Strategies to Improve the Problem Estate - Term Paper Example

 Report on Strategies to Improve the 'Problem Estate' Issues that arise in housing projects can be attributed to an array of factors that can be pegged on the landlord and residents' contribution. It is the landlord's primary obligation to ensure that the buildings are inhabitable and all basic facilities such as water, gas and thermal supply is in a constant flow. Maintaining such level of efficiency is often met by several hurdles especially uncooperative residents. Notably, the residents have got a duty to maintain the building and the facilities therein in good condition. Sometimes there is always a tug between the relationship between the landlord and the residents. The landlord may seem to care about the return on investment as per the residents' point of view while the residents may seem to be taking things for granted when it comes to paying their rent dues in time. These are just dismal examples of the issues that create a stalemate between the landlord and the residents. Amicable strategies have to be put in place in order to restore a cordial bond between these two parties into the unforeseeable future. This fact eradicates antisocial behavior such as graffiti and vandalism, rent collections are improved, and repairs are done on time and also the residents feel safe as they live in their houses. How can realization of these achievements happen? Involving the residents is critical in sorting out landlord-resident's issues and this is an approach that has been adopted by the government and other local organizations (Audit commission, 2004). It helps in realization of economic value as well as generation of a common ground between residents and landlords. The landlords should realize that just like any other client, the residents deserve better customer care and own up to their rationale. Improved services, enhanced accountability and building social capital are some of the areas, in addition to building community capacity, that housing organizations should involve the residents in those programs. Connecting to the residents through improved services is not only beneficial to them by improving their living conditions but also beneficial to the landlord since the client-base will be maintained thus avoiding the loss of income through vacant houses after residents' move-out. The residents should receive value for their money and it can only be shown by maintaining what they are paying for: the houses. The other benefit of involving residents in improved service delivery is in the Templar housing rehabilitation of Pack mill in Congleton's case study 1. Although the amount spent amounted to £4000 during the search for suggestions, much money was saved which could have been used in correcting the mistakes that could arise or have been made during the construction stage. This is the point where residents' involvement becomes an economic gain. Accountability can be describing the act of giving back to the tenants by the landlords through fulfilling obligations. Involving the tenants in accountability is an open channel where the tenants can raise their views on what needs to be done. The tenants being the occupants of a building have a better view of the conditions that they may wish to live in and it is upon the landlord to heed to their demands or negotiate a better alternative. A negotiating table for the landlord and the tenants results in a common choice between the two parties thus creating a cordial relationship. The residents benefit from being involved in accountability as seen in the case study two of BAL dry that became political figures after chairing a resident association. Building community capacity and social capital not only enhances a collective livelihood situation but also is a form of bringing the residents together for a common goal. Case study three describes how the residents became more organized by starting up a fishing club and also stopping the hostel brawls after the Housing Association got them involved. Enhancing community capacity empowers the residents to become productive members of the society and in return the landlords enhance the flow of income since the rent dues are in time. Improving the social capital can also counter antisocial behaviors since the residents get to know each other and to point out any offender easily. This element spreads its root to the general public where authorities could have an easy time while dealing with the public as seen in cases study 3. Rent collection improvement is the first point that the report addresses. While it is difficult to act on an individual's income generation by the landlord, prudential measures can be applied. 