Our current Estate Walkabouts will now be known as Neighbourhood Walks, as part of a relaunch to encourage more people to get involved.
The Neighbourhood Walks will continue to take place on a quarterly basis and provide an opportunity for Gentoo and key stakeholders including Northumbria Police, Ward Councillors, and colleagues from Sunderland City Council to work together and proactively identify areas for improvement.
The walks are open to all customers and residents who live within the neighbourhood to come along and identify hot spots for fly tipping, address any concerns with the condition of the gardens, street lighting provision, footpaths, highway condition and review the communal area’s within the neighbourhood whether they are managed by Gentoo or the City Council, all things that contribute to the appearance and feel of a maintained and cared for neighbourhood.
Following the introduction of area-based working in 2023, the walks are attended by Gentoo colleagues from both the Housing and Property Teams. Gentoo believes this allows local customers and residents to get to know the teams that work within the neighbourhood and become familiar with any ongoing issues/problem areas.
Gentoo know not everyone who would like to attend the walks is able to, that’s why, as part of the relaunch, Gentoo is launching an online version of the Neighbourhood Walks. Those wanting to get involved and provide feedback on their neighbourhood can complete a walk within their own time and fill in the online feedback form. The completed feedback form will then be sent to the local Housing Team who will act where needed e.g. arrange for fly tipping to be removed if reported. The online form can be found by visiting: www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/NWform/
As part of the relaunch, Gentoo has published dates of the Neighbourhood Walks for the remainder of the calendar year on their website. You can find further information about the Neighbourhood Walks for 2024 and information about other ways of getting involved with Gentoo by visiting: www.gentoogroup.com/get-involved or calling in to the local housing office or requesting dates to be sent to you via email or in the post.
Susie Thompson, Executive Director of Housing at Gentoo said: “We are excited to relaunch the Neighbourhood Walks.
“The walks allow us to gain valuable feedback first hand that we can act upon and help make our neighbourhoods a better and safer place to live. We hope by launching an online version, we can encourage more customers and residents to get involved and have their voice heard.”
Cllr Claire Rowntree, Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet Member for Clean Green City, said: “We want everyone in Sunderland to feel safe and happy in their neighbourhoods and to be able to really take pride in their local area.
“The relaunched Neighbourhood Walks will give residents a chance to get more involved in their community and give them an opportunity to voice any concerns they have about their area to the people who can help make a difference.
“Bringing residents together with Gentoo, Northumbria Police, and the City Council will help us to strengthen our communities and I would encourage anyone with an interest to get involved.”
