Memberships

Easthall Park Housing Co-operative is a member of a number of groups and organisations that provide support that allows us to deliver the best possible housing services.

The following outlines a few of these memberships and their respective roles.

Scottish Federation of Housing Association (SFHA)

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) is the national representative body for Scotland’s Housing Associations and Co-operatives.

SFHA promotes the work of Housing Associations and Co-operatives across Scotland who provide housing for half a million people.

SFHA has over 180 members who own or manage rented housing, in our cities, towns and rural areas.

SFHA members develop affordable housing for rent and for part-ownership, using public and private finance.

SFHA members are not-for-profit organisations, rooted in their communities.

SFHA members provide a range of wider role services to their communities.

The SFHA represents the sector’s views to politicians, parliament, government bodies, and by engaging with stakeholders. They support their members with information, advice, guidance, events and other services.

It is vital for the housing sector to speak with a united voice, and by doing so we believe we are stronger together. The Housing association and Co-operative sector in Scotland is extremely diverse and this is what makes them unique. SFHA recognise and celebrate that diversity, while representing the many things that they have in common.

For further details of the work of SFHA visit their website www.sfha.co.uk  

Glasgow West of Scotland Forum (GWSF)

Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF) is the leading membership body for community-controlled housing associations and co-operatives in west central Scotland.  It has 55 members, nearly 40 of them in Glasgow.

Their purpose is to represent and campaign on behalf of these organisations whilst at the same time showcasing the excellent work of Housing Associations and Co-operatives and providing opportunities for these groups to share information and ideas with others.  GWSF has played a major role in helping community-controlled housing associations and co-operatives bring nearly 19,000 GHA houses into local community ownership.  It also works closely with its members to give Glasgow's community-controlled housing associations and co-operatives a collective voice when dealing with Glasgow City Council and other public bodies in the city 

For further details of the work of GWSF visit their website www.gwsf.org.uk 

Easterhouse Housing & Regeneration Alliance (EHRA)

Easterhouse Housing & Regeneration Alliance (EHRA) is an alliance of the eight independent, community-based social housing providers in Greater Easterhouse. Blairtummock Housing Association, Calvay Housing Association, Gardeen Housing Association, Easthall Park Housing Co-operative, Provanhall Housing Association, Lochfield Park Housing Association, Wellhouse Housing Association and Ruchazie Housing Association are the eight members of EHRA. The members of EHRA have worked together since 1991, previously as Greater Easterhouse Community Ownership Forum (GECOF).

The EHRA management committee is comprised of people who live in the local area and have a strong commitment to ensuring that the area’s Social Housing Providers are working together in the interests of the area.

EHRA member organisations own and manage over 3,000 houses throughout Greater Easterhouse. In the last 15-20 years the housing and the physical environment of neighbourhoods has been greatly improved through the efforts of Social Housing Providers in Easterhouse.

WHAT MAKES EHRA DIFFERENT?

Because we are led by local people and held accountable by them, our services are highly responsive to community needs and our housing investment has been sustainable. This contrasts with previous “top down” approaches to area regeneration where major investment was often followed by demolition and the break-up of communities.

Easterhouse’s Community Based Social Housing Providers have a community-controlled approach to housing delivery. Local management and local solutions are critical in Easterhouse, because of the deep-rooted disadvantage and social problems that affect our communities. All eight organisations have gone beyond their original purpose as housing providers and are making a substantial impact in addressing the wider regeneration needs of local communities.

WHAT DOES EHRA DO?

Campaigning and Lobbying

The committee members and officers of EHRA are involved in campaigning and lobbying of Local and Scottish Government. It is often more effective to speak with one voice on pressing issues effecting the area.

EHRA have worked closely with politicians to ensure our concerns are heard and continue to press for legislation and area based regeneration to improve the lives and prospects of people living in Easterhouse.

Common Housing Application and Register

The members of EHRA developed a common housing register and application form . This has helped people seeking housing to apply more quickly and to a wider number of organisations.

Service Improvement and Benchmarking

In each of the areas of work that EHRA landlords carry out a group of officers who fulfil that role meet to discuss how they can deliver services more effectively and how this can be done better and more cost effectively for tenants.

