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Harnessing residents’ voices and local networks through COVID-19

England is in lockdown again, and many residents will face a tough winter ahead. Saiful Alam explains the community work that Metropolitan Thames Valley is doing in response

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Food parcels being distributed in Hackney
Food parcels being distributed in Hackney
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Harnessing residents’ voices and local networks through COVID-19 – Saiful Alam explains what @MetTVH has been doing #UKhousing

“With further uncertainty about what the next few months will look like, it’s important that we continue to listen, assess and effectively respond to the evolving needs of our communities,” says Saiful Alam from @MetTVH #UKhousing

At Metropolitan Thames Valley (MTVH), our communities shape our services and how they’re delivered. During the pandemic, listening to residents and leveraging local partnerships has been central to delivering the best possible support and services to our customers.

“With further uncertainty about what the next few months will look like, it’s important that we continue to listen, assess and effectively respond to the evolving needs of our communities”

By engaging with residents and using local knowledge, we have been able to tailor our services and support our customers better. Since the beginning of the lockdown, we have made nearly 8,000 proactive welfare calls to at-risk residents. Through our coronavirus support hub, we have referred more than 500 residents to support services for support with issues such as food poverty, mental health and financial difficulties.

Many of the difficulties and inequalities facing our residents have been exacerbated by the pandemic. With further uncertainty about what the next few months will look like, it’s important that we continue to listen, assess and effectively respond to the evolving needs of our communities.


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As a regional community co-ordinator for MTVH, I know that communities cannot be built with bricks and mortar alone. Seeing our frontline teams mobilise to help residents through the pandemic, with local organisations uniting in support, has deepened my belief in the power of community.

“As we face up to an uncertain winter, we will continue to reinforce and strengthen our relationships with local people, groups and businesses”

Partnerships with local businesses, mutual aid groups and community organisations have helped us to work through the crisis. In the London boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest, we developed a food collective network, bringing together more than 10 local groups to provide emergency care packages and hot meals. Through this initiative, we have distributed more than 500 care packages to some of our most at-risk residents, the majority of whom are receiving ongoing, tailored support from us.

In north London, our frontline community investment team has provided tailored support to nearly 300 lone parent households over the ‘back to school’ period, referring them to partner organisations, such as Step Change for debt advice and Mind UK for those seeking mental health support. Identifying the need for support with home schooling, we also partnered with local organisation The Feel-Good Community to provide laptops and tablets to low-income families. At the same time in south London, we have partnered with Code 7, a learning and development service designed to support and inspire young people through performance and music production workshops. A total of 123 young people from the Moorlands Estate attended the workshop in the first eight days of the project and it has now been extended to support more young people from excluded communities.

As we face up to an uncertain winter, we will continue to reinforce and strengthen our relationships with local people, groups and businesses, looking to them for innovation and local solutions that can support families to create and sustain sustainable futures through this pandemic and beyond.

Saiful Alam, regional community co-ordinator, Metropolitan Thames Valley

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