Tai Tarian Finalist in 2019 Housing Heroes Awards!

Tai Tarian is celebrating after being named as a finalist in the 2019 Housing Heroes Awards.

The Neath Port Talbot social housing organisation has been shortlisted in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team of the Year category.

It is the only Welsh housing organisation to be named a finalist in this category.

The UK awards, which are jointly organised by Inside Housing magazine and the Chartered Institute of Housing, recognise outstanding housing organisation teams and individuals who are making a difference to their tenants and the communities they serve.

Tai Tarian caught the eye of the judges because of the work it is doing to help tenants and local communities find ways to cope with money worries and have access to fairer credit alternatives.

The work is an integral part of the End High Cost Credit Alliance, founded by actor and activist Michael Sheen, and of which Tai Tarian is a key partner.

Tai Tarian Chief Executive Linda Whittaker said, “We are pleased that the Housing Heroes Awards have recognised the work we are doing to help our tenants, communities and staff who are struggling with debt and high cost credit.

“We know from talking and listening to our tenants across Neath Port Talbot about the impact this causes and we also know that if money is working well then that person is likely to experience less stress, be healthier, happier and more connected.

“It’s great that the judging panel has highlighted our commitment to develop solutions to the problems of high cost credit and find fairer alternatives that will make a real difference to the communities we serve.”

The Housing Heroes Awards are looking for a team which has embodied an organisation’s efforts to promote inclusivity and Tai Tarian’s Strategic Partnership and Business Development team has been committed to helping people who are financially excluded.

This has included setting up, with partners Toynbee Hall, a Making Money Work Better group to understand the reality of life for people in the local community who are struggling with debts and working together to find ways to help them manage their money better.

As well as working with the group, the housing association has been carrying out further research on the levels of debt locally and looking at ways it can practically help.

A new training course, which will be taken by staff and Michael Sheen, has also been recently launched that aims to ensure that everyone who works at the organisation will have the confidence to talk to tenants about money worries, offer support and signpost them to services that can offer debt advice.

The Housing Heroes nomination comes just weeks after Tai Tarian was named as runner up in two categories in the UK Housing Awards – Landlord of the Year and Professional Services Partner of the Year.

The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Monday 24 June 2019 at Manchester Central.