Four housing association projects that have transformed the lives of thousands have been honoured at the National Housing Federation’s Community Impact Awards.
The awards celebrate the difference that England’s housing associations make in neighbourhoods across the country by creating opportunities for local people and bringing communities together.
Scooping the night’s top prize, the overall Community Impact Award, was Peabody’s ‘Staying Safe’ programme which tackles knife, gang and gun crime among London’s youth. Peabody also won the Better Neighbourhoods prize, one of four category awards presented last night.
The winning projects were:
- Better Neighbourhoods Award - Peabody for Staying Safe - Peabody’s Staying Safe project worked with young people across London to design, develop and deliver campaigns to raise awareness of the impact of crime and gang culture. More than 7,000 young people took part in workshops or presentations, more than 20,000 were reached by posters, merchandise and festivals, and there were well over 12,000 hits or interactions online.
- Greener Living Award - Southway Housing Trust for the Smart Energy Team - Southway’s Smart Energy Team helped residents to save energy by making long-term changes in their daily lives. The Team sent Energy Doctors to give locals one-on-one advice and write ‘prescriptions’, fitted energy monitors and thermostats, and recruited local peer Energy Champions. On average the Energy Doctors saved Southway residents £247 a year on their energy bills.
- Health And Wellbeing Award - asra Housing Group for Wellbeing+ and Empowerment+ - asra’s Wellbeing+ and Empowerment+ are two mental health support programmes that aim to tackle health inequalities in Nottingham. These unique, innovative and integrated services welcome people across Nottingham and are particularly aimed at hard to reach groups or people with greater levels of need. Together, they have so far supported almost 2,000 people.
- Investing In People - Family Mosaic for Employment Boot Camp - Family Mosaic’s Employment Boot Camp is an intensive six week ‘pre-employment’ course targeted at long-term unemployed residents to help them find work. The innovative, fast paced course is designed to rebuild confidence, boost motivation and give participants the tools and skills needed to find work.
In total, almost 180 entries were received across the country for the Community Impact Awards. Regional awards were announced earlier this year, in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and York, with all the local winners going through to last night’s national finals.
David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, says: “Whether it’s tackling antisocial behaviour, addressing fuel poverty and reducing our carbon footprint, or giving people better access to vital health services or tackling unemployment or digital exclusion, housing associations do so much more than simply offer people a roof over their heads.
“Projects like these help to create a strong sense of community, giving residents the power to get involved and make a difference in their local area – that’s what these awards are all about.”