In 2009, with support from government and sponsorship from Nationwide and from Legal & General, EAC launched the National Housing for Older People Awards to empower the voice of older people as housing and service consumers. Last year over 3,500 older people played a unique card game providing 130,000 score entries to a computer model which determined the winners of 34 national housing awards. Residents assess their later life housing schemes within a range of categories including design, location, services, management and lifestyle. The Housing Awards Report is already established as the largest exercise of its type in consumer feedback.
This celebration of housing and care has been valuable for residents, providers and for government alike -the Awards have elevated the importance of information and choice in older age. Involving residents at the Awards Event has been highly rewarding and we are exploring ways in 2012 to expand consumer participation on a national scale. The Card Game and the new Providers Reports developed by EAC are helping to raise aspirations and to empower older people.
Street Party 2012 - Empowerment, Inclusion and Localism
After two national Awards events at Lords Cricket Ground and Ascot Racecourse, our aim now is to establish an even more inclusive approach to engaging residents by building on the participative theme already established in the card game. In 2012 the Awards will be remodelled as Street Party 2012 and will take the Diamond Jubilee as their theme. The Awards will transform into a national prize giving event and local celebration held simultaneously at the housing schemes of all 35 finalists. Each finalist will receive a contribution to their 'street party' to the value of £750 and each will also receive a high quality camcorder to film their day. During the course of the party EAC will ring all 35 finalists -'Eurovision style' -within a 5 minute band to announce who has won gold, silver and bronze awards. Residents will be provided with scripts and asked to conduct interviews and record them with the help of friends, family and local volunteers. The 35 films will be edited within 10 days and will form a 15 minute film to be shown at a Sponsors and Providers Lunch 2 weeks later. A 3 minute version will be posted on the EAC website which receives over 2 million visitors a year.
In this way Housing Awards will be a means and an end to promoting the breadth of EAC's work. The Awards will form a much wider awareness raising, activity based, income generating medium than hitherto -capable of attracting a broad range of supporters and opening up new partnering opportunities particularly with local businesses keen to sponsor events or contribute prizes. For our part we will promote them on our website. Our first two core sponsors for Street Party 2012 are Legal & General and FirstStopAdvice. We are looking for 3 more and for prize givers. Step up and get involved!
Copy on this page is provided by EAC, supporter of the older people's housing hub.
