Research heralds new era in resident empowerment

Hyde’s commitment to continue to put residents at the heart of its business is underlined by new research it has commissioned in partnership with Housing Quality Network (HQN) to look at ways of empowering residents and encouraging their influence and participation.

Led by highly respected housing academic, Professor Hal Pawson of Heriot Watt University, the research compares leading practice in resident involvement in the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. The findings highlight innovative thinking by some of Europe’s top landlords and propose solutions to some of the involvement issues facing the UK sector in the future.

“I’m delighted with the exciting findings that have come out of this research which is the first of its kind in the sector .This puts Hyde at the forefront of thought leadership around resident involvement in the UK and it is intended to enhance our policies and influence the way we deliver our services,” explained Julia Johnson, Head of Resident Engagement.

Specifically the research looks at existing models for resident empowerment and also explores practises for recording and measuring resident involvement and the use of rewards and incentives.

The official launch of the report was held today (1 February) in London.

This research follows the successful launch of ‘Residents’ Matters, Hyde’s resident engagement strategy, which was developed in partnership with over a thousand residents in 2011. The aim of Residents’ Matters is to increase opportunities and remove barriers to engagement, enabling residents to get involved and influence services in ways that are convenient to them.

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