1
Have
Your
Say
A Strategy to Engage
Tenants and Build Resilient
Neighbourhoods
CHH MISSION
Heading Text
We
p r o v id e
a ffo r d a bl e
ho u sin g
that
is
safe,
well-maintained,
cost- e ff e cti v e
and supports the
di v e r s e
n e e ds of o u r
manY communities
“A strategy that puts
tenants at the centre is
something the board wholeheartedly endorses. Tenants are
the reason we are here.”
Brian McHattie
President, CityHousing Hamilton
Board of Directors: CityHousing Hamilton
Mr. Scott Duvall (Ward 7)
Mr. Jason Farr (Ward 2)
Mr. Lloyd Ferguson (Ward 12)
Mr. Tom Jackson (Ward 6)
Mr. Peter Schafft,Vice President
Mr. Chris McLaughlin
Ms. Patricia Reid
Mr. Alan Walker
A Message from the CEO and the Manager of Tenant Engagement
recommended strategy makes an important
connection between engaging tenants and
building resilient neighbourhoods – a key
focus area of the City of Hamilton’s strategic plan. The full report is available on our
website at www.cityhousinghamilton.com.
Tenants
are at the
centre Of
what we do at CHH.
That is why last year, with the enthusiastic
support of our Board of Directors, we
embarked on a comprehensive process to
develop a strategy to engage tenants in
helping to make CityHousing Hamilton the
best place to live. Over a period of about
five months, tenants and other stakeholders
were invited to provide input to the process
we called Have Your Say. The input took a
number of forms: conversation cafes, on-line
surveys, written surveys, focus groups and
presentations.
We have now concluded the strategy
development process and have received
the final report from the consultants. The
The strategy has been endorsed by the
Board of Directors at a meeting in January
2012 and was presented at an open meeting of tenants in February.
We want to keep up the momentum and
will be communicating regularly with tenants as we roll out the strategy over the
coming months.
We want to thank everyone most sincerely
who participated in the strategy development process. We could not have done
it without the generosity of tenants and
community service providers and the hard
work of our CHH staff team.
Sincerely,
Brenda Osborne, CEO
Kate Mannen, Manager
Contents
1....................Introduction
2....................What we did
3....................What we learned
6....................The Strategy
8....................A Definition
9....................Tenants at the Centre
10..................Outcomes
12..................Measuring Success
14..................What’s Next
15..................Acknowledgments
Introduction
1
Tenant
Why
?
Engagement
Tenant engagement is a
concept that has been gaining ground
across Canada and around the world in
recent years. More and more, housing
providers are recognizing the benefits of
actively and meaningfully involving tenants in the work of planning, monitoring
and contributing to the quality of life in
the buildings in which they live.
The reasons for and benefits flowing
from active tenant engagement are
becoming increasingly recognized. A large
body of experience is building which will
continue to influence the CHH Tenant
Engagement Strategy going forward. Specific desired outcomes for the strategy
at CHH are described in greater detail in
the Proposed Strategy section.
Tenant engagement has been happening
at CHH, but not as part of a coordinated, system-wide effort. At this point,
in response to emerging best practice
in the field of social housing and in
order to come into line with the new
directions emerging from the Housing
Services Act 2011, CityHousing Hamilton wishes to make tenant engagement
a coordinated, informed, consistent and
measurable activity in which everyone
plays a role and is working toward
common goals.
The City of Hamilton as part of its
strategic plan has identified resilient
neighbourhoods as a key strategic
priority and created a special office
of Neighbourhood Development
reporting to the City Manager to lead
this effort. CHH properties exist within
city neighbourhoods, many of the same
neighbourhoods the City wishes to
strengthen. There is an obvious connection, then, between the City’s strategic
plan and CityHousing Hamilton’s tenant
engagement activities. Proactive and
well-executed tenant engagement will
increase the success of the City’s neighbourhood development strategy.
2
2
Heading
What
weText
did
The Process
The goal of this project was
to design and deliver a Tenant Engagement Strategy that would enable CHH
stakeholders to be effectively involved
in working together to improve tenants’
physical and social living environments.
In light of the size of the CHH
business (7,000 units and over 13,000
residents), and the acknowledged diversity and complexity of the CHH tenant
population, the proposed approach and
methodology were designed to be both
accessible and efficient, providing the
most reliable information, gathered in an
inclusive and barrier-free manner, while
maximizing efficiencies wherever possible. CHH staff and community service
providers are important voices at the
CHH table, so these groups were also
consulted regarding the design of the
strategy.
