Blenheim Gardens South London UK

“From those beginnings, MAH has worked hard to engage with residents across a range of issues. A Tenant Action Group (TAG) provides a focal point for hearing residents’ views and needs, and is aimed at sharing ‘the tenants’ vision for improving their community,” says Jesse Taylor.

Digital inclusion training

Digital inclusion courses have proved popular. With a grant from the Good Things Foundation, MAH trained TAG members and other residents to act as digital mentors and carry out peer to peer training. It’s one of a large number of initiatives by the MAH team to leverage in external resources to support tenants to improve their quality of life.

Service partnerships and engagement officers

As Jesse Taylor notes, the demographics and socio-economic indicators on the Argyll Estate places it among the more regionally disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. Grant funding was sought and secured and enhanced through service partnerships. Through grant funding, MAH was able to appoint a youth engagement officer as well as a tenant-led seniors engagement officer to reduce social isolation, both targeting estate tenants and beyond.

Integrated service delivery

Integrated service delivery, responsive to tenant needs, is a key part of MAH’s approach, unifying their three ‘streams’ of tenancy, assets and community development. To achieve tenant and organisational goals, they work closely with partner agencies like the police, NGOs and mental health teams to improve delivery and join-up services.

The Argyll Estate has its share of crime and anti-social behaviour, often tied to unsupported co-morbid mental health and substance dependency. MAH works with the tenants, police and service providers to record incident details, review and evaluate situations and then discuss problems and solutions. Housing staff are frequently called to step in and handle complex situations beyond their remit due to a lack of external service availability.

There is some hope, today, specialist staff are starting to work with mental health teams under a revised NSW-wide Housing and Mental Health Agreement, walking around the estate and engaging residents, together.

Tenant engagement events

Along the way, the redevelopment plans for the Argyll Estate have been scrapped by the NSW Government. Tenants now appreciate a more coordinated, in-person engagement strategy that may pave the way for future talks about revisiting redevelopment of the Argyll Estate.

MAH has essentially ‘started again,’ working with tenants, acknowledging their mistrust and fear, and holding open community forums with now Homes NSW to build trust by working and walking together, delivering on what it promises.

The latest initiative, at Christmas 2023, a straightforward but highly effective tenant generated idea, a Community Fun Day. MAH brought together all the agencies involved with the Argyll Estate, together with the TAG and others, to create a fun day of activities and information. In line with MAH’s now firmly established tenant engagement strategy, there was plenty of door-knocking as well as text messaging and easy-read leaflets to get the word out.

As momentum for the event built, a number of agencies began offering extras: high quality clothing for free, gifts from Santa for every child, food, gift cards, and so much more. Some residents raised concerns that money was being spent on the event during a cost of living crisis. They said food hampers were needed – so MAH and partners organised a regional drive, ensuring a food hamper for every household. More than 300 people and 21 services turned out on the day, hailed by the community as a huge success.

Since the Argyll Estate Community Fun Day, tenants and service providers are organising meetings and events, bring forward ideas to further support residents, building a responsive, resilient community. Residents report that since the Fun Day, they have met and talked with neighbours they had never met, contributing to building a sense of community, overcoming isolation and loneliness.