News

Every June, the LGBT+ community comes together to celebrate Pride month. At Silva, we champion equality and support all colleagues and customers, recognising that the needs and experiences of people will be different.

 

As you may already know, equality, diversity​ and inclusion (EDI) is a big part of the new Silva strategy 2021-25. This is because the environment our colleagues work in, the homes we provide, and the communities our existing and potential customers live in play an important part in creating a fairer and more tolerant society.

Our executive board ​​called for the formation of an EDI working group, which ​​​meets regularly to discuss and advise on appropriate actions to create a more equitable business.

"I am so proud that as a business, we are really putting a focus on equality, diversity and inclusion. June is Pride Month, and we should all be comfortable to bring our whole authentic self to work– be that our sexuality, cultural or ethnic background, gender identity, disability, or health.

"By putting diversity and inclusion at the heart of what we do, we can create a culture where people can be themselves, which we know is when people are at their best. This helps us feel more engaged, think bolder, find common ground, and work more effectively ​ together." – Dasos Christou, Executive Director (Customer Relations)​

 

​Learn more about equality, diversity and inclusion at Silva Homes

Read more about Pride month

 

In honour of pride month, here are some LGBT+ activists we think you should know about:

​

​ Alice Nkom

Alice Nkom is a human rights lawyer and LGBTQ activist from Cameroon, where homosexuality is still criminalized​. In a country where police officers entrap members of the LGBTQ community through text messages and beat those they perceive to be gay, Nkom bravely fights for rights on behalf of the LGBTQ community.

Though Nkom identifies as heterosexual, she has dedicated her work to fighting for Cameroon's LGBTQ community and founded the Association for the Defence of Homosexuality in 2003. Though she and her colleagues are sometimes in danger because of the work they do, Nkom remains undeterred.

Learn more about the Association for the Defence of Homosexuality

 

Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk was the first openly gay politician to be elected in California. He served almost 11 months in office before being assassinated. During his time in office, he sponsored a bill banning discrimination in public accommodations, housing, and employment-based on sexual orientation.

When he first started being active in politics, he challenged the city's gay leadership stating they were too conservative in attempting to gain political rights for homosexuals. He clashed with Jim Foster, who had been active in gay politics for ten years and refused to endorse Milk. His passion and drive to make a change in politics earned him the support of many gay bar owners who had become frustrated by the lack of support in dealing with police harassment. 

Milk became an icon and martyr in the gay community and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

 

Lisa Power MBE

Lisa Powers is a British sexual health and LGBT rights campaigner. She became Secretary-General of the International Lesbian and Gay Association in 1988 and helped set up the Pink Paper (a UK publication addressing gay and lesbian issues). She co-founded Stonewall (named after the riots in 1969) in 1989 and then became the policy director of the Terrence Higgins Trust. 

In 2020 she worked with Dan Vo and the national museum Cardiff to create 'Queer Tours' which aimed to uncover hidden LGBTQ+ histories in Cardiff. She is the organiser of Pride History Month at Pride Cymru and chairperson of the HIV Justice Network. 

Learn more about Stonewall

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Torben, one of our customer relations partners (rent), has been cycling ever since he learned how to ride a bike, aged five. 

Torben has always used cycling to get around, partly due to the cycling culture in Denmark, where he grew up.

Now, Torben cycles not just as a means of travel, but to save petrol and the environment, whilst having fun!

Torben said:

"I use my bike a lot, whether that's cycling around the outskirts of Bracknell on the weekend or travelling to and from work when I’m in the office. For me, travelling by bike is not only very practical but also ​enjoyable.

“I love being outside in the fresh air and cycling allows me to be closer to nature, which you can't fully appreciate when travelling by car. I find it very calming and it's great for stress relief- if I've had a bad day, I can cycle for a while and get home and feel a lot better.​

​"It's also important to me in terms of my physical fitness. I do like my food, so regularly cycling is a great way to maintain a good level of fitness for me and it means the ​journey to work isn't too strenuous for me. It's a great way to socialise as well. I cycle with friends occasionally and it's great to share my hobby with people I know."​

Bike Week is an annual celebration to showcase cycling, organised by CycleUK. 

Learn more and get involved

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Ramadan is much more than fasting from food and water, it is about self-reflection and focusing on ways to become a better version of yourself.

