Presented at an event on Friday 20 June at the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel in Clydebank, the award recognises social landlords who effectively communicate with its tenants and residents to raise awareness or understanding of a key topical issue.

Link’s winning entry showcased its innovative approach to promoting Lightning Reach – a portal that helps tenants access a wide range of financial support. Link is currently piloting the platform for the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations.

Through a combination of targeted digital engagement alongside traditional methods, Link has achieved outstanding results in driving sign-ups and support uptake.

Tenant engagement manager Colin Cassie explained: “Our new CX-Feedback engagement tool allows us to target specific customer segments with bespoke, relevant messages.

“It’s more effective than generic newsletter articles or email campaigns because it allows us to tailor our messages to people’s own circumstances and engage with them in real time.”

Over eight months, 1,520 tenants accessed the portal. Every tenant who completed a profile was matched with financial support. Results included:

• 872 tenants engaged with support
• 131 completed benefit checks
• 125 referrals to Link’s Advice Services
• Over £53,400 of financial support was provided

Also celebrating success on the night was Link’s registered tenant organisation Growing Beardmore, which won the Community Environmental – Tenant/Community Group Award.

The group, which is supported by Link’s Tenant Engagement Team, serves as a community hub, growing fresh food for local people and engaging with local schools and nurseries.

It was recently awarded £13,000 from West Dumbartonshire Council to promote the benefits of communal growing, gardening, tackling social exclusion and supporting positive mental health and wellbeing.

Following the award ceremony, as part of the wider TPAS Annual Conference, tenant engagement manager Colin Cassie and officer Anna Mathews delivered a well-attended workshop exploring Link’s sector-leading engagement model – winner of last year’s Excellence in Tenant Voice award.

The session provided an interactive demo of Link’s digital engagement tool. It gave an overview of how Link has blended technology and traditional methods to amplify the tenant voice in areas as diverse as rent consultation, service improvements, tenant scrutiny and local engagement. 

Link board member Shona Gorman also delivered a workshop with Scottish Housing Regulator board member Colin Stewart providing feedback on the national tenant organisation Tenants Together.

Link’s housing director David Mackenzie said: “Congratulations to Link’s Advice Team, Tenant Engagement Team and Communications Team for winning the Good Practice in Communicating with Tenants and Residents – Landlord Award and to our Growing Beardmore tenant group for their well-deserved Community Environmental Award.

“I’m delighted that our tenant engagement team and Board member Shona have been able to share their respective experiences on this national platform.

“These achievements are a testament to everyone’s hard work and dedication.”

At both the opening and closing of the conference, Link’s strong and sustained record in tenant engagement was praised by TPAS CEO Jacqueline Norwood and guest speaker, former Link CEO, Craig Sanderson.