Our focus is on putting the property assets into the hands of the impact makers, creating what we call Impact First Social Housing which is specifically designed to meet unmet local housing needs.
We repurpose private sector property development strategies for the social sector, underpinned by bank-grade due diligence to deliver sustainable social impact. This results in stronger balance sheets and increased unrestricted income for our partners.
But more than that it results in high-quality homes which offer a far superior quality of life for the residents and their families.
Our newly built homes are constructed using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and are net zero in operation. We also incorporate building management technology to check for potentially dangerous levels of damp, volatile organic compounds, energy usage and much more.
We can achieve this because we are driven by impact, not financial return. This is a fundamental characteristic of being a social enterprise which allows us to focus on delivering the very best quality homes without the need to deliver a return to shareholders.
Our Co-Founders
Richard’s mission is to use the power of business models and capital to create sustainable, positive social change.
Richard has over 25 years of not-for-profit, social investment, corporate and hospitality experience with a strong track record in developing cross-organisational and cross-sector partnerships.
He is an experienced multi-company non-executive and executive director as well as a charity trustee and non-profit director. He was a founding trustee and co-chair of Social Value International for nearly a decade, was chair of Social Value UK for over 10 years, is a founding trustee of Celebrate Trust, and current chair of Mears Group PLCs ESG Board. Richard is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and is a seasoned international conference speaker on topics such as social investment, housing, inequality, ESG and social impact measurement.
He has an MBA from the University of Cape Town and London Business School including specialities in social enterprise, corporate finance, negotiation and organisational behaviour.
Richard has been investing in property for over 10 years and through Cornerstone Place brings together his passion for property with his deep-rooted and spiritual drive to improve the lives of others. He lives in Sussex with his wife, Liz, their four children and their more famous cockapoo, Bosco…
David has a unique blend of extensive property and construction background together with his own version of lived experience of homelessness.
He has over 20 years of experience in the property industry which includes sourcing and structuring deals for private investors through to analysing and delivering complex property developments. These skills have now been repurposed to support the needs of the social sector.
During his teens and early twenties, David’s late father spent a lot of time on the streets, coupled with a never-ending battle with alcohol. At the time the experience was horrendous. Now he views it as a ‘superpower’, helping him to drive the business forward to maximise impact and reduce the suffering of people and their families that are facing similar challenges.
David lives in Oxfordshire with his wife Laura and their two children. He coaches his son’s local rugby team, continually restarts exercise programmes, and is partial to the occasional dad joke. He is also a Trustee of Social Care in Action, a Southampton-based charity and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
