Tenant Participation in Supportive Housing Anne Cory Corporation for Supportive Housing 3/17/10

2 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.

3 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

6 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?

7 Tenant Involvement INVOLVE TENANTS IN THE PLANNING OF ACTIVITIES, OUTINGS, PARTIES AND OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS

8 Tenant Involvement IDENTIFY NATURAL LEADERS AND DEVELOP LEADERSHIP SKILLS

9 Tenant Involvement SOLICIT INPUT ABOUT THE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES THAT ARE BEING OFFERED

10 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 11

Tenant Involvement INVOLVE TENANTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HOUSE RULES AND OTHER BUILDING POLICIES 12

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. 14

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?

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