Get Connected Summer 2016

We have six new Community
Housing Officers starting
shortly who will have smaller
geographical areas to cover.
The intention is that they get
to know people in those areas
really well and develop a better
understanding of what our
tenants want from Connect
in an ever-changing world.
NS: Will you continue
to work with the CRF?
HL: Absolutely. The CRF
does a phenomenal amount
of work which is voluntary
and gives Connect great insight,
so it’s really important that
this carries on and we continue
to support them in new and
different ways.
NS: Finally, do you have
a message for all of
Connect’s tenants?
HL: I see this job as a great
responsibility. I’m carrying
forward a legacy that goes back
50 years. Connect was one of the
organisations created at the time
of the film ’Cathy Come Home’
to respond to a housing crisis.
We’ve still got a housing crisis
and I want Connect to continue
to be part of the solution.
As a tenant, I felt good about
renting from Connect because
I felt my rent was being invested
back into my community and
residents’ lives. I saw this as
ethical investment.
We are in an era where the big
push is for home ownership.
Home ownership is not for
everyone – it can be very
stressful, insecure, uncertain
and poorer quality than living
in good, well-maintained social
housing. I would like all our
tenants to have a sense that
they are investing in something
bigger – by renting from Connect
they are investing in their
communities.
Farewell from Jenny
‘Home’ is my all-time favourite word. All of us need shelter
and safety, but a home is so much more than that. A place
where we can relax and grow and be ourselves. A place to
bring up our families. A place where we can give and get
the support we need. A place where we can become part
of a community. Ensuring that everyone has a place they
can call home should be a priority for a healthy society,
but sadly too many people find this impossible to achieve
in our current dysfunctional housing market. So this is
where Connect comes in…
Helping people – young or old, employed or not, long
established or newly arrived – to find a place that is secure
and truly affordable, where they can create a real home,
is Connect’s goal, and taking responsibility for making
this happen has been a huge privilege. Sometimes
daunting, often inspiring, never dull! But I simply could
not have done this job without great colleagues at Connect
and without a true ‘critical friend’ in the CRF, constructively
holding me to account on your behalf. So I want to say a
heart-felt thank you to everyone who has worked with me
and supported me along the way.
Connect’s work is needed now more than ever. As I move on
to a different challenge (making homes energy efficient and
sustainable) I will greatly miss being part of Connect’s future.
All good wishes for the future, to you and to Connect.
Jenny Brierley, Chief Executive to July 2016
I know that Helen will
make sure Connect
continues to thrive,
to work hard to
improve its services,
and to put its values
into practice every
day of the week,
helping to make
‘home’ a reality
for many
more people.
Jenny
9