Community involvement earns SARH ‘Housing Heroes’ nomination

A HOUSING association’s efforts to involve customers in its work have seen it shortlisted for a major national housing award.

The Community Involvement Team at Stafford and Rural Homes is one of six finalists in the ‘Tenant Empowerment Team of the Year’ category in the Housing Heroes Awards 2012.

“To be national finalists in this important award is testament to the work our team does to put customers at the heart of everything we do at SARH,” said Chris Plant, Community Involvement Team Manager at SARH.

The Housing Heroes Awards aim to celebrate the unsung champions of the housing world who make a positive impact on their workplaces and communities.

The Community Involvement Team works with SARH customers and other Stafford residents to build strong community relations, provide support with training, education and employment opportunities and involve local people in scrutinising how the organisation is run.

Two important achievements for the team were setting up a Community Resource Centre and a Customer Learning Programme in 2008.

The Customer Resource Centre, based in the Greyfriars area of Stafford, delivers support services directly to the heart of SARH communities. These services include Job Clubs, non-English speakers support groups and community engagement events.

SARH’s Customer Learning Programme offers a programme of free learning courses to local residents in areas such as I.T. and money management.

Since the programme more than 130 courses have been held with more than 800 customers attending.

“Strong communities led by local people are essential to providing safe and secure homes for our customers and making Stafford Borough a great place to live,” said Karen Armitage, Chief Executive of SARH.

“I would like to congratulate our Community Involvement Team for their hard work, which has led them to being shortlisted for this major award.”

Winners in the Housing Heroes Awards will be announced at a ceremony at the Hilton Hotel, on London’s Park Lane, on Friday, May 11.