A good practice guide: Developing and supporting community houses

Transcription

1 A good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses

2 Developig ad supportig commuity houses Sue Culle Cover photograph by Nick David December 2008 ISBN Shelter, All rights reserved. This documet is oly for your persoal, o-commercial use. You may ot copy, reproduce, republish, post, distribute, trasmit or modify it i ay way without prior writte permissio. Applicatio for permissio for use of copyright material, icludig permissio to reproduce extracts i other published works, shall be made to the publishers. Full ackowledgmet of publisher ad source must be give. Ackowledgmets Shelter would like to thak all the orgaisatios ad idividuals who have cotributed their time ad materials to help put this guide together, i particular Pammie, Trish, Di ad Mark from Courtey Park Commuity Cetre. RH1911

3 Foreword Eddie MacDoald Shelter is committed to promotig the developmet of eighbourhoods where people wat, ad choose, to live. I fact, achievig this ideal is at the forefrot of Shelter s ageda. Our cliets have told us that the quality of life i their eighbourhood has a direct impact o how happy they feel i their homes. At the same time, the Govermet s Quirk Review has highlighted the eed for more commuity owership of assets, promotig the idea of people havig a greater say i what happes i their locality. Commuity houses provide a excellet opportuity for ladlords ad local people to work together. Due to their smallscale, eighbourhood focus, they ca reach idividuals ad families who may feel excluded from the more expesive, formally ru facilities available i their area. May of the people we spoke to regarded their local commuity house as a lifelie, providig a focus for the eighbourhood, ad a place where people ca meet ad barriers ca be broke dow. This guide examies the beefits of commuity houses ad idetifies how such facilities ca be created. This guide is a example of Shelter s work i supportig local authorities ad orgaisatios with policy ideas, examples of good practice, ad campaigs to support local iitiatives. It aims to be clear, practical ad easy to use. We hope that you will fid it a valuable resource. Adam Sampso Chief Executive

4 Cotets Foreword 3 Itroductio 6 Why develop a commuity house or flat? 8 Startig up 10 Activities 13 Developmet ad sustaiability 16 Dealig with problems 20 Policies ad legal obligatios 21 Recommedatios 23 Useful cotacts 25

5 Itroductio Cotext I 2007, the Govermet lauched the Quirk Review 1, which ecouraged more ivestmet ito, ad greater powers to be coferred oto, commuity groups. It recommeded that local authorities ad other public bodies should seriously examie the way i which they iteract with the local commuity. I light of the Review, the Govermet explicitly stated its belief i the power of ordiary people workig together: Commuity owership brigs people together with good public or volutary spaces where people ca gather. Ad whe you brig people together, thigs start to happe. 2 The Quirk Review cocetrates o o-housig assets such as village halls ad commuity eterprises. However, i reality, successful commuity houses are the ideal veues for eighbourhood empowermet ad ca become sigificat assets for ladlords. A commuity house should be see as a vital part of ay ew housig developmet. Shelter s study of ew commuities foud that more emphasis eeds to be give to commuity developmet. Successful commuity developmet requires places where residets ad commuity groups ca meet. 3 Commuity buildigs should be viewed as a itrisic part of local services, rather tha as a luxury depedet o the availability of a empty property. The Govermet aims to improve commuity cohesio by buildig stroger commuities. Commuity houses ca make a valuable cotributio towards promotig commuity cohesio i a eighbourhood by providig a shared space where differet groups from the commuity ca meet iformally, ad lear more about each other. They offer a relaxed eviromet, creatig a atmosphere that ivites iteractio betwee differet backgrouds ad lifestyles. However, the larger commuity cetres ted to have distict time slots for each cliet group, ad therefore may ot create opportuities for commuity iteractio. Aims This guide aims to ecourage local authorities ad registered social ladlords (RSL) to develop ad support commuity houses, flats, ad ope spaces. There is a strog ad sustaied lik betwee most commuity facilities ad local social ladlords; these rage from small projects that ope oly a few days a week, to larger iitiatives such as commuity cetres. Defiitios Shelter has bee quite specific with the workig defiitio of a commuity house: it is a house or flat belogig to a local authority, or RSL, which is developed withi a easily defied eighbourhood. Ofte this is a coucil or ex-coucil estate, or a group of streets, that are more iformally, though strogly, liked together. Their developmet is based o eeds idetified by the commuity, which may iclude: high icideces of atisocial behaviour; lack of other local provisio, such as youth groups ad crèches; the eed for people to have somewhere to go where they feel comfortable; ad a place over which the commuity has a high degree of cotrol. For the purposes of this report, the word ladlord refers to either a local authority or RSL. Some commuity houses are ru by properly costituted maagemet committees; others by more iformal groups of iterested people. They are ot always maaged by commuity members i some cases the ladlord s staff ru them with substatial iput from the commuity. Commuity members geerally form the majority of ay committee or group. Larger commuity houses may have a small umber of paid employees, but most are staffed by voluteers. I some cases, the ladlord will provide staff to ru sessios. 1 Commuities ad Local Govermet (CLG), Makig assets work: the Quirk Review of commuity maagemet ad owership of public assets, Trascript of a speech give by Ed Milibad MP at the lauch of Makig assets work: the Quirk review, 15 May Berstock, P, Neighbourhood watch buildig ew commuities: learig lessos from the Thames Gateway, Shelter, Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses

