Our Story: 1974 to Today
North Star started in 2006 to bring together two housing groups – Endeavour and Teesdale Housing Associations. In 2016, Darlington Housing Association also joined.
Endeavour was founded in 1974 and began by buying and fixing up older houses in Tees Valley. It was known as a traditional housing group, with homes spread out in different places. Over time, Endeavour grew and started offering homes in 11 different areas. It also provided special housing for people who needed extra support.
Teesdale also started in 2006. It used to be part of Teesdale District Council. It worked in towns, ex-mining areas, and small villages in South West Durham.
Darlington started like Endeavour. It fixed up older houses in Darlington and only worked in that area.
In 2020, after 14 years of working as a group, we became one organisation. This made things easier and more joined-up.
We’ve worked hard to keep what made us special, while also updating how we work. People know us for being flexible, working in partnerships, focusing on communities, and being able to adapt.
Since 2017, we’ve held a top award called Investors in People (IIP) Platinum. We were named one of the best landlords in the UK in 2018 and 2019, and we won IIP UK Employer of the Year in 2021 and 2024.
We’ve also won awards for how we work with tenants. Tenants are always at the heart of what we do. They help us make decisions by giving feedback in meetings and online.
We always try to make our communities better. We build new homes, offer local services, and support activities that help people and places grow.
