People are all different
Different colours and sizes, with different accents, beliefs and attitudes. Our equality and diversity policy means that whoever you are, you can expect to be valued and respected.
It means giving you the same access to our homes, jobs and services
It means understanding that you have different needs and a different point of view and that this difference adds value to our company, our services and our communities.
Equality and Diversity, or E & D for short, is about allowing people who have different needs or skill levels, or different physical and mental abilities the same access to opportunities that people without these needs have.
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It means that we want to make sure that everyone, including staff, residents and people who apply to live in our homes, is treated fairly and is able to make equal use of our services.
We also recognise that everyone’s needs and abilities are not the same and that these differences, whether because of age, gender, race, religion, colour, beliefs, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, physical characteristics or disability, need to be taken into account when we decide on which services to provide, how to provide services and how to improve services.
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Helena Housing is committed to fairness and equality. We want to make sure that we treat everyone with dignity and respect, regardless of their differences. We have policies and procedures in place to make sure that we do not treat anyone less favourably than any other person when it comes to employment, rehousing or using our services.
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Helena Housing is the biggest social landlord and one of the largest employers in St Helens and we need to make sure that we do not have a bias for or against any group or individual. We believe that by understanding differences and encouraging others to do the same, we can make better places for our residents to live in and to remain in.
We want our employees to understand what people’s needs are so we try to encourage the same differences within our staff group as there are in the St Helens community. Some of our staff are tenants themselves, or their family and friends are, so they are committed to making this policy work.
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Everyone who works for Helena Housing has a responsibility to make sure that people are treated fairly and with respect. They must be able to appreciate that differences exist and be able to respond to residents’ different needs. This is true from the top of the organisation down to our frontline teams.
Our Board of Management are given training on equality and diversity and they monitor the progress we make on targets that we set ourselves. A member of the Board acts as the champion for equality and diversity, making sure that our policy in this area is at the heart of our other policies and promoting good practice at Board level and throughout the organisation. All the managers and staff have had training in equality and diversity and all new starters are given training as part of the induction process.
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Our contractors are also offered equality and diversity training and we work with contractors, suppliers, consultants and tenant and resident groups to make sure that they adopt equality and diversity principles.
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Our aim is to make our Board of Management as diverse as the community it serves by continuing to advertise for recruits as widely as possible.
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The Board and senior managers provide clear leadership in promoting equality and diversity.
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We set targets to improve the diversity of our staff so that they are as diverse as the community they serve.
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All customers have equal access to information, so it is available in different languages, in large print, Braille, audio tape format or by personal contact.
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Everyone has equal access to services, so that we will contact you in ways suitable to your needs and make sure that you are able to visit our neighbourhood offices without difficulty.
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Residents and applicants from minority groups feel confident to live where they choose, free from prejudice and harassment and confident to access all our services.
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The homes we provide are suitable in type, design and location for residents with different needs.
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We ask our consultants, contractors and suppliers to demonstrate their commitment to equality and diversity before we work with them.
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Our homes are let in a fair, open and accountable way with no discrimination against anyone.
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All customers have the same opportunity to participate in events or take part in consultation exercises.
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We work with all groups within communities to understand their concerns and their neighbourhoods, to promote regeneration and tackle disadvantage.
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Our supported housing and care services, whether provided by ourselves or our agents, meet the different needs within the community.
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Helena Housing’s Board of Management receives regular monitoring reports which match the progress we have made towards ensuring equality and diversity against the targets we have set. Each year the Board also agree an action plan which outlines how we will achieve our equality and diversity targets.
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We treat any breach of this policy very seriously, whether it is from one of our workforce, a contractor working on our behalf or a member of a tenant and resident group which receives support from us.
You should let us know if you feel you have been treated unfairly or have suffered discrimination, prejudice or harassment because of your age, gender, race, religion, colour, beliefs, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, physical characteristics or disability. You can do this at your local neighbourhood office or by speaking to your neighbourhood officer.
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