6 The ladlord will usually pay for ay utility bills ad geeral maiteace. Occasioally, they may make a cosiderable ivestmet i the buildig if ay coversios are required, for example kockig two houses ito oe. Where a project is so successful that it outgrows the origial buildig, the ladlord may eter ito a partership with a orgaisatio that is able to provide a more suitable buildig. People who use commuity houses are referred to as users withi this report. They are geerally draw from the immediate eviromet of the commuity house. A importat factor i attractig users is the proximity of the commuity house to where people live. I some cases, people will travel further for a particular activity, for example beauty therapy classes or a after-school club. Commuity houses offer a variety of activities, which ted to be tailored to the specific eeds of the local commuity, ad are usually highly subsidised or free. This is a importat factor, because most commuity houses are situated i low-icome areas. They provide a ideal locatio for services such as debt advice or cousellig, which people may lack the kowledge or cofidece to seek out elsewhere. Methodology We worked i depth with several commuity houses i order to produce a rouded view of the issues, problems, ad beefits of beig ivolved i such a project. We spoke to ladlords, commuity voluteers, ad users, about how importat ad ecessary their commuity house was to them. This elicited a variety of views, allowig us to build a clear picture of both the advatages ad problems associated with commuity houses. We also ra a umber of focus groups with voluteer staff ad users, alogside oe-to-oe iterviews with RSL staff, members of volutary maagemet committees, ad voluteers staffig commuity houses. I total, we spoke to 50 people, icludig ladlords, commuity voluteers ad commuity house users. Some of the commuity houses we worked with were based i oe geographical area. This allowed us to assess the extet of ay commuicatio, support ad plaed multi-agecy partership workig i that particular eighbourhood. Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses 7

7 Why develop a commuity house or flat? There are a umber of reasos why a ladlord might decide to develop a commuity buildig, or why a local commuity might lobby for oe. A home for the teats /residets group A commuity house ca be the logical extesio of a vibrat teats or residets group. Such groups ted to begi by usig their ladlord s offices to meet. As the group develops ad its remit expads, the commuity s aspiratios grow, ad a larger ad more flexible space is required. A focus for the commuity Ladlords usually fid a abudace of uharessed eergy i local commuities, ad ca respod to the suggestios, ideas for improvemets, ad eergy of local residets by providig a commuity house. Commuity houses ca accommodate a varied rage of services ad groups, creatig a prime opportuity for people to iteract. Frequetly, services such as cousellig, debt advice, ad commuity learig, may require a base from which to operate withi the local area. A commuity house would become a atural local focus. Commuity empowermet The Quirk Review advocated the eed for greater commuity ivolvemet i the maagemet of local assets. It evisages a future where a ew civic spirit sweeps through urba, suburba ad rural commuities alike. 4 However, the Review ackowledged that commuity groups are seriously uder-capitalised ad therefore are costraied i their ability to realise their ambitios to heighte commuity ad social beefit. 5 A ladlord who ivests i a commuity house, whether fiacially or otherwise, will be takig a big step towards commuity owership of the local area. Commuity cohesio A commuity house ca create cohesio withi a particular eighbourhood, because it is the ideal veue for differet groups to meet each other i a iformal settig. The house esures that a rage of groups ca meet parets ad toddlers, elders meetig groups, craft ethusiasts, ad adult commuity learig ad provides a wide eough scope to attract people from a variety of backgrouds. Orgaised classes ca the provide iteractio ad cohesio betwee all those usig the commuity house. For example, cookery classes ca be used both as a way of comparig ad sharig differet ethic dishes, ad gettig older people to ecourage youger members of the commuity to lear to cook. Specific problems Commuity houses ca be created to allow a ladlord to address a specific problem withi the commuity. A prime example of this would be issues relatig to atisocial behaviour. Oe particular coucil estate had problems with youg people meetig up i large umbers ad behavig oisily, aoyig other residets. A meetig betwee the youg people, the ladlord, ad the local teats associatio cocluded that a safe idoor space was eeded, where the youg people could sit off, play games, ad liste to music. A flat o the estate was coverted for this purpose, which is well used ad popular. Now other groups, such as parets ad toddlers, hold meetigs at the flat. A iformal space for ladlords to iteract with residets Ladlords who wish to develop a strog partership with their teats may cosider providig a commuity house to facilitate this. By doig so, a ladlord ca break dow barriers betwee themselves ad teats, shiftig the power balace betwee the two. This ca lead to local residets takig a greater iterest ad sese of owership i how the ladlord operates i their commuity. 4 Makig assets work: the Quirk Review of commuity maagemet ad owership of public assets, op cit. 5 Ibid. 8 Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses

