More than Housing: How Tenant Engagement Changes Everything
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By Clodagh Cooke, Community Development Officer at Supporting Communities
I'm still pretty new to this job – about a year and a half into my role at Supporting Communities – but honestly? I'm already blown away by what I've witnessed. When I first started, I thought I'd be doing "community development" and that tenant engagement was something separate. Turns out, they're completely intertwined, and that's where the magic happens.
My patch covers communities in South, East, and West Belfast that are part of the Housing Community Network (HCN), and let me tell you – I've learned so much about what's really happening on the ground in these areas. Housing might just be one issue among many for these communities, but it's the foundation that everything else builds on.
What Actually Is the Housing Community Network?
The HCN is Northern Ireland's biggest tenant engagement network – we're talking thousands of Housing Executive tenants and community members all connected together. It's basically a way for community representatives to get the tools and confidence they need to make real changes in their areas and push for better services. What I love about it is how it creates this environment of trust and respect where people can actually sort out conflicts and tackle complicated issues head-on. Most importantly, it makes sure the Housing Executive listens to communities when they're making decisions that affect people's lives.
Watching People Find Their Voice
One good example is the Sandy Row Residents' Association in South Belfast. Three committee members joined the HCN initially just wanting to understand how the NIHE works – you know, the processes, their tenancies, who does what in maintenance, schemes, patch management, that sort of thing.
Fast forward two years, and these same people are now running community-wide programmes for kids, young people, and older residents. It's incredible to watch someone go from "I just want to understand my tenancy" to "I'm going to set up a youth programme for my entire community."
Through the HCN, they developed their communication skills and really got to grips with how the NIHE supports communities. But the best part? They gained the confidence to use these skills for issues way beyond housing. That's when you know something's working.
Breaking Down Barriers
Look, we can't ignore the fact that Northern Ireland's historical divisions still affect housing and communities. But what gives me so much hope is seeing how shared concerns about everyday issues are actually bringing people together.
Building social cohesion in these community groups means creating trust, making sure everyone feels included, and fostering that sense of belonging and shared purpose. For me, it's crucial that all voices get heard across Belfast. I love celebrating each community's wins – even the small ones – while we work together on the bigger strategic stuff.
When Communities Drive Economic Change
Here's something that really excites me: when tenants get involved in decision-making, they start spotting opportunities for local economic development that nobody else saw coming.
In an East Belfast estate, community representatives pushed to turn unused communal space into a community garden. The Housing Executive backed them, and now these tenant-led champions are designing, developing, and delivering this amazing community garden for everyone.
The economic benefits of growing locally are obvious, but the health and well-being impacts are rippling through the whole community. None of this would have happened without that initial engagement framework giving tenants a proper voice.
Real Impact on Health and Wellbeing
This is the stuff that keeps me motivated. Through tenant engagement, we're making genuine differences to community health and wellbeing, especially in areas where people are dealing with serious challenges – deprivation, social isolation, poor health outcomes.
When we empower residents to lead change themselves, they create healthier, more resilient communities. Building that local leadership strengthens the whole community's capacity and gives people real ownership and pride in where they live.
The Challenges Are Real
I won't pretend it's all sunshine and success stories. Keeping people engaged requires ongoing support and resources that aren't always easy to come by. Some voices still struggle to be heard, and there's definitely unequal access to opportunities across different communities.
Power imbalances, social divides, stereotyping – these are very real challenges that communities face every day. At Supporting Communities, we're constantly adapting our approaches to make sure we're being genuinely inclusive and keeping communication open.
What I've learned is that effective engagement has to be flexible and meet people where they are. Sometimes that means formal structures, but just as often it's drop-in sessions, digital participation, or creative community events. The goal isn't participation for the sake of it – it's about creating multiple pathways for community voice and action.
Why This Matters for Everyone
As Northern Ireland tackles massive social and economic challenges, I genuinely believe the tenant engagement model has lessons for community development everywhere. When people have real control over decisions that impact their lives, they develop the ability to tackle problems that go way beyond what anyone initially imagined.
The Housing Executive's commitment to tenant involvement hasn't just improved housing standards – it's shown that genuine participation brings benefits that reach far beyond your core service area.
When we empower people to shape decisions about their homes and communities, they transform their own futures. And honestly, seeing that happen right in front of me every day – that's what gets me up in the morning excited about this job.
Clodagh Cooke is a Community Development Officer at Supporting Communities, working with community groups within the Housing Executive's Housing Community Network across Northern Ireland. You can meet some of the members of the HCN and learn more about their work at our upcoming All-Ireland Tenant Engagement Conference in October!
