ESF-Works

OPEn HoUSE - Opportunities for the Procurement of Employment iN HOusing for the Underrepresented through Support and Empowerment

Logo for OPEn HoUSE - Opportunities for the Procurement of Employment iN HOusing for the Underrepresented through Support and Empowerment www.openhousepartnership.org 

Description

Open House project

Background

The activities undertaken by OPEN HOUSE are a response to an identified need. The Equal Community Initiative Plan (CIP) identified that “in terms of economic activity, working age ethnic minority people (66%) are less likely than white people (80%) to be economically active”. The Plan also states that “Unemployment rates for ethnic minority people in GB are twice those for white people, 13% compared to 5.8%, and (they) are less likely to reach senior positions”. CIP also identifies the need to “focus attention on the fairness of employers’ recruitment and selection practices; help employers understand the economic and social arguments for race equality in the workplace; and provide employers with practical support to develop and implement effective race equality measures”.

In 2001 the Housing Corporation identified the need to encourage Black Minority Ethnic individuals into the housing sector. Housing Associations contribute significantly to the local economy via the supply chain yet have not sufficiently influenced equality and diversity through this chain.

Aims

The aims of the Development Partnership are to increase awareness of the social housing sector within Black Minority Ethnic communities to increase access to housing and employment within the sector specifically in the Tees Valley sub-region of the North East, and thereby increasing the number of BME employees in the housing sector and associated trades.

Objectives

Working with the housing providers supply chain the main objectives have been to:

  • Develop robust policies and practices within Small to Medium Enterprises Increase skills of Human Resources and front line managers to eradicate ‘hidden discrimination’
  • Provide support mechanisms for Black Minority Ethnic individuals within this network of companies
  • Provide sheltered employment within the housing sector for unemployed Black Minority Ethnics
  • Introduce mentoring, secondments and job swaps for Black Minority Ethnic individuals within the housing sector to provide clearer career progression routes
  • Outreach service with awareness sessions to raise the profile of social housing as a career within Black Minority Ethnic communities
  • Produce a ‘Best Practice Guide’ for circulation
  • Produce a Business Directory of Black Minority Ethnic led Businesses within the Tees Valley
  • Provide assistance for Black Minority Ethnic led businesses to access Approve Contractor Lists within the housing sector network.

Target Groups

  • Black and ethnic minorities
  • Unemployed people

Video interviews

Basic Skills Training - Grace Isaac Obed, Beneficiary 817 KB
Beneficiary Experience - Grace Isaac Obed, Beneficiary 632 KB
BME Business Directory - Sharon Hamilton, Project Support Officer 1.4 MB
Challenging Discrimination - Sharon Hamilton, Project Support Officer 262.1 KB
Empowerment - Grace Isaac Obed, Beneficiary 2.5 MB
Purpose of Project - Soraya Azan, Nusrat Razzaq, Sharon Hamilton 909.9 KB
Sustainability - Nusrat Razzaq, Partnership 430.2 KB

Round

2

Round 1 to Round 2

This Development Partnership was not involved in Round One.

Lead partner

Tees Valley Housing Group >>
www.teesvalley.org >>

Core partners

Banks of the Wear Community Projects Ltd >>
Broadacres >>
Business Link >>
Coast & Country Housing >>
Connexions Tees Valley >>
Endeavour Housing Association >>
Erimus Housing >>
Middlesbrough BME Community Network >>
Middlesbrough Partnership >>
North Star Housing Group >>
Talent Recruitment >>

End-dates

Action 2: 30 June 2007
Action 3: 31 December 2007

Equal theme

Ethnic minorities

Beneficiaries

BME groups, Employed in SMEs, Jobseekers with low basic skills

Achievements

Working with the housing service partners, OPEn HoUSE has successfully delivered the following activities:

  • Identified, established and provided an outreach service to engage with BME communities, undertaking road show awareness raising sessions with them to raise the profile of a job in housing as an exciting career opportunity for BME communities
  • Created and opened routeways for employment opportunities within the network of housing providers and associated organisations
  • Targeted staff recruitment amongst these BME communities to match opportunities of employment within the sector and other providers to the life skills of the individuals engaged
  • Introduced innovative recruitment processes to the sector to simplify HR procedures; these have been mainstreamed by several of the providers as ongoing recruitment best practice
  • Mentored new employees on a 1:1 basis to support, integrate and successfully retain them in the workforce. This mentoring has been enhanced by levering in training at no cost to the sector and has ensured the employees gain appropriate qualifications for their personal development and to meet employer needs
  • Worked and mentored the housing providers, their managers and their supply chains to increase understanding of equality and diversity issues, in terms of both the legal requirements that must be met and the business case benefits it delivers. (Social Housing providers are required under the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 and Housing Corporation guidance to actively promote equality of opportunity)
  • Developed policies and practices to meet equal opportunity requirements with small to medium enterprises, the project has supported and encouraged similar opportunities within the enterprises, that provide goods and services to the housing partners through marketing, conferences and producing the only BME Business Directory in the region
  • Worked with and influenced the knowledge of Human Resources and front line managers to eradicate hidden discrimination
  • Promoted the engagement and employment of BME owned businesses through influencing the procurement practice of housing providers
  • Shared knowledge and intelligence with EU Transnational partners in France, Austria and Portugal through exchange visits, workshops and conferences.

Key to the success of the project has been the partnership commitment and enthusiasm by the housing providers, who have provided funding and employment places for individuals from the BME communities.

Intended impact/ sustainability

OPEn HoUSE aims to influence the adoption of lessons learnt into procurement policies, recruitment methods, training and development practices, monitoring of Equality and Diversity issues. The DP intends to use the influence of individuals and partners on national task groups and think tanks, in relation to employment practices and strategic programmes.

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Connections

Main outputs

Printable document
OPEn HoUSE Best Practice Guide >> The purpose of the OPEn HoUSE Best Practice Guide is to demonstrate to others how the project successful promoted diversity in the Housing Sector across Tees Valley region.


Activities and products

Activity
Baseline Survey Reports >> Banks of the Wear (BOW) is a partner in the Project, acting as technical adviser.Expand/collapse Products (3)


ActivityFairness and Equality for All People - FEAP is a transnational partnership
Fairness and Equality for All People - FEAP >> Open House (UK) was a member of Fairness and Equality for All People - FEAP transnational partnership with Interkultureller Kommunaler Aktionsplan - IKAP (Austria), AGIR CONTRE LES DISCRIMINATIONS RACIALES DANS UN PARCOURS D'INTEGRATION SOCIALE (France) and DiverCidade (Portugal).


Database
BME Business Directory >>Directory of BME social enterprises in the Tees Valley.