Resident engagement
We are committed to ensuring that the voices of our customers are heard and listened to. We understand that our residents know better than anyone else when services meet their needs and expectations and when they don’t.
What is resident engagement?
Resident engagement is about making sure that all residents have the opportunity and choice to have a say in the decisions that affect their homes and communities. It may involve you and your neighbours attending the occasional meeting with our staff, normally held on your estate, to discuss current issues or changes. It includes taking part in surveys and questionnaires. It could involve becoming a resident representative, helping form a residents association or joining the residents forum.
We have three residents serving on our Operations Committee. Here they are able to influence the work of IDS and play a key role in shaping the organisation’s strategy.
Resident engagement opportunities
Strategic voice
We currently have three existing Resident Operations Committee members. These residents work closely with some of our board members, providing a strategic oversight of operational performance (how we are currently performing against our objectives).
Guiding voices
This group is the re-launch of the resident’s forum. We are looking for 10-15 residents who would be willing to work with us to review service improvement, including challenging our performance and reviewing policies. We will be launching a campaign for you to join us during Autumn and Winter of 2024. We appreciate that you will be giving us your time, and we would like this group to meet every quarter in person for no more than 2-3 hours to help us scrutinise our performance.
Local voices
We are always grateful for your time and input as we understand that you know your communities better than anyone else and what challenges you face as residents. You may already be engaging with us via the residents’ meetings that you attend. Your Estate Manager will share the dates of meetings and opportunities for ways to shape your local community. We currently have two formal residents’ associations and encourage any residents who are keen to know more to contact their Estate Manager.
Virtual voices
Occasionally, we will ask for feedback online via email or text and we know that many of our residents like engaging with us in this way due to the amount of uptake we have had to date. This includes survey feedback as well as both local and wider consultation pieces.
Creative voices
If you have a specialism, passion, or a particular area that you are interested in we will be creating this forum to meet in person in a focus group activity no more than 3 times a year to help us with specific project reviews on services that affect you.
Interested in getting involved?
If you would like more information about getting more involved either with us or your local community, please call on 020 8800 9606 or email housing@ids.org.uk
Benefits of getting involved
We are always keen to help residents get involved.
Our resident engagement strategy
Our engagement framework outlines ways in which residents can formally engage with us. We really need your involvement! So please consider working with us.
Recognition & remuneration
We are committed to recognising your input and have several ways in which we support resident engagement, from training opportunities, to covering travel and childcare costs and other expenses and remuneration for your time.
Community life
We are really lucky to have three community halls across our estates. These can be hired out by not-for-profit organisations to run events and activities for our residents and members of the community.
The great thing about our sheltered schemes is that there is a sense of community and inclusion. Activities will be advertised on communal notice boards within the scheme.
