Janice White is former head of repairs at Estuary Housing Association
The power of an invitation
Housing associations need to think about how how to make our residents feel personally invited to welcomed to engagement exercises, writes Janice White
Have you noticed the difference in our shops and on our TVs since organisations made conscious statements to challenge their bias and the structural racism in selections, options and presentations?
I can now go in to any high street brand store and buy hair products, make up and body creams. When I sit down with my mug of tea, seeing people who look more like me on the TV doesn’t feel normal yet, but it makes me feel included. It tells me things are changing and it gives me hope.
It sticks with me because I had never seen such variety and difference on TV before. The power of representation cannot be understated and neither can the power of an invitation.
I still think about my first day on my housing studies course in London. I didn’t know what I was going to face and when I entered the classroom I scanned the room and chose to sit with someone who I didn’t know but we had similarities: female and Black.
Have you ever thought about why you sit where you sit when you walk into a room of strangers with spare seats? Was it the smile, was it something familiar why you chose to sit there?
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I don’t think I am the only one who chooses reassurance in a new setting. When we are in unfamiliar surroundings I think we all look for reassurance and the more unconfident we are the more we seek familiarity and reassurance.
I think it is the same for customers deciding to get involved, turning up to that meeting or event. Let’s not underestimate the challenge of stepping outside our safe space in to the unknown. I wanted to do the course, but I was stepping in to the unknown.
“When asked why they were not involved, some participants said they had never been asked. While other households understand our offers, others need to know they’re wanted”
When asking our residents to take part in engagement exercises, we should acknowledge the space we’re asking them to enter is unfamiliar and they are looking for reassurance and that same familiarity, so they feel welcomed, at ease and likely to contribute and stay.
Having faces in our organisations throughout our structures that reflects the local community we are there to serve is one way of creating familiarity and assurance. Recognising diversity and difference is one way of removing the barriers that I mentioned last time.
While doing research into engagement, something that stuck with me is the power of a personal invitation.
When asked why they were not involved, some participants said they had never been asked. While other households understand our offers, others need to know they’re wanted. It’s like the general invite to go out for a drink. Not everyone knows the rules, were they included?
But how do we personally invite all of our social housing residents to engage with us?
I was recently speaking to a resident about a complaint. They were giving such great feedback that it was obvious to offer an invitation to take part to share more widely their feedback because they were more concerned about the organisation making changes so it couldn’t happen to anyone else. Their overriding concern for others was a clue that they may want to be a voice that represents other tenants. So I invited them to take part. I explained the offer and provided some of the reassurance he was looking for.
“Let’s not underestimate the challenge of stepping outside our safe space in to the unknown”
I had to be prepared to get knocked back, but more people will turn up and take part if they are invited.
The other tip is to encourage them to bring a friend along. There is assurance in twos. If you are talking to neighbours who are also clearly friends but only one of them wants to come along, you can be instrumental in getting the friend to come along to support them. What are friends for if we don’t support each other?
Organisations often say that participation is an organisational responsibility and not just the engagement team’s, and that is so true. So I think a key to making it everyone’s business is to remind everyone of the simplicity of a personal invitation and what it meant when we were invited to sit next to them and take part.
Janice White, former head of repairs, Estuary Housing Association