More than 150 CityHousing
Hamilton tenants participated in seven
conversation cafes. CHH tentants also
completed over 200 tentant surveys.
Fifty-seven CityHousing Hamilton
staff took part in a focus group and
staff survey, while approximately thirty
service providers participated in two
focus groups.
A review of the literature pro-
duced current leading-edge research,
frameworks, plans and strategies, policies, and resources and tools related
to the tenant engagement process.
“
If we create the
right process, bring
people together,
and moderate
properly, we’ll
get great results...
We need tenant
teams that work
together.”
What We Learned
Key Issues
tenants would like the
strategy to address
••Maintenance and Property
••Safety and Security
••Relations with CHH
••Tenant Teams
••Space and Support for Children and Youth
••Tenant Relations / Build Community
“
We want to feel safe and secure in
our units, our building and our
neighbourhood.”
3
3
4
4
What we learned
What facilitates
Tenant Engagement
•• Create a
Positive Environment
•• Access
•• Have our voices heard
•• Resources: Financial / Human /
Educational
•• Clear communications
•• Address discrepancies between
buildings/complexes
•• Respect for different cultural
groups, diverse needs
•• Share the “success
stories”
•• Follow-up is most
important of all!
?“
Honesty and respect
should be most important in all organizational groups.
The trust must be
there or else it will
fail.”
5
Some givens
“Give me the tools so
I can be instrumental
and give me a sounding board so my voice
can be heard.
that inform
the work:
The main driver of tenant satisfaction is
repairs and maintenance.
Tenants may be motivated to become
involved if CHH demonstrates a commitment
to improving the physical condition of the
building or complex where the tenants live.
There are different levels of
engagement—only a small percentage of
tenants will become actively involved.
Everyone does not have to be actively
involved for tenant engagement to work.
”
Pyramid of Participation
INFLUENCE
Boards/Panels
SKILLS/CONFIDENCE
Different activities will be attractive
to different groups—some people will be
comfortable with formal activities while
others will prefer informal ones.
Special strategies will be needed to
overcome barriers experienced by some
groups: seniors, ethno-racial and linguistic
groups, people with disabilities, youth, gender.
Dif fer ent
Different
Levels
Levels
Tenants
T
Many
Methods
Landlord
Image copyright TPAS Cymru 2009
5
6
6
The Strategy
Based on the learnings of the
proposed
Strategic
Approach
conversation cafes, the tenant surveys,
the staff focus groups, staff surveys and
service provider consultations, the
following strategic approach for the engagement of tenants within CityHousing
Hamilton has been developed. The recommended approach is not only a reflection
of what was heard from tenants, staff and
service providers who are all part of the
CHH picture, but is also informed by a
thorough review of tenant engagement
activities in other jurisdictions from a
wide variety of articles and websites.
The recommended strategy
will be phased in over five years. Each
phase builds on the previous one and the
previous phase continues as a foundational layer; thus, each layer extends the
strategy towards its desired goal of engaged, involved tenants building resilient
neighbourhoods. Within each phase are
discrete components with actions and
leaders.
7
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CEO
Stakeholder Reference Group
Phase I
Tenant as Customer
Activities
Tenant as Partner
Activities
••Address building issues
••Cross-department training and planning
••Maintain tenant connections
Goals
Phase II
Activities
••Three Pilots
••Create Tenant Working groups
••Train Tenants, Staff & Partners
••Connect to City Strategic Plan
••Restore confidence and build trust with tenants
••Shift in thinking among CHH staff and increased
collaboration between departments in putting tenants
at the centre
••Retain current levels of tenant involvement and
communicate CHH accountability for the strategy
Phase III
••Share Results of Pilots
••Develop CHH-Wide Themes
••Formal Structures
••Reference Group Morphs Into Tenant Council
••Community Mapping (Relate to Other City Initiatives and
Service Providers)
Goals
••Use three selected pilots to experiment with ways for
CHH and its tenants to work together
Goals
••Apply the learnings from the pilots into the
structures that will support ongoing tenant
participation
••City-wide Tenant Engagement model leading to more
resilient neighbourhoods
Phase III: Resilient Neighbourhoods
Phase II: Participation by Tenants
Phase I: Preparation / Readiness
ef fe ctive c o n s i s t e n t c ommuni cat i on
7
8
8
A Definition
A Working Definition
Tenant engagement
is the
process
by which
tenants become involved in the activities and influence the decisions that affect their quality of life at CityHousing
Hamilton. Tenant engagement includes preparing and equipping tenants and staff to participate, and involving tenants
in monitoring and evaluating the quality of their participation.
