Housing Heroes Awards 2018 | Ocean Media Group Limited | Manchester Central Convention Complex, Windmill St, Manchester M2 3GX, UK

The awards, which are jointly organised by Inside Housing and the Chartered Institute of Housing, give you the chance to reward the hard work of your outstanding teams and individuals. Many of the awards celebrate the unsung heroes of the housing world with categories for everything from frontline teams to campaigning tenants. Housing is all about people, we hope you join us and celebrate yours. The awards are free and simple to enter.

Why enter?
Get deserved recognition for your people
Demonstrate your excellence to your customers, communities and other partners
It’s free! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain

Categories:
• Frontline team of the year:
This award will recognise a team working on the frontline of housing which has made an outstanding contribution to help its organisation’s goals become reality. Your neighbourhood services team could have gone above and beyond to forge close relationships with your tenants or a slick, hardworking customer services team may have helped you drive high levels of satisfaction with your residents. Whatever the function, we’re looking for outstanding work which is helping you provide homes and services you can be proud of.

• Central service team of the year:
Effective central support is a crucial part of any organisation’s ability to deliver high quality homes and services. This award will recognise a team which is doing exceptional work to provide crucial support to drive its organisation forward and help frontline teams to thrive. Your HR team’s work with the rest of your staff could have been central to your success, or your IT team may have overseen the implementation of a system which has revolutionised the way you work. Whatever their role, we are looking for a team which has truly shone at helping the rest of your organisation shine.

• Communications team of the year:
In a challenging landscape it is more important than ever that housing organisations showcase the work that they do. This award will recognise a communications team which has done exceptional work to profile the work of its organisation both externally and internally. The team may have excelled in one area but will be able to demonstrate strength across the board - showcasing your work in the community and the sector as well as communicating with residents and staff. We’re looking for a highly-motivated team which helps you get the right messages to the right people.

• Support and care team of the year:
Helping some of the most vulnerable people in society is a crucial part of the work of housing organisations. This award is open to teams which excel in that role. The team could be working at a national or local level and will be directly helping people who need care and support to be able to lead independent lives. They could be a support team working with ex-offenders or drug users, a care team running a housing scheme for older people, or a team working with any other individuals who need support to thrive. We’re looking for teams which live and breathe their work and make a real difference to the lives of those they help.

• Development or maintenance team of the year:
The delivery of efficient, high-quality development and maintenance programmes is a crucial function for housing organisations. This award will recognise a team which has confounded challenging financial times to ensure these crucial functions have continued to thrive in your organisation. You may have a development team which has done fantastic work to form great partnerships with local authorities to meet local need or a maintenance team which has delivered a five-star repairs service. We’re looking for teams which have gone above and beyond to help you deliver outstanding new homes or to keep your existing homes at the highest standard.

• Inspirational leader of the year:
Most of us have worked with someone who has inspired us and helped us to develop. This award will recognise an individual capable of truly inspiring others through their leadership. We’re looking for someone who leads by example and produces the best results by getting the best out of the people they work with. The person could be a manager, a chief executive or a board chair – it doesn’t matter as long as you can demonstrate they inspired and motivated others by their leadership in a way which has made a real difference. We’re looking for more than just a figurehead – we want someone who is hands on and involved in running and developing their team and making a contribution to drive their organisation forward.

• Inspirational colleague of the year:
An inspirational colleague can help others to thrive. This award will recognise an individual who goes above and beyond to deliver a high quality of work which goes above and beyond the call of duty. This could be someone who has put innovation or creativity at the heart of what they do or someone who has showed unstoppable determination. We’re looking for someone whose colleagues would all say they are a great person to work with, who sets a great example and makes a real contribution in their part of the organisation.

• Tenant innovator of the year:
Housing organisations house millions of inspirational and innovative people. This award will recognise a tenant who has gone the extra mile and demonstrated an innovative approach to helping others, making a particularly significant contribution in the last year. The person may have worked on their own to improve their community or helped to train other residents. Or they may do outstanding work on a tenant board or committee. We’re looking for someone who has thought outside the box and made a big contribution, inspiring others in the process.

• Mentor of the year:
Good mentoring is the key to making sure skills and knowledge are passed on to others. This award will recognise someone who has nurtured and inspired others - helping them to thrive. The award is open to anyone who has developed another person to grow in their role. It could be a long-serving member of staff who inspires colleagues through their work on a day-to-day basis, someone who is part of a mentoring scheme who has demonstrated an outstanding ability to inspire younger members of staff or a tenant who has helped others reach their potential. We’re looking for someone who does outstanding work, and helps others do the same.

