that Birmingham’s supported housing market had a very poor reputation among the media, other stakeholders and residents.

This perception was driven by a number of unscrupulous operators, and even some criminal groups, who were controlling pockets of supported housing, heaping misery on some residents and the surrounding communities.

This situation for Sustain was exacerbated because the organisation was noncompliant with the Regulator of Social Housing in two areas relating to the organisation’s past governance.

How Frontier PR helped

Due to the focus on Birmingham as an example of negligent or criminal controlled exempt housing in the UK, all the larger supported housing providers in the city were under intense media scrutiny.

Due to its noncompliance with the Regulator, Sustain was an easy target for the media as an example of what was going wrong.

Frontier PR’s first step was to properly manage the frequent and very challenging flow of media requests to Sustain.

These would often comprise anything up to a dozen separate questions, some of which were legitimate, while others were based on inaccurate rumour and false information.

All media enquiries had to be reviewed in detail so Frontier PR could identify the questions that genuinely related to Sustain, such as its noncompliance, and explain to journalists that this issue had no bearing on the quality of the organisation’s accommodation or support services.

This placed ‘clear blue water’ between Sustain and the problems caused by housing providers who were negligent and dragging down the reputation of the market.

Frontier PR drafted concise and focused responses, reinforcing the positive changes Sustain was making to operations, standards and updated governance in response to challenges on the ground in Birmingham.

This open and professional dialogue with the media started to turn around Sustain’s reputation, and improved relationships and credibility with key journalists - allowing Frontier PR to take a more positive and proactive approach to media relations and create a better perception of the organisation.

This included a critical examination of the supported housing market and comment on important legislation progressing through Parliament - the now Supported Housing Bill,

Finally, Sustain’s improved position allowed Frontier PR to establish the organisation’s first social media presence, using LinkedIn to help keep key stakeholders such as Birmingham City Council and the Regulator of Social Housing up to date on new developments and progress.

The result

Frontier PR proved its value by identifying false information in stories that would otherwise have damaged the organisation, such as homes and residents inaccurately linked to Sustain UK, through dialogue with journalists.

Professional, timely and measured responses separated Sustain from the true instigators of industry malpractice. The organisation could now gradually rebuild its reputation, allowing Ian and his team to become a credible source of information and comment.

The level of negative media interest in Sustain began to reduce and shifted from attacks to seeking clarification, and then increasing requests for comment on wider issues and thought leadership.

Frontier PR is now far more proactive in securing high-value positive media coverage, including the cover story in Housing Executive Magazine, in which Ian MacGregor offered his expert appraisal of the industry and how it must change.

We also secured Ian an opportunity to lead comment on the day the Supported Housing Bill became an Act in Inside Housing.

Frontier PR also interviewed the people at the heart of Sustain, including key staff and residents, who were able to share their stories, and begin to bring to life what differentiated Sustain from other operators causing so much damage across Birmingham.

In 2023, Sustain began to publish resident stories, heartfelt personal accounts of the trauma of homelessness and addiction, and the importance of a safe and comfortable home in bringing stability and hope to their lives.

If you’d like to talk to Frontier PR about this supported housing PR campaign, or require similar support to Sustain UK email david@frontierpr.co.uk or call 07939 137 098

Learn more about our work in supported housing.