8 This approach also allows ladlords to develop liks with the wider commuity because private ad coucil teats, as well as ower-occupiers, ca be icluded i activities or cosultatios. Larger ladlords have a resposibility towards the commuity as a whole, ad havig a facility that is available for everyoe to use will allow them to work with people from the wider commuity, beyod their ow teats. The Cetre acts as a focal poit for the estate. Ay iitiative is ru from there [it] ecourages family to stay/come to the estate ad develop friedships ad skills. [It] plays a vital role i sustaiig ad empowerig the commuity, ad reducig voids, vadalism ad atisocial behaviour. Area housig maager Premises for outreach services The areas where commuity houses would be most beeficial ted to be poorly resourced i other ways. A key motivatio for local people to create a commuity house ca be the eed to have services, such as advice providers or childcare provisio, located i the eighbourhood. Formig relatioships with other people It s a shelter for us all. We re all so busy ad stressed durig the week, doig the school ru, its good to kow we ca come here ad meet up. Commuity house user Receivig support If [the commuity house] did t exist, there would be a lot of mums aroud here o Valium. Commuity house user Reducig isolatio It s a safe place for people to come ad share their worries. Commuity house user Learig ew skills Before I wet o [the basic skills course] I used to have to preted I d left my glasses at home whe I wet out. But ow I ca read the ew spaper, ad eve help my kids with their homework, which is brilliat. Commuity house user Commuity beefit Shelter s survey of commuity house users illustrated the beefits they gaied from usig the facilities. These beefits were maily social, as users reported that commuity houses helped them to feel part of the commuity, ad ehaced their levels of selfesteem. Further beefits icluded the followig. Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses 9

9 Startig up Gettig the commuity o board Ideally, some commuity members will be ivolved i the developmet of a commuity house from the begiig. Most of the voluteers Shelter iterviewed had bee ivolved with their commuity house sice it opeed; i may cases they were the motivatig force behid its coceptio. Oe voluteer commeted that the whole thig started i my kitche. We used to meet up ad talk aroud the table, the kids used to play i the garde. The I wet to [the ladlord] ad said, Look, we eed somethig bigger, there s so much we could be doig, ad I have t got the space. They could see we were serious, ad it all started from there really. I order to esure that as may people as possible are iformed about the creatio of a local commuity house, ad to provide opportuities for iteractio, ladlords eed to be ivolved i outreach work. This could iclude the followig. Visitig households withi the proposed catchmet area, iformig them of ay progress with the commuity house, ad discussig their cocers ad ideas. Devisig a locality-wide scheme to promote ivolvemet, such as a competitio to fid a ame for the buildig. A plaig for real evet, where commuity members get a chace to look at the proposed facility, ad have iput ito developig it. Workig with schools i order to get youg people ivolved, for example producig artwork to be placed o or i the buildig. Bricks ad mortar Commuity houses ad flats require a substatial ivestmet o the part of the ladlord, ot oly i terms of time ad expertise, but also fiacially. Hadig over a house or flat for commuity use meas that it will ot be available for ret by the ladlord, resultig i a loss of reveue. Geerally, desigated commuity houses will ot be appropriate without some adaptatios, such as providig disabled access, esurig that the property meets health ad safety laws, ad makig sure there are eough toilet facilities for the plaed umber of users. These adaptatios will also require expediture. A more fudametal coversio, such as maximisig space by kockig two houses ito oe, will obviously be more expesive. It is easier to make the decisio to had over a house if it is o a low-demad estate. However, eve i areas of high demad, ladlords should recogise the value the property will add to the commuity, ad its likely role i reducig atisocial behaviour. At that time, the estate was a low-demad estate so it was quite a easy decisio to give oe house over for commuity activities. Now, the demad is much greater, so I m ot sure it would happe today. It s a shame, especially whe the house has had so much to do with the improvemet of the area. Housig officer The quotatio above demostrates the wider positive impact commuity houses ca have: they ca make a area more popular, fillig voids which have previously proved hard to let. Ladlords will also usually be resposible for the utility bills ad geeral maiteace of the commuity house. However, commuity members are ofte happy to take resposibility for iterior paitig. This is a good way to ivolve members of the local commuity, ad to ecourage them to thik of the buildig as theirs. We decorated the buildig ourselves. The pait was doated from local busiesses, ad the kids got to choose which colour wet where. We also did the frot door ad the fece, ad they ve ever had graffiti o [them], I thik because the kids put i the work themselves. Commuity voluteer 10 Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses

10 Recruitig voluteers It is ulikely that ay ladlord would ope a commuity house without the support ad backig of local people. It is importat to have strategies i place to recruit voluteers, i order to cope with icreased turover or the expasio of activities. Commuity members may take the lead i recruitmet, but ladlords should be able to advise ad support them. Ideas may iclude: Talkig to curret voluteers: they will kow how ad why they became ivolved, ad would therefore kow how best to ivolve others. Preparig a iformatio pack about the commuity house for ladlords to give to ew teats at sig-up stage, icludig iformatio o how they ca get ivolved ad voluteer. Esurig that voluteers receive some kid of recogitio ad reward for their services: this could iclude omiatig voluteers for commuity awards, or makig the time to meet up with them ad thak them for their services. Oe group of voluteers appreciated beig take out to Christmas luch by their ladlord: It just showed us that they had oticed what we did, ad were pleased we were doig it. Makig sure that voluteers ca access the appropriate traiig to udertake their roles with cofidece, ad to progress their ow developmet. We have leart a lot of stuff ourselves through doig the cetre accouts, child protectio, eve learig how to write better. Commuity house user Ecouragig curret voluteers to explai to users how they ca become ivolved i ruig the house, ad help to create a welcomig atmosphere for ay potetial ew recruits. A commo way for people to become ivolved i ruig their local commuity house is to begi as a user, ad the progress to ruig activities or becomig ivolved i the maagemet committee. Shelter s iterviews with commuity voluteers idicated that people get ivolved out of a sese of eighbourhood or civic resposibility. It is just like havig a paid job. Commuity voluteer If we did t do it, I do t kow who would. Commuity voluteer We try to maage [the Cetre] as best we ca, but we have jobs ad families ourselves it s ot always easy. Commuity voluteer Staffig The majority of the commuity houses we surveyed were maaged ad staffed by voluteers from the local commuity. I oe area, RSL staff maaged the house, but the user groups were orgaised by commuity voluteers. I a few cases, volutary maagemet committees obtaied fudig to pay the salary for a member of staff, typically a maager or a cetre orgaiser. This fudig came from a variety of sources icludig: the Lottery; Childre i Need; ad RSLs. Costitutio A costitutio is a documet settig out the ame of a committee, its aims, how it will maage its busiess, ad what will happe if the commuity house closes. It is useful for two reasos: firstly, it commits key poits to paper ad is available as a referece whe guidace is eeded, or i case of ay disputes; secodly, it helps exteral bodies, especially those who will provide fudig, to ascertai what the committee does, ad how it operates. Most commuity houses will fid it difficult to secure exteral fudig if they do ot have a costitutio. Creatig a costitutio helps to focus thoughts regardig the purpose of the commuity house, ad promotes cosesus decisio-makig, which helps to make a maagemet committee stroger. So, although a costitutio is ot a legal requiremet for a commuity maagemet committee, it is a good idea to ecourage oe to be draw up. You do t do it to get pats o the back. Commuity voluteer Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses 11

