Working at Southdown Housing Association

We offer a range of support for people experiencing mental health challenges, people who are at risk of homelessness, and people with physical or learning disabilities across Sussex. We also provide affordable, supported housing.

Housing

We are a specialist housing provider and landlord for around 580 tenants and shared owners across Sussex.

Housing Support

To help people secure and keep safe, affordable housing and avert crisis, we provide a range of housing and homelessness prevention support across East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove.

Mental Health and Employment Support

To support people to get well, stay well and prevent crisis, we provide a range of mental health and employment support services across Sussex.

Learning Disability Support

We provide accommodation and support for people with learning and physical disabilities.

 

 Our culture

We pride ourselves on having a hard working, diverse workforce, and a friendly and respectful culture. We know if our employees are well supported, and engaged in our mission and values, we can deliver better services.

 We employ over 850 people across Sussex

Our employees work in a wide range of roles. Our head office is based at Bell Lane in Lewes, though many of our employees are based at 24-hour support services for people with learning disabilities, or support people in their own homes and in community settings.

Team members often tell us they work harder for Southdown than in previous jobs, but feel happier working for us. Our strong values and ethics, along with our culture of flexibility, inclusion, and respect, makes all the difference.

We’re always looking for opportunities to engage and involve employees and to keep improving, not only in supporting our clients but also respecting each other as individuals and working together as colleagues.

Employees who have lived experience of disability are welcomed and make a hugely valuable contribution, in which their first hand experience and insight often plays a part.

Many staff have worked with us for over 10 years, and we have received several employer awards including the Gold Standard from Investors in People, placing us in the top 2% of companies accredited by Investors in People.

Our pledge to our employees

At the core of our success is the talent, dedication, and passion of our staff. We work hard to recruit and retain skilled and caring individuals who hold the same values as Southdown and are committed to making a difference to the lives of vulnerable people in Sussex. In return, we aim to be the best employer we can be.

 We pledge to every member of our team that we will:

• Offer good employment benefits and working conditions, where everyone is treated fairly and with respect
• Create a welcoming, professional, and enjoyable work culture that recognises individuals and their input
• Invest in induction, training, and supervision to ensure employees are skilled and fully supported to do their job
• Provide resources and organisational support services so employees can work effectively and efficiently
• Be a flexible employer so staff can enjoy a good work-life balance
• Celebrate the contribution our employees make to help us provide vital services for our clients

We strive to be the best employer we can be

We aim to be an employer of choice and offer excellent benefits and working conditions to our employees to help attract and keep the very best team.

Investors in People

We are accredited by Investors in People as a ‘Gold Standard’ employer, which means we’re in the top 2% of Investors in People companies.

Top Thirty Employer for Working Families

For the tenth year running, we’ve been named as one of the top thirty employers in the UK for working families, an award given to the most flexible and family-friendly employers in the country.

Disability Confident Employer

As a disability confident employer, we recognise the vital skills our disabled employees bring to our organisation and aim to recruit and retain staff with disabilities.

Mindful Employer

As a member of Mindful Employer we are committed to providing information and support for employees that experience stress, anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions.