CAN welcomes news of a £500,000 government grant to housing support organisations for training social housing tenants, enabling them to engage more effectively with their landlords and gain a stronger voice.
The training will be provided by the Confederation of Co-operative Housing (CCH) and Public Participation, Consultation and Research (PPCR), to help residents living in England gain a “higher quality of service” from their landlords where needed.
Both organisations have expertise in empowering residents within the social housing sector.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said that the initiative will enable residents to “learn how to take an active role in how their home is managed – through a series of workshops, forums and online resources that will run over the next two and a half years”.
This could include advice on how to set up a residents’ panel or how to challenge a landlord if they fail to meet required standards, the Department said.
CAN housing co-ops lead worker Hilary Sudbury said the move should be good news for social housing residents wanting to engage more effectively with their landlords, and could benefit housing co-operatives – which CAN supports.
“Measures that inspire and empower social housing residents to get issues dealt with swiftly and effectively, and to ultimately improve the quality of their homes, have got to be good news,” she said.
CCH Chief Executive Officer Blase Lambert, said: “Our vision for this programme is for it to be a catalyst for change, complementing other government actions outlined in the Social Housing White Paper, helping to drive a process of cultural change in the social housing sector, and leading to a better balance of power between landlords and residents.”
Minister for Social Housing, Baroness Scott, said that scheme would empower residents to “challenge their landlord where needed and contribute to positive change in their homes and communities.”
The programme of activities will commence this spring.
The announcement from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is here.
Read more on the CAN website
Previously: CAN worker reaccredited as Community Led Homes Adviser
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