Hanley, in Stoke-on-Trent, has been turned round by tenant participation. Stewart Fergusson describes how Touchstone Housing Association worked with its residents
Most housing associations have homes where tenants just don't want to live – perhaps because of fear of crime, or the area's negative image.

Of course housing associations cannot have empty homes, so, after making cosmetic improvements, other tenants are housed there. This results in low morale and high turnover. Does this sound familiar?

This money-losing and depressing situation must be common to almost every association. But there is a solution. It is not to do with money – it is to do with tenant involvement, and the good news is that it can work anywhere.

Touchstone came across an ideal opportunity to put its neighbourhood participation skills into practice when we dealt with a situation in Stoke-on-Trent.

The area concerned suffered from a terrible reputation. It comprised 57 Touchstone homes, 15 of them vacant.

Crime was rife, squatters flourished and drug dealers abounded. A number of the tenants did not, or could not, pay rent, and frequently moved on, abandoning their homes. It was time to act.

The top priority was to change the attitude of the people who lived in the area and the attitude of others towards it.

In line with the government's aim of allowing local people to support themselves, our tenants needed to be able to achieve change.

First, we held a tenants' meeting. Here it was agreed that, to promote a stable community, the most important objective would be to fill the vacant properties with people who wanted to stay. We agreed to initiate a local lettings plan, in which priority would be given to potential tenants with roots in the area.

At this meeting we also identified potential tenant leaders and recruited members of the first tenant action group for the area, which became the Hanley Group – it was made up exclusively of women.

It was now that we invested heavily in the project, as we laid the basis for a sustainable regeneration scheme.

We dedicated a member of staff to nurturing the group. Staff helped in forming an "action force", with policies and procedures, links with local resources and agencies – and access to local funding.

Once the foundations were laid, the results came quickly.

With squatters identified as a major problem, the group instituted the "lived in" project: members ensured that properties that became vacant still looked occupied.

Children learn new skills to use for the benefit of the community. Activities have included painting over graffiti and gardening

Abandoned furniture, supplemented with the group's own ornaments, was used to ensure that the houses remained homely, and residents even took turns to spend time in the properties during the evening.

Following on from this, the group set up a furniture recycling project. Instead of taking abandoned furniture to the dump, it was given to local families in need.

Next they tackled the situation on the streets. The "newspaper girl" project was aimed at changing the way people acted. To emphasise that menacing behaviour was not acceptable, the group accompanied a local girl who had suffered intimidation on her newspaper delivery round.

One problem remaining to be tackled was the conduct of local children. Many had little to do and, as a result, committed vandalism. To deal with this, the group asked Touchstone for a vacant property as a drop-in centre. So began "the project house".

Decorated and manned by the group's volunteers, the centre opens for two hours a day after school, four days a week. Now 30 children attend, enjoying the computer, pool table, a variety of creative activities and ample play space.

Emboldened by this, the group next linked up with Touchstone to initiate the "dream scheme".

This teaches children new skills to use for the benefit of the community, in return for points which can be used to buy outings. Activities have included painting over graffiti, litter-picking and gardening.

The results have been significant. As the reputation of the area has changed and our lettings plan has come into force, the number of void properties has gone down from 15 to just one, with no homes occupied by squatters. We even have a waiting list for the neighbourhood, something that would have been unimaginable two years ago.

The people that live there are attached to the area. They respect their homes, resulting – so far – in no turnover, no abandonment, and a low rate of rent arrears. Tenants' pride in the area means that they wish to stay.

If money problems crop up they tend to inform us in advance and take advantage of our financial assistance schemes.

Tenants have effectively become our ambassadors, discouraging bad behaviour and ensuring, in liaison with local agencies, that the streets are kept clean and free of graffiti and rubbish.

Overall, it is obvious that this locality has changed from the inside out. It is an approach that can be replicated in other neighbourhoods.

  It does not take a lot of money. What it does need is a dedicated tenant who can act as a local leader, and a member of the housing association's staff with the ability to develop a tenant association and a physical base for the group.