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Playing an active role in local communities

We’re ensuring our actions have a positive impact on the communities and environments around us.

Playing an active role in local communities

We’re ensuring our actions have a positive impact on the communities and environments around us.

  • Investment of 1% of profits to social initiatives
  • Partnerships with BHF and other charities
  • Creating employment within the community and using local suppliers
  • Building links between our properties, students, and local communities
  • Working with and supporting organisations that have a positive local impact
Unite Students - Students talking

Being good neighbours

We understand that some local residents may feel uneasy about students moving into their local area. We do all we can to alleviate any concerns from pre-planning stage through the whole lifecycle of a property. With 30 years of sector experience, we have a number of initiatives in place which prevent anti-social behaviour before it starts. Our Home Charter is designed to create a safe, respectful and harmonious environment for students and local communities and was updated to reflect the changing situation with Covid-19. This sets out what we expect of students and what communities can expect from us. Our award-winning Leapskills programme helps prepare students for the leap to independent living.

Unite Students - Board games

Unite Foundation – helping care and estranged students

The Unite Foundation support talented young people without family support the chance to go to university. Unite Students has invested over £10million to the charity to help cover the accommodation and bills of scholars, covering up to three full years of study.

Unite Students - Student

1% of annual profits invested in social initiatives every year

We are committed to donating c.£2million per annum to social initiatives. Funds are focused on the Unite Foundation, which provides free year-round accommodation for care leavers and estranged students as well as other programmes that support young people.

Meeting the needs of local communities

We also work closely with our local communities to tackle local issues. For example, we have a special relationship with the city of Bristol and the local community given the footprint of our operations in the city. We provide extensive support to local organisations particularly those working with young people and the city’s homeless population. Each year our employees at South Quay House nominate and vote for a local charity partner to support. Over the past three years we have worked with three different charities supporting young people in the city.

Still from our Birmingham Canal Clean video
Leapskills

Our community

The value we create

Throughout 2022, we've been developing a long-term community engagement strategy, which ensures greater ongoing engagement with local stakeholders from the development stage through to operations. This will focus on promoting healthy and economically viable communities, while increasing transparency.

Students talking outside