Better Homes, Stronger Communities Initiative

Stronger Communities, is about strengthening and building the capacity of local community groups so that the whole community can pull together and lead in community regeneration initiatives at a local level. The Stronger Communities Project will help build the capacity of individuals and local groups to enable them to become effective partners in the regeneration of their local communities. The Project will facilitate and enable people to find local solutions to local problems. These issues may include:

• Social
  A lack of/or poor community facilities.
• Environmental
  Improvement to open spaces and communal areas.
• Economic
  Increasing opportunity to job access.

By using a variety of methods to support local groups, groups will be better equipped to play a key role in strengthening communities, ultimately helping to improve the wealth and prosperity of local people.

The project will bring all relevant groups together - North Lanarkshire Council, Lanarkshire NHS, tenants, residents, landlords, Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire, Council for Voluntary Service, Interpreting Service, Police and Community Wardens - so that they can jointly tackle community lead organisations.

The project is funded and supported by:

Support Available It is recognised that different groups will have very different needs. Some may still be at the stage of establishing a core team with clear objectives. Others may be firmly established as a group but may wish to explore opportunities for becoming involved in regeneration initiatives. Others still may have already identified a project but may need support in gearing up for taking it forward. Whatever the need, Stronger Communities is about developing capacity of all interested Housing and related groups through a combination of group development work and the provision of a programme of training workshops.

1. Consultancy
   One to one support is available to groups to assist in their development. This can mean initial developmental support for new groups or support for existing groups on particular issues such as ideas generation, prioritisation of needs, team building etc.
2. Seminars
   Whilst needs vary considerably from one group to another, there are a number of issues where there are common needs across groups and in such cases, topic based seminars will be held. These seminars will provide an opportunity both to learn and to share ideas with other groups.
3. Personal development workshops
   These workshops focus on developing the skills of individuals through building confidence and assertiveness, discussing negotiation techniques etc.
4. Training workshops
   These workshops cover a wide range of subjects including techniques in completing funding applications, information and communication technology, committee skills etc.