11 Attractig users If the commuity house has bee set up i respose to feedback from local residets, it will already have a cosiderable umber of potetial users. For istace, if people have asked for a after-school club for their childre, or youg people have expressed a eed for somewhere to meet, they are likely to use the facility whe it becomes available. This is especially true if members of that particular group have cotributed to decidig how sessios will be ru. We all sat dow at the begiig ad decided what the groud rules were goig to be, like o oe to come i druk or aythig, ad that we would take turs to speak ad liste to each other. It was good, because the everyoe felt we had talked about why we had the rules, ad it was thigs we all uderstood. Youg perso, commuity house user The commuity house eeds to be a focal poit of the eighbourhood, ad to be used as widely as possible. This esures that future users are aware of its existece, ad the facilities that it offers. This ca be achieved by esurig that: the house is highly visible as a commuity facility a bright pait scheme will differetiate the property from others i the area. A large sig ad oticeboard will assist visibility a up-to-date timetable should be displayed outside the house, clearly statig opeig hours ad the times each group will meet a regular ewsletter should be distributed withi the facility s catchmet area a welcome pack that icludes iformatio about the house should be give to ew teats ad residets o the estate, or i the local area the house has regular ew user sessios, which will ecourage less cofidet commuity members to joi i. 12 Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses

12 Activities Plaig a programme Successful commuity houses ted to ru varied programmes of activities that are specifically tailored to local eeds. Ofte activities reflect the iterests ad skills of the voluteers ruig them. Oe of the most commo reasos for commuity houses startig up is to provide activities for local youg people. However, there are areas where other age groups are prioritised. SureStart does all the stuff for the really youg oes, ad for us, we are oly a little place, we ca t do much for the older oes. It s really the elderly that come alog, especially whe we are doig tea ad toast. They come to chat ad just to pass the time of day, really. Commuity voluteer The experieces of this voluteer idicate that sometimes the costraits of a small buildig meas that certai activities caot take place. Some commuity houses are lucky eough to have outdoor space, which allows them to exted the rage of sessios they are able to offer. Oe commuity flat was particularly small, but did have outdoor space, which was used to provide a summer play scheme for childre aged five to 11. Ufortuately, this play scheme oly ra o fie days; o raiy days it had to be cacelled. As a commuity house develops ad becomes a more itegral part of the commuity, other agecies may ask, or be ecouraged, to ru sessios there. Ladlords will icorporate sessios providig housig advice, ad times whe people ca meet with commuity wardes. The commuity houses surveyed by Shelter ra the followig groups. Commuity-ru Parets ad toddlers After-school club Holiday play scheme Disco Family days out Elders group Pesioers outigs Bicycle repair club Evirometal actio group Teats group Breakfast group Bigo Credit uio Ladlord-ru Housig advice Commuity warde sessios Outside agecies Debt cousellig Cousellig Art group Basic skills Employmet ad traiig advice Geeric social worker Baby cliic Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses 13

