That Meredith matters and Meredith people matter is a thread that ran through all the work we have undertaken.
The idea that tenants can design research and evaluate their own issues and have the knowledge to solve them came from the work undertaken at Hopton Court where we used evidence from OUR own research to make dramatic changes in the block.
This was with CLASS/Community Savers, One Manchester and the University.
What we are trying to achieve is a NORC: a naturally occurring retirement community. This model was applied in Canada and New York where tower block tenants came together to make change.
There is something different about living in tower blocks. It’s more confined, more isolating, and evidence shows we are more likely to have physical and mental health issues. As the tower blocks in Hulme are in the inner city, Hulme has high pollution, and we live in a two tier system with the ever expanding university buildings and sharing scarce resources with a huge student population.
But as we are all Hulmites, we will not go quietly into the night. We are made of stronger stuff. Built through a lifetime of adversity.
Meredith people didn’t disappoint.
We began our work in autumn 2023 with support from Turn2Us and carried out the research in May/June 2024. We looked at access to social care and financial impacts of the care system. From the evidence gathered at Meredith, there were there 3 themes that emerged: the cost of living, health inequalities and social isolation. Issues that we will now work towards changing.
The experience of working with Meredith tenants was amazing. By being a Tenant myself, I was able to understand a lot of what the tenants talked about. This research was different to others, where it would be a professional coming to you with their own agenda and questions.
This works because we know our own. We know it’s more important to show respect and empathy. We know that tenants are more than a sum total of their problems. We also know their potential and their abilities. We know we are more than a box that some smart arsed professional puts us in.
That’s why it works through one cup of tea at time. Through building trust and having local knowledge.
It was amazing to see that change can happen quickly. Having the GP on site and a Money Mentor meant people accessed services they were finding hard to reach. Instantly benefits were applied for, and someone was able to see the doctor after suffering for years with a long term health condition.
Meredith is a culturally diverse community which brings amazing knowledge and different solutions to problems.
It’s been an absolute honour to work with Meredith. I can see already the shoots of change. I have already hear the stories, laughter, and a community determined to make change for all the residents in the block.
Big up Meredith! Our journey now begins.
Blog by Tina Cribbin, Hulme tenant and member of the Meredith Matters project team