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Innisfree may be small but we remain an ambitious organisation, founded on financial strength, good governance and a commitment to our tenants. We have remained true to our mission: to provide housing and support to our primary client group, the Irish community.
The last year has been a turbulent one for many associations but we have ended the financial year with a very healthy balance sheet and remain in good shape to face the future. We remain concerned, however, about the impact of the economy on our tenants. That is why we have recently adopted a financial inclusion strategy which aims to assist our tenants with debt advice, access to credit unions and a range of other services.
Our success has always been under-pinned by strong partnerships & business relationships. We believe that more can be achieved through collaboration than competition. A case in point has been the ground-breaking "Integrated in Brent" project with Inquilab, Brent Council and the Brent Refugee Forum. Funded by the Tenant Services Authority, it aims to provide refugee community groups with a better understanding of housing so that they in turn can be better advocates for their clients. The other, equally important, aim is to give mainstream providers a better understanding of the needs of refugees. For us, at Innisfree, we have been reminded of how hard one has to fight for those who face discrimination.
Social inclusion and community integration are today's buzz words but we are steadfast in the belief that many groups, including the more vulnerable members of the Irish community, still require extra help and specialist support. BME associations have played a leading role over many years, supporting disadvantaged groups. We continue to argue the case for this valuable, culturally specific service to continue. Later in this report, you will read about some of our tenants' successes.
High quality service to our tenants can only be delivered through our staff. We have a very experienced and committed team who are always prepared to go the extra mile. We thank them all for their energy and hard work.
Thanks are also extended to our loyal board and committee members who give their time voluntarily to Innisfree.
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Redmond Lee
Chair
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Clare Winstanley
Chief Executive
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Redmond Lee stands down from the Board in September 2009 after six years association with Innisfree, the last four as Chair. He is warmly thanked.
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