Helping people thrive: the possibilities of partnerships with housing
Zoe Miller, Programme Catalyst, shares her insight on the potential of partnership working with housing providers.
I found my way to Community Catalysts after nearly a decade working in the homeless and housing sectors.
Working with people experiencing homelessness made two things really clear to me:
- How vital good quality, affordable housing is
- The importance of connection, community and friendship to good lives and a path towards housing stability
It was while working as a Debt and Benefits Advisor for a Housing Association that I saw the potential for a different way of working with tenants.
There was commonality between the people I was working with and how their experiences could be valuable to one another. When Jane was going through a benefits appeal process, wouldn’t it be helpful for her to get to know Lucy who went through something similar last year? Lucy’s peer support from personal experience seemed a really valuable addition to the professional help Jane needed at that time.
I also saw how unemployment, poor health and isolation acted to compound one another. I was left asking: is there a better way to support people to rebuild confidence, skills and connection? A way to help people rediscover their unique capabilities and contribution that years of unemployment and fighting for their welfare rights had buried?
Community Catalysts models and approaches create possibilities for people to rediscover and rebuild their confidence, skills and connection in their lives and community. As an example, the Community Micro-enterprise model offers a way for people to use their talents to start community enterprises or businesses that support, care for, and connect with, other people in their neighbourhood. These enterprises create good local jobs, thriving communities and support people to live good lives.
From my experience, I see that there are many approaches and models Community Catalysts provides that have potential for partnership with housing providers. It supports our collective vision: thriving neighbourhoods of connection where people can live well as contributing citizens.
Read more about our previous partnership work with housing providers and do get in touch if you’d like to chat further.