• Tenant lifetime contribution:
This award will recognise a tenant who has made a difference over many years. They will be someone who has given up their time to help shape their communities. They may be a volunteer of many years who has worked with vulnerable people in the area, be a long-serving tenant board member who has worked tirelessly to give others a voice or they may have overcome adversity to help others. Whatever they have done we’re looking for someone who has made a significant and prolonged difference to the lives of others.

• Lifetime achievement in housing:
We’re looking for someone who has lived and breathed housing during their career – a real ambassador for the sector. This award is open to someone who has demonstrated a passion for housing over a long career in the sector. They will have driven change both in the organisation at which they have worked and in the housing sector as a whole. We’re looking for someone who has helped in their own way to put housing on the map.

• Customer experience award:
In a fast-paced world the need to find a way to provide an excellent experience for customers is greater than ever. A significant change in the needs of tenants and the way they access services has revolutionised the relationship between housing organisations and their customers. This award will recognise a team which is driving its organisation’s delivery of a truly top class customer service. This award is not restricted to customer services teams: it is open to all. The winning team will be producing outstanding results that they can demonstrate in their customer satisfaction levels and beyond.

• Inclusive team of the year:
Housing organisations have unique access to their communities and those communities are more diverse than ever. We’re looking for a team which has embodied its organisation’s efforts to promote inclusivity. Whether it’s supporting LGBT people or ethnic minority groups in your communities, helping people who are financially excluded or empowering people in your own organisation. Whichever function in the organisation the team fulfils it will be driving your organisation’s effort to put inclusivity at the heart of your work and be able to show clear results.

• CIH/Inside Housing Rising Star
The CIH and Inside Housing Rising Stars competition recognises a truly outstanding individual working in housing. The award showcases the talent and commitment of up-and-coming housing professionals across the industry. Entrants will have worked in the sector for three years or more and who will be progressing in your career and showing real passion, commitment and a desire to drive the sector forward. This year we have introduced a brand new process which will mean the winner will enjoy more profile and a unique set of unrivalled opportunities to meet and influence decision-makers and get their ideas out into the sector – from a year’s worth of mentoring to guest editing an edition of Inside Housing. Entrants simply need to provide an entry statement, a referee and confirm their CIH membership. Finalists will be take part in a series of tasks. The winner will be announced at the Housing Heroes awards.

2017 Winners:

FRONTLINE TEAM OF THE YEAR:
• Income and inclusion team, Melin Homes

CENTRAL SERVICE TEAM OF THE YEAR:
• Human resources and skills development team, Wolverhampton Homes

COMMUNICATIONS TEAM OF THE YEAR:
• St Mungo's

SUPPORT AND CARE TEAM OF THE YEAR (UNDER 8, 000 STOCK)
• Horton community cafes, Horton Housing Association

SUPPORT AND CARE TEAM OF THE YEAR (OVER 8, 000 STOCK)
• Investment and inclusion team, Bron Afon Community Housing

DEVELOPMENT OR MAINTENANCE TEAM OF THE YEAR:
• Housing Maintenance Solutions

CIH AND INSIDE HOUSING RISING STAR:
• James Sanderson, Hackney Council

INSPIRATIONAL LEADER OF THE YEAR (UNDER 5, 000 STOCK):
• Maura Jackson, Bolton Young Persons Housing Scheme

INSPIRATIONAL LEADER OF THE YEAR (OVER 5, 000 STOCK):
• Tony Hall, Freebridge Community Housing

INSPIRATIONAL COLLEAGUE OF THE YEAR:
• David Ali, Tower Hamlets Homes

INSPIRATIONAL TENANT/RESIDENT OF THE YEAR:
• Steve Neville, Two Saints

MENTOR OF THE YEAR:
• Colm McQuillan, Northern Ireland Housing Executive

TENANT LIFETIME CONTRIBUTION:
• Peggy Metaxas, One Housing

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR:
• Chen Thompson, Wolverhampton Homes

EXCEPTIONAL CONTRIBUTION BY A CIH MEMBER:
• Yvonne Leishman, Community Housing Group

NEW PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR:
• Emily-Rae Maxwell, Dacorum Borough Council

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN HOUSING:
• Leslie Morrell OBE, Choice Housing Ireland