Benefits of Residents Groups
Residents groups and tenants associations aim to empower housing residents to have more say in their communities and homes. They work to improve housing services and neighborhoods by dealing with resident concerns, campaigning for improvements, and consulting with landlords and other agencies on issues affecting residents. They also organize social activities to build community. Involvement in residents groups benefits both residents and landlords by improving services, building community spirit, and giving residents more influence over their housing conditions.
2. TPAS and ME!
based right next to
• Non profit making
• Formed 1988 after enquiry
into British riots
• Aims to empower housing
association and council
tenants to have more say in
their communities and homes
• Me – community worker/
housing background
• Worked with over 100 tenants
groups
3. Resident Groups/Tenants
Associations
• Long history through 20th
Century
• Rent strikes
• Squatters movements
• Grew with social housing
• Federations
• National & regional
groups
4. So what are tenants associations?
• Collective
• Can be formal or informal
• Try and involve everybody from one
particular estate/area/site
• Try and represent everybody
• Work together with the landlord
for positive change
• Usually run by a core group
5. So what do they do??
• Improving housing services or the neighbourhood
• Dealing with concerns that affect some groups or
all residents
• Campaigning for improvements or on local
issues, changing the stigma – joining larger forums
• Consultation – landlord & other agencies
• Planning Improvements - design housing or
environmental improvements.
• Training or information sessions for their
members on interesting subjects
6. So what do they do??
• Social activities - street parties, youth clubs,
discos, coffee mornings, bingo or whist drives.
• Community facilities - summer play schemes,
credit unions, food co-ops, neighbourhood watch
schemes, and community centres.
• Monitoring service delivery standards -
perhaps as part of a formal estate agreement with
their landlord, or maybe on an informal basis.
Associations are often involved in estate
inspections or walkabouts with housing officers
where improvements are planned in partnership.
7.
8. Case study - Town Farm
• Large & unpopular estate – problems with anti-
social behaviour, crime, litter & rubbish, lack of
investment, community cohesion
• Council not listening
• Residents association formed & youth committee
• Neighbourhood agreement with monitored
targets for the Council, Town Council & police to
improve in every area
• Police much more active and funding initiatives
• Regular walkabouts, free skip weekends
• Reaching out to other communities
11. Case studies – Kingsmere RA
• Sunday morning pictures
• Neighbourhood agreement
• Campaign to change the estate and
its services
• Annual fun day
• Youth clubs
• Camera club
• £259K lottery grant
to develop park
• Training
12.
13. Case studies
Bristol Estate TA, Brighton & Hove
• Allotment – food co-op
• Toddler group
• Sewing club
• Use community payback to do up estate
• Communities against drugs campaign
• Looked at setting up a Tenant Management
Organisation
• Fun day
• Food evenings
• Health authority
14. Guinness Partnership – The Squirrels,
Croydon
• Gardening • 9 year party to
• Sheltered scheme celebrate campaign
newsletter for yellow lines
• 3 year survey – door
• Clean up days
knocked to get views
• Silver surfers
• Fish and chips
suppers
• Trips out
15. The benefits of
resident involvement in housing
Benefits to the landlord
• Services improve
• Landlords become better
• Contractors’ performance improves too
• Better public relations
• Saves money
• Staff find the job easier
• Residents respect staff who show a willingness to listen
• Consultation now saves hassle later
• Residents understand the reality – less unrealistic
expectations
• Manages risk
16. The benefits of
resident involvement
Benefits to residents Benefits to the
• Taken seriously community
• Stabilising and
• More clout sustaining communities
• Fun • Offer activities that may
• Better services not have been on offer
before
• Being involved in their • Community spirit
community • Social life
• Capacity building • Pride in an area
enhanced skills • Better relationships with
confidence outside and agencies
• Feel valued and listened • Decrease the stigma
to
