A North Wales housing association does more than put a roof over people\u2019s heads \u2013 it also provides many of them with jobs.<\/p>\n
Cartrefi Conwy and its subsidiary Creating Enterprise have revealed that 30 of their staff \u2013 more than 15 per cent of the overall workforce – are also tenants.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s believed the percentage of tenants they employ is \u201cincredibly rare\u201d and much higher than any other housing association in the UK.<\/p>\n
Roles range from painters and plumbers to community workers, admin and finance jobs.<\/p>\n
Among the tenants they employ is single mother of two Clare Murphy, 47, from Llandudno, who\u2019s been working as a Community Development Co-ordinator since last September.<\/p>\n
Clare, who\u2019s been a tenant for 25 years, endured the nightmare of being made redundant from her job in catering during lockdown two years ago.<\/p>\n
But the Creating Futures Employment Academy at Creating Enterprise came to the rescue and helped her find a new career with Cartrefi.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cBeing made redundant was very difficult and I ended up on Universal Credit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were issues with my rent to I spoke to my housing officer who referred me to the employment academy.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy employability mentor helped me apply for jobs and it was a case of third time lucky.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u00a0 was a very worrying time but luckily I got a six month contract and that six\u00a0 months has now turned into two years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m constantly learning and improving my skills and my knowledge and obviously getting to know the different departments within Cartrefi Conwy. We all work together and we all learn from each other, so it\u2019s brilliant.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a tenant myself gives me an insight, especially with the role I\u2019m doing now. I find that people find me a bit more approachable because they understand I\u2019ve been in their shoes and I empathise with them and understand what they\u2019re going through and their circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of tenants will come in about housing issues – I\u2019ve been through those issues myself. I\u2019ve been there, done that and I\u2019ve got the T-shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another tenant who has found work and a new purpose thanks to Creating Enterprise, is father-of-four Jarred Lampkin, 43, from Abergele, who had previously been a stay-at-home dad for nearly 20 years.<\/p>\n
After enrolling in the Creating Futures academy, he has now secured a job as a painter with the property maintenance team.<\/p>\n
Jarred said: \u201cThe kids getting older meant I could start looking for work and the support I\u2019ve had from the employment academy has been fantastic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a mentor in the office and people on site, teaching me this, that and the other.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great company to work for and I love the job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Creating Enterprise was established as a community interest company in 2015.<\/p>\n
It was named as the fastest growing firm in Wales at the 2020 Wales Fast Growth 50 awards, expanding by 664% between 2017 and 2019.<\/p>\n
As well as maintaining Cartrefi\u2019s 4,000 properties, it also builds wood-framed modular homes.<\/p>\n
Its commercial profits are reinvested into the highly successful employment academy that\u2019s helped a total of more than 500 people find new jobs.<\/p>\n
Community and Social Impact Manager Sioned Wyn Williams is proud that Cartrefi and Creating Enterprise employ so many tenants.<\/p>\n
She said: I think traditionally there\u2019s maybe the stigma of having tenants directly involved in service delivery but the inclusive ethos here has helped break down those barriers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are seeing real benefits of having tenants, not only volunteering or on a work placement with our teams,\u00a0 but also actually integrated into the workforce as part of the business, so they are involved in delivering those services themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a housing association is about more than putting a roof over people\u2019s heads,\u00a0 it\u2019s about enhancing and improving the quality of life of our tenants.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be able to confidently encourage people to better themselves or to go for opportunities that they thought were out of reach is an absolute privilege.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very rare where you get the opportunity in your day to day work to see so many people do things way beyond what they would have dreamed they were able to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Group Chief Executive Andrew Bowden added: \u201cWe want to do more than look after our tenants and provide great accommodation which is safe and secure. We want to be properly embedded in the community and provide added value.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis record of employing 30 of our own tenants is something that makes us stand out amongst our peers of actually being a great anchor organisation, a community based organisation that is making a real difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is about\u00a0 building the confidence of our tenants who are often among those furthest from the job market, giving them the\u00a0 opportunity to get a great job and to work with a great organisation.<\/p>\n
\u201cEssentially, this is about changing people\u2019s lives for the better and that makes me incredibly proud.\u201d<\/p>\n