Search:

Community

Getting Involved

The saying "home is where the heart is" really rings true with us. We want to help you to make your home and your community a great place to live.

We recognise that many of our customers lead very busy lives and a full time commitment may not be possible for everyone. That's why we offer three different levels of involvement.

Level	Time/Commitment
1 - Arm Chair Activist
2 - Arms Length Enthusiast
3 - Up close and personal

You can decide how much time you want to spend and how involved you want to be - not everyone wants to go to a formal meeting and questionnaires and surveys don't suit others. So, from setting up a mother and baby group through to helping in an Extra Care scheme for older people, we have the opportunity for you!

There are many skills that you could pick up by being involved, and it's a great way of making friends. You'll also get to know staff and gain an understanding of how Yorkshire Housing works, why we do what we do, and how you can influence things. All you really need is a bit of energy and some enthusiasm for your community. Full training is provided for the more "hands on" roles and we will pay all reasonable expenses to help you get the most out of being involved.

Yorkshire Housing has funds available to help support your involvement activity and we will help you by offering all the advice necessary, including administration, report writing and financial guidance to name but a few.

All that you need to do is get in touch - after all that is what we are here for!

To give you an idea of the possibilities, we've put together a menu of opportunities available to you - and this is only a small selection! If we haven't thought of something and you want to give it a go, please get in touch and we will do our best to help you. This is for you and for your community, so it needs to be something you are interested in.

---

Egg timers represent the level of time that will be needed e.g. the more egg timers shown the more time is needed.

The hearts represent how much commitment is needed e.g. the more hearts shown the more involved you will be.

Level	Activities Available	Time/Commitment
1 - Arm Chair Activist	This is the easiest level to get involved at. not a high time consumer and not a high level of commitment needed perfect for those who live life to the full but still want to dip their toes into Tenant Involvement! This level would be perfect if you already have skills as a volunteer but don't want to take on lots of extra commitments. Some examples: Take part in surveys Join our Talkback panel Nominate a young person for a PoSBO Join our Readership panel give our leaflets and other written communication the once over so they really make sense. Take part in an estate walkabout Attend a local meeting about your area or scheme
Level	Activities Available	Time/Commitment
2 - Arms Length Enthusiast	Step it up a notch - with training given for the more in depth involvement areas. Definitely worth adding to your CV! If you are more outgoing and enjoy meeting new people and developing new skills maybe this level is one to consider - also good for those of you who maybe crave a new activity but aren't sure where to start. Here are some of the things you can do: Become a Mystery Shopper Test our services anonymously and let us know what you think (no special disguise needed!) Join a Tenants and Residents group - or you could even start one of your own Joining the editorial panel for HI! and/or Grassroots customer magazines If you are under 25 years old, get involved in Take Over Day and take over someone's job at Yorkshire Housing. Set up a community project - support your local youth club; grow your own flowers, fruit and veg. Join the Youth! Magazine panel or the youth website project group Monitor our estate services such as grass cutting Set up a Dreamscheme project with the young people in your community.
Level	Activities Available	Time/Commitment
3 - Up close and personal	The top of the table - roll up your sleeves with the best of them! Last but certainly not least. Being this involved would be great for those who are confident and enthusiastic and are looking to directly influence how we work. Use your skills and enthusiasm and work with us to develop our services Represent yourself or your community in strategic and operational decision making Monitor local services and performance

The levels of involvement don't just stop there though - there are even more opportunities to get involved at Yorkshire Housing. Who knows, maybe you could even sit on the Board one day!

But better still - tell us what you want to do and we'll try and help you!

But what is in it for me?

The answer is plenty! From having your say in what goes on in your community right up to making new friends, developing new skills that could benefit your career or personal life to travelling to other areas within the region and seeing for yourself how much is going on - it's up to you / the possibilities are endless!

In return we will provide the best training we can for the task and will support you with friendly advice and encouragement along the way including how to claim reasonable out of pocket expenses.

We want to develop interesting and exciting projects and can help fund activities that will enable you to get the best out of your community, Yorkshire Housing, your home, and yourselves.

Want to find out more?

Your local housing officer will be able to help you to get involved so please get in touch with them for more information or get in touch with the central Tenant Involvement Administrator. Contact details are below.