Each organisation provides statistical information which allows them to see how their performance compares to other organisations working in Greater Easterhouse.

Wider Projects and Initiatives

EHRA have collectively developed a number of services for residents. Money advice is one such service which operates from a number of the housing offices. A number of the members have Community facilities, EHRA work to secure funding for these facilities and develop services that can be delivered from a number of the facilities.

Employment and Training for Local People

Many EHRA landlords are involved in projects that help local people to become ready to enter the world of work or provide jobs directly.

EHRA Housing Apprentices Project: this initiative was developed in partnership with Tigers Ltd and led by Blairtummock Housing Association. Young people from the local community have been working with local social landlords since August 2008. They have gained experience of working in the social housing field and undertaken a Scottish Vocational Qualification in Business Administration. At the end of the programme the young people will be well placed to take advantage of careers in social housing or in the wider employment market.

HNC Working with Communities/Housing: many EHRA landlords are involved in this initiative which is being carried out in partnership with John Wheatley College and led by Easthall Park Housing Co-operative. The course is partly college based and partly completed through a placement with a housing provider or a community organisation. It has been highly successful providing a large number of people from Easterhouse and the wider East End with opportunities to gain experience of working in this sector, gain a recognised qualification and in many cases gain on-going employment.

Employment in Community Facilities: EHRA organisations run a number of community facilities and employ local people to help run them and provide services in the area. This has an impact in reducing unemployment and poverty in the local area.

Quality Efficiency Forum (QEF)

The Quality Efficiency Forum is a group of just over twenty RSLs varying in size, type and operating context from all over Scotland. The group benchmarks statistical results but, crucially, the main focus is in the benchmarking of processes.

The group has developed a series of Good Practice Guidance Notes on a variety of subjects such as Void Management, Rent Management, Gas Safety, Asset Management, Financial & Business Planning.

These Good Practice notes outline the best practice of the members in achieving better quality and efficiencies in delivering services.

Each organisation considers on an annual basis a tailored benchmark review of their Annual Performance Statistical Return information that shows trend information and puts their core Key Performance Indicators in the context of National, Peer Group and QEF figures. This also helps signpost members towards areas within their own organisation where service to tenants could be improved.

If you would like to know more about the Quality Efficiency Forum and the work that it carries out please contact John McMorrow Secretary of the group at Easthall Park Housing Co-operative on 0141 781 2277 or email john@easthallpark.org.uk.

Employers in Voluntary Housing (EVH)

Employers in Voluntary Housing (EVH) - Supporting Social Employers is a unique organisation - there is no other employers association in the voluntary housing and wider social employer movement in Britain. The major part of their service is providing Personnel and Human Resources management support and advice to Registered Social Landlords in Scotland. EVH has grown from only a handful of community based housing associations in 1978 to 150 members throughout Scotland today. Of late most of their growth has taken them beyond their our roots in the social housing sector and into a variety of exciting social enterprises.

EVH core support is delivered by telephone, email and their website. Beyond this EVH also develop and agree good practice guidance notes and model policies. Additionally they help with bespoke research on topics ranging from the straightforward through to whole business reorganisation. Their services are tailored to the needs of their members, whatever the size or location. As a small organisation they are flexible and they treat each enquiry on an individual basis.

EVH is the social housing sector's market leading recruitment services specialists, offering value for money, recruitment solutions and a fast and friendly service.

For further details of the work of EVH visit their website www.evh.org.uk

Happy to Translate

Easthall Park is a member of Happy to Translate, which helps promote and support
the delivery of our translation and interpretation services.

Happy to Translate has over 40 members and the key commitments we will
deliver as part of this service is to;

1. Promote equal access to information and services for all people and communities by overcoming language and communication barriers.

2. Implement and maintain a high standard of customer service to improve access to information and services.

3. Provide professional language and communication support to service users according to the “Happy to Translate” best practice guidance.

4. Establish and maintain staff training and support on the use of “Happy to Translate.”

5. Actively display and promote the “Happy to Translate” Logo.

6. Monitor and evaluate the use of “Happy to Translate” and actively share and implement ideas for improvement.

7. When possible, participate in a joined-up approach with other organisations to promote language and communication support.