Collaborating with tenants to shape the delivery of social housing services

Link Housing

Northern Sydney Housing Tenants Forum

In 2019, Cred Consulting designed and delivered the inaugural Northern Sydney Housing and Tenant Voice Forum, as well as the communications to promote the forum.

Link Housing, SGCH and Bridge Housing, in partnership with the Women’s Housing Company, are now responsible for all social housing, and related social housing services in Northern Sydney. The Tenant Voice Forum is a key deliverable of the Social Housing Service System Coordination Plan for Northern Sydney to inform future priorities and governance structure.

Conversations conducted in small groups allowed everyone to be heard and gave unique insights into challenges and needs. (Source: Cred Consulting).

Services
  • Engagement
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How we did it

The forum was structured around four activities designed to ensure active participation by tenants, catalyse meaningful discussion and provide a space for their voices to be heard.

The forum activities framed discussions about what tenants liked about their neighbourhood/community and what they would change; what ideas tenants felt were the future priorities, and what good engagement means to tenants.

The outcome

The forum provided a safe space for tenants to voice their ideas and concerns to inform the future planning and service delivery. It was also an opportunity for tenants to get to know each of the Community Housing Providers (CHPs), as well as to understand the new governance arrangements for social housing in Northern Sydney.

Key themes that emerged from the discussions included supporting and empowering tenants as a key priority; tenants want to connect through learning new skills and from each other, and tenants do feel supported by Community Housing staff.

Such themes will help the Northern Sydney Social Housing Service prioritise their activities, service provision and planning to support tenants across the 6,000 social housing tenancies in Northern Sydney.