Who are we?
Impact Housing is a Housing Association working to charitable rules, registered as an Industrial and Friendly Society.  We house people in greatest need, throughout Cumbria, in around 2,300 rented houses, flats and tenancies.  We have over 150 staff and have offices in Workington, Carlisle and Penrith.  We have over 100 members, who elect our voluntary Board, which is made up of lay people, voluntary organisations and tenants.  


Why “Impact”?
When we were set up by local tenants in Cleator Moor in 1975, they chose the name “Impact” to stand for “IMProvement through ACTion.”  Since then, we have always sought out initiatives which will provide maximum benefit to the communities in which we work.

Who do we house?
Many of our applicants are homeless or otherwise in need.  Many of our tenants have additional support needs – they have some disability or other problems coping with independent living; many are starting out in their first tenancy.

What do we provide?
As a landlord, we provide an intensive and caring service.  However, we are also a community based organisation, with properties in many of Cumbria’s communities, both urban and rural.

Who do we work with?
We work closely with partner organisations to provide integrated solutions to meet local needs.  Housing priorities are identified by District Housing Authorities (who have representatives on our Area Committees).  Voluntary agencies manage a significant part of our supported housing.  Many of our projects involve County Council, Health Authority, Education and Training providers and so on.

Where does the money come from?
Most of our income comes from rents.  Supported housing is part funded by the Housing Corporation, as are most of our new capital projects.  Last year, we received funding from over 30 different sources.  Any surpluses we make are ploughed back into improving our services to tenants or developing new initiatives.