South Shropshire Furniture Scheme

South Shropshire Furniture Scheme (SSFS) started in 1994. It was an informal network providing domestic furniture to people with low incomes and disadvantaged backgrounds. It now delivers a variety of reuse services on behalf of South Shropshire District Council. SSFS has a turnover of over £370,000, with 50 per cent of its income coming from contracts.

In 2000 it was decided that a more formalised business approach was needed. So working with social services and the local housing association, the firm set up a one-year pilot. SSFS recovers both bulky items and domestic appliances and now holds two contracts for furniture reuse, with a combined value of £200,000.

SSFS also realised its business model offered the opportunity to provide a training programme for getting people into work. It also generated an environmental impact by diverting bulky waste from landfill.

It has had particular success in working with long-term unemployed men and provides training in a variety of areas. This creates opportunities for a group of people that have not previously engaged in any form of employment. The scheme provides a first step for people to develop new skills on the route to permanent employment.

While negotiating its waste reuse contracts, South Shropshire District Council recognised the additional social aspects of SSFS’s work. The council recognised that the profit made from the waste contract would be used to provide additional training to get people back into work.

Under the contract, the scheme collects furniture from more than 1,500 clients in the district. It then supplies the furniture collected to more than 250 low income homes. Through this work it diverts more than 250 tonnes of waste from landfill each year.

SSFS also has a Learning and Skills Council contract to provide particular training opportunities. It provides training in a range of areas including electrical assembly, carpentry and the reconditioning of computers. Over the past three years, more than 850 people have used the scheme’s training services, which are Open College Network accredited.

The organisation also holds a three-year service level agreement (SLA) with the district council, which includes payment for the rent on its premises.

The council has seen that the service delivered by SSFS meets multiple objectives. It recognises the organisation’s value and sees the social enterprise as a key partner. This has led to its involvement in other areas of work.

In the summer of 2007, Shropshire was hit by severe flooding. On the first morning of the floods, Bill Jones, Director of Community and Environment, phoned SSFS. He invited their Chief Executive, Jean Jarvis, onto a panel to discuss how to manage the crisis.

SSFS was involved as both a design and delivery partner in managing the flood response. The council also contracted the organisation for six months as an advisor. In addition, Shropshire covered the rent on a larger property for the period. This helped SSFS to cope with the increased demand for furniture. Thus the organisation was able to provide effective relief for many families at a time of considerable difficulty.

Jones says of the situation:

“It became apparent early on that many people had lost all their furniture and fittings. The council was able to provide small grants but that could not cover the cost of refitting the entire lower floor of a home. South Shropshire Furniture Scheme has been brilliant in distributing furniture to households in need.”

The council understands the benefits of the social enterprise model. Graham Biggs, Chief Executive of South Shropshire District Council, explained:

“Social enterprises have added value, they manage to reach the hard-to-reach groups that the council can’t reach. They are not seen as the authority and they bring a whole raft of experiences about how to support particular client groups”.

The successful flood response by SSFS benefited from the open partnership embraced by the council. This features a high level of trust and respect. Involving SSFS at an early stage allowed the council to make use of the social enterprise’s expertise, achieving good results.

The district council will move to a unitary status in 2009. However, SSFS has been kept up to date and expects to retain all of its contracts. The firm is positive that the change will not impact upon the service it provides.

Working with the organisation has provided the council with good publicity for embracing a community-focused approach. As a result they have been eager to champion the social enterprise’s work.

Jones explains:

“Social enterprises actually address those areas which council aren’t particular good at delivering, or don’t do very well. They are able to bring a different perspective. The reason I like working with South Shropshire Furniture Scheme is that they always achieve exactly what they say they will.”

The organisation is working with Shropshire County Council and has negotiated the delivery of a county-wide bulky waste contract. This is in partnership with the private sector firm Veolia.

The council has been keen to ensure that in negotiating larger waste contracts, there are provisions to involve social enterprise. SSFS is also looking at how it might access larger furniture removal and reuse contracts from private businesses and the growing tourism sector.