The 24Housing Awards – A Dot Dot Dot Review

October 11, 2016

Last week Dot Dot Dot went down to the 24Housing Awards in Coventry. We were nominated for innovation of the year. Here’s what happened!

Upon arriving, we were lucky enough to meet Chris Smith, the editor of 24Housing. Chris was a very charming chap who was swiftly whisked away from us by others keen to chat, so we continued to mingle. We really enjoyed seeing our clients and partners in more of an informal setting and to see them get the recognition they deserve.

Awards for Community Achievement in Housing

The 24Housing awards are to celebrate community achievements in housing. It was great to hear some amazing stories and meet some inspiring people from across the country. It was especially nice to talk to housing associations that had brought along tenants. These tenants had either won awards or been working with housing providers towards bigger things.

We were lucky enough to be sitting next to a nominee for ‘Best Green Scheme’. This was a woman who works for Newport City Homes but is also a tenant. They cheered every time Wales was mentioned! She helped the housing association to create a woodchip fuel system farmed from sustainable forest which provided energy to an estate. It was brilliantly innovative and it was nice to see tenants involved in a partnership like this. A good learning for all!

We were also sitting on a table with Wayne Campbell, nominated for housing professional of the year with Sixtown Housing. On boxing day he was having lunch with his family when he heard about flooding in the area. He went out and spent the rest of his Christmas holidays helping people struggling with floodwater. A lovely guy!

Our Award Nomination

Dot Dot Dot were up for innovation of the year for our approach to regeneration and empty buildings. Whilst we were sad not to win, we were delighted to see that Poplar HARCA were recognised for their drive of turning empty spaces into community assets. This was done through OpenPoplar.com. This is a site that allows local people to browse empty spaces and think of innovative ways to use them. It’s a great way to encourage entrepreneurs, small business space and community development generally. So well done to them!

All in all it was a lovely occasion which afforded us the opportunity to hear many inspiring stories and meet an array of amazing people. We look forward to attending similar events in the future and building upon the relationships we created.

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Spotlight on Federico

June 14, 2016

Federico became a guardian with Dot Dot Dot in August 2015 and since then has volunteered for a variety of environmental and educational charities. This is his experience:

Spotlight-Logo_CMYK_0 I started being a guardian over a year and a half ago with a different organisation, but I was interested in Dot Dot Dot because they are more community minded. I always like to feel that I’m part of something bigger and having this opportunity to not only secure a property but to engage in activities with the community that help to improve the local area was particularly attractive. I have found this fulfilling and have enjoyed helping people living in the community.

When I first started volunteering around Poplar, there were many interesting projects to be a part of, and I didn’t know where to start or which one to choose. I decided to get involved with many of them and tried out different opportunities, from helping with gardening to constructing an organic waste device in a recycling project in a park.

In the end, with the help of the team at Dot Dot Dot I was put in contact with the managers of Poplar HARCA Spotlight, a youth centre where children from 11 to 18 years old can go to participate in creative activities including art, theatre, games, music, radio, sports, dancing and more. As I am a musician and recently finished my audio production degree, I wanted to share my knowledge collaborating in something related to audio or music. After introducing myself to the team working in Spotlight, I have been helping to teach music in their studio. I regularly teach children to play a variety of instruments, write songs, produce their music and rehearse. We have also created several events, where the local community can listen to what has been created.

spotlight capture website 3 I’ve been very happy with both my guardianship property and my volunteering, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this progresses.

Get involved

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Dot Dot Dot stands for property guardianship done well

We are a social enterprise which houses people in buildings that would otherwise be empty

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Testimonials

I feel strongly connected with my guardian neighbours. I am getting to know other parts of the community too, through my volunteering.
Jon, Wycombe
“Being a guardian here you have a place to work, a place to socialise and place of your own.”
Alex, Whitechapel
“Being a property guardian with Dot Dot Dot means you do more than simply live somewhere. Instead, because you volunteer you really become part of the community. The best bit is knowing you’ve made a difference and have had a positive impact on those around you.”
Tim, High Wycombe
“I was drawn to property guardianship because I wanted to live affordably in London which is pretty hard to do – and the volunteering aspect of guardianship with Dot Dot Dot really appealed to me as a way of giving back to the community.”
Carl, High Barnet
“If I wasn’t a property guardian I would either be paying a ridiculous amount of money on renting in London or unable to move out of my grandmother’s house at all. I certainly wouldn’t be able to afford to spend time volunteering.”
Bella, Bow
“As a property guardian with Dot Dot Dot I save £450 per month compared with what I used to pay on rent – that’s a significant difference.”
Josh, Poplar
“Dot Dot Dot has helped me get to know people around my area and it has been a great introduction to volunteering.”
Lamonte, Sutton
“It’s great because I often work from home. Because it’s a huge building you have you’re own space, but if you want to hang out with other guardians you can.”
Sarah, Whitechapel
“There’s an instant community feel here which is great. Looking forward to organising movie nights and board games nights with the other guardians.”
Caitlin, Whitechapel
“Once I knew that everyone was up for 16 hours of volunteering a month, I felt pretty confident they’d be great, considerate housemates, and they are.”
Kit, Croydon