We have set out a range of commitments for the year ahead to support our customers and strengthen our communities.

1. Monitor the achievements of the Affordability Officer with a KPI of min £500,000 to be achieved in the year.
2. Tenancy sustainment above 90%.
3. Maximise access to Riverside’s ‘Helping Hands’ welfare fund to ensure maximum benefit for customers requiring much needed support.
4. Deliver the roll out of Housing Perks to at least 15% of our tenants helping to mitigate the cost-of-living crisis.
5. Explore partnership approaches to support and assist customers experiencing furniture poverty.
6. We will offer at least four annual face to face communications with tenants and customers in their community (estate walkabouts, neighbourhood plans, investment engagement, face to face drop in at local community centres).
7. We will continue to grow our Housing First for Families service in Dumfries.
8. Apply to Cash for Kids to enable every child a gift at Christmas.
9. Maximise community benefits from contractors creating training, volunteering and apprenticeship opportunities.
10. Develop a tackling loneliness campaign to support customer health and wellbeing.
11. We will deliver or work in partnership with local organisations to deliver community events and fun days to tackle isolation, child poverty and encourage community involvement.
12. Explore funding opportunities to support environmental improvement projects in the Pennyburn area.
13. Reach out to local authority education departments to offer school work experience placements for students to promote the range of careers available within the housing sector.
14. Seek local job/career fayres to promote the housing sector as a career of choice.
15. 2 x apprenticeship recruitment opportunities within Riverside Scotland.
16. Promote community resilience and empowerment, by supporting new and existing voluntary groups who are trying to make life better in our communities.
17. We will volunteer our/contractors time to support local groups working in our community by offering some volunteering time to support, promote and build community capacity.
18. We will utilise local facilities to hold tenant engagement events to give back to local communities e.g. hire community halls, use community cafe for catering, support local volunteers.
19. Increase customer engagement opportunities and encourage participation.
20. Develop a programme of sounding board and Service Improvement Group activities for the year working across teams to ensure variety and maximising opportunities for customers to give opinion and influence decision.
21. In partnership with the Scrutiny Group, deliver at least one more scrutiny project with a report outlining their recommendations for our Housing Perks pilot project.
22. Deliver the actions in our neighbourhood plans for Kilwinning, Drongan, Dumfries and Irvine.