Integration and Cohesion

Community cohesion is about making all sections of the community feel that they belong.

This includes:

• people from different ethnic backgrounds
• people with disabilities
• people of all age groups
• people from the lesbian, gay and transgender communities

We want everyone to feel welcome on Stevenage Homes estates and are working to make sure everyone has the same opportunities and access to council services. We will work closely with Stevenage Borough Council and the Local Strategic Partnership to achieve this.

We have incorporated Community Cohesion into the Equality and Diversity Strategy and Action Plan 2008-2012 (follow the links from Equality and Diversity Strategy and Action Plan ).

We will:

• make sure staff are trained on community cohesion
• update our harassment and asb policies in light of community cohesion requirements
• maintain third party reporting centres across Stevenage to address under- reporting of racial incidents
• ensure new tenants are properly welcomed
• improve consultation and engagement with faith, community and voluntary organisations
• promote and coordinate cross borough play schemes and youth activities
• seek stronger engagement with young people
• promote community cohesion via staff and tenant newsletters
• develop proactive media and communication strategies to dispel myths that are divisive and harmful to good community relations
• establish links with gay and lesbian organisations to ensure the needs of gay and lesbian tenants and leaseholders are being met
• produce a strategy for the travelling communities

Integration and cohesion are two different processes. Cohesion is principally the process that must happen in all communities to ensure different groups of people get on well together; while integration is principally the process that ensures new residents and existing residents adapt to one another. Different communities will have different relationships between existing residents; and differing levels of new residents arriving.

So our view is that the two processes go on side by side, and that they interact with one another as local communities experience change and develop a shared future together. We also want to make clear that cohesion is not just about race and faith, and that integration in particular is not about assimilation.

A new definition of integration and cohesion must include a strong recognition of the contribution of both those who have newly arrived and those who already have deep attachments to a particular place, with a focus on what they have in common.

Strong and positive relationships between people from different backgrounds in the workplace, in schools and other institutions within neighbourhoods.

Our Shared Future, Commission on Integration and Cohesion (2007) which Stevenage Homes share the same values and principles.