Another busy year for Melin’s Voices
At Melin, putting our residents at the heart of our decision making processes is vital. We exist to create strong, collaborative communities and consultation with residents is key to making this happen. That is why we have our Melin Voices group, who we work with closely throughout the year on a range of matters, from funding good causes, to scrutinizing our future plans.
Written by Will
—18 Oct, 2022
Every Melin resident is welcome and encouraged to join our Voices group. The Voices have a big impact on our work and we want to share with you all that the Voices have done over the last 12 months to make a difference to our communities...
Shopping voucher donations
Over the last year, the Voices has allocated nearly £12,000 of its budget to supermarket vouchers for residents in need. These vouchers provide essential support to our residents in times of need and give our Melin Advice team the flexibility to find more sustainable solutions for households facing financial difficulty.
Community funding and donations
In addition to the supermarket vouchers, the Voices also supported a range of other community causes. These included:
- Patio equipment for our scheme at Hammett Court, Monmouth
- Gardening items for a residential street: St Stephens, Portskewett
- Christmas selection boxes for children living in Melin communities across the region
- Sponsorship of County in the Community; the community engagement arm of Newport County AFC who work to provide sporting and social opportunities in Newport and the surrounding areas
- Supporting a partnership with Torfaen Young Carers which saw the Voices purchase 20 tablet devices to support young carers with their studies
Scrutinising Melin strategy
The Voices play a big role in shaping Melin’s strategy and policies to ensure that we continue to work in the best interests of our residents. The Voices have scrutinised and fedback on:
- Our strategic plan consultation
- Melin’s decarbonisation strategy and road map
- Melin’s updated complaints policy
- Resident surveys (topics included service charges and anti-social behaviour)
- Our implementation of new processes as part of the introduction of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act
- Other areas of Welsh Government legislation and policy, including the renting homes model contract and the new regulatory standards for housing associations
Other areas of work
In addition to all of that, over the last year the Voices have also sat in on staff interviews, met with the Carers Trust and participated in training with TPAS Cymru.
