EHG, a family business

Enterprise Homes Group operates as a loving and supportive family. Our people work together as family, and this is the heart of the organisation. It shapes our vision of making homelessness history, what we think and how we do things.

This approach is not limited to how we engage as a charity with people transitioning through homelessness. That could never be the case since we are opposed to any form of binary structure within the organisation whereby there is an “us” and “them”. Accordingly, we adopt the same approach and use the same considerations for trustees, staff members, volunteers and people using our services. Work colleagues are not family, unless the organisation has a culture within which that is made possible and that looks very different to traditional approaches.

We have spent the last 12 months shifting our culture as an organisation towards being person-led, strength and asset-based and rooted in love. And we do not use that last word “love” lightly. We believe that love should be at the heart of everything that we do and if it is, then we will necessarily be operating as family.

Three of the most fundamental values that characterise EHG as an organisation are vulnerability, accountability and trust. Together as an organisation, we are striving towards personal and professional development. We want to be the best that we can be at what we do both individually and corporately. We are intentional about pursuing maturity through personal growth and development.

That means sometimes dealing with stuff which can be personal stuff. But we don’t judge one another for having “stuff” to deal with whether professionally or personally because we are ALL dealing with stuff. Most of us just don’t admit it. And as Brenee Brown says, where vulnerability is met with empathy it fuels a deeper level of connection. This is a workplace where you get a sense of acceptance and belonging by just being yourself; where you do not have to strive to fit in and are not judged.

Within this culture, there is no such thing as failure just opportunity to learn. There are times when there is a lot of learning but that is ok because we are growing together in getting better at what we do.

It doesn’t always work out. We try and make it clear from the outset what the culture is like and what the expectations are, so that you know what you are letting yourself in for. And that is not for everyone. Sometimes we do have to let people go. Whilst our main emphasis is not on performance, we are a strength-based organisation and if your strengths don’t line up with your role that can be a problem because we do have a job to do and limited resources. But we always try to work this out in conversation with you. It is possible to fire someone in love and still be friends at the end of it.

We believe that everyone is created with a purpose, built for community and has a unique place within the world around them. As we take that journey together, we may find that the purpose for which you were created, the community for which you were built is not us. It is never easy to part ways but if we can help you to find more of yourself and your rightful place within that process then just maybe you will land on your feet wherever life directs you next.

Matt Lambert is the CEO of Enterprise Homes Group in Wolverhampton, an organisation that in partnership with others is seeking to #makehomelessnesshistory