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Dch - bridging the gap Exeter
DCH Group invests in local communities through various social programs aimed at improving lives, strengthening tenancies, and creating business opportunities. Their community investment strategy focuses on financial inclusion, employment and training, health and wellbeing, and social enterprise. Initiatives include job clubs, grants, residents' associations, digital inclusion projects, and support for vulnerable groups like young people and those at risk of homelessness. Evaluation shows these programs help develop skills, widen opportunities, and have added business benefits for DCH through more sustainable tenancies and communities.
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Dch - bridging the gap Exeter
- 1. Investing in Communities Sue Coulson, GroupDirector of Housing and Communities, DCH Group 26/03/2015 1
- 2. DCH Group Delivering greatcustomer service Investing in our communities Growing our business
- 3. Community Investment DCH area commercial business with a strong social ethos We recognise that investing in our communities and empowering tenants is the right thing to do, and has business benefits too If we contribute toward improving people’s lives, through health, jobs, financial and social inclusion we create: high quality places to live sustainable tenancies access to the services people need DCH as a landlord of choice opportunities for levering investment 26/03/2015 3
- 4. Challenges in theSouth West The geography - we operate over 3,961 square in urban areas and often isolated rural communities Limited employment prospects, low pay, young people’s prospects having a job which is sustainable and provides a decent wage people being able to maintain their tenancies access to services health and wellbeing confidence, aspirations and achievement keeping our young people in the region 26/03/2015 4
- 5. Why community investment Balanced& sustainable communities Develop skills & confidence to widen opportunities and choices Support to successfully sustain tenancies Address health, educational and employment barriers Effective use of DCH assets, land and community facilities Creation of social enterprise within DCH’s communities Added value and business benefits 5
- 6. Community investment canbe complex 26/03/2015 6 People are complex and it’s important that: our approach is about doing things that meet people’s needs – not what we think they should have we work with people to contribute toward achieving their aspirations
- 7. DCH Community Investment Strategy 26/03/20157 Focus Financial inclusion Employment & training Health & wellbeing Social exclusion Social enterprise Community Sustainability
- 8. Community Investment –What we’re doing Enabling, empowering and working with tenants Our engagement is good and we are developing this further to enable a broader representation Transforming DCH through making informed decisions that include tenants Enabling tenants – helping develop local skills and knowledge and opening doors Using our capacity to provide opportunity, jobs, employment, enterprise, social activities, being healthy and well 26/03/2015 8
- 9. How DCH ismaking a difference
- 10. £13k – theaverage cost of a failed tenancy* 9 out of 10 young people not ready for work~ DCH facts: Community Engagement team £65k pa – DCH grants and awards programme 63 active residents associations, supported with £20k investment 5 job clubs helping 224 people; work with DWP to access further 75 job clubs £1m+ external funding, particularly digital inclusion & youth work £5m Big Lottery for young person’s financial inclusion project (5yrs) 200 places for young people in projects and Foyers Supporting digital inclusion through external funding & grants Successful Timebank schemes Some facts and figures • DCLG troubled families programme ~ Dept of Education 10
- 11. Community Investment –What we’ve done Timebank, Barne Barton 50 individual members Over 500 exchange hours banked - equating to £6,950 (based on gross average hourly rate £13.50 - Volunteering England) Helped enable a wide range of added value events including: the Homeworkclub Summer Fun Programme community consultations a community planting initiative and herb garden community allotments Barne Barton Job Club. 26/03/2015 11
- 12. Ocean Timebank -Impact 100% more part of their community 95% positively contributing 80% more choice & control 52% improved health & wellbeing *gross average hourly rate of £13.90 (Volunteer England) 12
- 13. Community Organisers –empowering communities Community Organising - building relationships and networks in communities Pilot in 2012 – DCH first HA to be a host (Cornwall) Locality provide funding and training; hosts provide a ‘place to be’ Encourages and enables people to take action on their own - power and confidence to tackle the issues important to them Community Organisers listen to residents to help develop their collective power to act together for the common good 13
- 14. 2012 Community Organiseroutcomes 1,200+ residents listened to 30+ isolated residents regularly engaged with activities 10+ residents accessed training opportunities 20+ residents volunteering in their communities plus programme to continue the work and provide employment opportunities RA-led homework club, toddler group and bingo club New residents’ associations and groups working to improve their areas 14 2014/15 - 3 more DCH Community Organisers in Devon & Cornwall