25 percent of residents' income goes into the payment of rent expenses (Victorian auditor general, 2012). This includes analyzing the resident's trend in rent payment and getting to understand the setbacks that hinder the ones with questionable trends. A calm approach can persuade a resident to share with the landlord about financial status from where actionable steps can apply. One of the ways on how to assist a resident in financial distress is to advise on how to get financial consultancy so as a resident may get information on how to manage finances. These management skills include debt consolidation, credit card usage analysis and finding cheaper alternatives for basic needs. Another form of actionable step is a partial payment of rent before it becomes due. Some residents could be struggling with saving enough to pay the rent even though they get money on a daily basis. Depositing small amounts in the landlord's bank account and then reconciling the banking slips at the end of the rent period can be one of the efficient ways of ensuring that the rent collection gets collected on time. Drawing a standing order is another method of assisting the residents to submit their rent dues on time. This method of rent payment ensures that income is not diverted to any other uses without settling the rent dues first. Maintaining an updated profile about individual residents is essential since any behavioral change can get noticed in good time and action taken as risk aversion step. Welfare changes on residents' income might be detrimental to landlord's collections since a decreased resident's salary translates into rent arrears (Salbury, 2013). Profiling does not pertain to financial position of the residents but there also other affecting factors such as disability, vulnerable tenants, isolation and cultural needs that can hinder the flow of rent settlement. Profiling can be taken to mean observation of any change that occurs in the residents' lives that can deter them from timely settlement of their rent dues. A check on any immigrant community is critical as this could affect the rent income especially when the immigrants consist of unemployed people. It takes an immigrant quality time to get the right papers and secure a job and in case the offers run out without any luck that means that the rent will not remain in arrears. Without a job, one can become a threat to the surrounding society members if engagement in criminal behaviors is taken up with no exception of immigrants. A close follow-up should be done in order to ascertain whether the immigrants are doing well financially and what can be done and endured to help. The information gathered from the residents while profiling can be used to personalize the landlord's services that are one way of enhancing customer care. Personalization stirs friendship and openness and it enables the landlord to deal with the residents easily (North Ayrshire Council 2014). Residents feel well cared for if the landlord refers to them using their personal details such as individual's names thus it is important to take time and know them well. This makes the residents have a feeling that they are being given quality attention thus any of the issues that they could be having or might have in the future, will get sorted out immediately. Personalized treatment builds up trust and confidence among the residents and any landlord who is applying it should rest assured that proper feedback will always be flowing in regarding any happening that occurs on in the rentals. Proper equality assessment should be done to ensure that a fair and uniform treatment is applied to all residents (Charnwood Borough council, 2014). For example, accommodating more men in one building can intimidate the female residents thus it is important to allocate the units fairly in order to avoid this paranoia situation. The equality assessment depends on factors such as race, religion, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marriage and disability. In fostering a perfect relationship between individuals, preventing victimization and harassment, creating a condition that is conducive to those who need protection, equality assessment becomes a fundamental aspect. A standard form should be used to collect the residents' information so as to ensure that collection of all the required data gets done. This form of capturing data also ensures that uniformity is applied on the data collected without omission. The residents might feel biased if they realize that the data captured was not the same and this might spark a discomfort. The forms should contain the names, current and annual anticipated income, student status, information about previous landlord, housing history for a certain period and so on (CA Tax Allocation Committee, 2012). Communication is essential for all and there is no other way of conveying a message to the residents other than communicating through media such as letters, emails or phone calls. If at all there are some residents who do not understand the landlords language, translation must be identified. Due to various issues, there could be hard to reach groups in the building and this could be due to tight work schedules, transition requirements and introverts. There is an exceeding need to ensure that the services offered by the landlord get to these groups in a timely manner. This factor applies fairness and equality. The residents with special needs should be catered for, however, how small their group may be. This makes them feel to be part of the residential society. Some of the special and distinct needs that can be addressed include pet allergies. Cultural needs such as covering shoes while getting into a flat require special attention and the staff should have the information regarding the residents with such attributes. Meetings are crucial in enhancing a residents' involvement. This is the point where they apprehend raise their views, objections and suggestions. It is also the point where policy changes are announced to the tenants by the landlord and also creates the best moments for the residents to know each other. The meetings should