Housing Corporation News Release

Corporation launches strategy for neighbourhoods and communities

13/10/06         Media contact: Sandra White Tel: 0207 393 2094            Ref: 103/06

Housing associations need to work harder with the communities they serve, says the Housing Corporation as it launches its Neighbourhoods and Communities Strategy today
(Friday 13 October 2006).

Housing associations are at the very core of local communities with many having a great track record in delivering added value activities.  The strategy aims to build on this good work and encourage more associations to become further involved in activities beyond simply housing.

The strategy challenges housing providers to look beyond housing and build strong relationships with local government and residents to create and maintain dynamic communities where people want to live, work and bring up their children.

The strategy contains a range of proposals aimed at promoting a step change in the way housing associations work within their communities:

- announcing an intention to consult on reforming the regulatory requirement that 51% of association business must be social housing;

- highlighting the need for housing associations to build strong partnerships with local authorities and become involved in Local Strategic Partnerships;

- promoting social enterprise to help unblock people’s long term dependency on benefits;

- addressing the Respect agenda by encouraging associations to sign up to the Respect Standard for Housing Management;

- considering proposals that in future, as key local delivery agencies, housing associations should be subject to scrutiny by local authority Overview and Scrutiny Committees;

- proposing a new ‘Communities Standard’ for housing associations to work towards;
  
- calling on associations to rationalise stock holdings and management, and announcing its intention to consult on changes to traffic light assessments of housing association performance to focus more keenly on the quality of housing association asset management strategies;
                                                                                                                          
- exploring alternative approaches to providing funding, such as upfront investment to kick-start the regeneration of areas with deprivation;

- confirming its intention to consult later this year on a requirement that all associations ensure that there is resident involvement on every board and committee responsible for service delivery.

Housing Corporation Chief Executive, Jon Rouse said, “We are challenging housing providers to look at the way they work and better focus their attentions towards achieving mixed sustainable and successful communities.

“Housing is about so much more than bricks and mortar. We want affordable housing providers to look at the way they work and unlock not only their potential, but that of the communities they serve.

“Associations and providers must work with local authorities and communities to deliver customer focused services, and be accountable to them for the quality.”

Copies of the strategy are available on the Housing Corporation website www.housingcorp.gov.uk

Comments on the proposals, and how residents should be involved n the implementation of the strategy should be sent to Adrian Moran, Policy Manager, Housing Corporation 149 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7BN
or email: adrian.moran@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk

Ends.
 
 Note to editors:

1. Five overall themes are addressed as a way to reach sustainable, success for communities:

Working together – outlining how the Corporation sees housing associations, local authorities and others working together in partnership to deliver local communities;

Sustaining mixed communities – setting out how the Corporation and housing associations can contribute to delivering and sustaining successful, mixed communities;

Adding community value – highlighting the growing role of housing associations as social entrepreneurs and neighbourhood-level delivery agents, in addition to their core housing role;

Building respect – dealing with the critical role of housing associations in tackling anti-social behaviour and delivering the Respect agenda, and the role of the Housing Corporation in supporting this;

Empowering Communities – highlighting the importance of residents, and communities in the work of housing associations.

2. The strategy links in with a recent study announced by the Housing Corporation focusing on how associations can develop self regulation regimes based on their tenants views and how they fit with existing and future approached to regulation and inspection.

3. The Housing Corporation is the Government agency responsible for investing in new
affordable homes and regulating over 1,500 housing associations across England.  Its
biggest ever investment programme of £3.9 billion for 2006-08 will fund 84,000 homes;
49,000 of these will be for affordable rent, and 35,000 will be for affordable sale through
the Government's new HomeBuy initiative, helping people to get a foot on the property
ladder.