- 15. Young people Investing inskills in our foyers Targeted at those aged 16-25 who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, often from chaotic backgrounds with low self-esteem and confidence and uncertain prospects Valuing people – providing opportunity for them to discover and build upon their talents and skills. E.g. working as support to other young people in the foyer and volunteering in their spare time – using personal experience to empathise and support others currently spending time with DCH working as an IT support, using their skills and knowledge to help us deliver our business 26/03/2015 15
- 16. Plymouth Foyer –our approach Stats (2013/14): 72% 16 – 17 yr olds/66% male 89% unemployed 66% no qualifications 59% excluded or suspended from school 100% life skills need/86% multiple needs Outcomes: 5% in employment 14% volunteering 56% in further education 5% in government training 32% completing qualifications 86% completing in-house lifeskills Umbrella for young people services in Plymouth Clear three stage pathway from high support to independence Asset based approach to working with young people Range of support according to need Access to training & education through Activity Programme Peer mentoring, volunteering 16
- 17. Helping people intowork MyWorkSearch takes a jobseeker on a journey: Assessments to reveal transferable skills and career interests Access to vacancies on thousands of job boards and employer sites eLearning to understand the employment market and how to secure a job Building one or more CVs Using tools to ensure the jobseeker remains organised and focused Monitors and tracks usage Tool for job clubs, completely flexible 17
- 18. Other initiatives C2 partnership,Barne Barton Enterprise Cube – “business for everyone” Community insight to map gaps and opportunities Volunteer programme & work opportunities Tempus Leisure – low cost sport Peter Gorton, MasterChef Community Hubs 26/03/2015 18
- 19. Measuring value &social impact Developing internal SROI methodology and cost benefit analysis Longitudinal studies Investment evaluation matrix 26/03/2015 19
Editor's Notes
- #5 As a business we have the challenges of geography and different local circumstance. Being in the South West this means common challenges such as low wages and limited prospects, a lack of affordable housing and losing our young people form the region, but also very local challenges such as access to services in our rural communities, transport, poor health etc.
- #7 Historically, many housing associations and public bodies such as local councils have done things to communities which are based on their understanding of local circumstance (which is often incorrect), Responding to single issues without seeing how things are connected, or making promises that they cannot keep. DCH is doing with communities, not doing to. We recognise that tenants have a much better knowledge about what they need and what works in their communities. As a result we are working on developing our customer insight, working with our communities to inform what we know about places and which recognise the connections between things (e.g. jobs provide money and security which creates opportunities for social activity and access to healthier choices, which increase the opportunities for young people within those families to aspire and achieve and ultimately secure jobs actively)
- #9 Broader representation – change in the way we engage in Cornwall, traditional people around the table, agendas etc. While useful doesn’t engage with those who don’t want to work with us like this. Worked with existing mechanisms (PTC) to develop new model, very much owned by PTC Transforming DCH – reshaping the role of our housing staff to become more engaged with residents and RA’s (everyone engages) Targeting support - more about enabling people and unlocking skills. DCH Community Development Workers there to do targeted work around local projects and helping communities to achieve more through breaking down barriers, opening doors, bringing partners to the table DCH is a big employer in the South West, now actively developing apprenticeship opportunities alongside helping people make the move into having their own business
- #12 Timebanking is a way for people to get involved in their community by exchanging time to help each other. The premise is simple - ‘One good turn deserves another’ and an hour of someone's time is equal to an hour of someone else's, whatever the activity – but the impact is potentially enormous. The timebank approach is a leveller, valuing all people equally and ensuring that whatever your skills its value can be realised. Through a growing network of both individual and organisational members the Ocean View timebank has already helped individuals gain work experience, get into work, address social isolation, give people confidence to explore starting up their own business
- #16 Enabling and unlocking people’s skills sometimes only happens if you provide the opportunity for people. We understand the power of our tenants personal experiences and how they can help others who find themselves in similar situations. We believe in peer led support for people – as an example we have a young person form Bodmin Foyer who has come through the foyer itself and is now employed two days per week supporting others in the foyer, not only is this important for those that need support but it’s also benefiicali to the individual themselves, building their confidence that they have something valuable to offer. A second example is a young person from Truro foyer who was really interested in IT but never had the opportunity to show their potential , DCH has invested in this young person, bringing them into out IT team and putting the things in place to help them have better work and career opportunities.
- #18 New initiative – launch this week Access for all residents via website but also tool for job clubs, esp those furthest from employment Monitoring assists with JobCentre Plus requirements for applications etc – demonstrate easily activity