13 Ecouragig commuity cohesio The term commuity cohesio geerally refers to how people from differet faiths or ethic backgrouds relate to each other. However, it is also importat that differet geeratios iteract with each other, ad that people with disabilities ca get ivolved i maistream activities. Egagig with differet groups provides a valuable social opportuity, allowig relatioships to develop with other members of a peer group: parets of uderfives ca meet with other parets; people with disabilities ca atted a special swimmig sessio; Muslim wome ca atted a keep-fit group tailored to their eeds. Commuity houses promote commuity cohesio by: ecouragig the developmet of a maagemet committee that is represetative of all strads of the local commuity providig iformal spaces where users ca iteract with each other makig sure that commuity groups are accessible ad ope to people of differig abilities cosultig with a wide rage of people o the types of activities that the house ca offer, takig ito cosideratio existig commuity groups, the size of the house, ad the requiremets of the commuity makig every effort to iclude all laguages relevat to a area o all materials distributed developig liks with miority groups, ad/or the agecies represetig them, to esure that they are ivolved i the developmet of the house ad its activities offerig activities that are attractive to specific groups, ad differet mixes of people ruig cultural fu days i order to ecourage mutual uderstadig ad respect betwee differet groups. Good practice example: Claremot Commuity Cetre Claremot Commuity Cetre is supported by Accet Housig Group. It bega i oe of the Group s houses, but has sice grow ad moved to larger premises. It is ru by a volutary maagemet committee. At first, users of the cetre were exclusively from a Muslim backgroud, but recetly the maagemet committee has take steps to reach out to other groups. Whe the cetre moved to its preset locatio, it chaged its ame from a Arabic oe to the more eutral Claremot Commuity Cetre, i order to be more welcomig to the commuity as a whole. They also formed a partership with the local commuity college, which ow rus some classes at Claremot s premises. These classes are comprised of people from a variety of ethic backgrouds. The cetre also ecourages people with a disability to use its facilities, ad provides a base for a group with learig difficulties, ad oe for deaf Asia me. We wat to reach out to as may people as possible we wat everyoe i the commuity to feel the Cetre is there for them, ot that it is for this particular group, or that particular group. Volutary maagemet committee member 14 Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses

14 Evirometal issues There is ow much more awareess regardig makig buildigs sustaiable, evirometally friedly, ad low-impact i terms of the resources they cosume. Commuity buildigs are a ideal way to promote such ideas ad get eighbourhoods to thik about how they might be applied practically. The Commuity Developmet Foudatio is curretly ruig a campaig called Every Actio Couts, which ecourages ad supports commuity orgaisatios to take small steps towards evirometal sustaiability. They have divided their suggestios ito five areas, which are: save eergy travel wisely shop ethically save our resources care for your area. A umber of commuity houses have bee active i developig their ow gree projects, icludig creatig commuity parks ad wildlife gardes, helpig local people to grow their ow produce, ad ecouragig youg people to care for their eviromet through leadig by example. Good practice example: Bidsto Rise Commuity House I 2004, voluteers at the commuity house orgaised a oe-off litter pick aroud the local estate for 14 youg people. The aim was to develop their uderstadig of commuity resposibility, ad illustrate why they should ot drop litter. Withi three years, this had developed ito the Bidsto ad North Birkehead Evirometal Actio Group (Beabag). Through fudig, sposorship, ad doated items, the group carries out a umber of local iitiatives to clear illegally tipped waste, ad highlight ways i which households ca dispose of waste resposibly. Beabag also rus a aual three-day evirometal evet from the commuity house. This icludes a litter pick, commuity clea-up, ad a ope-air evirometal awareess day, with live music, competitios, ad activities for people of all ages. The group has recetly bee the lead parter i a scheme to develop a commuity garde i memory of a local three-year-old who died tragically i a accidet. Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses 15

15 Developmet ad sustaiability Clear leadership Clear leadership is itegral to the developmet ad sustaiability of a commuity house. This leadership may come from the ladlord, a volutary maagemet committee, or a combiatio of the two. The ivolvemet of local people is essetial. The existece of a perso or a small group of voluteers who are prepared to take o the role of leaders seems crucial to the success of a commuity buildig. 6 I practice, it is more useful to have eve a small maagemet committee tha to deped o a sigle idividual. Bur-out is a very real issue for commuity voluteers because oce they have established a profile, they are likely to be asked to participate i every committee ad focus group goig. A small group is able to support itself ad share problems ad difficulties. It should also mea that a variety of commuity viewpoits, skills, ad experieces are represeted. Where the ladlord plays a sigificat leadership role, it eeds to esure that it is i close cotact with voluteers ad users, deliverig what the commuity wats, rather tha followig its ow ageda. Sometimes I do feel that [the housig associatio] have led, rather tha the other way aroud I do feel it s better if the commuity leads, ad we follow. Housig associatio worker Ideally, leadership will provide: up-to-date fiacial maagemet regular plaig meetigs opportuities for the wider commuity to participate idetificatio of skills gaps relevat traiig voluteer support clear policies. Fiacial sustaiability Plaig is the key to the fiacial sustaiability of a commuity house. Oe local authority ivolved i ruig a very successful commuity house stated that ladlords eed to make sure they kow the true cost of [the project] before they get ivolved. Commuity houses are ulikely to become truly self-fuded, because they deped o offerig lowcost activities i order to attract local idividuals ad families. Users payig for sessios will cotribute towards ruig costs, but these fees are ulikely to cover them all. Ladlords must esure that they are prepared to provide fudig at a realistic level, while also ecouragig voluteers to develop their fudraisig abilities. Voluteers ca be very successful i obtaiig small-to-medium sums from various sources (icludig charities ad commuity chests), but these will geerally be used to provide or subsidise services, rather tha for capital costs. They may also be able to charge other agecies (especially statutory oes) for meetig rooms, ad rooms for outreach services. Workig i partership with other agecies ca also cotribute to fiacial stability. Partership workig Commuity houses should work with parters wheever possible. Ladlords will have cosiderable expertise i facilities maagemet, but may feel they eed support i areas such as relevat childcare legislatio ad traiig, commuity developmet, ad commuity participatio. I the Courtey Park good practice example (see page 18), the social ladlord formed a partership with Barardo s (a childre s charity), who were able to provide a paid worker with access to traiig opportuities for voluteers. The paid worker also gave day-to-day support to the users. Whe Barardo s ceased their ivolvemet i the project, the voluteers were sufficietly skilled to ru the cetre idepedetly. Whe the small park behid the cetre was beig developed, the ladlord agai etered ito a umber of parterships, most sigificatly with Groudwork (a evirometal charity) ad Eglish Heritage. Each 6 Marriott, P, Forgotte resources? The role of commuity buildigs i stregtheig local commuities, Commuity Matters, Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses

