Decent Homes Scheme Is a Success, Concludes New Report

Since the launch of Nottingham City Homes (NCH) in April 2005, the company has set out to improve communities, by reducing the level of crime, and improve people's health & well-being. Now a new report shows that their Decent Homes programme is a sensation. The Decent Homes Program was started in 2008, since then NCH have installed windows in almost 16,000 properties, over 10,000 central heating systems, 9,000 kitchens and over 7,200 bathrooms. In total, £187m is being spent to bring properties up to standard in Nottingham with the program due to finish in 2015.  The sixty-eight page Report is a joint venture between Nottingham Trent University, and Nottingham City Homes, with contributions from other agencies, including the City Council, Nottingham City NHS, Nottingham Business School, and Nottingham Crime & Drugs Partnership. The Report concludes that across Nottingham as a whole the total number of burglaries was reduced from 4,631 burglaries in 2007 to 3,639 burglaries in 2009. This represents a 21 percent reduction in the number of burglaries across the city over this period because of Decent Homes Improvements.  Read more on the Nottingham Evening Post website.

Study Reveals Total Impact of Decent Homes On Tenants’

A landmark study into the impact of Decent Homes work has shown that the effects go wider than just physically improving properties.  For the first time research has focused on the wider social, economic and environmental benefits of Decent Homes. Previous studies have focused on the individual benefits of the scheme, such as tackling crime or health issues.  The study is the first to look holistically at the overall impact of the scheme - known as Secure Warm Modern in Nottingham - on tenants and communities. It covers the impact on crime and security, health and well being, the environment and fuel poverty, and on the local economy and employment.  The pioneering work has been carried out by Nottingham City Homes (NCH) and Nottingham Trent University (NTU) under a Knowledge Transfer Partnership.  Read more on the Nottingham City Homes website.