Forum Topic

Decent homes, safer communities.

Anyone want to help set up a working forum on housing? Partly to raise the profile of how a lot of us are having to live in decaying squalid environments, partly to help our young adult offspring to get somewhere decent safe and affordable to live?NOT a political forum apart from in its true sense, but a way to bring this up the agenda and help build  communities we can all live in safely.Jokes welcome, help more so....

Elizabeth Spring ● 6031d6 Comments

Erm, thank you for your advice - I am the CEO of a community service, have a great deal of insight into how the system works and am very competent in dealing with my life, thanks. I have contacted several councillors, the Labour lead  came to meet me and several of my neighbours before Chrstmas. I already waste a great deal of time attempting to break through my landlord's powerful barriers of contempt for their tenants - no luck so far. I started this thread to bring in some community involvement wider than my own situation. Best wishes.

Elizabeth Spring ● 6004d

Why not consider taking up this offer from H&F Homes? It may not be what you were thinking of, it may not meet your immediate needs, but it will give you an insight into how the system works. You say you want to change things - then find out how to do this. You have been subjected to discourtesy? Then work with the people who can address this. Why not contact one of your local councillors, or attend one of their surgeries, to seek their advice on how best to address the problem.You've got some good ideas, but good ideas are not enough. You have to work with others to make things better. Otherwise it is just a talking shop.By the way, you have repeated a post. If you want to change this email HammersmithToday via the website (as I did) and they will remove it for you.

Rosemary Pettit ● 6004d

That is interesting Rosemary, thanks. I cannot say I see myself as an "eager tenant" - I loathe my institutionally  discourteous incompetent landlord and the endless petty and major humiliations and despair living in social housing imposes. But thank you for the info which I will circulate round my neighbours.What I really hope for is to pull tgether a small and then growing group of people across housing tenures  to look at how to open up access to choice and decent housing  for middle aged middle income people like me with no chance of ever buying property. And equally importantly for all London residents' adult offspring.Housing co-ops; using derelict industrial buildings; opening up flats above shops; developing shared storage spaces for businesses to create dwellings from under used storage rooms and then forming tenant-run co-ops to maintain them; ensuring affordable housing options include potential for house sharing and so on.Any ideas anyone? Lizzie

Elizabeth Spring ● 6004d

That is interesting Rosemary, thanks. I cannot say I see myself as an "eager tenant" - I loathe my institutionally  discourteous incompetent landlord and the endless petty and major humiliations and despair living in social housing imposes. But thank you for the info which I will circulate round my neighbours.What I really hope for is to pull tgether a small and then growing group of people across housing tenures  to look at how to open up access to choice and decent housing  for middle aged middle income people like me with no chance of ever buying property. And equally importantly for all London residents' adult offspring.Housing co-ops; using derelict industrial buildings; opening up flats above shops; developing shared storage spaces for businesses to create dwellings from under used storage rooms and then forming tenant-run co-ops to maintain them; ensuring affordable housing options include potential for house sharing and so on.Any ideas anyone? Lizzie

Elizabeth Spring ● 6004d

Maybe this would interest you? In the 13 January edition of h&f news (p.35) there's an item which says H&F Homes is looking for an eager tenant to join its governing board; the role includes a say in how £130m of revamp work is spent. The post is unpaid (occasional meetings only I guess)and nomination papers may be obtained in February from Hafftra, the tenants' federation on 0208 748 4114 or H&F Homes on tel. 020 8753 5675.

Rosemary Pettit ● 6006d

Disappointing lack of response. Perhaps if you could outline some issues more specifically it might encourage people to comment.

Ellen Kearney ● 6007d