By Siobhán ONeill, Tenant Participation and Community Engagement Officer

In the world of social housing, we often hear phrases like ‘tenant engagement’, 'tenant participation', or ‘involved tenants’ thrown around like buzzwords. Many housing providers will proudly announce their commitment to "resident involvement" and "community engagement." But the question that keeps me up at night is this: Is there truly a seat at the table for tenants?

After years of working directly with both housing providers and residents across Ireland, I've seen the stark difference between tokenistic consultation and genuine participation. When done right, tenant engagement transforms communities, improves services, and creates housing that truly meets people's needs. When done poorly—or merely as a box-ticking exercise—it leaves residents feeling unheard and disempowered.

The reality is that meaningful tenant engagement doesn't happen by accident. It requires proper support, dedicated resources, and a genuine commitment from housing providers. However, not every landlord prioritises this work or understands how to implement it effectively.

This is precisely why we're holding the All-Ireland Tenant Engagement Conference on October 6-7, 2025, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belfast. This island-wide event will bring together social housing providers, policymakers, participation practitioners, and—most importantly—tenants themselves to explore what works, what doesn't, and how we can do better.

From tokenism to transformation

In my role as Tenant Participation and Community Engagement Officer at Supporting Communities, I work closely with housing associations all over Ireland, and I’ve seen a wide range of approaches to tenant engagement. As organisations start to move up the ladder of participation, many hope to appoint a tenant to their board, and while that is a worthy goal, it requires laying considerable groundwork first.

Circle VHA is a great example of an organisation that is doing it right. In consultation with tenants, they have established a process that prepares involved tenants to consider a board role through training, support, and contact with decision-makers long before they take the plunge themselves. Their First Link Committee, made up of tenants and board members, sits just below the board level and provides the board with views, insights, opinions, and recommendations from a tenant's perspective. This group participates in the same training that board members receive and collaborates with the board on key issues related to Circle’s responsibilities as a landlord and its commitment to the communities it serves.

Their next step will be to elect a tenant chairperson. I am confident that this person will truly understand the responsibilities that come with the role, as they have been supported along the way and have been working closely with the board already.

The difference? This association didn't just invite tenants to join the board. They provided training, offered practical support, created multiple opportunities for participation, and—most crucially—gave them genuine decision-making power throughout the process.

The barriers are real

Of course, creating meaningful engagement isn't without challenges. Housing providers often cite limited resources and difficulty in engaging a diverse range of tenants. These are legitimate concerns, but they're not insurmountable.

At Supporting Communities, we specialise in helping housing providers develop effective tenant participation strategies that work within their specific situations. Sometimes it's about starting small and building momentum. Other times it's about reimagining existing processes to incorporate tenant voice more effectively.

Join the conversation

This October, we're bringing together the brightest minds in tenant participation from across Ireland and further afield to tackle these challenges head-on. Our conference will feature workshops on practical engagement methods, panel discussions with housing providers who've successfully embedded the tenant voice in their organisations, and—most importantly—sessions led by tenants themselves.

We'll explore questions like:

What constitutes meaningful participation versus tokenistic consultation?
What support do tenant representatives need to be effective?
How can we measure the impact of participation initiatives?

Whether you're a housing professional looking to strengthen your tenant engagement approach, a policymaker seeking to understand the tenant perspective, or a resident who wants to make your voice heard - this conference is for you.

The table is being set

So, is there a real seat at the table for tenants in social housing? My answer is: there should be, and there can be! With proper support, dedicated resources, and genuine commitment from housing providers, meaningful tenant participation is absolutely possible.

Join us in October as we work together to ensure that tenants across Ireland, north and south, not only have a seat at the table but also have their voices truly heard.

The All-Ireland Tenant Engagement Conference takes place on October 6-7, 2025, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belfast. Early bird registration is open now!