CIH Cymru has announced the names of the organisations and people that have been shortlisted for the Welsh Housing Awards 2017 across ten categories
Organisations made applications across ten categories reflecting the priorities and challenges facing the sector. Nominations were also taken for one individual category, the Housing Champions Award, for individuals or small teams whose passion, enthusiasm and commitment has made a real difference to the lives of others.
The shortlisted entries are as follows:
Housing Champions award
- Hannah Jinks, Hostel Services Officer, Cardiff Council
- Janet Mulcock, Voluntary Board Member, Rhondda Housing Association
- Sue Carleton, Voluntary Board Member, Taff Housing Association
- Annie Woods, Neighbourhood Housing Officer, Gwalia (Pobl Group)
Community-focused contractor award
- Building futures in Flintshire – Wates Residential with Flintshire County Council, Communities First and Futureworks Wales
- Walters Terrace – Keepmoat Regeneration with Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association
- The Mill – Lovell with Tirion and Cadwyn Housing Association
- Back into the community campaign – Morganstone
Working with other sectors award
- Brynteg Road – United Welsh with Aneurin Bevan Health Board
- Closer to home – First Choice Housing Association
- Step down team housing options – Conwy Housing Solutions with Denbighshire Housing Solutions, Betsi Cadwalader University Health Board, and Conwy and Denbighshire Care and Repair
- Managing better – Care and Repair Cymru with RNIB Cymru, Action on Hearing Loss Cymru and other partners.
Using technology and promoting digital inclusion award
- Melin’s agile working journey – Melin Homes
- Charter’s approach to digital communities – Charter Housing (Pobl Group) with local housing associations, Communities First and funders
Customer excellence award
- Change, engage, improve – First Choice Housing Association
- Together we can – Melin Homes
- Working on behalf of NPT Homes – Mi-space UK Ltd
New development award
- Wenallt Uchaf, Dolgellau – Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd
- Leonard Charles House – Morganstone with Coastal Housing Group
- Loftus Garden Village – Lovell with Pobl and Newport City Homes
- Linc STRIVE – Linc Housing Association
- Information sharing for safer communities – Trivallis with South Wales Police and Cardiff Council
- Stronger families for safer communities – Charter Housing (Pobl Group)
- Shaftesbury Youf Gang – Newport City Homes with Gwent Police, Newport City Council and Energize Media
- UNITY – Newport City Homes with Charter Housing and Newport City Council
- Own two feet…living – Bron Afon Community Housing
- T.A.G Team – Rhondda Housing Association
Campaigns, communications and publications award
- The experience of Universal Credit – a tenant’s perspective – Cardiff Metropolitan University (Housing Studies) with Community Housing Cymru
- BIG day out – Cartrefi Conwy
- Persona project – Valleys to Coast Housing
New ideas and approaches award
- Outside in – preventing homelessness together – Charter Housing (Pobl Group) with Caerphilly Council Homelessness Team
- The MHA New Homes Team – Monmouthshire Housing Association
- Space saviours – Valleys to Coast Housing with Newydd Housing Association, Monmouthshire Housing Association, Tai Calon Community Housing and United Welsh Housing
‘It’s fantastic to be able to announce our shortlists, and to get down to the business of sharing all the great learning that’s contained in the applications. Our team are busy compiling the Good Practice Compendium, which we’re publishing free of charge, and available to all, to make sure that good practice isn’t just something we talk about, but that we ensure it gets shared with all parts of the profession.
‘I’d like to personally congratulate all the organisations that made it on to the shortlists, and also to thank everyone who submitted an application. The awards are about so much more than finding winners; learning from each other, taking a step back to understand what we do well, and celebrating innovation are all worthy aims, but it wouldn’t happen without the mass participation of the sector in Wales.’
Every project on the shortlist in the organisation categories will be published in the Good Practice Compendium – a free publication which includes the full application and contact details of each shortlisted entrant. CIH Cymru hopes that the document will be a kicking off point for teams looking for new ideas, or a first port of call when looking for colleagues who have done similar work.
The Good Practice Compendium will be launched in October, alongside a vote for CIH members to select the Members’ Choice Award winner. The Welsh Housing Awards take place on 17 November 2017 in Cardiff.