Northamptonshire Community Housing Network

Helping people with Disability find a place to live

The Network Aims to help people….

1. Have choice about where they live and find a home

2. Settle in and live happily as part of our communities

3. Find work and gain confidence by helping to run the Housing Network

How it works

• We are community led and Countywide

• Anyone can join - disabled / able bodied people and organisations

• Every one is equal

• We are a not for profit company and use a Total Coproduction approach

How it works

• We have ‘Members’ not staff or customers, and members are our workforce

• All members give some time to help run the Network

• We use Timebanking and mixture of funding to sustain ourselves

• We believe that we all have needs and skills, so lets share

Timebanking

• For every hour given to help others you receive 1 time credit

• And for every hour of help received you pay 1 time credit

People use Timecredits too..

• Exchange for Network services they need• To help each other with things at home• To contribute to social activities

The Services We Offer

Our services are available to young people and adults with disabilities, and the organisations and the families that support them

The Housing Training Programme

A Living and Working Skills Programme

Planning a move and making it happen

Expert by Experience Services• We provide support to Local Councils,

Housing and Care providers to make their services to people with disabilities better

Our Community Support Network

• Where members receive and provide support to each other

• The Timebank is at its heart

How we run the Network

• The Board manages day to day work• The Network Steering Group directs the Board• The Coordinator and Members do the work

Who makes up The Board

7 members5 have disabilities

We must have at least 50% disabled people on

the Board

How We Sustain The Network

• Membership Income• Sales Income• Time Income• Grant Income• Donations • In kind contributions

Our Achievements in our pilot year

Helping People with Housing

• We provided help to 55 people and organisations, this included….

• 17 people, Families and organisations to find out about housing and think about their options

• We gave long term help to 10 people, of which:-

• 3 people we supported through the whole process to move

• 2 people, we are helped keep and manage their home

• 3 other people, we helped plan a move

• 1 person, we are helping with neighbour problems

Created Accessible Information

• Have produced a Housing Guide from the Housing Training Programme information

• Produced Teaching Programme with key learning outcomes for young people

• Produced an Easy read Choice based lettings guide with Housing Options

• Produced a Guide to Keyways for LD customers and families

Helped Improve Service Access

• 6 of us worked with Kettering Borough Council in Spring 2011 and

• 9 people with disabilities are working on a review at Northampton Council

• 2 people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities (BME) are helping, we are looking for more people

Resources we generated in our pilot year..

• Members gave over 1200 hrs in time (equal to about £14,400)

• We received over £40,000 in income• (£15,000 was earnt not grants

• Received about £2,000 in Kind help

Total £value of all about - £56,400

% of Time credits and in kind = 30%

The Magic in what’s happening

• Members are enjoying helping and sharing

• They are growing in confidence

• People with disabilities are getting help with housing and with work

The Magic in what’s happening

• People who have not worked for a long time are helping to run the Network

• Some have become Directors of our Company

• Together we are being much more creative

Our Plans for the Future

• Recruit 2 – 3 Trainer / Facilitators to set up our main services areas

• They will develop Network members to learn to run each service area (5 -10)

• We will have 4 service areas

CO-PRODUCTION

The way we work

Our Experience of Using Coproduction

• Making the Northamptonshire Learning Disability Housing Plan 2011

• Creating and Running the Housing Network

Coproduction - what is it means to us

EQUAL SHARING OF POWER, CONTROL AND RESPONSIBILITY

Between people and professionals to plan for and meet our needs

Moving From

Them and Us

To

Us

Coproduction - what is it means to us

• Planning, sharing and doing as equals• Managing and sharing risk• Everyone taking and sharing responsibility• Using a mixed range of resources to make us

sustainable and reward all of us• Using various methods to help everyone take

part as equally

It has many levels

• From Basic Coproduction(e.g. planning an event)

To

• Total Coproduction (e.g. running a company)

We use a….

Total Coproduction Approach

Hearing People’s Experience of Coproduction

• Ashley Tansley (A Community Member) • Pat Ward ( A Former Commissioner)

ASHLEY’S COPRODUCTION

EXPERIENCE

(Ashley has a learning disability)

What the Housing Network has helped me to do

I have more self confidence

I have learnt how to become more independent

I've learned new skills like speaking in public

I’m learning how to manage a company 

I enjoy working in a group or in pairs

Something magical for me

When I feel low It gives me a boost to know I am doing something worth while by being a member of the Network

PAT’S COPRODUCTION EXPERIENCE

(Pat has is retired and has a visual impairment)

How It Feels doing it

It feels very different from the way I’m used to working, having people we are aiming tohelp working along side us, instead of us making decisions on their behalf

The Positives• Its more inclusive, people feel heard and also share

creating answers together

• We all feel more equal and capable

• Its been great seeing people grow in confidence

• Professionals can see that people aren’t just needy but are also giving – it eases the load

• We hope our experience will help you have a go

• ‘Don’t give up its really is worth it !’

Our Coproduction Approach has been scored highly by the New Economics Foundation (NEF)

Because we…….

Recognise people as assets

• People who need our services (our membership) also run our services

Build on people’s capabilities

Members are learning how to:-

• Support themselves and each other• Manage and run our services• Create and run a business• Train others to have housing choice• Learn a broad range of work skills

Promote a giving and receiving approach

• Everyone has the chance to give and receive, people and organisations

• e.g – Ashley received about 60 hrs of help and gave about 120 hrs to help run the Network

• We see when we cooperate and share we can all benefit

Develop peer support networks

This is the Nature of our organisationWe include a;-

- Business, Service Delivery network- Support network- Social network

Break down barriers between professionals and people

• People and organisations work together as equals

• A 1/3 of our members last year were professionals

• Members off help in the areas of service delivery they are drawn to

Rewarding everyone’s contribution

• We intend that members be rewarded with money and timecredits, where possible

• Last year members earnt over 1200 timecredits

• They spent nearly 400 timecredits on help with their housing needs

Blurring the Roles

• There is No distinction between staff and customers, professionals and people

• We blur duties and responsibilities

• Members use, create and deliver services and help run the company

We have created resources we that make the journey easier

• All our meeting notes are in easier read format

Easy Read materials:-

* The Learning Disability Housing Plan

* A Choice based lettings Guide

* Our Articles of Association

* Housing tools and Information

Why we like it

It helps us all to join in, we feel more in control and have fun seeing how to creatively meet out needs, and

We get to do things many of us never dreamed of

Doing this together

The challenges we all face right now are too fundamental for any one of us to solve alone

The answers will come by working together,as equals, to tackle problems in new ways, with respect, humility and compassion for each other and ourselves

Lets get started

To see some of the work of the Community Housing Network (CHN) this

year in pictures, please click on each of the following….

www.vimeo.com/31730861

www.vimeo.com/35952618and

www.vimeo.com/43101533

Becoming a Member

• People, families and organisations can join

• Charges are reasonable• Each member gives a little

time to help• Being a member gives you

discounts• There are lots of ways to

support us

If you have been inspired by what you’ve heard and want to

join

Speak to

Marion Turner

01933 381467

or look at our website

www.myhomemysay.co.uk

Or email

mturner@myhomemysay.co.uk