March 2017
This is the first edition of The Branch for 2017. For this issue, our Student Community Advisers , Max and Sydney have become the editors! Check out below what they have been up to over the past few months.
A Fresh Approach to the Community Forum The Community Forum has recently been redeveloped and the first meeting took place on the 2nd February 2017. There was a fantastic turn out from Manchester City Council, longterm residents, Manchester Student Homes’ accredited landlords, retailers and us - the Student Community Advisors - who were there to represent the student voice. During the meeting there were lots of discussions about positive campaigns being run by various partners, including Greater Manchester Police, Manchester City Council, and the universities. An example of this is Manchester Student Homes’ Neighbourhood Helpline and the work of the Good Neighbours Team! There was also an agreement that further development of new and exciting projects were needed to enhance the management of off-campus issues to continually improve community cohesion. Key issues raised in the meeting were the management of waste and recycling, student safety and noise nuisance. It was agreed that ongoing communication is necessary to all members of the local community, regarding information on bin collection days, general recycling awareness and wider social responsibilities. Overall the group came to the understanding that a lot of positive work has already been put into ensuring ongoing community cohesion. The end of the meeting marked the start of discussions regarding the future objectives of the group. It was agreed that a more focussed effort on particular issues would produce a greater amount of success.
Hate Crime Awareness Week On the 8th February, Manchester Student Homes ran a stall at Owens Park promoting Hate Crime Awareness Week. Under the banner ‘Equality Street’ we worked with the Community Cohesion Intern, Vinny, to see how much the students of Manchester knew about Hate Crime. Armed with Quality Street chocolates and promotional freebies, we were able to educate and inform over 200 students about the
significance of Hate Crime Awareness. This included what to do if you find yourself in a situation where you might need to report a Hate Crime. It was good to see that the majority of those asked knew what a Hate Crime was. However few knew that you are able to text 999 to make a report and that it is also possible to report Hate Crimes to Third Party Reporting Centres – such as Manchester Students Homes.
Manchester Student Homes is proud to be a Hate Crime 3rd Party Reporting Centre. If you or someone you know has been affected by Hate Crime come into our offices for advice and support. Cooper Healey Manager of Manchester Student Homes
Manchester Student Homes is a free, university-run housing service for students. Based in Fallowfield, MSH runs a landlord accreditation scheme and can offer support to students in relation to property searches, providing housing advice and contract checking. MSH also works with students, long-term residents and partner agencies to identify issues in off campus areas.