be always held at most people's convenience in order to ensure that a majority vote is held at all times. The services provided by the landlord should cater for all residents' needs and this can be planned as per the personal information collected from the residents in addition to their views. The landlord should facilitate the acquisition of Disability Facilities Grant which is offered by the local authorities in order to appraise a home (Gov.UK 2014). It is prudent to make those provisions as to apply equality. The landlord should be proactive so as to act before any damage is done thus becoming reactive. Making impromptu checks on the residents is an ideal way of getting to know things before they happen. Treating every resident with equality promotes a peaceful co-existence between the communities and should be one of the landlord’s objectives. Assumption can make one have the wrong information thus ending up with wrong judgments. It is essential to seek clarification on every issue that the landlord wants to know from the residents. Keeping all the residents on board regarding any happening helps to demystify myths such as the resident allocation. A public noticeboard is an ideal platform for communication to the residents. Tony Blair (Observer, 2002) argued that everyone is affected by crime and social breakdown and that, by heavy investment on anti-poverty program, the issues could have been tackled. Responsibility is seen as the main pillar in curbing antisocial behavior and it could be instilled in people by building their capacity or by the criminal justice system. The people who usually engage in antisocial behavior come from residence poorer communities. Lack of constructive income generating activities lead the victims to drug use and engagement in the negative behaviors is often under the influence of alcohol and other substances. For example, an unemployed youth from Metropolitan borough may decide to join a group of other jobless youths. Driven by peer pressure, the group may decide to consume alcohol and create public discomfort by hurling insults to the passersby and being rowdy. Capacity building in such residence is crucial so as to instill responsibility in such youths. Stigma and discrimination are some of the elements that could be causing antisocial behavior in residents who hold diverse ethnicity background. It should be viewed as a collective responsibility to fight the vice so as to uphold equality in service provision and employment opportunities. The Crime and Disorder Act, (1998) describes extensively the acts of lawlessness that are deemed to be antisocial behavior and also the responsibilities vested on various parties in curbing the menace. Local authorities who are described as relevant bodies are vested with a statutory duty in controlling antisocial behaviors. They include district councils, London Borough councils, police forces, groups that are in Clinical Commissioning and providers of social housing (The Anti-social Behavior Team, (2013). The landlords have legal obligations under ASB Act 2003 to prepare policies and procedures that deal with antisocial behavior. They include local housing authority, registered social landlord and housing action trust. The obligations include publishing a policy and procedures statement and provision of the same to anybody who requests it at a reasonable fee. The landlords under ASB Act must have an ASB policy, order for house closure; demote tenancy and issue parenting orders. All these actions express the vital responsibility that the landlords have in curbing antisocial behavior. The Respect Standard, (2006) has a main objective on guiding the landlords on how to curb antisocial behavior. The standard addresses six good management criteria that include accountability, commitment and leadership. Reassuring and empowering residents, early intervention and prevention, provision for support for witnesses and victims and residents' tailored services, swift enforcement community protection and tackling support for antisocial behaviors form other standards. In swift enforcement protection of communities, ABCs can be used together with injunctions, demotions and other tools in building blocks. The local authorities through empowerment by the statutes have managed to omit some individuals from the housing register as fro 1996. Family intervention projects have contributed immensely in curbing antisocial behaviors through liaison with the relevant bodies. A good repairs service should be easily accessible and should hold high reliability levels. Reliability addresses the issue of the service providers being able to make provision for all the time that is required for the repair exercise. Upon arrival, which should be almost spontaneous with an exception of called-in delays, the service providers should get things up with the first trial. This not only saves time but also resources, as well. Besides good quality work, they should uphold moral integrity, professionalism and be warm hearted in addition to being aware of the cultural diversity traits such as shoe's removal while in the house, and respecting them. The service providers should not uphold mediocrity thus they should give value for money and be flexible enough to offer tailor-made services as per the residents' expectation (Wiegand, 2014). Effective response to emergencies and complaints is another attribute that a quality service provider