Housing Diverse Needs Strategy
We know that people have different needs, circumstances and experiences. These can affect how residents access our housing services, communicate with us and manage their tenancy.
Our strategy will help us better understand these needs, identify where residents may experience barriers and improve the way we design and provide our services.
What do we mean by diverse needs?
There are many reasons why someone might need additional help or a different approach when accessing housing services.
These can include:
- disabilities or health conditions
- language or communication needs
- caring responsibilities
- vulnerabilities
- difficulty accessing or using digital services
- other personal circumstances that affect how someone accesses our services or manages their tenancy
Some needs may be permanent, while others can change over time.
Understanding these different circumstances will help us provide the right support and make our services easier to access.
Why we need a Diverse Needs Strategy
We already have legal and regulatory responsibilities to understand and respond to the individual needs of residents.
These include:
- making reasonable adjustments for disabled people under the Equality Act 2010
- identifying residents who may need additional support to stay safe in an emergency
- safeguarding children and adults at risk
- identifying and responding to households that may be at greater risk from hazards such as damp and mould, including our responsibilities under Awaab's Law
Our Diverse Needs Strategy will build on these responsibilities. It will help us develop a broader understanding of the circumstances that can create barriers for residents and identify where we can improve.
Listening to residents
Residents' experiences will be at the heart of the strategy.
Through research, engagement and consultation, we'll work with:
- residents
- housing staff
- community groups
- partner organisations
This will help us build a better understanding of the different needs within our housing communities and the barriers people may experience when using our services.
We'll use what we learn to help shape how housing services are provided in the future.
What we want the strategy to achieve
The Diverse Needs Strategy will help us:
- better understand residents and their individual needs
- identify and remove barriers to accessing housing services
- improve the accessibility of our services and communications
- strengthen the way we listen to and engage with residents
- consider individual circumstances when designing and providing services
- help residents access the support they need
- support fair and equitable outcomes for everyone
Ultimately, the strategy is about putting people at the heart of our housing services.
By listening to residents and better understanding their experiences, we can improve our services and make sure everyone feels valued, respected and supported when they need us.