Campaign of the year

• Project name: Cost Of Living Roadshow
• Lead organisation: Grwp Cynefin - Community Initiatives Team

Statement of support

During Summer 2024 it was decided to organise a campaign of excursions to offer support to tenants following the cost of living crisis. This decision was the result of a consultation that took place during January 2024. Our tenants indicated that they wanted Grŵp Cynefin to prioritise supporting tenants with the cost of living crisis, as it was having such a negative impact on the lives of so many Grŵp Cynefin tenants, and was becoming a problem for the sector. Grŵp Cynefin was very keen to conduct a meaningful campaign to ensure that the tenants knew what support was available and to try to reach as many tenants as possible, as well as showing our commitment to supporting the community. 

We wanted to connect with as many tenants as possible in order to reach those who most needed the support, so going out into the community was the best way to do that. 

This campaign included several departments across Grŵp Cynefin, including the Energy Wardens, the Wellbeing Team, Digital Support, Training Support or Dŵr Cymru employment and support. We felt that including all these elements of connected support would mean that we could provide tenants with a wide variety of opportunities, which in turn would support them with the cost of living crisis. Most importantly, it was an opportunity for Grŵp Cynefin staff members to let tenants know that we were available to help if they needed any support. 

During the excursions in 2024 we visited 5 Counties across North Wales (Gwynedd, Anglesey, Denbighshire, Wrexham and Flintshire), visited 74 estates, knocked on 807 doors and managed to have a conversation with 246 tenants. The excursions were arranged between 1pm and 7 / 8 o'clock at night in the hope that we would have the opportunity to speak with tenants who work during the day. 

When arranging the excursions the team included a variety of estates in different areas across Grŵp Cynefin's operating area to ensure that everyone had a fair opportunity, wherever they live. The excursions are a significant effort on the part of the organisation to try to ensure that support is offered to those who need it most in our communities. The feedback received on the excursions from tenants is very encouraging. 

Last year was a very successful year for the excursions, 65 members of staff (including the Main Leadership Team) and 5 Board members took part, showing Grŵp Cynefin's commitment to supporting tenants and communities. 

During the excursions members of staff knocked on tenants' doors and completed a questionnaire with those who were at home. The questionnaire asked 'how are you coping financially these days?’. If a tenant indicated that they were finding things difficult or very difficult, they were directed to a set of questions that offered additional help e.g. from the Welfare Team, referral to Dŵr Cymru, the Energy Wardens, distribution of Warm packs, provided by 'Warm Wales' to those who wanted them, Digital Support, support with training, qualifications and employment. 

This is what the Chief Executive, Melville Evans had to say about his experience of joining the excursions last year: “It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to participate in the excursions again this year. It's great to have the opportunity to visit our estates and our communities and meet and chat with our tenants, in an informal atmosphere. We have a number of exciting projects planned for the new year, including the Corporate Plan, therefore this was a golden opportunity to ask tenants in several different areas what they felt should be a priority for Grŵp Cynefin over the next five years. Tenant satisfaction is very important to us here at Grŵp Cynefin, so we took the opportunity to ask tenants' opinions about the different services provided by Grŵp Cynefin on their doorstep. The results were very encouraging, and I am pleased to hear that the majority of the tenants surveyed agreed or agreed strongly that they trust Grŵp Cynefin. Staff members should be very proud of this news, it is a reflection of their hard work and their dedication to improving the lives of our tenants. I would like to thank the members of staff and members of the Board for their commitment to supporting the Community Initiatives Team with the excursions this year. I hope you have benefited from the experience”. 

The full report on the excursions is included within the Community Initiatives Team's annual report, which is presented to the Board Committees. This shows that the campaign's findings are considered at the highest level within Grŵp Cynefin, in order to shape services in the future. 

Outcomes and achievements

We are confident that the campaign has had a positive impact on the lives of our tenants, especially considering the number of tenants we have managed to chat to, and refer for additional help. The points below indicate the successes of the campaign. 

28 tenants indicated that they wanted a referral to Grŵp Cynefin's Welfare Team for additional support. Since completing the excursions, the welfare team has contacted 28 tenants, and 13 of these who indicated that they needed additional support received a call or a visit from the Welfare Team with no further action required. Two were referred to the Cyfri'r Ceiniogau (Counting the Coins) project which is active in Gwynedd (this is a partnership project with North Wales Housing and Adra funded by 'Shared Prosperity Fund' finance which works to develop numeracy skills with tenants in Gwynedd) and two have received a food bank voucher. 

The referrals below were made during the excursions, and these were the results: 

• 67 to the Energy Wardens – the Energy Wardens have contacted each of the tenants offering support 
• 28 to the Welfare Team – the team have contacted each of the tenants, two have been referred to the Cyfri'r Ceiniogau project and two have received a food voucher
• 13 referrals for digital support - 1 tenant received an iPad from Hyder Digital Denbighshire and a Sim Card from Good Things Foundation in order to access the web, improve digital skills and keep in touch. 1 tenant received a Chromebook through the Grŵp Cynefin + Digital Communities Wales device loan scheme in order to improve digital skills. 2 tenants received support with using facebook and e-mail as well as connecting a mobile phone to the web and using 'text to talk' on a mobile phone to improve contact with family and friends
• 18 referrals for support with training and skills. 

Grŵp Cynefin works in partnership with Dŵr Cymru, so tenants who needed support with their water bills were referred to Dŵr Cymru. Nine referrals were completed during the three excursions. 

