Search the website

About Sanctuary

On this page

We are Sanctuary

We were set up more than 50 years ago and now provide housing and care in England and Scotland to more than a quarter of a million people. We exist to serve our customers and communities.

Our mission is to build affordable homes and sustainable communities where people choose to live.

We are a not-for-profit housing association, which means we don’t make profits for shareholders. Instead we invest all the income we make – every penny – into delivering on our social purpose.

Leading housing and care provider

We own and manage around 125,000 units of accommodation. This makes us one of the largest housing associations in the country. Johnnie Johnson Housing is a subsidiary of the Group . Our size, effective governance and careful financial management means we have significant financial strength.

We play our part in tackling the national housing crisis by building good quality affordable homes all over the UK. We build to a wide variety of needs and styles, with the aim of creating or adding to a sustainable community. Our regeneration projects transform communities by listening to residents and putting their needs first.

Read our Corporate Strategy 2023-2026
Housing Office smiling at a Sanctuary resident who is also smiling and holding a small child

St Pauls resident and Volunteer Darren and Group Director - Sustainability and Climate Change Donna leaning on a metal kitchen table with a union jack mug in the foreground

Sustainable communities

Social housing is at the core of what we do, and we believe secure, good quality accommodation can be the foundation that enables people to achieve their goals in life. 

We believe that to live up to our social purpose, we need to play an active role in the local communities where we work. This means connecting with customers, local authorities, charities and groups so we can work together to create communities that are resilient.

Read more about our Sustainable Communities Programme

Our services

Sanctuary resident talking to a housing officer outside of her front door

Affordable housing

We let homes through ‘choice-based lettings schemes’ in some areas, according to the local authority rules, and directly to tenants in other areas. Swan is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sanctuary.

Rent a home
Red brick semi detached houses at the Bidford Leys development

New homes

We build new homes around the country for affordable rent, shared ownership and outright sale. Our homes range from flats to large family homes and are at a range of price points.

Buy a home
Sanctuary Care Assistant sitting on a garden bench with their arm around a resident

Enriching lives

We believe in going beyond basic provision of care to enrich people’s lives – whether those people are the residents of our 111 care homes themselves, their loved ones or our teams.

Sanctuary Care
Sanctuary Supported Living staff and residents sat at a kitchen table looking at a binder and smiling

Pathways to independence

Through quality support and housing, we equip people with the confidence, self-esteem and life skills they need on their pathways to independence.

Sanctuary Supported Living
Sanctuary Students standing at the kitchen breakfast bard chich has plates of croissants, watermelon and glasses of orange juice on

More than just a room                                 

Providing purpose-built student accommodation for over 20 years and currently home to over 10,000 students in large university cities across the UK.

Sanctuary Students
Keyworker students wearing hospital scrubs standing in front of a housing block

Keyworker accommodation

We provide accommodation to keyworkers at hospital sites to enable them to complete their practical studies close at hand to their place of work.

Keyworker accommodation

Our beliefs

We believe that everyone deserves a good, safe home and a community they can belong to.

We believe that everyone should feel included and able to realise their potential. 

We want to help build a society with opportunities for everyone, regardless of their background or circumstance.

Our values

Image
Ambition icon

Ambition

We invest in and care for our people and communities.

We seek opportunities to grow our business.

Image
Quality icon

Quality

We focus on delivering positive outcomes for our customers.

We have high standards; providing efficient and effective services.

Image
Inclusion icon

Inclusion

We respect and value the diversity of our people.

We are committed to embedding an inclusive environment for our people and our customers.

Image
Sustainability icon

Sustainability

We continue to build a sustainable business model for our people and our customers.

We deliver services ourselves wherever possible.

Image
Integrity icon

Integrity

We act with honesty and integrity in all that we do.

We’ll do the right thing, even if it’s not the easy thing.