Summer has arrived and I hope you are enjoying the slightly warmer weather and sunshine.

I’m pleased to share this latest update covering key discussions from our recent Community Voice meeting. Our group is made up of myself and other tenants who live in the Stockbridge Village area.

We work together with ForHousing to take action and signpost to partners when it’s needed.

Together we understand the importance of listening and learning from tenants, like me and you, about crucial matters affecting our neighbourhood.

We want to have our voices heard and be a part of influencing what happens in our homes and communities.

Let’s get into all the discussions and updates from June’s Community Voice.

Steph Tomlinson, Chair of Community Voice

We want everyone to feel safe in their home and proud of our neighbourhood. The Community Voice meetings give us a chance to talk to ForHousing about any concerns or worries people have.

ForHousing’s team then considers our views and speaks with other local organisations and partners working in the community to make sure someone takes action.

Local shops

In the last meeting, we discussed the need for CCTV to protect local shops. ForHousing reported that the shops have now received quotes for installing CCTV, and ForHousing will share timelines of when this can happen.

We talked about the possibility of introducing automatic gates to the area, as unlocked gates behind the shops have led to reports of several bins being stolen, burnt, or used for fly-tipping.

ForHousing has agreed to look into the costs of making the gates automatic, so we’ll update you when we have more information.

It was reported in the last meeting that there was a fallen tree next to the school being used as a den by young people who were drinking alcohol. ForHousing has assured us that the team is dealing with this matter.

ASB

We talked about the wider challenge of ASB in the area.

We learned that incidents involving loose bricks and bikes, which were a major concern, have decreased in the past few weeks. However, there are still worries about children from other areas coming into Stockbridge and contributing to ASB.

There was also discussion about potential problems with the not being powered on at the right times, and incidents of theft in The Craigs laundry room.

While damage to buses and cars has stopped, damage to equipment at the Volair leisure centre continues.

We discussed ForHousing approaching Alan Marsh from Anfield Boxing Club to engage with some of the older youths in the area to address challenges with ASB.

We also talked about closing the ACE space in Volair because issues with ASB.

It was also mentioned that people gathering in stairways and causing ASB is still an issue. ForHousing recommended calling the police when these incidents happen to formally register them as problems and increase police monitoring.

There was a suggestion for community walkabouts, possibly involving police and Community Voice members, to discuss ways we can better deal with ASB.

Police surgeries are not well attended, so there’s a proposal to hold them alongside other agencies.

Community Voice members asked whether the Police Hub could be repurposed as a youth space, but ForHousing confirmed it is used for surgeries and other events.

Dog owners

A responsible dog owners’ event has been held in response to complaints from tenants about dogs being kept in high-rises.

We recently did an exercise looking at noise nuisance issues and came up with 42 recommendations for ForHousing to consider.

I’m pleased to report that nine of the recommendations have already been put into action. We decided that noise nuisance will stay linked with ASB, as they are closely related. A full report on noise nuisance, including ForHousing’s next steps, will be sent to Community Voice members soon.

Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure in and outside of their home, so ForHousing encourages anyone to get in touch if they feel unsafe in their community.

We want everyone to feel safe in their home and proud of our neighbourhood. The Community Voice meetings give us a chance to talk to ForHousing about any concerns or worries people have.

ForHousing’s team then considers our views and speaks with other local organisations and partners working in the community to make sure someone takes action.

Local shops

In the last meeting, we discussed the need for CCTV to protect local shops. ForHousing reported that the shops have now received quotes for installing CCTV, and ForHousing will share timelines of when this can happen.

We talked about the possibility of introducing automatic gates to the area, as unlocked gates behind the shops have led to reports of several bins being stolen, burnt, or used for fly-tipping.

ForHousing has agreed to look into the costs of making the gates automatic, so we’ll update you when we have more information.

It was reported in the last meeting that there was a fallen tree next to the school being used as a den by young people who were drinking alcohol. ForHousing has assured us that the team is dealing with this matter.

ASB

We talked about the wider challenge of ASB in the area.

We learned that incidents involving loose bricks and bikes, which were a major concern, have decreased in the past few weeks. However, there are still worries about children from other areas coming into Stockbridge and contributing to ASB.

There was also discussion about potential problems with the not being powered on at the right times, and incidents of theft in The Craigs laundry room.

While damage to buses and cars has stopped, damage to equipment at the Volair leisure centre continues.

