Community investment aims to get people into work, raise skills levels, engage youth, maximize income, reduce bills/carbon, improve facilities and environment, and promote enterprise. Current efforts include training and employing over 25 trainees, developing social inclusion clauses, and regeneration projects in Church Street, Ebbw Vale, Marine Street Cwm, and Bargoed. Future priorities are more jobs and training, increased regeneration, and financial inclusion through education, advice, and access to financial products and services. Communication challenges include sharing information, inviting suggestions, and identifying partnership opportunities.

1. Community Investment Team Steve Cranston, Cath Lee, Michelle Smith and Amanda Symonds

2. Format What is community investment? What is happening now? The future? Discussion

3. Principles More than Bricks and Mortar Squeeze as much value from existing and new work Work to priority needs of our key partners

4. So What Is Community Investment? Getting people into work Raising skills levels Engagement with young people Income maximization Reduced bills/carbon Community facilities Better physical environment Promoting enterprise

5. Why important ? Scale of challenge Long term Housing + needed to break cycles Says who….. Research on what works Our partners Welsh Assembly Government

6. Whats Occuring?

7. Training and Employment Action …. and words…. Done ! By developing relationships with Local Authorities & Funded Employment Agencies such as JobMatch and training providers. This has meant an immediate start with over 25 trainees on site within 3 projects since I started my post in April 2008. Social Inclusion Clauses been developed to further increase the opportunities to our targeted recruitment and training project .

8. Social Inclusion Clauses Social Inclusions Clauses seek to develop tangible skills that will make the trainees attractive to our supply chain, these include: Carpentry Bricklaying Plastering General Construction We also fund tools, equipment and training to the wider programme through United Welsh and Job Match

9. Current Projects Planned Maintenance Day to day Repair Services New Build Sites Case study detailed in HouseMark

10. Future Projects Construction Youth Trust Rassau – Community Construction Skills Penrhos Extra Care Church Street - Regeneration

11. Other Activities Construction Skills for the team

12. School Projects Art projects Ivor Goodsite Site visits/landscaping Free Fruit

13. Credit Union partnership Pilot project involving 2 schools ‘ Young Savers’ scheme Linked to one of United Welsh’s key priorities for the future – Financial Inclusion

14. Regeneration Church Street , Ebbw Vale Identified as a priority regeneration area Local perception is that nothing is happening Our catalyst role - to bring stakeholders together to create momentum and drive work forward

15. Regeneration Marine Street Cwm Similar area which has been identified as a priority

16. Regeneration in Bargoed

17. Regeneration in Bargoed New Health Centre

18. Future Priorities Jobs and Training Regeneration Financial Inclusion

19. Jobs and Training Build on current work More opportunities for UWHA tenants Options to scale up through Integrate Explore social enterprise opportunities

20. Regeneration Play an active and creative role in regeneration programmes Help identify local needs and win investment for community facilities

21. Financial Inclusion Credit Crunch – massive fuel and food price rises Education - Understanding the basics of money management - Schools Advice – Signposting, Early intervention and Support Access to financial products & services - Basic Bank Accounts, Bank and Building Society Accounts and Credit Union Accounts

22. Achieve more impact by doing as much as possible through

23. Communication Challenges Sharing information - Inviting suggestions - Partnership opportunities What’s going well – and what is not Options Face to face sessions Newsletters Focus groups/citizen panels Intranet – to www.investuwha.blogspot.com

24. Thankyou Questions… Comments… Suggestions