16/10/2020
Working with TRAs
Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, Six Town Housing continues to support Tenant and Resident Associations across the borough. These community groups are made up of volunteers who offer essential services to meet the needs of local people and we are proud to support them where we can.
Amongst other things, we have carried out (and are continuing to carry out) the following this year:
- We have kept in touch with all our groups on a regular basis; finding out what support they are giving to members of their community and what they have been up to. This has been collated and passed to Bury Council.
- We have referred tenants who are suffering financial hardship or who are isolating/shielding to the various food banks, and community hubs run by the TRAs, provided the groups with food delivery information. Some tenants were identified from the vulnerable calls staff made earlier this year.
- We have sent useful information on any new external funding to all TRAs and offered support with applying for these.
- We have successfully applied for funds for sheltered schemes, to start chair based exercise sessions after the pandemic is over.
- We continue to do DBS checks for volunteers, so they can get involved with community projects.
- Repairs Direct built a new wall at Chesham Fold TRA's community centre, to separate their cafe from function room with two different entrances. On behalf of the TRA, Six Town Housing then arranged for Bury Council to host a Covid test centre in the function room to support local people. The wall enabled the cafe to remain open following strict safety guidelines and also act as a hub for their food bank and baby bank.
- We are changing our Community Grant process to an online form to make it easier for TRAs to apply. Among other things, we have awarded funding for hand sanitiser dispensers in a sheltered scheme, gardening materials, summer breakfast parcels and a lawn mower for a community allotment.
- We are working with some TRAs to distribute Creative Care kits to elderly residents (via the Community hubs).
- We have assisted Chesham Fold TRA with repairs following a destructive break-in at their Community Centre.
- We have kept our STH social media up to date with regular updates and information on support information.
- We have attended TRA zoom meetings with the TRA and councillors.
- We have linked up with TRAs so they can support one another. Victoria breakfast club and food bank have been giving the Top o’th’ Fields & Welcomb Walk TRA any produce they had left over for those isolated as a good example.
- We have informed TRAs of the testing centres so they could get the word out if people were concerned they had the virus.
- Neighbourhood Advisors have supported TRAs in their patch, attending joint walkabouts to highlight any problems and keeping in contact as groups report increase in ASB and fly-tipping.
- We have worked with Topping Fold TRA to support vulnerable tenants with a clear outs, apply for benefits and source furniture.
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