We discussed ForHousing approaching Alan Marsh from Anfield Boxing Club to engage with some of the older youths in the area to address challenges with ASB.

We also talked about closing the ACE space in Volair because issues with ASB.

It was also mentioned that people gathering in stairways and causing ASB is still an issue. ForHousing recommended calling the police when these incidents happen to formally register them as problems and increase police monitoring.

There was a suggestion for community walkabouts, possibly involving police and Community Voice members, to discuss ways we can better deal with ASB.

Police surgeries are not well attended, so there’s a proposal to hold them alongside other agencies.

Community Voice members asked whether the Police Hub could be repurposed as a youth space, but ForHousing confirmed it is used for surgeries and other events.

Dog owners

A responsible dog owners’ event has been held in response to complaints from tenants about dogs being kept in high-rises.

We recently did an exercise looking at noise nuisance issues and came up with 42 recommendations for ForHousing to consider.

I’m pleased to report that nine of the recommendations have already been put into action. We decided that noise nuisance will stay linked with ASB, as they are closely related. A full report on noise nuisance, including ForHousing’s next steps, will be sent to Community Voice members soon.

Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure in and outside of their home, so ForHousing encourages anyone to get in touch if they feel unsafe in their community.

ForHousing always aims to improve its services for tenants, by listening and learning from our experiences.

After an update on its complaints procedure, ForHousing told us that satisfaction with complaints had risen from 37% to 44%.

There is still a lot of room for improvement, but we hope this is a step in the right direction.

ForHousing also updated us on improvements to some of the letters that are sent to us. Through tenant feedback and focus groups, they have now improved the way letters are written to ensure they are clear and easy to understand.

ForHousing is changing the way it is going to provide employment support services in the community. It has decided to close its Skills Centre as there are lots of other services that are similar to this in the area (they have stressed all current students getting a qualification will be supported). It will mean that it can invest more in other services that help people get back into work. It’s not yet been decided what the building used for the current Skills Centre should be used for.

If you would like to pass on your ideas on what the space could be used for please get in touch with the Community Voice team, we’d love to hear your suggestions!

We also heard the latest on the newly established Tenants’ Repairs and Maintenance group which is there to listen to tenants, act upon feedback and hold us to account.

If you have had repair work carried out in the last six months, you can expect to receive an invitation to share your experiences. If anyone else is interested in joining the group, please fill out the form here and ForHousing will be in touch with more details.

It was reported that applications for the Live Well fund reached a peak in July 2023, when the cost of living crisis was at its worst.

The fund is available for anyone struggling with bills or with buying essentials. ForHousing encourages all tenants who need a bit of extra help to get in touch. You can find more information on funding here.

ForHousing has agreed to provide Community Voice Members with some analysis around which age groups are using the Live Well Fund, in time for our next meeting.

ForHousing also explained that there will be separate funding for pest control issues in the future.

We’d like to remind everyone that the Torus Foundation, which works with a wide range of partners to improve the lives of local people and grow stronger communities, can provide £49 for fuel for households that need it. You can find out more about the Torus Foundation and its services here.

As Community Voice members, we are committed to making a positive impact in our neighbourhood alongside ForHousing and local partners.

ForHousing’s Play Streets continues to hold activities for children during school holidays and provide fun-filled sessions for the whole family to enjoy. Every session is free to take part in, and where possible, a free meal will be provided for each child.

At the meeting, Play Streets was praised for its contribution to the community, and it was noted that it has recently expanded with parents asking for more sessions to be held. As it continues to grow, ForHousing has agreed to look into more funding to cover Play Streets’ volunteers.

ForHousing’s Youth Clubs also received positive feedback and we hope these continue to benefit the community.

ForHousing’s Local Improvement Fund is open for applications with up to £3,000 of funding per project. If you have an idea or suggestion about things that could be improved in your area, please get in touch with the ForHousing team using this form.

We also talked about ForHousing’s running cost grants which are helping with training more community members for leadership roles, thanks to the increase in more local groups.

It’s great to see local groups getting the support they need and we were reminded that there is a video on Wellspace for anyone interested in finding out more about volunteering.

It was also mentioned that community volunteers can access training through the Community and Voluntary Service (CVS) to advance into professional roles.

We are actively 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.

ForHousing wants to understand what matters most to us. We really appreciate more tenants giving their time and input to groups like these so ForHousing can listen and learn.

We’ll continue to share future updates with you. Do spread the word about the tenant newsletter with your family and friends, this is published every three months, and you will be able to view the latest version here.