should possess. It goes a long way in thwarting further damage if a response happens in time. A provision for repairs is vital, but the charges for the services must be below 10 percent of the total budget. A good service delivery is dependent on having an approach that includes a long term strategy; involve residents in consultative sessions, of works, and responsive and efficient repairs. These components ensure that the repair work is done as a total package without leaving any work in progress. Having a long term strategic approach involves a 5 year survey of the stock condition and making regular updates on the findings. Are source gap should also be set out and also in planned works. Sustainability of older stocks may not be sustainable and a project overhaul should be the best alternative. It was a target that, by 2010, all social landlords could have reasonable repair levels, thermal comfort and modern facilities that are reasonable in their stocks thus achieving decent homes. Engaging residents do generate other benefits such as maximized choices and prioritized budgets. Quality selection of contractors helps in performance monitoring that includes comparative information, learning from surveys, feedback and complaints and being updated at all times especially on works timing. Efforts must be done to reach groups that are hard to get since they could be in possession of valuable insights and also it is a fairness dictation. Action By when By who Outcome 1 Meeting the residents with a poor history of rent settlement and collect individual suggestions on improvement of the estate. June 2014 Riverslake Housing Association Made plans to engage a financial consultant to take the residents in distress though financial literacy. Collected suggestions from the residents which included improved garbage collection, improved lighting of the neighborhood during the dark hours. 2 Resident involvement in making decision. July 2014 Riverslake Housing Association The residents suggested improvement of garbage collection and improved security since there was no lighting system and the neighborhood was too dark during the nights. The building to be inspected since there are complaints regarding broken down thermal systems, repaint the peeling walls and install guard rails on the stairways which had been vandalized. 3 Engagement of flood light erection service provider and garbage collection attendants. August 2014 Riverslake Housing Association Signing of job and performance contracts by the engaged contractors. 4 Commencement of repair and maintenance works. September 2014 TTTT contractors. Repainting the walls, fixing rail guards for the staircases inside the building, repairing chipped floor. 5 Meeting with residents so as to come up with initiatives that can reduce antisocial behavior October 2014 Riverslake Housing Association Ideas raised include construction of a recreation park, initiation of income generating projects for the youth groups. Reference List Audit commission, 2004.Housing: Improving services through resident involvement Contents.Available at commission.gov.uk/auditcommission/sitecollectiondocuments/AuditCommissionReports/NationalStudies/Resident_involvement_Report.pdf. (Accessed on 9 May, 2014) Charnwood Borough council, 2014: Equality Impact Assessment. Available athttp://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/equalityimpactassessment. (Accessed on 9 May, 2014) Crime and Disorder Act, 1998.Available at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/37/contents(Accessed on 9 May, 2014) CA Tax Allocation Committee, 2012.Section Iv – Qualifying Tenants For Lihtc Units. Available at http://www.treasurer.ca.gov/ctcac/compliance/manual/tenants.pdf(Accessed on 9 May, 2014) Gov.UK 2014.Disabled Facilities Grants. Available at https://www.gov.uk/disabled-facilities-grants(Accessed on 9 May, 2014) Wiegand J., 2014. Do Good: Home Repair Services helps build strong, stable neighborhoods. Available at http://www.rapidgrowthmedia.com/features/022714homerepairservices.aspx(Accessed on 9 May, 2014) North Ayrshire Council (2014).What is tenant participation? Available at http://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/resident/housing/information-for-tenants/tenant-participation/what-is-tenant-participation.aspx(Accessed on 9 May, 2014) Salbury M., 2013: Opinion: landlords should get systems in place before Universal Credit. Available at http://www.24dash.com/news/universal_credit/2013-01-25-opinion-landlords-should-get-systems-in-place-before-universal-credit#.U2v6d6JV1sg(Accessed on 9 May, 2014) Observer, 2002.My Vision for Britain: By Tony Blair. Available at 9 May, 2014 from http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2002/nov/10/queensspeech2002.tonyblair The Anti-social Behaviour Team, 2013.Reform of anti-social behaviour powers: Draft guidance for frontline professionals. Available at 9 May, 2014 from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/248747/01_ASB_Guidance_FINAL.pdf The Respect Standard, 2006.Available at 9 May, 2014 from http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120919132719/http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/152369.pdf Victorian Auditor General, 2012.Pathways to a fair and sustainable social housing system. Available at 9 May, 2014 from http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/709053/housingframeworkdiscussionpaper_27042012.pdf Read More