Hello again.
When we established the Resident Voices Group (RVG) in the summer of 2020, I agreed to write an occasional blog for the resident involvement section of this website.
We’re now into a new year, one which is still being impacted by the pandemic, and I would like to pass on my condolences to any of you that have lost loved ones. My thoughts and the thoughts of all of us at Notting Hill Genesis are with you.
On Monday 1 February, the chairs and representatives of our established resident involvement groups and projects, as well as resident board members and residents who sit on our board sub-committees, got together for the first RVG meeting of 2021.
Staff and resident leads provided members with updates of the work of various RVG-agreed projects and we learned that several meetings have been planned for February and March to progress this work. You can find out more about these projects in my previous blog.
The group also discussed plans to adopt the National Housing Federation’s Together with Tenants Charter and the links it has with the Social Housing White Paper.
Overall, the RVG were in favour of NHG adopting the charter, as it provided an opportunity to share best practice and learn from others and to embed this within the organisation.
As part of our ongoing commitment to celebrate and communicate successes, the resident involvement team are collating case studies which show how delivering recommendations from residents has had a positive impact on the services residents receive. These will be showcased in the Residents’ Annual Report 2020/21 due to be published later this year.
The RVG also suggested a project that looked at how the epidemic has been handled by the organisation, looking at lessons learned and the best practice which can be shared.
The group is pleased with the positive collaboration between staff and residents despite the current difficulties created by the continuing lockdown.
Carl Byrne, group director of housing, noted: "the priorities of the RVG match the priorities of the organisation and the challenges currently being faced, which gives a great base for positive collaborative working that has already begun."
Once again, a huge thanks from me to all involved.
I will continue to provide updates about the work of our Resident Voices Group here from time to time. If you would like to find out more and get involved in any opportunities, please contact: involvement@nhg.org.uk
Stephen Bitti
Chair
Resident Voices Group
Stephen joined the Notting Hill Genesis Group Board (as one of two resident Board members) in April 2017 and, until our recent governance review, he worked with colleagues as part of the Resident Services Committee. As part of the recent restructure, he was asked to develop and chair the Resident Voices Group. He also serves the new Operations Committee of the Board.
Stephen has been living with a long-term medical condition for almost 30 years and has been a social housing resident for over 20. He lives with his partner in a small, one bedroom flat, within a building of 38 mixed tenure homes. He is also the chair of his diverse residents' association. When he is not working with Notting Hill Genesis, he runs a Healthwatch in London where the team gathers people’s experiences of NHS and social care services. They then share these themes and insights with those who can improve the quality of these services. Stephen also chairs the London Safeguarding Voices Group for the London Safeguarding Adults Board.