Identifying the issues
Mixenden is a large former council estate of more than 1200 houses and multi-storey flats, situated a few miles from the nearest town and services. It is recognised as one of the most deprived estates in the country and its flats are often difficult to let to tenants.
Pennine Housing 2000 is the main social landlord organisation on the estate and some of its properties are leased to the Calderdale Asylum Seeker Support Service to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers. In 2005, Val Morris, Tenant Involvement Manager at Pennine Housing 2000, and her colleagues became concerned about high levels of intolerance towards asylum seekers in the area.
Mixenden residents taking part in a local class
Employees of Pennine Housing 2000 and Voluntary Action Calderdale got together to find out more about the problems facing asylum seekers in Mixenden. They found that asylum seekers living on the estate often felt isolated and acutely bored; many had experienced discrimination or racial attacks. There were also issues with accessing support and local services, including English classes.
Local solutions
With limited resources and funding, Val and her colleagues realised that change would only happen through developing local solutions in partnership with local people. In 2006, Mixenden Community Link was set up, a joint scheme run by asylum seekers and EU migrants, the four tenants’ associations in Mixenden and local community activists. Pennine Housing 2000 provided support during the initial set-up of the project and continues to offer ongoing assistance to the individuals running the initiative.
Topics associated with this project
Cohesion, Community-led, Housing, Neighbourhood, Yorkshire and Humber