Community and Tenant Engagement Policy
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to define Alliance Housing’s commitment and approach to Community and Tenant Engagementa nd identifies some of the key stakeholder groups that we will seek to engage with formally and informally.
Scope
This policy applies across all Alliance Housing activities.
Intent
Alliance Housing exists to deliver social benefits for customers and the communities in which we operate, and it is only through the support of all sectors of our communities that we will succeed. We are therefore committed to developing and maintaining quality engagement and relationships with our tenants, community leaders, Government agencies, partner organisations and other stakeholders.
Our approach to Community and Tenant engagement seeks to ensure we establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships to support our tenants, to assist the long-term sustainability of Alliance Housing and support our local communities.
The information and insights captured through our Community and Tenant Engagement activities will be used to inform our policies, practises and priorities by helping us to:
• Understand local housing demand and need;
• Promoting access to information and discussion about current housing issues;
• Identify service gaps, policy and procedural weaknesses;
• Tenant preferences, concerns and support requirements;
• Understanding community issues and priorities;
• Assess current organisational performance and service standards;
• Identify new service, program and funding opportunities;
• Create new pathways to support and assistance for our tenants.
Policy
1. Tenant Participation and Engagement
Alliance Housing is committed to ensuring our services meet the needs of our tenants and communities. We believe that we have a responsibility to actively engage and encourage tenant participation in helping to shape and inform our policies, procedures and priorities.
Alliance Housing will maintain a number of formal and informal processes to enable and support tenant participation and engagement. These include, but are not limited to:
Conducting Tenant social and engagement events
Alliance Housing will conduct a range of social and engagement events throughout the year. Some events will be largely focused on promoting social engagement between tenants and the community while other events may be specifically focused on engaging and consulting with tenants on particular events or issues.
Regardless of the purpose, each event will provide opportunities to actively engage with tenants and for Alliance Housing staff to gain tenant insights and perspectives on issues affecting them. Feedback from these events and activities will be discussed with the Board on a regular basis.
Tenant membership of the Association
Active participation by tenants as members of the Association provides the opportunity for input in the strategic direction of Alliance Housing. Tenants may be invited to apply for membership of the Association. Details of the process for applying for membership is in the Corporate Governance Statement and associated procedures.
Possible Board Membership by current or former social housing tenants
Alliance Housing recognises the value of the consumer voice in overseeing the Association’s direction and operations. The Corporate Governance Statement identifies that the Board recognises the unique perspective a current or former social housing tenant can bring to the Board and provides avenues for tenants to apply to become a member of the Board.
Annual Tenant Surveys
Alliance Housing will conduct an annual survey of Tenants to gauge feedback and perspectives of overall performance and tenant satisfaction. The survey will cover issues such as:
- Staff engagement
- Tenancy Management Processes
- Property Condition
- Maintenance Services and Standards
- Overall satisfaction with Alliance Housing
The outcome of this survey will be reported to the Board and will be used to inform current and future policies, practise, and priorities.
Maintaining a Tenant Feedback, Complaints and Appeals Policy
We are committed to delivering a high level of customer service to our clients and being fair, open and transparent in all of our decision making.To ensure we meet these standards we actively encourage tenants to provide feedback, raise concerns or seek a review of an unfavourable decision. Our approach to receiving and managing Tenant feedback, complaints and appeals is in our Feedback, Complaints & Appeals Policy.
Maintaining regular communication with Tenants
We will seek to keep tenants informed about what is happening at Alliance Housing, upcoming events, new initiatives and policy and practise changes through:
- Our website
- Brochures and fact sheets
- Social media
- Personal visits, emails, telephone calls and SMS messages
- Our publicly available policies
2. Community Engagement
Alliance Housing recognises the value of staying connected and engaged with housing issues in the broader South West community. We will, where considered appropriate, actively participate in community events, industry and other forums, local committees and stakeholder meetings aimed at improving outcomes for our tenants, increasing access to social and affordable housing and/or enhancing the availability and quality of housing and related support services across the South West.
These effort swill include establishing and maintaining relationships with State, Federal and Local Government Agencies, support service providers, local committees and other stakeholders to ensure we are well placed to support tenants, to attract new funding opportunities and to broaden our reach and activities.
3. Confidentiality and Privacy
Alliance Housing acknowledges that respecting the confidentiality and privacy of client information is of paramount importance. We will ensure that all Community and Tenant engagement activities will be conducted consistent with our Privacy and Confidentiality Policy within our Probity & Culture Policy.
Implementation, Review and Amendments
This policy is applicable from the date of Board Approval. Alliance Housing will review this policy on a regular basis to ensure it remains up to date.
Document/Version Number: AH-CTEP/2
Amended By: Elysian Consultants
Amendment Narrative: Revision
Board Approved Review Date: 17/08/2022
Status: Approved
