Tenant Committees
Tenant committees have been run at Acacia Park since inception. However, for a number of years, the tenant committee has not been functional. The Capital City Housing recognised that this was of importance, as it is vital to have a structure that represents tenant interests.
With this in mind, the committee was restructured and set up in 2015. The committee is approaching the end of its term of office, and elections for a new committee are scheduled to occur by the end of March 2016.
The Community Development department continues to work closely with the tenant committee in trying to ensure that the voice of the tenants is heard by management, and that tenant concerns are taken into account when making decisions.
Block Representatives
The restructuring of the tenant committee in 2015 was to ensure that all tenants were heard at Capital City Housing management level, and that their concerns were taken into account when making decisions that affect them. In order to do this, the committee was structured to consist of one block representative from each block. The block rep is elected by the block concerned, and upon assumption of duty as a block rep, immediately becomes a member of the committee.
The block rep then represents the tenants of his or her block at committee meetings, and these issues are then brought forward to meetings with Capital City Housing management, as and when needed.
The block reps are really the most important aspect of the committee process. They are the ones with the ‘ear to the ground’, so to speak. And, because of this, they are a more reflexive and responsive way to get the interests of the tenants to the attention of management.