Being in a state of temporary thirst and hunger presses us to empathise with those who have less than ourselves by teaching us to be grateful for the things we take for granted in life. 

It falls in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is based on the lunar system, so the dates it is observed differ every year.

The first words of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad on a special day called Laylatul Qadr with the whole purpose to convey and spread the message of Islam. Laylatul Qadr is in the month of Ramadan and this is why it is a special month for Muslims. 

If you're interested in learning more about Ramadan and how you can be more respectful of those fasting, watch this video to see some of our colleagues answer some questions about what Ramadan means for them.

 

 

Learn more about Ramadan on the Muslim Council of Britain website

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This article was written by Dasos Christou, our executive director (customer relations) about Silva Homes’ commitment to addressing climate change.

 

 

As a housing association, our decisions not only affect our customers and our colleagues - they also affect the planet. Everything we do has an impact on the environment, from the way we work, to how we build and maintain our homes. That's why housing makes up 19% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions.

We exist as a social business for the benefit of the community and do so by investing in homes and supporting people, but we cannot do this if our actions damage the planet. It is crucial that we make our business more sustainable now if we are to meet the net-zero target by 2050. So we are investing in actions and resources that will make a real difference.

 

Building a more sustainable business

We are currently reviewing our strategy and intend to make climate change a strategic priority. This will enable us to build more sustainable behaviours and practices into the business, which is a huge step for Silva and one that I'm really excited about.

We recently hosted a climate change workshop in which all Silva colleagues were invited to take part. In the workshop, steps that Silva could take to reduce its carbon footprint were discussed and we gained valuable feedback that will help us build our climate change strategy. Our customer partnership board will also have the same discussions in the next couple of weeks. As well as these workshops, we also invited all of our customers to share their ideas on how we can reduce our carbon footprint.

 

A £1 million budget to reduce our carbon footprint

The Silva board has agreed to commit £1 million over the next three years to work on a series of research projects to help us understand the best way to decarbonise and improve the thermal efficiency of our existing properties. They will also help us look at ways to reduce our wider carbon footprint and support sustainable behaviours for people in our communities. 

 

Creating new environmental partnerships

We will partner with other housing associations to help influence the government and make sure it recognises the need to address social housing's carbon footprint. This will help us get more support from national and local decision-makers and empower us to do even more for the planet.

 

You can find out more about our new strategy and commitment to climate change by watching the recording of our recent customer webinar.

Watch a recording of our customer partnership webinar

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Throughout the lockdowns we have had over the last year, the estate services team has consistently provided vital services for our customers.

The team looks after the cleaning and caretaking of the communal areas in over 300 blocks in and around Bracknell, so it’s safe to say they have been busy!

To do this, they follow weekly and monthly cleaning schedules and newly developed cleaning specifications. Now that we are emerging out of lockdown and life is slowly returning to normal, we have updated these schedules to provide you with a focused service.

 

The new specifications and schedules

Following a customer consultation, we have introduced new cleaning specifications, which the team have already started using. These involve:

• Caretaking and cleaning being completed at the same time,
• Dedicated estate operatives at our sites,
• Structured weekly and monthly routes,
• Quality inspections once every two months,
• Aligned north and south areas to promote better cross-team​ working.

 

These changes will increase the responsibility of our estate operatives and provide you with a regular point of contact, who we hope you will get to know over time.

The new schedules will also give us time to revamp some of the communal areas that need a little rejuvenation. Watch this space!

 

​Guy, our lead customer relations partner (environment), said:

“The whole environmental services department has been brilliant this year and they are a team to be proud of. They have continued to provide services in some really challenging situations, ensuring that our customers are safe and the areas around their homes are clean, to reduce the risk of Covid infection. They have taken on this change positively and successfully.

"The estates team has embraced the new schedules and specifications. We are working towards a service that we and our customers can be proud of."

 

Dasos Christou, executive director (customer relations) said:

"This is a great piece of work that can be replicated across so many areas. We have used data to show us where we can improve our services, consulted with customers supported by the customer partnership board and then used those results to introduce new ways of working.

"What I am really pleased about is the way the team has just got on with it and it has been achieved in less than three months. It is very much a test and learn, and we may have to make tweaks along the way, and that's okay. The attitude is so positive from the colleagues I have spoken to recently, and the team has really embraced this change. I know it will be a success"

Read more about our environmental services

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