Sandwell Voluntary Sector Accommodation Survey

Delivering your activities and managing your voluntary group or charity from good quality premises or a suitable base within the local community ranks as a high priority for most VCS leaders. However, we know that finding affordable workspace can be challenging – and even moreso with tight budgets or short-term funding.

Increasingly organisations are looking to find flexible premises to operate from – whether this is co-locating with other like-minded organisations, ‘hot-desking’, or operating outreaches or surgeries in community spaces.

SCVO is keen to support organisations who are looking for better accommodation to find improved short or long-term solutions. This can sometimes mean helping to bring together and connect organisations with similar requirements, signposting organisations into specialist help, or linking organisations with peers in the Sector who can share their past experiences of seeking and securing premises. Following our last accommodation survey of the VCS in 2014 we supported a number of organisations to find new premises and organised a ‘Finding the Right Premises’ training event.

Whether you are currently looking to find premises for the first time, or to relocate your operations to somewhere new, we would like to hear from you.

All information shared will be treated in the STRICTEST CONFIDENCE.

Please complete the survey by Friday 14th December 2018.

If you have any queries relating to this please contact:-

Mark Davis, SCVO - 0121 525 1127 - mark@scvo.info

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* 1. Your name

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* 2. Name of your group/ organisation

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* 3. Your role within the organisation (eg Manager, CEO, Chair)

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* 4. Email or telephone number

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* 5. Do you consider your organisations delivers ...

A borough-wide service (ie to all Sandwell residents)?

A local service (just to those residents in a specific area of Sandwell)?

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* 6. Would you broadly describe your services as...

Supporting the wellbeing of those who are generally fit, well and active members of the community needing some positive engagement to maintain wellbeing and prevent the need for future support (generally open access to anyone in the community)?

Supporting those who are facing specific challenges and concerns, through targeted interventions (perhaps accessed through partner referrals)?

A mix of both the above?

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* 7. Would you be interested in exploring new premises…

To deliver an ‘outreach’ service with a visible presence in a specific location (ie as an extension of your main ‘head office’)

To wholly relocate your ‘head office’ or a large part of our office-based functions

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* 8. Are you currently leasing or renting premises in Sandwell?

Yes

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* 9. If yes, what's the duration of your current agreement - ie when does the agreement come to an end, or when is the next break clause?

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* 10. Please state which most closely describes your views on co-location (tick as many as you want):

Having other VCS organisations within the premises is NOT important

Co-locating in the same building as other VCS/ public sector services IS important

Being part of a local services hub (eg with shared back offices, shared reception area, close/ integrated service delivery) IS important

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* 11. Would you be interested in...

Having permanent office space?

Having flexible workspace (including single 'hot desk')?

Having meeting room space?

Other (please specify)

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* 12. How many staff and/or volunteers would you wish to accommodate?

Staff

Volunteers

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* 13. Which of the following are important to you?

	Not Important	Important	Very Important
Co-location with other organisations that deliver a similar service or to similar client group (whether VCS or other)	Co-location with other organisations that deliver a similar service or to similar client group (whether VCS or other) Not Important	Co-location with other organisations that deliver a similar service or to similar client group (whether VCS or other) Important	Co-location with other organisations that deliver a similar service or to similar client group (whether VCS or other) Very Important
Co-location with a broad mix of voluntary organisations	Co-location with a broad mix of voluntary organisations Not Important	Co-location with a broad mix of voluntary organisations Important	Co-location with a broad mix of voluntary organisations Very Important
Location within a Sandwell Council building	Location within a Sandwell Council building Not Important	Location within a Sandwell Council building Important	Location within a Sandwell Council building Very Important
Access to back office shared facilities	Access to back office shared facilities Not Important	Access to back office shared facilities Important	Access to back office shared facilities Very Important

Other (please specify)

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* 14. Which of the following would be a priority for you (1 being highest priority, 6 being lowest priority)?

Easily accessible eg 'high street' location

Lower overall rental costs

Better value of the premises (lower cost per square foot)

More easily/ affordably maintained

Greater flexibility to expand and shrink the space available

Better quality of premises (eg facilities, comfort, appearance)

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* 15. Where would you be prepared to be located?

Tipton

Wednesbury

Rowley

Smethwick

West Bromwich

Oldbury

Thank you very much for taking the time to complete this survey.