Family Housing has been recognised as a ‘Co-regulation Champion’ by the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) for its work to involve residents in what we do.
In January the TSA named ten champions from across the country, with Family being the only organisation based in the west midlands and the smallest organisation to be awarded.
As a co-regulation champion we are now sharing our experiences to demonstrate how co-regulation can make a real difference to service delivery to other housing providers and residents.
To show how we have achieved this level of success with residents we have produced a leaflet and a vodcast.
We are also hosting learning lunches for housing providers, residents and stakeholders to communicate our best practice and learning points.
The award from the TSA recognises that since we launched our resident involvement framework, Customer 1st, in March 2008 we have seen satisfaction amongst residents that their views are being taken into account rise by more than 20 per cent to 76 per cent.
Our framework offers a menu of involvement opportunities, from informal ad hoc events to structured and formalised meetings, allowing residents from all backgrounds with differing interests and commitment levels to have their say.
Our director of homes and neighbourhoods, Carmel McCarthy said: “We are delighted that we have been recognised by the TSA for our work involving tenants in the scrutiny of Family Housing. We have worked hard to ensure all our tenants have an opportunity to get involved.
“We have had to think innovatively and be proactive in our approach to resident involvement given the nature of our housing stock and resident profile. Our properties are very much pepper-potted across Birmingham and 59 per cent of our stock is in the 11 most deprived wards in Birmingham. More than 60 per cent of residents are from ethnic minority groups and there are a high number of single occupancy households and lone parents, who tend to be hard to reach.”
TSA assistant director for tenant excellence, Graeme Foster, said: “We were pleased to receive so many excellent applications from providers demonstrating the strength of co-regulation across the country. The ten selected champions will help to build on this work and support others in developing their co-regulatory approach. Through their online video and learning lunches, Family Housing and their tenants will share the benefit of their experience. This will ensure other landlords and tenants can work towards getting their co-regulatory relationship right.”
You can download our Co-regulation Champion leaflet and view our vodcast.