75 warm packs were distributed to tenants who indicated that they 'found it difficult to keep their homes warm last year'. These were provided by 'Warm Wales’. The warm pack included: 

• Hot Water Bottle
• Flask
• Hat
• Gloves
• 'Hand Warmers'
• Blanket. 

A leaflet was sent to each tenant with the timescale and overview of the purpose of the visit. A pack was prepared for each tenant which included:

• An information sheet about the support available locally along with contact details e.g. food bank, CAB, community centres etc. - these were customised for different areas
• Energy Wardens leaflet
• Card with QR code in order to access Grŵp Cynefin's Tenant Handbook and a space to enter their Tenancy Number
• Information about eWales
• Additional Support
• Here for you • Cyfri'r Ceiniogau (Gwynedd only)
• Congl Meinciau Enterprise Centre information sheet (Gwynedd only). 

A pack was distributed to all tenants. If they were not at home on the day, staff posted these through the letter box to ensure that no one missed out on receiving the information. The purpose of the content within the communities was for tenants to receive information about the support and facilities available locally for people, this helps with community connections. Due to the campaign being such a success, we have run three more this year.

• Project name: #lovewhereyoulive
• Lead organisation: Monmouthshire Housing Association

Statement of support

In 2023 MHA’s neighbourhoods team identified an opportunity to deliver neighbourhood services differently. This was based on the following indicators:

• A change in how tenants felt about community as a place to live - 3.1 per cent
• A decrease in how tenants felt about their service charges providing value for money -15.2 per cent
• A decline in how supported tenants felt when experiencing anti-social behaviour - 5.9 per cent
• An increase in neighbourhood management cases especially fly-tipping, fire risk and communal areas - £20,000 increase in spend to address community issues.

Equality impact data that showed customer profiles where there is bigger impact on ability to manage their home and surrounding area with a direct correlation to affordability.

The team established a goal to deliver services more proactively, support tenants and communities and make a positive difference. They felt there was an opportunity to be more visible, engage with tenants and leaseholders to address issues that matter and create a campaign that enabled us to present important information, changes and opportunities in friendly, open and engaging way.

Alongside MHA communications experts the #lovewhereyoulive campaign was established. The hashtag and imagery was developed as a clear statement of MHA’s commitment to invest time and resources into communities which strengthen relationships, build connections and improve satisfaction.

To have the biggest impact MHA targeted the campaign in the following areas:

• The launch of MHA’s new, in house cleaning service to mitigate low satisfaction and high costs incurred through a contracted provision
• In communities where satisfaction was lower
• In communities with higher instances of reported ASB
• To launch our approach to community presence through weekly Walk and Talks and targeted clean up’s with and for the community.

Recognising MHA’s tenant profile a range it was agreed to use a range of materials that best suit community preference and behaviours:

• Digital – information using digital noticeboards in community living schemes, social media reels and videos, a day in the life of a neighbourhood officer video
• Mobile – wrapped cleaning vans and air fresheners for blocks of flats
• Local – noticeboards in communities to display clear messages about clean air zones to tackle cannabis
• In person – weekly estate walkabouts published in advance and alongside community members, police, elected members with targeted clean ups and events in areas of lower satisfaction. The team relish the opportunity to roll their sleeves up and get stuck into clear up days and community garden projects.

Outcomes and achievements

A new tenant satisfaction tool gives an 86 per cent tenant satisfaction rating with the service provided. 

The move from a contracted to an in house cleaning team as requested by tenants has eradicated complaints, reduced costs by £10,000 and enabled us to embed deep cleans and a quicker resolution of housekeeping issues and fire risks. This was the first service change using the #lovewhereyoulive campaign.

Increasing our visibility in communities through walk and talks with over 50 Walk and Talks completed and six community clean up events. This has seen a reduction in fly-tipping cases and a £20,000 budget reduction with targeted support for those we know struggle the most.

A higher presence in the community which has improved tenant engagement with teams examples being a reduction in missed appointments and an increase in tenants working with us to review services such as neighbourhood management, service charges and income.

We’ve been spreading the ‘Love Where You Live’ message far and wide - lighting up our corporate Facebook, Community Buzz Facebook (our community focused page, used for engagement, everything that is going on in MHA at ground level, opportunities for our tenants), Instagram, and LinkedIn pages with stories, photos, news updates, and events. Every post is a little spark, helping neighbours connect with us, making sure our neighbourhoods are happy, thriving places to live and work. To maximise engagement, we also share our posts across a range of local community forums throughout the county.

We’ve used our platforms to advertise neighbourhoods-related information, events and support sessions - making sure everyone knows what’s happening and how to get involved. Here’s a look at the analytics, offering an informative snapshot of how far our message has travelled, how many people have joined the conversation, and the real impact “Love Where You Live” is having across our social channels.

#LoveWhereYouLive social media analytics 

(Publishing period 14 Sep 2024 – 23 Sep 2025)

• LoveWhereYouLive published posts - 69
• Impressions - 41,814
• Average reach per post - 490.97
• Video views - 2,080
• Engagements - 2,080
• Engagement rate (per impression) - five per cent
• Reactions - 967
• Comments - 146
• Shares - 83
• Saves - one
• Post link clicks - 169
• Average video watch time – 17 seconds

Tenant feedback

We have lived at this property for almost 20 years and have never met our neighbourhood officer until Lauren arrived. Lauren was absolutely fantastic. Her attitude towards us was exemplary. She was very efficient, very courteous and very helpful, and we were very pleased to meet her and hope we will see her again in the near future.'