16 partership allowed the ladlord to achieve far more tha it could have accomplished workig aloe, providig a source of support ad help. For local authorities with commuity developmet departmets, it would make sese to work i tadem with the relevat housig departmet whe developig commuity facilities. For example, Cambridge City Coucil rus a umber of small commuity houses, which are maaged by a commuity developmet worker. It is his task to promote ad support the ivolvemet of local people. It is worth approachig the local health service to look at the possibilities of joit workig, or allowig various health iitiatives to take place i the commuity house. Residets from areas that are socially excluded suffer from more illesses tha those who are socially accepted. The local health service ca work with commuity houses to provide areas where specific health cocers, such as low breastfeedig rates or etreched smokig habits, eed to be addressed. Icreasigly, health departmets use commuity developmet methods as a ew approach to workig with such commuities. Before the health services tackle the most importat health issues o their ageda, they will eed to liste to the views of local residets, to ascertai what their cocers are. A commuity house will provide a excellet base for this kid of holistic approach to health care, ad will also give health workers a opportuity to meet people o a iformal basis. Most areas have a local play departmet or play coucil, who could help with staffig, equipmet, ad traiig for school holiday play schemes ad after-school clubs. If there is a local playbus, it should be ecouraged to park outside the house. This will maximise play opportuities for local childre ad youg people, ad will also provide a useful advert for the house s presece i the commuity. Local schools ad faith groups ca also be the source of successful parterships. I the good practice example of Nash House i Birmigham (see page 22) the local church provided a home for groups that had outgrow the origial small commuity flat. Promote commuity ivolvemet The sustaied life of a commuity house depeds upo a steady stream of voluteers to ru it, ad users to atted activities. Therefore, there must be a ogoig effort to promote commuity iclusio ad participatio. There should be a clear pathway for people to commuicate their ideas, suggestios ad cocers. This ca be o a iformal basis, or through the medium of a maagemet committee ad regular meetigs. Most of the commuity house users that we spoke to appeared cofidet that they could make their voices heard, although it was ot always clear how they would achieve this: I would just talk to oe of the girls, [the maagemet committee] ad they would help me to get ay ideas off the groud. I would brig thigs up at that meetig where they show their accouts ad stuff to be hoest, I probably would t wait, actually, I d just tell them at the time. How I became a member [of the maagemet committee] was I just used to come with my kids ad the started ruig the tuck shop ad that was it, really. I thik, as a worker, there s a beefit i beig i the house ad gettig to kow people, so they talk to you quite aturally about what they wat out of it, ad the you ca help them. It ever seems to get to a more formal level thigs are sorted out as ad whe they happe. It is beeficial to sped time lookig at the procedures for those who wish to become ivolved i the maagemet of the project, esurig that they are clear ad trasparet. These processes should be maitaied ad adhered to for istace, a suggestio box is a good idea, but a perso will eed to be appoited to empty the box at a specific time, ad a procedure agreed for dealig with ay suggestios. Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses 17

17 Keep thigs movig forward I order to keep the mometum of a commuity facility, plaig is essetial. It does ot have to be all-ecompassig or complicated, but a aual pla will help the ladlord, users, ad voluteers to feel more iformed about where the project is goig, ad why. The ladlord ad the maagemet group, or a combiatio of the two, will eed to look at activities such as: ogoig groups, for example: a elders group; paret ad toddlers; geeral meetigs; ad a after-school club other orgaisatios usig the house, for example credit uios, cousellig services, ad health sessios ladlord activities such as warde sessios, or housig advice seasoal projects, for example Diwali firework party, Eid celebratios, Christmas grotto, summer play scheme time-limited projects such as basic skills courses, or classes i healthy eatig. Oce all the activities at the house have bee audited, it will be easy to see where there are developmet opportuities or vacat timeslots, which ca be made available to other orgaisatios. Good practice example: Courtey Park Commuity Cetre ad Park The Courtey Park Commuity Cetre ad Park are situated i the middle of the Woodward Road Estate i Rock Ferry, a area of Wirral that is oe of the most deprived wards i the coutry. Homes o the estate are owed ad maaged by Wirral Partership Homes, which has take over the housig stock formerly owed by Wirral Metropolita Borough Coucil. There are 220 houses o the estate, from which come most of the Cetre s regular users. A smaller umber of users come from the surroudig streets, ad previous estate residets have bee kow to travel from as far as two or three miles away to cotiue usig the Cetre s facilities. The history of the commuity house o Woodward Road Estate dates back to the 1960s. However, there was little cotiuity premises would ope up for a couple of years ad the close dow, with the house beig retured to the Coucil s housig stock. I 1997, a ew commuity house was created thaks to the determiatio of a group of parets to provide summer holiday activities for the childre o the estate. The housig officer at the time offered the use of a empty three-bedroom house o the estate, which had previously bee used itermittetly for commuity activities. There was some uused gym equipmet left i the house, which the voluteers sold i order to buy toys, sports equipmet, ad tuck shop supplies. The house was small ad could oly accept 35 childre at a time, which was far less tha the umber that wated to use it. The voluteers had a meetig with the housig officer ad other relevat parties to discuss the eed for a larger ad more cetrally located buildig because the origial house was located o the friges of the estate. The ladlord agreed to covert two houses i the middle of the estate. The houses had a piece of wastelad behid them, which had origially provided a site for garages. The garages had bee kocked dow, ad there was potetial to develop the site for commuity use. However, the coversio was quite expesive, ad there were some cocers about the logevity of the project: We did worry that we might do the coversio, ad the the voluteers might give up after six moths. There was o way we could force them to carry o. So yes, that was a issue. Housig officer 18 Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses

