The road to community involvement

When it comes to making in-roads into community involvement, here at Longhurst Homes we’ve mapped out some pretty innovative routes for ourselves.

When it comes to making in-roads into community involvement, here at Longhurst Homes we’ve mapped out some pretty innovative routes for ourselves.
 
As our company grew, we increasingly saw one-way becoming inadequate as we tried to engage more directly with our tenants and communities.
 
Our Tenant Involvement Manager Stephanie Ashford says, "People felt isolated and distanced from decisions that were being made about their communities. We wanted to find a way of meeting people face to face on a more regular basis".
Our Longhurst Homes community vehicle first took to the road a year ago and has been used almost 100 times in many different ways since: meetings with tenants to dispense advice and guidance; community events working closely with a range of partner organisations such as community police, anti social behaviour teams and health care workers; and a number of fun activities, including a successful Easter egg hunt.
 
We’ve recruited another dedicated member of staff to work in the community, using the vehicle. We hope to give a red light to isolation and social exclusion, whilst giving a green light to community involvement - quite a driving ambition for all concerned!
 
For more information contact Samantha Reid, Longhurst Group, on 01205 319649.

Our Stories

New slippers for old!
Aspire Housing and Age Concern are offering new slippers for old to help reduce the risk of falls.