Benefits of Residents GroupsJane Eyles, TPAS
TPAS and ME!
• 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
based right next to
Resident Groups/Tenants Associations
• Long history through 20th Century
• Rent strikes
• Squatters movements
• Grew with social housing
• Federations
• National & regional groups
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
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
• 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.
So what do they do??
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
TOWN FARM
Allotment Youth club
TOWN FARM
Won the Peoples Millions on ITV to fund playpark
Fundraising for skate park
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
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
Guinness Partnership – The Squirrels, Croydon
• Gardening• Sheltered scheme
newsletter
• Clean up days
• Silver surfers
• Fish and chips suppers
• Trips out
• 9 year party to celebrate campaign for yellow lines
• 3 year survey – door knocked to get views
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
The benefits of resident involvement
Benefits to residents
• Taken seriously
• More clout
• Fun• Better services• Being involved in their
community• Capacity building
enhanced skills confidence
• Feel valued and listened to
Benefits to thecommunity• Stabilising and
sustaining communities• Offer activities that may
not have been on offer before
• Community spirit• Social life• Pride in an area• Better relationships with
outside and agencies• Decrease the stigma
Thank you and finally……..
