CCH Bulletin Summer 2000
Housing Association management co-operatives
Last year CHISEL Housing Association made a commitment to all its tenants, both individual tenants and co-op tenants that they would be encouraged to take control of their homes. Work has been ongoing with six co-operative's and one small charitable Housing Association.
A year on - the small charitable housing association and one co-operative have full management agreements giving them complete control over the way the homes are managed. Work is to be started to determine if they wish to apply for Housing Corporation registration and then take over the leases or even buy the properties they manage. Of the other five co-operatives, three groups will sign formal Allocations agreements in July 2000, one has signed a formal Repairs and Maintenance Agreement as well as an Allocations agreement.
The other two groups still have some work to do but are on track to sign agreements with CHISEL Management Committee giving them control in the areas of their housing that they want control in.
The majority of these co-operative groups are small and have approx. 5 - 15 properties each, but the work that they do encourages a good solid community within the homes.
All the other tenants or the non-active co-op groups are also encouraged to participate in CHISEL, from being on the management committee or sub-committee to consultation of the changes to service agreement currently in place. All tenants are informed of what a housing co-op is and how to form one if they wish, but if they don't then that is fine too.
The work has been hard, for both staff and tenants, but it is starting to show what can be done if the commitment is there. Tenants are starting to trust in the association again an are which is still being worked on, but hopefully will be maintained as the service is improving and the tenants in co-ops have the right to say things need to be improved and control.
