We want you, our tenants and leaseholders to have a say in the housing services we provide and how we provide them.  This will help us to improve those services.  To give you the chance to have your say, we provide a range of different ways for tenants and leaseholders to get involved.

Why it’s good to get involved

There are over 1,000 customers on our Get Involved database but here are two we caught up with recently to find out what they think of getting involved.

Tonie Edwards 

What involvement activities do you take part in?
I am involved in lots of different things: Youth Voice, young people’s meetings, Complaints R Us, focus groups and training courses.

How did you find out about getting involved?
My support worker invited me to a young people’s meeting at Pizza Hut and from there I found out about other ways of getting involved.

What is the best thing about getting involved?
For me it’s about getting out and about, meeting new people and getting to know them.

Do you feel that your involvement has made a difference to any YHN services?
Yes, in lots of ways, for example I had an input into the design of the young family accommodation that has now been built.

How have you benefitted personally from being involved?
Yes, it gets me out of the house and making friends! I also have certificates from the training like a first aid certificate!

Can you think of a sentence to sell getting involved?
It’s very rewarding, you get to help change the way YHN works and meet some lovely staff!

Mbemba Kuzambisa

What involvement activities do you take part in?
I take part in the driving school project which means I can get involved in activities like business enterprise, ECDL and an interview workshop. I also contribute towards the TSA focus groups.

How did you find out about getting involved?
I found out about getting involved by looking in Homes & People. I rang the Customer Involvement team and they put me on the Get Involved database.

What is the best thing about getting involved?
I feel that the best thing about being involved is being aware of what is going on and feeling that my opinions count.

Do you feel that your involvement has made a difference to any YHN services?
I feel I have contributed towards changing the way services are delivered by YHN. I have done this by contributing ideas in meetings. I can also see how my ideas have influenced services when I receive 6 monthly feedback from the Customer Involvement team.

How have you benefitted personally from being involved?
I feel that I have gained confidence from taking part in get involved projects. My confidence has developed as a result of speaking in public and I also feel that my English has improved.

This is what other involved customers had to say about getting involved...

"I get involved so I can improve housing for everybody” “Staff have made us feel our input in valuable to improve housing services” “I can really see that my involvement is making a difference to services because we get feedback from officers” “It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you get involved”
		“Even if you have a disability; your view counts” “It’s fun and enjoyable and I have learnt about different services that I can use” “I really enjoy getting involved and working as part of a group” “By getting involved you can monitor services”
“Getting involved means you can help achieve things” “I got involved to have my say and be heard” “It’s a way to build up confidence and self esteem” “You can’t complain if you don’t get involved”
So…why not… “Take the initiative and join in”