tenant participation in supportive housing anne cory corporation for supportive housing 3/17/10
TRANSCRIPT
Tenant Participation in Supportive
Housing
Anne CoryCorporation for Supportive Housing
3/17/10www.csh.org
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Definition of Community Building
Community building involves a range of activities, which include: – connecting tenants to each other – connecting tenants to the staff – connecting tenants/the program to the neighborhood
and the community at large
Community Building recognized that the relationships among tenants can support housing stability.
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By Building Community, a Tenant:
Develops a vested interest in the well-being of their residence;
Becomes more aware of how his/her actions affect the community’s well-being;
Builds self-esteem through social and interpersonal connections;
Develops skills. Fills the void left when tenants leave the community
of the street, the jail, or the drug treatment center.
Building Community
Each tenant represents a puzzle piece within a housing community. Thinking about how tenants fit together and interact with one another – whether positively or negatively – can be an important piece in creating community, avoiding and/or resolving conflicts, and supporting the housing stability of all tenants.
Elements of Community Building
ENGAGING AND FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE RESIDENCE
INVOLVING TENANTS IN DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES
CONNECTING TENANTS TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE LARGER COMMUNITY
PROMOTING POSITIVE NORMS OF BEHAVIOR WITHIN THE RESIDENCE
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Defining the Process
How are tenants’ ideas to be incorporated into the decision-making process?
Who makes the final decisions? What is the process for evaluating and revisiting
decisions in the future?
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Tenant Involvement
INVOLVE TENANTS IN THE PLANNING OF ACTIVITIES, OUTINGS, PARTIES AND OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS
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Tenant Involvement
IDENTIFY NATURAL LEADERS AND DEVELOP LEADERSHIP SKILLS
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Tenant Involvement
SOLICIT INPUT ABOUT THE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES THAT ARE BEING OFFERED
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Tenant Involvement
CREATE OPEN COMMUNICATION FORUMS SUCH AS COMMUNITY MEETINGS– troubleshoot issues
– dispel rumors
– sing praises
– reduce the number of “public secrets”
– give community members the comfort of knowing there is a forum to express concerns
Tenant Involvement
ESTABLISH A TENANT COUNCIL or TENANT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
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Tenant Involvement
INVOLVE TENANTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HOUSE RULES AND OTHER BUILDING POLICIES
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Tenant Involvement
Leadership can be formal or informal. Leadership opportunities include:
– tenant councils or forums– lending support to other tenants by being a part of a
support network– becoming a peer-to-peer worker
House Rules
Why do we need house rules?– Support a safe environment – Ensuring that tenants’ rights are respected and
maintained– Allow tenants to decide on the environment in which
they want to live.
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Considerations in Designing House Rules
PURPOSE OF THE HOUSE RULES – Rules should have a clear purpose that should be
understood by the community.
Considerations in Designing House Rules
ENFORCEABILITY: – Consistency is necessary when enforcing rules in
a building. Rules that cannot be uniformly enforced should be excluded from the list.
Considerations in Designing House Rules
LESS IS MORE: – Having a few enforceable rules is far more
effective than pages of rules that cannot be enforced or even effectively communicated.
Considerations in Designing House Rules
ALLOW FOR CHANGE OVER TIME– Create a structure and a process to review and
revise rules. – Have a process in place for grievances and
appeals for rules.
House Rules Enforcement
How do we formalize house rules?– Can use as addendum to lease– Tenants comply as a condition of the lease– Violations of House Rules becomes breach of the
lease
Benefits of Tenant Involvement: For the Tenant
Combats isolation, improves social and psychological ties among community members.
Helps tenant develop an interest in the well-being of the facility.
Helps to create a culture of mutual understanding and tolerance.
Increases tenant’s awareness of how his/her actions affect the community’s well-being
Builds self-esteem through social and interpersonal connections
Develops skills
Benefits of Tenant Involvement: For Services Staff
Allows a point-of-entry for engagement Makes their job easier by delegating tasks and
responsibilities Opportunity to observe building dynamics on a new
level Increases positive activities and diminishes negative
activities Helps identify natural leadership in the community of
tenants
Benefits of Tenant Involvement
Benefits of Tenant Involvement: For Property Management
Early identification of property management and maintenance issues.
Increases the likelihood that the building will be maintained.
Increases buildings’ safety and security Establishing a positive community can avert some
problems before they erupt. .
Tenant Involvement and Positive Norms
Engaging tenants in a dialogue about the norms of the residence and how they can help promote them is an effective community development strategy.
The first step in promoting positive norms is to identify:– Existing norms – Desired norms – Undesirable but tolerable behaviors – Intolerable behaviors
Tenant Involvement
Questions?
For more information, go to
www.csh.org