To become a member of Homes for Change you must take these steps:
- Attend a Prospective Members Surgery
These are held before every general meeting at 6 pm, where you will receive further information about how to become a member, more information on how HfC functions generally and a chance to ask any questions. There is no need to book, just ring the bell marked ‘Yard Bell Only’ on the front door to be let into the building at 6pm. You are welcome to stay for the General Meeting that will follow the Prospective Member Surgery as it should help you get an idea of how we function. The date of the upcoming general meeting can be found here: https://www.homesforchange.co.uk/calendar/
Once you have attended this session and are interested in becoming a member you should subscribe to the Homes for Change internal mailing list ‘Yell’and subscribe to the monthly Homes for Change newsletter ‘Big Yeller’.
- Join a Working Group and Volunteer
Homes for Change is managed by volunteers who carry out the functions of ‘landlord’ through Working Groups. After this you will be expected to volunteer a minimum of 2 hours per month** to be considered ‘active’ on the waiting list for accommodation. The working groups vary from gardening to office / administerial duties. Working Groups meet every month, usually on a weekday evening and prospective members are free to join the group of their choosing. Contact the Working Group Co-Ordinator to find out when their meetings are, or check the calendar on the website: https://www.homesforchange.co.uk/calendar/
**The minimum hours to be considered an ‘active’ volunteer are 6 hours in a 3-month period,broken down into whichever schedule is needed by the working group. For example: 2 hours per month or 4 hours in one month and 1 hour per month for the next 2.
- Attend 2 General Meetings
These are held every month and are attended by members of the Co-op. Attending General Meetings is a good way to learn about how the Co-Op operates. You must ensure that your attendance at the meeting is recorded by signing an attendance sheet. You need to attend a minimum of two General Meetings before you can be voted into membership. Once you have done this you can move onto the next step.
- Attend an Induction Session
Each session lasts an hour and is an opportunity for you to find out about the Co-op including its history as well as ask any questions you may have. Induction sessions are held at Homes for Change. Sessions are scheduled on an ad hoc basis so please register interest early.
To arrange an induction meeting please email membership group on membership@homesforchange.co.uk. Please State your name and how many general meetings you have attended and which working group you are in.
- Be Voted in at a General Meeting
Once you have completed the steps above you can ask your working group co-ordinator to put your name forward to the membership group or you can ask membership yourself. *This must happen no later than six months after your first attendance at a General Meeting*
The membership group will carry out checks to ensure that you meet the requirements and then they will put forward a request to the General Meeting that you be considered for membership of the Co-op. This must happen at least two weeks before the next general meeting so it can be included in the agenda.
*You must attend the meeting where your membership will be considered, or the vote taken* Once voted as a member of HfC you will be given a members’ pack containing among other things, a share certificate (cost £1) and an application form for housing. Complete the application form and return it to Membership Group, either by post or by hand.
***If there’s anything about the process of becoming a member that is unclear, or if you have any problems fulfilling the conditions of membership, representatives of the Membership Group can help! You can contact us by e-mailing membership@homesforchange.co.uk ***
These are all the steps needed to become a member of the cooperative. Once you are a member you can apply to become a tenant and be added to our waiting lists.
Becoming a tenant of HfC
Once you have completed the steps outlined above you will be able to complete an application form to become a tenant of HfC. Once your application has been received:
- Two members of Membership Group will carry out a home visit to verify your circumstances. This will be at a time that is convenient for you.
- At the next meeting of the Membership Group, your completed application form and the report from the home visit will be considered and points awarded according to your housing need.
- You will be placed on one or more of the waiting lists; there is a waiting list for each property size (one-bed, two-bed etc). If waiting lists are full, you are placed on a ‘pending’ list
- We will inform you in writing of your points total and your position on the relevant waiting list. If references, relevant medical or other evidence is required we will write to you and let you know.
Although the above process may take several months, we will back-date the waiting list to when you were voted in as a member of the Co-op.
Once you are on the waiting list, you must continue to actively volunteer for a working group, and you must continue to attend at least two monthly general meetings in each 6-month period. You must keep Membership Group informed of any and all changes to your circumstances that may affect your points. For change of address fill out a new application form.
Every six months on the waiting list your application is reviewed and, subject to continued participation in the work of the coop, 75 additional points will be awarded – these additional points are available for every subsequent 6 months. When you reach the top of the waiting list – and a suitable property is available – you are invited to view the property. Please note that we are only able to offer tenancies to active members of the Co-op, or members who have been given a ‘leave of absence’ from volunteering duties.
***Please note that it is unlikely that you will be considered for membership of the Co-op if you have a history of arrears, damage or anti-social behaviour***
Join ‘YELL’ – the Homes for Change email list and receive the monthly newsletter.
Follow the link below and enter your email address:
http://homesforchange.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/yell_homesforchange.co.uk
For general queries please email:
info@homesforchange.co.uk
For a copy of the current Home for Change rules follow the link below:
https://www.homesforchange.co.uk/tenantinformation/