Don’t make decisions about residents without them
At Southern, a handful of senior leadership roles are reserved for residents, which shows how seriously we take the voices of our tenants, says Samantha Fagg, resident scrutiny manager at the housing association
Four of the 13 places on Southern Housing’s board are reserved for residents. We believe this figure is not met by other large housing associations.
We hope this shows our residents how serious we are about hearing their voices at every level. It’s vital that the very top of our organisation is connected with our residents.
We need individuals who can reflect residents’ perspectives strategically in board discussions and decision-making.
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Our recruitment drive at the beginning of this year to find a resident board member led to an impressive 224 applications. We worked closely with our communications team to ensure our net was cast wide in the recruitment process. This included sending targeted letters to harder-to-reach groups, an email sent to over 38,000 people, and eye-catching social media posts.
Our board sets the overall strategy for Southern Housing and makes sure our executive team, responsible for day-to-day management, is working effectively.
It goes without saying that the role of board members is hugely important, which is why this could never just be a tick-box exercise. We needed the best individual for the job.
“We didn’t look at the applicants as residents; we looked at them as potential board members and considered what they could bring to the table”
We didn’t look at the applicants as residents; we looked at them as potential board members and considered what they could bring to the table. The high level of quality applications didn’t disappoint. We were blessed with applicants from people with a variety of backgrounds, from NHS specialists and directors, to a fire engineer and a teacher.
It was incredibly difficult, but five residents were eventually selected for interview.
One of the questions we asked during the interview was around Awaab’s Law, and social landlords being forced to investigate and fix dangerous damp and mould in set time periods. We asked what assurances they’d want to see as a board member.
From 224 applicants, we eventually selected our new resident board member: Billy Brown. Mr Brown has been a Southern Housing resident for 12 years and joined as an involved resident in 2020. We have no doubt his lived experience will prove invaluable, and we’re excited to welcome him.
Our recruitment drive didn’t just find us an outstanding new board member, it reaffirmed something even more powerful: our residents are engaged, passionate and ready to shape the future of Southern Housing.
While only one resident could take the vacant board seat, our work doesn’t stop there.
The process we’ve been through highlights that there is a wealth of talent and enthusiasm within our communities. We are committed to harnessing it, not just at board level, but across our entire resident governance structure.
With more than 100 residents already helping to scrutinise our services, shape our policies and select contractors, this new pool of applicants offers a wonderful chance to make this structure even stronger.
By broadening resident involvement at every level it means we can turn these seven words into action: we’re making decisions about you, with you.
Samantha Fagg, resident scrutiny manager, Southern Housing
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