Heading
Roles
andText
Responsibilities: Tenants at the Centre
CHH Management
CHH Board
• leadership
• capacity building
• accountability
• vision
• standards
• policies
TENANTS
CHH Staff
• service
• connection
• advocacy
•
•
•
•
dignity
respect
diversity
influence
Community
Service
Providers
• partnership
• common goals
• community
development
9
9
10
10
Outcomes
“
The gardens are a delight—thank you.”
11
positive outcomes are possible
when tenant engagement is rooted in the local reality,
embraced as the “way to do business” and implemented in a
measured and considered way.
Desired outcomes for a tenant engagement strategy for
CityHousing Hamilton are:
•• Successful tenancy / Better occupancy
•• Resilient neighbourhoods
•• Enhanced tenant relations
•• Experience of equity
•• More efficient service provision
•• More effective service delivery
•• Better integration of community services into CHH
•• Return on Investment
•• Stewardship of assets
•• Moving on to private housing—possibly home
ownership
11
12
12
Measuring Success
The strategy is an iterative process,
a journey of tenants and housing
provider together. While time frames
have been provided, it is important
to recognize that depending on the
success of each phase, the timing
of the next phase could be affected.
Meeting exact timelines is less
important than the forward motion
and the sense of all concerned that
progress towards the goal is being
made. Setting benchmarks and
making them known to everyone will
be important to keep everyone
engaged and motivated.
“Participation helps both tenants as well as
the housing organization they are involved
with. [It] can play a part in building
community capital and social inclusion.”
-Dr. Tony Gilmour
13
“
We need to speak up together for our children, to grow up in a healthy place so
they are not falling over broken bottles and playing on shopping carts and mattresses. We need to come together to do this. It is really important.”
13
14
14
What’s Next?
What’s next?
The strategy has been endorsed by the
Board of Directors of CityHousing Hamilton.
Staff of CHH are now incorporating the
strategy into their 2012-2014 workplans.
The full report is posted on our website and
copies of this summary will be printed and
widely distributed.
We ask tenants to read and discuss the
strategy with your neighbours; to stay
informed of the progress of implementation;
and most importantly to participate in the
strategy in whatever way best matches your
interests.
Updates will be posted regularly on the
CHH website. There will also be a Have Your
Say corner in the tenant newsletter. And you
are always welcome to call Theresa at Ext
6679 for the latest information about the
strategy.
is a great first
“This
step in the right
direction.”
The creation of the Tenant Reference Group
will be a top priority between March and
June 2012. A facilitated meeting to help
define the membership and selection criteria
for the Tenant Reference Group will be
convened on May 12th. Announcement of the
Tenant Reference Group is planned for the
Picnic in the Park in July.
We will be developing training plans for staff
and tenants in the coming months too.
Stay tuned for topics of interest to you.
Acknowledgments
15
CityHousing Hamilton Project Team
Brenda Osborne, CEO CityHousing Hamilton
Kate Mannen, Manager, Tenant Engagement & Support Services
Theresa Phair, Community Development Coordinator
Laura Woodcox, Community Relations Worker
Jeff du Manoir, Technical Support
Mike Acciaroli, Technical Support
Contact us at
Consulting Team
Susan Goodman
Catherine Pead
Rachael Berney
Sean Coughlin
Kate Feightner
Suzanne Gibson
Diane Marino
Monica Quinlan
Web address: www.cityhousinghamilton.com/tenantengagement
Email: tenantengagement@hamilton.ca
Kate Mannen
Manager, Tenant Engagement & Support Services
CityHousing Hamilton
55 Hess Street S, 23rd Floor
Hamilton, ON L8N 4E5
905-523-8496 Ext 7317
kate.mannen@hamilton.ca
Theresa Phair
Community Development Coordinator
CityHousing Hamilton
theresa.phair@hamilton.ca
905-523-8496 Ext 6679
15
16
The material in this publication is taken
from the Have Your Say Final Report
available at the CHH Website
www.cityhousinghamilton.com
Unless otherwise noted, all quotations
are from Tenant Survey responses.
“Housing [is] A Verb”
(with apologies to John F.C. Turner)
© 2012 CityHousing Hamilton