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“We strive to put our tenants at the heart of everything we do and we’re committed to ensuring our residents’ voices are heard


and that their feedback is kept central to all our decision making.” Ian Johnson, Executive Director of Customer Services at Karbon Homes


experience lots of tenants have with us, has meant Karbon Homes has become an organisation that many of our tenants show an interest in working for. Te variety of roles available within a housing association makes our sector an appealing one to join and with the help of the Foundations for Life Team, our employability support service, we’ve been able to support lots of tenants to join Karbon as colleagues. One successful route has been through our apprenticeship programme where


we keep all positions exclusively for those living in a Karbon household. With each intake we have a diverse range of people taking up these positions, from those wanting to learn a trade, to those looking for an opportunity to explore a new career direction or get back into work aſter a break. As we continue to see the cost-of-living rise and more tenants turning


to us for help, we’ve remained committed to growing and strengthening the additional services we offer that support tenants beyond our landlord- tenant relationship. Our Money Matters Team, which helps tenants to maximise their income


through money, benefits and debt advice, has worked with close to 4,000 tenants over the last year, generating £4.5m of confirmed income gains. We’ve also invested more into our tenant hardship fund, which aims to support those tenants who are struggling to heat and power their home. Tenant-facing colleagues can make non-repayable awards of up to £120, in a combination of supermarket and fuel vouchers, to those who need them. Over the last 12 months we’ve issued 770 crisis vouchers, totalling £46,000.


MAJOR PROJECTS At Karbon Homes we are constantly investing in improving the quality of our existing homes which oſten sees us engage in larger scale regeneration projects, to ensure our homes meet the current and changing needs of residents. We’re currently working on a £4 million regeneration of Athol House, a


sheltered scheme in Northumberland. Te original scheme, which consisted of small, bedsit-style flats that didn’t meet modern standards or residents’ aspirations, is being replaced with a new, modernised scheme, with a mix of spacious one and two-bed apartments and high-quality communal areas to help to facilitate community cohesion. We’re also building strong partnerships with local partners to regenerate


brownfield sites into much-needed affordable housing. Working in partnership with South Tyneside Council, this financial year we’re regenerating three sites with disused buildings, to bring three, cutting-edge Extra Care schemes to the borough. Designed for people who have additional support needs and in partnership


with South Tyneside Council, the schemes will bring up to 300 new homes, helping people with differing levels of care and support needs to live well and independently. A number of these will be specifically designed for those living with dementia. Te challenge of achieving net zero by 2050 remains front and centre across


the organisation and we’re continuing to explore more ways in which we can ensure the homes we build are as energy efficient as possible and boost the energy efficiency standards of our homes. With support from the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation


Fund (SHDF) wave 2.1, this January we began a new retrofit programme, investing £3.6 million in improving the energy efficiency of 218 homes in Northumberland and County Durham. Tese homes, which are some of our lowest performing when it comes to energy efficiency, will benefit from a mix


of external wall insulation, underfloor insulation, cavity wall insulation and loſt insulation top-ups. Some will also be fitted with Solar PV panels. Tis round of SHDF funding follows on from the Wave 1 round, which


supported our first major retrofit project of 97 homes in the villages of Ouston, County Durham and Otterburn, Northumberland, which we completed last year. Residents who benefitted from this work told us what a difference it made to their homes, not only helping them stay warm for longer but helping them keep their energy costs down. In this cost-of-living crisis, anything we can do to help residents save money is important. As well as investment in homes, we’re also committed to investing in our


communities, helping to address the impact that the declining physical fabric of places has on the quality of life of those who live there. On the Byker Estate in the east end of Newcastle Upon Tyne, a community of 1,800 homes, consisting of 11 neighbourhoods, we’re embarking on an extensive £11 million neighbourhood improvement plan which helps address the individual needs of the community. For each of the 11 neighbourhoods we’ve devised a bespoke investment plan,


each influenced by the residents who live there. Te plans have been designed to address each neighbourhood’s specific challenges, from waste management improvements to car parking and safe play spaces for families.


THE SOCIAL HOUSING ACT Over the last few years, the adequacy of the social housing sector has faced real scrutiny, with conversations around tenant empowerment and involvement coming to the fore. Tis has set the context for the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, which has created a new proactive approach to regulating the sector, ensuring standards are met and action is taken against failings. At Karbon Homes we are ready for this. We welcome the focus on driving


up standards and the vision for a more proactive and robust approach to consumer regulation. We’re already culturally and organisationally aligned to the requirements of the Act and we’re now taking the time to cross reference all the requirements and check for any potential gaps or areas of improvement that are needed. Listening to and acting upon the tenant voice already plays a key role


in the way we operate, and we are continuing to focus strongly on tenant voice, ensuring it influences thinking and helps drive change at all levels


www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMMApril/May 2024 | 25


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