DAMHA is committed to delivering excellent customer service and one of the ways we can achieve this is through resident involvement.

Listening to, and acting upon, the views of our residents forms one of our core aims, which is ‘to place residents at the heart of everything we do to provide an appropriate high quality and continually improving service’.

There are numerous ways in which our residents can be involved and have their say in the services can be provided. This can range from something a simple as taking part in a survey through to becoming a Resident Board Member.

Our current Resident Involvement Strategy outlines our approach to involving DAMHA residents. The three areas in which we are particularly keen to involve even more residents are:

Residents’ Scrutiny Panel

This is a group which meets on a quarterly basis to monitor the performance of the Association; look at and review all local offers of the Association; make recommendations to the Board to contribute to the continuous improvement of the quality of the service we provide; assist in the development of the Annual Report to residents; and act as an Independent Tenants Panel for DAMHA residents as part of the complaints process

Resident Representatives

A Resident Representative is someone who speaks on behalf of the other residents and acts as a link between them and DAMHA. They do this by attending 3 Resident Representatives Forums per year and asking their neighbours what they think about the issues raised; reporting back to us on what people think; and raising with the Association issues of importance to people in their area. They also assist with local housing management issues such as holding keys for empty properties, when necessary, to allow contractors and prospective residents access as required, distributing letters and newsletters and
reporting repairs to the office, when residents are unable or unwilling to do so themselves. In recognition of this role, Resident Representatives receive an annual Honorarium payment. The amount of this payment depends upon the number of properties at the scheme.

Gardening Club

This is a group tasked with looking at the delivery of Grounds Maintenance through an active partnership with the contractors; improving satisfaction in the service provision; looking in detail at satisfaction survey results; and meeting with contractor & office staff to review any complaints/compliments.

Here are comments from some of our current ‘involved’ residents:

“I am in my second three-year term as a Rep and look after around 30 homes. I have always enjoyed helping people and it only takes a few hours of my time each week, so it’s something I really enjoy doing.” – David James, Resident Representative, Marsden Road, South Shields

“I look after 12 homes at Lumley. I used to work as a Samaritan so helping people is something which comes naturally to me. After I attend meetings, I type up notes to give to the other residents and always make myself available. It really doesn’t take up much of your time.” – Susan Lewis, Resident Representative, Lumley, Durham (pic of Sue)

“I look after 16 homes and help the other residents as much as I can. One example is making telephone calls on behalf of a resident who is hard of hearing. It’s something I enjoy doing.” – Catherine Moore, Resident Representative, Framwellgate Moor, Durham

“We look after 19 homes and there’s a real sense of community spirit where we live, so it’s nice to be able to help others. We’re both also on the scrutiny panel and this gives us the opportunity to discuss DAMHA’s services and they are very willing to listen.”– Jack Roach and Wendy Dunn, Peacehaven, Ferryhill

“I look after 30 homes see my role as a residents’ representative as being so much more than delivering copies of The Banner and selling raffle tickets. For me it’s all about getting residents involved in as much as possible, so I arrange coffee mornings, trips to the seaside and theatre and I am always planning the next events. I gave each of my residents a note with my telephone number on and they know they can ring or call round at anytime and I will do my best to help them. It doesn’t take much of my time to do this and it’s something I enjoy doing, so I could definitely recommend it to others.” – Alma Gardner, St James Court, Consett.