Transforming Neighbourhoods

We are very proud of our service at Tom Raine Court and Wiltshire Place in Darlington. Just over a year ago, the estate had 33 empty homes and a poor reputation.  

We spoke with residents and listened to their views. As a result, we have invested in refurbishing the apartments. They now have new kitchens and bathrooms. We appointed an interim Assistant Neighbourhood Officer and started to tackle issues of anti-social behaviour. Working in partnership with the police and other agencies we have seen a reduction in crime and vandalism in the area.

Residents recently said  

“Salvation Army Homes have given me an opportunity and one I will be forever grateful for, I was homeless and experiencing a tough time in my life, I now have a home of my own and I am aiming to get myself back into work. I keep myself to myself, it is nice round here, quiet.”

“I've been here from the start, was a lovely place when I moved in but went downhill some years ago, it's great that it's a good place to live again”

Our Neighbourhood Housing Manager, Vicki Welburn adds “Darlington scheme has been a challenge but one I am proud to be part of, we have listened to residents who have lived through the issue on scheme and implemented measures to improve and develop. We invested in our properties with full decoration and incentivised with fitted carpets and flooring throughout, we utilised support funds and Salvation Army vouchers to support new residents who are setting up home with very little.

A decision was made to have an Assistant Neighbourhood Officer based on site to be a point of contact and support, to quickly manage any issues that arose to help reduce the risk of antisocial behaviour issues escalating again. We reviewed our vetting process, had a local letting plan and liaised with external agencies to work in partnership to reduce crime but also support people sustain tenancies.  

It has been a pleasure seeing the scheme going from a run-down, unappealing, difficult-to-let scheme to one that is aesthetically pleasing, and now has an extensive waiting list. Residents have been fantastic in supporting the development assisting in the office to make it a welcoming space, and building office furniture (it is still going, strong built to last! Well done!) We have made the raised planters look beautiful with plants and flowers and placed bark on external communal areas.    

We now have a neighbourhood watch group and more recently several residents participated in mental health awareness week – moving more for mental health, residents went for a lovely walk, socialised, and had a cuppa. We are hoping to start regular activities and social events to develop the community on the scheme.  

I think it is important to recognise and acknowledge the difficulties residents have faced and ensure we have measures in place to prevent it happening again and we will do this by actively listening to our residents.

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