Our specialist role is still unique

Chair's Report

OUR WHOLE PURPOSE is to provide a good service to our tenants and to encourage them to be as involved as possible in the way we provide that service. I am heartened by the growing number of initiatives where tenants' involvement has made a real difference. Take Westfield Close as an example. Here the joint work of tenants from Innisfree, Network and our other partners has lifted the estate from a place where people were unhappy and often frightened, to somewhere they are pleased to be.

Redmond Lee - Chair

Our latest STATUS Tenants Survey concludes that the Association is providing a good housing service. Some ratings put us among the top three in our peer group.

Notwithstanding these results, we are not complacent and I was really pleased that this year we articipated in a Peer Group Survey with Housing for Women. Led by external consultants (Joanna Jeffrey and Richard Seager), the staff acted as inspectors and mystery shoppers and took a critical view of customer service and risk management in their sister association.

As small associations we are no longer subject to close scrutiny by the regulator but we believe nevertheless that some form of external validation of quality is important. The exercise was a learning experience for all concerned and has led to changes and innovation in the way we do things.

Like our many colleagues, we wait with interest as the story of the new Homes & Communities Agency and "Oftenant" unfolds. Will there be a place for us within their remit or will all small housing associations be regulated from a far distant planet? At Innisfree, we believe firmly that small, specialist, community-based and BME associations still have a unique role. We know our tenants well, we work hard at our partnerships and we operate within the community. We are also very nimble on our feet and recognise the need to adapt and change as the world around us changes. But we don't just react; the coming year will see a range of important new initiatives aimed at extending our traditional Irish approach into the wider community.

After two years as Chair I am still excited about what the future holds. We have a strong Board with a number of talented new members. We have a management team with more than 50 years experience of Innisfree between them. Once again I would like to thank all my colleagues at Innisfree for making my job such a pleasure.

Redmond Lee
Chair