A model equality and diversity policy for

your Residents Association

ANYWHERE TENANTS & RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION

We aim to make our neighbourhood a better place for everyone who lives here.

That means we need to listen to what people are saying in our neighbourhood.

When we work with our Landlord or the Council or any other agency to improve things, we want to make sure we are speaking for everyone.

This is why we strive to make everyone can feel welcome and safe in our Residents Association.

We will make active efforts to make sure everybody who wants to can get involved by:

· Publicising all meetings

· Making sure publicity is put out where people can see or hear it and that it comes in a language they can understand.

· Choosing meeting places carefully so that as many people as possible can get in and feel comfortable and safe to go there.

· Helping people to overcome obstacles such as childcare, transport etc.

· Offering to provide sign language and community languages interpreters for meetings.

· Standing up against any behaviour or language that may upset or insult people and create an unwelcoming atmosphere.

· Improving the atmosphere on our estate through speaking up on behalf of the victims of harassment.

What we see as offensive behaviour and language:

• Making jokes about people because of their race, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religion.  

• Making assumptions about people because they belong to a certain group of people (All young people, all Asians, all single parents, all white people....are like that)  

• Describing people in a way that may be seen as an insult or threat.

How we will deal with offensive behaviour and language:

This is one example of how to deal with offensive behaviour and language. You can use this procedure or make up your own.

· We will tell the person in question that we found their behaviour or language unacceptable.

· No person will be laughed at or victimised for speaking out about what they find offensive, so they can feel confident to challenge offensive comments and behaviour.

· We will expect the person in question to apologise immediately for offensive behaviour or comments.

· If the person continues behaving in that way and does not apologise for any upset they may have caused, they will be asked to leave the meeting.

· They will be contacted within one week and given an opportunity to apologise in writing before the next meeting. If the committee decided so, the individual in question can also be asked to do some Equality Training (Leeds Tenants Federation would be happy to arrange training).

· If they refuse to apologise or / and attend a training course, they will be excluded from all future T/RA meetings.