18 It was at this poit that Barardo s became ivolved. They wated to take part i a commuity developmet project, ad by improvig the local eviromet they hoped to improve the quality of the lives of local childre ad families. They appoited a commuity developmet officer to work i partership with voluteers o the estate. The ladlord felt more cofidet that the project would succeed oce the commuity developmet officer was ivolved, ad gave permissio for the coversio. I 1998, the ew buildig opeed. Before the appoitmet of the commuity developmet officer, the voluteers struggled with various aspects of ruig the house. The mai obstacles they faced were: a lack of fiacial traiig or kowledge of accoutig o uderstadig of the purposes of a costitutio or a aual geeral meetig ot kowig the legal requiremets regardig ruig activities for childre ad the wider commuity ot realisig that, as voluteers, they were etitled to reasoable out-of-pocket expeses dealig with issues regardig the maiteace of the house, such as esurig repairs were completed additioal demads beig made of their time, for example: parets leavig their childre at the house log after pick-up time, or beig ecouraged to act as a teats group alogside their duties ruig the house. As the voluteers became more skilled ad experieced, they required less support from the Barardo s worker, who moved o to other projects after a couple of years. The house has ow bee ruig for 10 years, ad eight years ago successfully obtaied fudig to develop a small commuity park o the attached wastelad. This work was udertake i partership with the ladlord ad Groudwork. Most of the origial voluteers are still ivolved i ruig the house ad park, ad although they have had setbacks over the years, they have a real pride i what has bee achieved: ow, ad there s more support from people o the estate. Though we do get the odd few who thik we get paid, ad that s aoyig. Commuity voluteer Curretly the house is ruig a after-school club; a holiday play scheme; a weekly disco; a healthy food project; a iitiative takig childre for holidays i Wales; ad a litter-pickig project. Previously, the house has also hosted commuity learig; a basic skills group; a pesioers outig group; keep fit; beauty sessios; ad a health visitors cliic. Over the years voluteers have formed a umber of key parterships, icludig: the local Primary Health Care Trust local schools eighbourhood colleges eighbourhood church groups a workers Educatioal Associatio a charity providig holidays to low-icome families a local regeeratio iitiative. We feel less vulerable ow, because there are lots of other people ivolved. We ca lear from them, but we ca also make sure that they kow what people livig o the estate thik. Commuity voluteer We have leart a lot. The first time we did our accouts it took us three days, because we did t kow what we were doig. Now we keep thigs up to date, ad it s a lot easier. Commuity voluteer We have hit so may brick walls over the years, but somehow we have just kept goig. Whe we look back ow, we ca t believe everythig that has goe o. We do feel [the ladlord] appreciates us better Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses 19

19 Dealig with problems It may soud simplistic, but the most effective way of dealig with problems is to try to aticipate ad avoid them. This sectio discusses some of the most commo problems associated with a commuity facility, ad provides suggestios for dealig with them. The ladlord ivolved with a commuity house must idetify ay possible problems or costraits. It would be good practice to perform a risk assessmet to idetify particular risks ad hazards associated with each activity. This is best udertake i cojuctio with commuity voluteers, as part of a ope ad hoest discussio. Fiacial mismaagemet Dishoesty is a rare problem durig the life of a commuity house. However, if fiacial procedures are ot clear ad trasparet, difficulties ca, ad do, arise. Ladlords ca be ivaluable to commuity houses by helpig them to pla their fiaces o a maageable ad orgaised footig. This should iclude: helpig to access good quality fiacial traiig to assist with keepig fiacial records beig prepared to share their ow orgaisatios fiacial kowledge ad expertise offerig accoutig services advocatig a costitutio ad aual presetatio of accouts oce groups start hadlig eve small amouts of moey helpig with fudraisig, icludig locatig likely grat sources, ad helpig to write fudig bids. A closed maagemet group Where commuity facilities are ru by a small group of committed idividuals who have bee workig together over a period of time, it may be hard for ew members to become ivolved. Such groups are likely to be uaware that they are erectig a barrier, but may eed help i becomig more ope to other commuity members. This ca be achieved by: helpig people to idetify whe such barriers are beig created holdig a aual geeral meetig, where people ca stad for various roles o the maagemet committee, ad be voted ito positio orgaisig traiig ad awareess sessios to provide participatio skills for voluteers icludig details of how users ca become part of the maagemet team i ewsletters or ay other literature produced by the commuity house. Difficult idividuals There are strog persoalities i ay commuity, ad this is mostly a positive thig. However, sometimes idividuals with very fixed or iflexible ideas ca become ivolved i a commuity iitiative ad make it hard for other people to cotribute, or have their voices heard. Other commuity members may fid it difficult to cofrot someoe like this, ad there is a dager that willig voluteers will be put off. Well-orgaised ad well-chaired meetigs will help to esure that people get a equal chace to express their views. It may be useful for the ladlord s represetative to sped some time listeig ad buildig a relatioship with ay idividual who is makig thigs difficult for other voluteers. I order to prevet this from happeig i the first place, ladlords should cosider providig traiig for all voluteers ad committee members o chairig ad participatig i meetigs, ad o egotiatig skills. 20 Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses

