Your voice matters: how to get involved by volunteering with us
If you want to get involved in helping to shape our services and communities, you can – all you need to do is join one of our tenant panels and groups.
Maybe there are aspects of our service that you feel could be improved or perhaps there are areas within your community that you feel need developing.
You may simply wish to know more about what’s going on where you live and ways in which you can influence this. There are lots of great reasons to get involved as a Habinteg tenant.
By working with us, you can really make a difference to your local neighbourhood, improving services and strengthening community spirit where you live.
There are many ways to volunteer with us, depending on how much time you can spare. Responding to a questionnaire is just as valuable as attending a meeting to share your views and we appreciate every bit of help and input.
Panels and groups
Our volunteer opportunities include joining panel and task and finish groups which cover things such as service improvement and review policies. Or you could become a Local Tenant Representative.
Participating in meetings and events can increase your skills and confidence - plus it’s a great way to meet new, like-minded people.
We want to get as many people involved as possible so that we can use your feedback as much as possible to improve the way our services are run.
Expenses and support
We can help with expenses and support. This includes covering transport costs or access requirements such as sign language interpreters and interpreters for those who do not have English as their first language.
We also offer laptops on loan and options to dial in by phone into Zoom meetings if tenants do not have a computer or tablet.
‘I missed having an impact’
One way to get involved is by being the ‘eyes and ears of your housing scheme’ as a Local Tenant Representative. Just like Merseyside tenant, Cathy Smith.
Cathy, 63, was drawn to becoming a Tenant Representative due to her background in advocacy and supporting others.
“I’d been a disability activist for many decades where I was part of various disability panels, and I worked at a local NHS hospital trust until 2016,” said Cathy. “I supposed I missed having an impact. I wanted to start using those skills again.”
Cathy became a Tenant Representative just over a year ago. She’s lived at her housing scheme since 2006 and is also part of our Joint Strategy and Impact Group (JSIG), which she chairs. The JSIG group ensures that Habinteg delivers its tenant involvement plans so that tenants’ experiences influence the organisation’s improvement at every level.
Putting the focus on community
“I’d describe being a local Tenant Representative as a feedback service. It’s an opportunity for tenants to voice their general concerns about their scheme through drop-in sessions with me and the Neighbourhood Coordinator,” she said.
“I’d also like my scheme to have the community feel it once had and to create more trust between the tenants and Habinteg.”
Cathy has already taken action to make that happen. She has brought people together on her scheme by organising two community groups, one on genealogy (creating a family tree) and the other a book group.
If you would like more details of our involvement activities, this can be found on our website. We would also be happy to speak to you about the volunteering opportunities. Please call Tracy or Ann in the Customer Engagement Team on 0113 285 9381 or go to www.habinteg.org.uk/tenantinvolvement to apply.
