The Hyde Group Annual Review 2009/10 - Hyde Housing Association

Helping people
to be safe
“
It has expanded my thinking and
workshops like this take me out of my
box and help me grow as a person.
Diversity training event attendee
”
We support residents to be safe in their
own communities, and provide training
and advice on tackling discrimination
of all types.
We assisted Lewisham residents to
participate in a diversity training event
with the aim of challenging prejudice and
assumption. The attendees agreed that
the workshop made a difference to the
way they will think about others.
In addition, Hyde supported South
London resident Richard Walker to
organise a hate crime awareness event,
which focussed on crimes against people
with Learning Disabilities. As well as
giving them the opportunity to talk
openly about their experiences, the event
was designed to empower them to speak
up publicly in countering discrimination.
The 60 attendees also heard presentations
from other agencies.
Speaking at the event DC Paul Richardson
of the Metropolitan Police said: “It is great
to be involved in real and positive action
against one of the most insidious forms
of crime. It shows the power of the
community and organisations in coming
together to make a real difference to
peoples lives.”
Protecting people
from racial abuse
Decisive action against fraudsters
Hyde works with local residents and statutory agencies to investigate suspected
cases of illegal sub-letting so that social housing is actually lived in by those
in genuine need.
“
The safety of Hyde residents is our number one priority, and we
have robust approaches in place to protect our tenants from Anti-Social
Behaviour and racial harassment whatever the source.
Adam Whittaker, Hyde Group Anti-Social Behaviour ” Co-ordinator
A New Forest resident who was subjected to a systematic campaign of
racial abuse and threats by a member of the public now has a more
peaceful life thanks to legal action Hyde took.
When we became aware of a number of unprovoked, racial attacks
against one of our residents from Hythe, Hampshire, we took the attacker
to court. Although he pleaded guilty to the offence, no provision was
made to legally protect our resident.
Fearful of his safety the resident sought further assistance. We presented
a case to Southampton County Court for an injunction to be made
against the perpetrator. The case was successful and the attacker is
excluded from the area surrounding our resident’s home. The order
also included a power of
arrest, which could result
in arrest if the terms are
broken. The injunction
ends in June 2011.
Amongst the many eviction orders we obtained last year is the case of a Brent property, where we
successfully evicted a tenant who had not lived in their home for many years and was illegally sub-letting it.
Hyde has a tough stance on tenancy fraud and has signed up to the Audit Commission’s National Fraud
Initiative. This is also in line with our commitment to keep the turnaround times for void properties to a
minimum and to actively reduce under-occupancy and the number of unoccupied homes.
Did you know?
A Southend drop-in service
offering advice and
information will continue to
be available to residents
after a successful application
to the Big Lottery Fund.
July ’09
Resident-led inspection of our care and
support services in the south east of England
August ’09
Grand Ocean development wins award
at Affordable Ownership Awards
The Hyde Group | Annual Review 2010
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