This update brings you all the latest discussions that have taken place in our recent Community Voice meeting. The Community Voice is a group of tenants who represent people in your area.  

We understand the importance of listening and learning from you and keeping you up to date with crucial matters affecting the Fitton Hill neighbourhood. We work together to take action and signpost to partners when it’s helpful.  

We want you to have your voice heard and be a part of influencing what happens in your home and in the community. 

Let’s dive into the essential updates from September’s Community Voice as we continue to work together to positively impact your lives.  

Helen Wild, Chair of Community Voice 

Community safety 

We want you to feel safe in your neighbourhood and the Community Voice meetings are a great place to raise any concerns you might have. ForHousing representatives at the meetings will take these on board and work with partners to take action.  

For example, we discussed how a shop near the youth centre has been selling energy drinks to under 13-year-olds and alcohol to under 18-year-olds and worries about the quality of some items, such as spoiled milk.  

ForHousing has reported these issues to the council who are now taking action and are set to conduct a spot test to address this urgently. We’re committed to your safety and well-being, so we’ll continue to monitor this situation closely. 

Tackling anti-social behaviour 

There have been reports of anti-social behaviour in Fitton Hill including smashed windows and off-road bikes. ForHousing is working closely with the police who are now dealing with this. If you’re worried about community safety you can report it by completing the form on our website here, contacting us directly or calling the police. Don’t worry, all reports are kept strictly confidential.  

We also discussed your concerns about people in your community being seen to use drugs in plain sight. This is not acceptable. Drug taking in your home is illegal and could affect your tenancy, so if you see any anti-social behaviour like this, please report it.  

Working together as a community is the best way for us to reduce anti-social behaviour in our neighbourhoods. 

Keeping communal areas clean 

We talked about how important it is for everyone to clear their rubbish properly to help stop pests such as rats, which have been raised as an issue. ForHousing has been working closely with the council on this, as they are responsible for pest control. And some of the ForHousing team will be doing spot checks on bin areas to make sure rubbish is being cleared properly. 

Keeping homes in good repair 

We talked about the improvements to the repairs process that ForHousing has made as a result of your feedback. One of the group raised a recent issue they’d had with repairs and this has now led to a change in how things are done. Any complaints about repairs will be taken seriously and acted on – ForHousing knows they can do better and are continuing to work hard on this. 

Feeling safe in your home 

A new safe homes portal is being built so that you can see important safety information about your home including when your electric and gas safety certificates will run out and how safe your building is if you live in a block of flats. We will update you as soon as the portal is ready to go live.  

Making a positive contribution to neighbourhoods   

It was agreed that more activities for young people are needed. ForHousing will look at how we work alongside the community and other partners to increase the number of activities for young people on the estate.  

The Employment Service funded by ForHousing has been providing support to people looking for a job, offering training and work experience opportunities. If you know someone who may benefit, please encourage them to get in touch, here. 

It was great to hear about the demand for ForHousing’s Community Fund, which supports local projects benefiting the community, and how we can now see the money going to good use.  

To date, ForHousing’s Community Fund has supported seven projects across Fitton Hill, awarding close to £4,000 between April – September 2023.  

One of the beneficiaries of the fund has been Dance Dynamics who are an Entertainment Dance Troupe that trains at St Martins Primary School and competes in MANECCO’s carnivals across the North-West.​ 

They received funds in April 2023 to contribute towards the costs of repairs to their troupe bus. Having transport allows the troupe to travel together which helps those without cars and reducing fuel costs to those who do.  

The group was reminded that ForHousing’s Community Fund is available for local projects in need of a financial boost. You can find out more and apply for funding here.  

Listening to your views and acting on them 

We heard how eight tenants expressed interest in becoming members of ForHousing’s Scrutiny Group during two recent drop-in events, and four have now become full members. The Scrutiny Group gives you the opportunity to be the voice of your community and help make positive changes to ForHousing’s services. You can find out more here.  

We’re recruiting new members to the Community Voice, so if you are interested in representing your local community and working with ForHousing to make improvements, please get in touch here. At ForHousing we want to understand what matters most to you. We really appreciate people giving their time and input to groups like these so we can listen and learn.  

The Community Voice is an important forum, bringing together tenants, partners from the community and ForHousing to make a positive difference. 

We’ll continue to share future updates with you. Do spread the word about the tenant newsletter with your family and friends, you can see the latest version here.