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Grants and training:
Camden Fed
used to receive funding from Camden Council to provide grants to fund
the activities and development of recognised Tenants and
Residents Associations in council owned property in Camden. This
particular aspect of the service has been taken back in-house by Camden Council
since 1 April
2008.
Please send all TRA
registration documents and Grant /Training application forms to
the Tenant Participation Team.
Please
click here for more details
In the interim
it is expected that existing processing arrangements will continue.
A
committee of resident representatives elected from Camden Fed’s
management committee and each of Camden’s five housing districts
meets regularly to oversee the spending of grant funding and
establish the criteria and levels of payment. If applying for a
revenue or special project grant you will need to supply a
Treasurer’s Report with the attached forms and a copy of your
association’s latest bank statement with your application.
Start-up
Grant (£150) and Revenue Grant (£250)
These grants
are to help with the day-to-day costs of running a TRA such as
phone calls, newsletters and publicity, stationary and postage,
room hire, internet access and basic translation and
interpreting costs.
Computer
Grant (up to £700 or direct installation) and servicing
It is not know
what arrangements will be in place at the moment for computer
grants. CFTRA used to
arrange direct installation of a computer and printer package.
Alternatively, you could submit a quote from a retailer for up to
£700 for such equipment. Camden Fed could also arrange technical
support for older equipment belonging to TRAs that is out of
guarantee. The cost of direct installations and technical
support to TRAs was then entered under the TRAs name on our
record of grant spending. Computers provided by CFTRA was
expected to last a minimum of four years.
Special
Projects Grant (up to £750)
Special
Project Grants are available for events and activities not
covered by the other grants such as community events and
outings, religious festivals and cultural events, activities for
young people and equipment for the association. These grants can
also be used for more extensive translation and interpreting
costs. Applications for Special Projects Grants are considered
individually according to the criteria specified on the
application form by the CFTRA Grants and Resources Committee at
its monthly meeting.
What is not
funded: The above Grants are to support the running
of TRAs and developing participation and activity within
residents’ groups. We do not usually provide funding for
physical improvements on their own (although we could fund
something like a gardening club that involves the participation
of residents as well as a physical outcome). Funding does exist
via the District Management Committees for physical improvements
and capital works. Please contact your Patch Manager at the
District Housing Office for more information.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Camden's Tenant
Participation
Team will be looking to develop their own training
packages as from 1 April 2008.
Areas covered currently include:
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Basic to advanced computer training
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Roles of TRA Officers and running effective
meetings
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Fundraising
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Understanding Housing Finance
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Tackling anti-social behaviour
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Widening Involvement in our Communities
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Major repairs and improvements
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Where does my rent go?
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Running social events
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and much, much more
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Setting up a
Tenants
And Residents Association:
From
April 2008 it will be Camden Council's responsibility to register
Tenant Associations with DMCs. Please contact
us on freephone: 0800 652 3140 to find
out if
there are interim arrangements for this and who to contact.
Camden Fed, in
collaboration with Camden's TP Team, will continue to support
tenants helping them to set up TRAs or get involved in other
methods of participation . There are over 100
Council tenant and resident associations in Camden, both on
estates and in street properties. They have been set up to:
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get action from
the council on repairs and improvements
-
have a say in the
policies the Council makes for the management and
maintenance of Council homes
-
keep everyone in
their area informed
-
link up with other
tenants and residents associations
-
bring communities
together through social and other events
With the support and
interest of people in your area and a core group of people
(the Committee) willing to see that things get done you can
do some or all of these.
Making it
accountable
Tenant and resident
associations have strength and credibility because they
represent the views of the majority rather than an individual.
They have a set of rules (the Constitution), which so
that everyone understands the way the group works.
The committee is
elected at a meeting to which all residents in the defined area
are invited (a General Meeting). This open meeting takes
place every year (the Annual General Meeting) to report
on what the association has done and elect a committee to carry
on for the following year. The Committee is the core
group of people who meet between General meetings to follow up
any action agreed by the residents.
The General or Annual
General meeting elects at least 4 named people (Officers)
to carry out the tasks of the Chairperson, Secretary and
Treasurer. One officer is also elected to represent the
views of the association at the District Management Committee
(DMC) meetings. These DMC’s are the main body through which
the Council consults associations.
Other ways of
being involved
There are many other
forums apart from the DMC looking at specific subjects, which do
not necessarily involve members of tenant and resident
associations. The District Monitoring Panels monitor how
the District Housing Office is performing; the Camden
Association of Street Properties brings together residents
of Camden’s scattered street properties. The involvement of
residents is key to the future of Council housing and there are
many more ways to get involved than through an association.
Tenant associations remain the most democratic and accountable
way of reflecting local views.
For more information about setting up a tenant
and resident association or ways of getting involved contact
Camden Federation of Tenants and Residents Associations.
Download word version of above text
Also,
Download here:
Running a Tenants Association which includes a model
constitution for TRA's
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