Leeds Housing Organisation Uses Unique Funding Pledge to Tackle Anti-Social Behaviour

Published by JenCooke for National Federation of ALMOs in Housing and also in Communities

A scheme which has ring-fenced over £450,000 of funding to allow residents on some of Leeds’ most challenging housing estates to help local people, engage youngsters and tackle nuisance conduct has led to a reduction in anti-social behaviour (ASB), according to West Yorkshire Police.
 

Aire Valley Homes, the arms-length management organisation (ALMO) responsible for over 15,000 homes in South and South East Leeds has ring-fenced money to be used solely on local environmental and community initiatives, with residents taking the lead on funding decisions to benefit local people and their own estates.
 

Since its launch twenty months ago around 70 projects have been funded by Aire Valley Homes’ three Local Area Panels made up of residents and tenant board members, including a number designed to improve resident safety and engage young people.
These have included the Inner South panel pledging over £13,000 to a project regenerating refuse areas on the Throstle Estate by introducing green space and play areas and allocating £10,000 of funding for additional policing at weekends in known crime hotspots.
 

Aire Valley Homes’ Outer South Area Panel provided over £5,000 to fund West Yorkshire Police’s Operation Divensure after a report by the police found that high visibility policing could reduce crime by as much as 50 percent. This saw uniformed Police Community Support Officers (PCSO’s) patrol the Cottingley Council Estates during ‘hot spot’ times with the intention of preventing, or at least reducing, the levels of violence, drunkenness, anti-social behaviour and offences of damage.
 

Two officers, with support from another on a sponsored mountain bike, patrolled the area each Friday and Saturday nights between 6pm and midnight recording any instances of crime or disorder. Operation Divensure followed on from similar operation in Drighlington, also funded by the Outer South Area Panel, which saw a 51 percent reduction in crime*.
 

Inspector Damian Miller from West Yorkshire Police, said: “Aire Valley Homes and its Area Panels have acknowledged the problem of youth ASB on estates in the area and have invested money directly into projects that provide youngsters with activities to keep them engaged and off the streets. Reported incidences of ASB were reduced when activities were taking place; an invaluable result for the Area Panels.”
 

Last year the Outer South East Leeds Area Panel donated £4,500 to St Gregory’s Youth and Adult Centre in Swarcliffe to set up a Young Women’s Dance project as well as contributing to its Music Technology and DJ-ing Skills Programme - an ongoing training programme designed to engage young people. Both projects contribute to the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
 

Projects in Micklefield such as the Internet Access Provision and the Micklefield Youth Skate Park provide indoor and outdoor youth diversionary activities helping with learning and increasing exercise. The area panel donated a total of £14,800 to provide the equipment for both projects.
 

Derek Lawrence, Football Skills Coach at the St Gregory’s Youth and Adult Centre, said: “There are lots of youngsters living on the estate who previously had nowhere to go on an evening or in school holidays. The Outer South East Leeds Area Panel acknowledged this was the reason for much of the youth ASB in the area and decided to invest directly into projects that give them something to do. Its great working with these youngsters, most of whom are not bad, they’re just bored, and to give them an outlet to channel their energy.”
 

Aire Valley Homes is an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO), an independent company charged with the management of over 15,000 homes in South and South East Leeds on behalf of Leeds City Council. It has made the involvement and interest of children and young people a core part of its strategy for reducing problems like anti-social behaviour and vandalism.
 

* 51 percent reduction in crime from April 2007 to April 2008