20 Policies ad legal obligatios Policies Commuity voluteers ca be put off by formal laguage that housig staff are used to hearig every day. It is importat that people realise policies are simply a way of expressig how the activities i the commuity house are goig to be ru. Iitially, the most importat policies to develop are: health ad safety policy (this is a legal requiremet if five or more persos are workig or voluteerig at ay premises) child/youg perso protectio policy (essetial if childre ad youg people use the house) cofidetiality policy (to esure people feel safe i sharig iformatio) fiacial policy (to set dow clearly how moey will be hadled) voluteer policy (to clarify the role of voluteers ad set dow what they ca expect to receive from the orgaisatio). I practice, may commuity houses struggle with creatig writte policies. If the same people actig as the maagemet committee are also ruig groups or activities, they may ot realise the eed for a voluteer policy. Istead, they may rely o their shared uderstadig ad visio for the house to gover how they coduct thigs o a day-to-day basis. This ca become problematic whe ew voluteers are beig recruited, ad ca lead to tesios withi the commuity if it is felt that there is a lack of cosultatio. If youg people ad childre are usig the house, the a child ad youg perso protectio policy is imperative. Ay voluteers workig with childre will eed to have a Crimial Records Bureau (CRB) check. It is particularly importat that voluteers kow what they would do if they suspected, or it was disclosed, that a child was beig abused or ijured. This may be as simple as iformig the local housig officer, who would the take steps to deal with the situatio. A vulerable adult policy, to cover groups such as people with learig difficulties or the elderly, may also be eeded. Isurace Commuity houses deped o ladlords ad local residets workig together. This should simplify isurace issues, because the ladlord retais cotrol over the buildig ad covers ay property isurace. However, groups usig the house will eed to take out isurace to cover their activities ad ay equipmet they possess. If a volutary maagemet committee rus the cetre, they may take over this resposibility, particularly if the committee agrees to hold ay equipmet i commo. It should be oted that if potetially hazardous equipmet is used, such as boucy castles, extra isurace is ecessary. Where possible, groups should choose a isurace compay that has experiece of workig with small commuity orgaisatios. Costituted or ot? A costitutio clearly sets out a group s purpose, scope, ad powers, ad clarifies what should happe to ay assets should the commuity house cease to exist. Therefore, a ladlord may wat to ecourage voluteers maagig a house to write a costitutio. However, there are examples where either the ladlord maages the house itself (i which case it will be their resposibility to look at relevat policies), or it is ru by a more loosely formed group, which operates without a costitutio. This ca be a successful way of workig, as log as the commuity is closely ivolved ad has a sese of owership. Fiacial maagemet A costituted group will be obliged to have a aual geeral meetig at which its fiaces are preseted. It is good practice to esure that voluteers, costituted or otherwise, have a basic uderstadig about savig receipts ad keepig a weekly or mothly balace sheet. Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses 21

21 Good practice example: No 1 Nash House No 1 Nash House is a commuity flat ru by Optima Commuity Associatio. A commuity member origially started providig family support activities from the flat, which was her home. She the moved to aother part of the block so the flat could be used as a commuity base. Optima provide fudig for the flat, ad various groups are ru by commuity members. However, the flat is ot operated with a costitutio. Optima staff visit the facility o a regular basis, ad ay issues cocerig ew groups startig up are referred to them. Flat users have a very strog sese of commuity owership. We all muck i, so we feel it s our place. Commuity voluteer I ve doe the cleaig, I ve ru coffee morigs, I ve goe to fetch people who were too shy to come you ame it, I ve doe it. Commuity voluteer The flat has ow become so successful that it is i the process of chagig premises. It has etered ito partership with a local church commuity cetre, ad is gradually movig groups over to this much larger buildig. As a Optima staff member oted: Equality ad diversity It is importat that commuity houses reach out to the etire local commuity. There are practical ways to do this, such as esurig that buildigs have wheelchair access, ad that toilet facilities are suitable for those with disabilities. It is also importat that voluteers, ad those who support them, are aware of how to make the house welcomig to a wide group of users. This ca be brought about i a umber of differet ways, such as: esurig that the house is physically adapted for users with differig eeds makig the house the cetre for local celebratio of various commuity ad religious festivals esurig the maagemet committee reflects the diversity of the eighbourhood traiig i diversity issues for voluteers. Voluteer traiig Traiig voluteers esures that they are able to voluteer more effectively i the commuity house, ad feel more cofidet ad better iformed. It is also a way of recompesig them for their time ad effort, ad helpig them to build up a portfolio of skills. May local orgaisatios will offer appropriate courses. I a fuy way, we have become the victims of our ow success, but we are doig thigs gradually, ad makig sure people feel settled i the ew place. Commuity voluteer 22 Good practice guide: Developig ad supportig commuity houses