A fresh approach
When June Moriarty and her board
realised she had to spend most of her time dealing with the
complexities of social housing regulation instead of improving
services for residents, they knew that the time was right for
serious change.
Here June shares the journey to find
a partner to share the load led a small but dynamic housing
association in the Midlands to join Longhurst Group.
Searching for a new partner
As chief executive of Beechdale Community
Housing Association – a stock transfer organisation based,
unusually, on a single estate – June was desperate to do more
for residents but simply didn’t have the time or the resources.
The tenant-led board and senior management
team shared her frustration so together they decided to embark on a
search for a new partner to help them achieve their ambitions.
Out of 19 housing associations that attended the original
bidders’ conference, Walsall-based Beechdale eventually chose
Longhurst Group member, Friendship Care and Housing.
Residents,
board members and staff at every level were involved at each
challenging stage of the shortlisting and selection
process - customer and staff involvement is something that is
dear to the heart of everyone at Beechdale.
Just over a year after the search began, the new partnership
celebrated its launch on 28th April, 2011. This unites
Beechdale and Friendship as a single organisation, with the
local management board still in place on the Walsall
estate.
June, who has taken on the new role of
director of neighbourhood services for the partnership,
explained: “What came through strongly when we met everyone
at Friendship was just how much they really care about people.
Immediate benefits
"We felt we could benefit from being part of a
larger organisation that
shared a similar ethos and yet still keep the
characteristics that make Beechdale unique.”
And the Walsall estate began to see
the benefits of the new partnership almost immediately. A
scheme to regenerate a local shopping and community centre and
plans to add more play facilities are high on the agenda, while
longer term goals include new affordable homes and more
opportunities to improve residents’ chances in life.
But it’s not a one-way process, says Bob
Walder, Longhurst Group chief executive. “Beechdale is exceptional
in the way it involves and listens to residents," he said.
Exciting prospects
"They have already brought a fresh pair of
eyes to our work and we are excited about the prospect of having
the expertise of an exceptional advocate of customer power within
the group.”