Is anything preventing you from getting involved?
We often get questions from tenants who are worried about something that they feel stops them from taking part in our resident involvement activities. There are lots of ways we can help to ensure that you can get involved, no matter what your personal circumstances are:
- I don't have a car, I can't get to meetings - if it's a meeting that we're arranging, we can book your taxi and pay for it. If you use a bus or train, keep your ticket and we'll reimburse your costs. Neighbourhood groups have their own budgets and can pay for transport for people to attend their meetings
- I can't afford to take part, I'm on a limited budget - we will reimburse any reasonable costs that you incur. This could include reimbursing mileage if you use your own car, making a contribution towards phone/internet expenses or reimbursing stationery costs. We'll provide refreshments when you attend meetings
- I've got young children, what do I do? We will reimburse childcare costs if you need to pay someone to look after your children whilst you attend a meeting
- I'm a carer, what do I do? We will reimburse your costs if you need to pay someone else to look after the person you care for whilst you attend a meeting
- I have a disability that prevents me from getting involved - if you have a disability but want to attend meetings, we can help in lots of ways. We can arrange alternative formats of any paperwork, such as large print and Braille. We have induction loops in all our meeting venues as well as portable induction loops that we can take to other venues, and we can provide sign language interpreters. We can arrange specially designed taxis for people with limited mobility, and all the venues we use will be suitable for wheelchair users. If you feel that your disability prevents you from going to meetings, there are still lots of resident involvement activities that you can do from home. If you think there's any other way we could help you to ensure that your disability doesn't prevent you from taking part, please contact us
- I work during the day, I can't attend meetings - we are developing lots of new ways to give all tenants the opportunity to get involved. There are lots of resident involvement activities that you can do from home. We will ask tenants when they would like meetings to be held, and if there's a need to hold some meetings in the evening, we will do our best to accommodate this
- I don't have the knowledge or the training to get involved - don't let a so-called 'lack of knowledge' stop you from getting involved. As a tenant living in one of our properties, you have a huge amount of knowledge and experience of our services. Your views of how we're performing and how we could improve are very important. We also offer training to help tenants build their skills and give them the confidence and knowledge they need to get involved at the higher levels. You can get more information on our training courses from our training page
- I'm a leaseholder, what opportunities are there for me to get involved? Leaseholders can take part in any of our resident involvement activities. The leaseholders' forum will look specifically at issues affecting leaseholders
- What if I don't think I know enough about things to get involved? We offer a range of training, including committee skills, using computers, how we work as your landlord, and presenting information. We also ensure you have information on various issues and subjects that help you understand what we do and how we do it. All training is free and usually held locally
- What if I need extra help to be involved? The support we offer includes more specialised help such as helping to pay for a carer or childcare if required, specialist help such as translators – including sign language. All venues used for meetings are disabled-friendly and we have hearing loops available. We can provide information in the format that best meets your needs, such as large print, tape or a language other than English
- I haven't got a personal computer. Can I still get involved? Definitely. Many of our resident involvement opportunities don't require you to be online in order to take part
- What if I don't want to – or can't – come to meetings? Many of the opportunities, such as surveys, neighbourhood voices and mystery shopping, do not require you to attend meetings. Where meetings are needed we can provide a range of support from travel expenses to childcare or carer expenses and, where appropriate, we provide food
- So how do I get involved? Getting involved is easy. To find out more call or email the resident involvement team. We will contact you to discuss your preferences further.
