Then, three years ago, that all changed when I saw an advert for the Community Voice group in Salford. It was a chance to have more of a say in what happened in the area. I loved the idea of feeling part of the community and decided it was time I had a say.  

It opened up a whole new world for me.  

I could see my landlord was working really hard to see what people’s views on the area were, and then actually doing something about them. I understood that tenants getting involved was really important. And that this was a great way to give back to the area.  

I wanted to get more involved, so when I saw they were advertising for people to join their Customer Committee, I thought ‘Why not?’  

It was a chance to have a bigger say in how ForHousing is running things and how they made decisions.  

One of the biggest things we’ve worked on since I joined the committee has been getting the Together with Tenants Charter off the ground. 

The Charter sets out a load of commitments ForHousing has made to tenants – and it’s our job to hold them to account.  

The biggest change over the last year has been communication with tenants!  

ForHousing has built a new website and now does a quarterly newsletter.  

It makes it easier for people like me to know what’s going on and reminds us where to go if we’ve got a problem.  

They also set up a new Customer Connect Hub so it’s easier to get in touch with them, and staff have got more time to speak to people like me about repairs and make follow-up calls.  

It’s made a big difference, and I enjoy challenging staff to make sure that things are happening at the pace tenants want and in the way we want.  

Of course, there’s still loads to do.  

I want ForHousing to get better in how it deals with feedback from tenants and how we’re kept updated about jobs that are happening in our homes.  

We’re sharing our ideas on these things, and I know it’s not something that will change overnight.  

The good thing is, I know that what tenants think and say is taken seriously. 

When we have ideas, people listen and then make changes. It’s not just a new website. We’ve seen actual changes to how nuisance noise is dealt with, damp and mould services, and health and safety. 

So, I know where there are problems we can fix them.   

Pest and fly tipping in neighbourhoods are the next big things we want to look at. When we talk to people, this is what matters to them.  

People’s homes don’t just stop at the front door. We want to live in communities where we can be proud, so problems like these have real consequences on how we feel.  

One of the biggest challenges of working on the charter has been keeping a positive outlook but also being realistic that we can’t deal with everything at once.  

But it keeps us on track and means we won’t lose sight of what we’re trying to do.  

I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together. 

Having a place to call home has changed my life. I’ll keep working hard to make sure others have a positive experience.  

If you would like to see how ForHousing have performed over the last year and how we, by working together, have delivered on our commitments set out in the Charter, take a look below.