Leading the charge for change

In two short years, Liverpool Mutual Homes (LMH) has made quite a difference to the neighbourhoods where it works, and the transformation is far from over

When it first started out two years ago, Liverpool Mutual Homes (LMH) faced some serious hurdles. Not least were the challenges involved in improving over 15,000 properties that had received little investment for some considerable time, but undeterred the organisation rolled up its sleeves and got on with the job.

As well as ploughing on with bringing homes up to a decent standard it also set about addressing a variety of social issues to make estates feel like neighbourhoods once more. The regeneration programme has already seen over 3,000 kitchens, nearly 4,000 bathrooms, almost 6,500 windows, more than 13,000 doors, and in excess of 5,500 central heating systems installed. Alongside this, over 700 properties on the Daneville Estate have been regenerated with energy efficient structural cladding.

Along the way, LMH has won five national awards, among them the HCA Carbon Reduction title, which has given ample evidence of the organisation’s successful track record over the last two years.

LMH has also reached the landmark figure of providing Gas Safe certificates to 100 per cent of its properties, giving tenants peace of mind that they are safe in their homes. The pace of change certainly seems to have witnessed a rapid ascent.

“We are passionate about delivering our mission to create homes, communities and neighbourhoods where people choose to live, where customers receive the highest possible quality of services and where everyone can thrive and prosper,” said Steve Coffey, chief executive. “To look back at what we’ve achieved in the two years is very satisfying but without sounding arrogant, it is where we expected to be because of the quality of staff we have and the commitment our tenants and partners have shown.

“That said, we are not half way through our five-year, £400 million regeneration programme and there are always areas where we can improve and deliver even better services for all our tenants that will have a significant impact on their lives.”

Central to LMH ’s strategy is its community work to improve the livelihoods of all its tenants. With this comes a strong focus on education for young and old. A prime example of this is the work with one of its partners, strategic outsourcing and asset management company Mitie Engineering, when visiting schools in the Old Swan area to give site safety talks.

The schools held assemblies where Mitie Engineering’s contracts manager, Brendan Helm, and health and safety advisor, Nick Isherwood, spoke to the children about the dangers of entering a building site. They also showed a video on construction safety with prizes for the children who answered questions and pointed out potential dangers. Although the organisation acknowledges that it has become an overlyused industry catchphrase, it still holds that the words ‘more than bricks and mortar’ rings true for the organisation’s work. The Community Payback scheme is regarded by LHM as an innovative example.

The project has received recognition from the wider housing industry and beyond. The all encompassing work of the scheme not only tackles crime and anti-social behaviour, but rehabilitates offenders in the community where their offence took place, steering them on a path to a new and better life.

It is delivered by LMH in partnership with a variety of organisations including Liverpool’s Community Justice Centre, the Probation Service, Merseyside Police and the city council’s North Neighbourhood Management Service, resulting in a 50 per cent reduction in the number of reports of antisocial behaviour in North Liverpool compared to the three months before.

Offenders working on the scheme are sentenced by Judge David Fletcher at the Community Justice Centre to a new Intensive Community Payback Order whereby they have to work five days a week until they complete their unpaid hours, with labour starting within two days of sentencing.

They are shown the affects of their crimes and are able to gain experience of full-time work, complete their hours and rehabilitate quicker. They are also given practical help to turn their experience into paid employment.

Police involvement has given residents the confidence to suggest further work and is helping offenders to successfully rehabilitate into the community, motivated by direct praise from residents and partners, while developing a work ethic.

The Intensive Community Payback order has proved successful as a last chance for offenders who have breached previous community orders to avoid custody. The work is seen by the community as a tough alternative to a short spell in prison.

LMH works with a wide range of partners to get the most effective results from the community payback scheme. These include: HM Court Service, Merseyside Police and other Citysafe (Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership) partners, Progress2work, The Furniture Resource Centre, Friends of Walton Park, Liverpool City Council’s Neighbourhood Management Team, together with local residents from Westminster Tenants and Residents Association and Fountains Close Tenant and Residents Association. Partners have also established links with Jobcentre Plus and a local social enterprise to help offenders leaving the scheme secure training and employment.

“The hard work of our staff, partners and tenants has made the scheme a huge success with so many people in North Liverpool benefiting,” said Angela Forshaw, LMH ’s director of housing and neighbourhood services.

“Not only do tenants tell us the scheme has made them feel safer in their homes and community – and the importance of this cannot be underestimated – but it has also made huge strides in rehabilitating offenders quickly and giving them a renewed sense of purpose.

“One of the key aspects of this scheme is having offenders working on an estate where they’re in daily contact with the community they’re working for and being able to respond directly to individual requests from residents for specific work like tidying gardens. In this sense, their payback could not be more visible.”

The scheme has been welcomed and adopted by Judge Fletcher, who said: “By working full time on projects like this, offenders can see the difference they are making and the instant feedback they get from seeing the residents they are working for every day gives them a sense of pride in their achievement. It is also pleasing to hear from residents that the offenders are working hard and doing a good job.”

Following its track record to date at the Westminster Estate, LMH and its partners are rolling out the Intensive Community Payback scheme across the city. Much like the wider activities of LMH during its first two years, the scheme has proved a telling success.