SBHG volunteering supremo is 2011 Housing Hero

Published by Joanna Charlton for Shepherds Bush Housing Association in Housing and also in Communities

Shepherds Bush Housing Group’s volunteering manager Jennette Skinner was named inspirational colleague of the year in the 2011 Housing Heroes awards.

Entered by almost 300 housing associations from all over the country, the awards honour the unsung heroes of the social housing world.

The awards were presented at a glittering ceremony, hosted by the BBC news presenter George Alagiah.

Jennette started as a volunteer herself and in the past year alone helped 143 volunteer with SBHG in roles as diverse as driving vans for SBHG’s furniture reuse service through to befriending residents. 89 of them have now moved into full-time work through their volunteering, 12 of them at SBHG.

Jennette said: “I feel very honoured to have been nominated by my colleagues. I love my job and know what a difference volunteering makes. I was made redundant and got back into work by volunteering which built my skills and restored my confidence. I get a real buzz from seeing someone develop. I try to make everyone feel valued and welcomed.”

SBHG chief executive Paul Doe said: “Jennette has completely transformed our volunteering. She inspires us with her empathy, determination and innovation. She has aligned our volunteering with our core value of putting our residents first. Among the many ideas she has brought to us is the Honey Day where our own staff volunteer in our residents’ homes, clearing gardens and decorating for residents who can’t do it for themselves.”

Jennette will be out and about recruiting in national Volunteers’ Week which runs from Wednesday 1 June to Tuesday 7 June. Anyone who wants to volunteer can call Jennette on 020 8996 8898.

The awards are organised by Inside Housing magazine and the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Stuart Macdonald, editor of Inside Housing, said: “I've been involved with the Housing Heroes Awards for a number of years now and am amazed that the standard of the entries keeps getting higher. This is testament to the continued fantastic work going on in the housing sector, despite a difficult backdrop. We had almost 300 entries this year and it was tough selecting a shortlist, never mind choosing a winner.”

The 2011 Housing Heroes Awards were sponsored by Capita Consulting, Capita Resourcing, Hays, Higgins, Insight, Lovell Partnership, United House and Walters Snowdon Advertising.