Newly-formed South Down Area Housing Community Network meets
Local residents and community groups were invited to share their views at the recent meeting of the South Down Area Housing Community Network.
Housing Community Networks are key forums for tenants and community groups to engage with the Housing Executive about issues in their local area.
Claire Crainey, the Housing Executive’s Area Manager for South Down, said: “We are always very keen to involve residents and local community associations in discussing and developing their local services and addressing housing issues generally.
“Following feedback from our members the South Down Area Housing Community Network and the Newry and Downpatrick network have combined into one group offering greater opportunities for group members to make new links and contacts.
“They will meet twice a year, but individual Newry and Downpatrick networks will still hold regular meetings in between.
“Our Housing Community Network is a vitally important way of engaging with our tenants and listening to any suggestions on how we can help create stronger communities.
“It is also a great opportunity to get updates on the work of community groups, who facilitate a range of projects funded by the Housing Executive which positively impact on local areas.”
For more information visit:
***
The Housing Community Network is the key forum for tenant and community engagement in Northern Ireland.
The Housing Executive is always keen to involve residents and their local community associations in discussing and developing their local services and addressing housing issues generally. To achieve this the Housing Executive established the Housing Community Network (HCN) in 1982.
The HCN works on four levels:
Community.
At the estate or community level, local office and Supporting Communities staff are available to assist communities in setting up bona fide associations to represent the views of their local community to the Housing Executive and other agencies.
Area.
Area managers will look for representatives from each of the local resident/community associations across the neighbourhood to come together at a neighbourhood forum. The forum will discuss service group standards, service delivery and related housing issues.
Network.
The Housing Community Network is the key engagement structure for Housing Executive communities.
Supporting Communities
Supporting Communities acts as an independent organiser for the network to ensure neutrality.
The Network depends on its base of over 500 community groups actively participating.
