Tenants and Residents Associations (Tenant Participation)
Thousands of people have improved the area they live in by joining together with their neighbours & forming a tenants' and/or residents' association.
Why start a tenants' and residents' association?
This has often been described as the vehicle for a tenant's "voice" within their area.
There are a lot of reasons for tenants / residents to join together to form an association. Here are just a few of the main ones:
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To organise around issues such as, housing transfers, regeneration of neighbourhoods, repairs, housing services, problems with neighbours.
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To have a representative voice.
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To enable tenants to communicate with their landlord
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To influence decision making that affects your and your neighbours' homes.
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To give accurate advice and information to tenants / residents
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To increase the sense of belonging to a community
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To campaign on certain issues e.g. for better play facilities; for better housing conditions
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Tenants / Residents' associations are generally community groups made up of local people acting in a voluntary capacity to promote and defend the interests of tenants and or residents in their area. Various formats may be possible when setting up a local group. For example a tenants' association for tenants only, or possibly for tenants of one particular landlord, or residents' associations for all adults in the community, or some variation of these, or action groups formed round a particular issue. Groups can involve both tenants and residents of an area. What is important are the aims of the group and this should be set out in the group's constitution.
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Tenants' and residents' associations can:
Provide a collective voice for tenants in an area, act as a focus for consultation and an organisation to lobby for changes Develop extra services through self help schemes e.g. lunch clubs
Offer advice to local people and represent individual tenants when dealing with authorities
Most tenants' / residents' associations hold regular meetings open to all tenants in the area, but conduct their business through a smaller committee. The strength of any tenants' / residents' association lies in the involvement of local people in the activities of the group. It is quite easy to get started with a small amount of people who are keen to do something for the area.
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Three Towns Area
Ardrossan
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Anderson Terrace Area Residents & Tenants Association
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Barrie Terrace & Hunter Avenue Residents Association
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Montgomerie Street Tenants and Residents Association
Saltcoats
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MACKAN Tenants & Residents Association
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Saltcoats High Flats Tenants & Residents Association
Stevenson
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Darg Road area Tenants & Residents Association
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STOP Residents Association
Irvine & Kilwinning Area
Irvine
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Castlepark & Eglinton Tenants and Residents Group
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Fullarton Tenants Association
Kilwinning
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Corsehill Tenants & Residents Association
Garnock Valley & North Coast Area
Dalry
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Blair Residents Association
Kilbirnie
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Loadingbank Tenants & Residents Association
Largs
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Largs Tenants & Residents Association
Skelmorlie
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Skelmorlie Tenants & Residents Association
West Kilbride
Meadowfoot Tenants & Residents Association
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Some of the achievements the above Tenants & Residents Association have made to their area include:
Anderson Terrace Area Residents & Tenants Association, Ardrossan
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Regularly hold cheese and wine evenings to bring the community together
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Hold a BBQ during the summer to allow residents to socialise
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Secured funding and gifted a citizenship board to the local primary school
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Worked in partnership with the local primary school to design a logo for letterheads, newsletters and other stationary
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Regularly produce and issue a newsletter to keep tenants & residents informed of what is happening in the area
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Barrie Terrace & Hunter Avenue Residents Association, Ardrossan
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Worked in partnership with North Ayrshire Council, Strathclyde Police and local tenants and residents to have a number of 20's plenty signs installed at Hunter Avenue
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Are looking to create an allotment association in their area
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Were involved in an Estate Based Project proposal to have metal hooped fencing installed in Barrie Terrace & Hunter Avenue and these will be carried out in 2010/11, subject to consultation
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Montgomerie Street Tenants & Residents Association, Ardrossan
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Was consulted over improving the appearance of close landings and also on secure door entry systems
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Worked in partnership with North Ayrshire Council to have additional car parking spaces installed
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MACKAN Tenants & Residents Association, Saltcoats
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In partnership with North Ayrshire Council's Community Wardens held a Christmas Party for children living in the area
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Hosted a number of bingo nights
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Developed and issued their first newsletter to tenants/residents
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Established a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme
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Saltcoats High Flats Tenants & Residents Association. Saltcoats
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Were involved in the tiling of the foyer in O'Connor Court
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Have held a number of bingo night for tenants & residents of both Lambie Court and O'Connor Court
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Darg Road area Tenants & Residents Association, Stevenston
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Worked in partnership with North Ayrshire Council to have street sign / number plates erected throughout the scheme
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Hosted a number of bingo evenings
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Produced a number of newsletters to keep people informed of what is happening in the area
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Fullarton Tenants Association, Irvine
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Developed and issued a newsletter to tenants/residents in the area. The association also promoted local businesses in the newsletter
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Worked in partnership with North Ayrshire Council to have pedestrian crossings installed in Ayr Road, Irvine
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Castlepark & Eglinton Tenants & Residents Group, Irvine
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Have been involved in prioritising a proposal to have close-boarded fencing installed at Lomond Place and Maree Place and this will be carried out in 2010/2011 subject to consultation
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Have been involved in the development of new council house building at Castlepark
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Blair Residents Association, Dalry.
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Received over £4,500 IN Awards-For-All funding and purchased a Laptop and organised a day trip for Tenants & Residents of the Blair estate to Scottish Parliament Offices in Edinburgh
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Was involved in the renewal of the children's swing park on Stoopshill Crescent
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Helped establish a Neighbourhood Watch scheme
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Was involved in the Installation of a traffic calming system for Blair Road
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Pot hole repairs and resurfacing to Stoopshill Crescent and Douglas Avenue>
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Was successful in their funding application for three bus trips for pensioners living in the area
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Meadowfoot Tenants and Residents Association, West Kilbride
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Have been involved in a number of community events and organised a local Fireworks display for the community
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Developed and issued a newsletter to everyone living in the area
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