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In the late 1990’s a group of local people formed an organisation called North East Sheffield Trust (NEST). They undertook a community audit that highlighted the significant problems in north Sheffield. Around the same time the Healthy Cross project trained local people as researchers to undertake a Health Needs Assessment. This study took a broad view of health and was also influential in highlighting the problems and opportunities of the area. Foxhill Forum and Longley Organised Community Association Limited (LOCAL) were also established to tackle the many problems in their neighbourhoods.
As a result of this work the area was supported by Sheffield City Council to bid to the government’s Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) Round 5 (ie the Round that was open for bidding in 1999). Late in 1998 a series of Have Your Say Days were held across the area where local people came forward and identified what they thought the money should be spent on, if the bid was successful. The ideas from the Have Your Say Days were grouped under 7 headings which formed the main themes of the bid and the basis for the original 7 theme groups that were established to help move forward on each of the issues.
In 2000 SOAR started on two pieces of work, the Neighbourhood Strategies (jointly sponsored by the Owlerton/Southey Green Area Panel) and the Board Layer Review, a review of SOAR’s decision-making structures. The Neighbourhood Strategies process produced six neighbourhood strategies and an overarching regeneration framework that tied them all together. They have been adopted by each of the neighbourhood groups and the Sheffield City Council as documents that should inform planning and developments in the area. The Board layer review resulted in democratic elections of community representatives to the Board and theme groups and to a review of independent representatives.
SOAR had originally been part of Sheffield City Council and staff were city council employees. The organisation was incorporated as an independent company on 2nd March 2004 and received charitable status on 10th November 2005. SOAR's trading arm, SOAR Enterprises, was incorporated on 10th March 2004. SOAR employed it's first staff member in September 2005. By April 2006 all 7 staff were employed by SOAR and an investment package of £2m had been secured.
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