About People First

People First Housing Association was formed in 1993 when a group of residents in Hulme, Manchester decided to take control of the future of their tenancies.

By April 1995 the association was managing its first properties and by January 1996 it had achieved registration with the Housing Corporation.

The association now owns and manages in the region of 300 properties of various sizes in Hulme and its tenants are encouraged to get actively involved in making decisions about the future of People First and their homes by becoming Board members or helping with policy reviews. People First also provides and manages temporary accommodation for households presenting as homeless in partnership with Vale Royal council.

People First also operates an established and well-respected Community Support Service operating across four local authorities, working with vulnerable people who have a range of needs.

Organisational Chart

People First is proud of the organic growth it has achieved throughout its history. We now run several different services across four local authority areas. Click on the tree to view our organisational chart, which shows who does what.

Board of Management

People First is governed by a Board of Management made up of tenants and professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to ensure the association is managed effectively. The Board meets at least six times each year to examine papers prepared by the Executive Team on strategic issues of importance. People First is one of a handful of associations which encourage tenants to be actively involved through membership of the Board of Management.

Adrian Lohrey, CHAIR

Tenant
Insurance Arranger, Age Concern
Board member since 1993

"I came to Manchester in 1979 to study at the then Polytechnic. I moved into Hulme in the following year and have lived in the area for 27 years.  I was involved in the first discussions about the redevelopment of the area and the establishment of a community based Housing Association. People First was born out of this renewal process and has grown since then.  I am pleased with the progress the Association has made in the intervening period.  I hope the community will continue to support us as they have in the past."

Cym D'Souza, TREASURER

Chief Executive, Arawak Walton HA
Board Member since 1994
"I have been involved in social housing since 1987 and am committed to tenant empowerment.  It is essential that People First as a tenant-led association, remains successful and viable.  I can bring skills and experience to the Board to assist the association in achieving its aims and objectives. As a Chief Executive of a relatively small and new housing association, I understand the many challenges associated with running an organisation like People First. In addition, as a qualified Chartered Accountant, I have financial skills that can be utilised by the association’s Chief Executive and Board Members."

John Hepplestone

Solicitor
Board Member since 1995
John has been a valued member of People First HA since 1995.  He is a Manchester man, born and bred.  He has worked in the City for more than 25 years as a solicitor dealing with commercial property. His work brings him into contact with the private side of the housing industry. He finds this experience useful in his work with People First.  The public sector, with its particular constraints, provides a completely different perspective, which he finds fascinating.

Andrew Armstrong

Tenant
Lecturer, City College Manchester
Board member since 2002
Having served on People First's Board of Management since 2002, Andrew is also one of the association's tenants, whose connections to Hulme date back to 1987 and the regeneration of the area. He brings to the Board a keen interest in local housing and social issues and experience of working with young people and those with disabilities in education and the community.

Lisa Purchase

Lead Manager for Supported Housing, St. Vincent's HA
Board Member since 2003
Lisa brings to the Board her experience of 14 years in the housing sector.  Currently the Supported Services Manager for St. Vincent’s Housing Association with responsibility for all of the Supported Housing Services including the Manchester Foyer and having witnessed the regeneration of the area as a local resident, she has a clear understanding of the history and development of Hulme.

Angela Davies

Tenant
Board Member since: 2005
"I have been a resident in Hulme for twelve years now and have served on the Board for the last two.  I am very interested in local issues and am proud to be able to represent the tenants’ perspective at Board meetings. I also feel that there is much more that I can learn about the running of the association and its influence on the area and I believe the insight and understanding I can gain will help the local community in the long run. I would therefore like to stand for re-election."

Siobhan Drugan

Research Centre Operational Manager , Manchester University
Board Member since 2006
Siobhan has vast experience in management, administration and finance gained in the education and hospitality sectors. Currently the Operational Manager of a Research Centre within Manchester University Siobhan is responsible for the day to day running of the centre and oversees financial budgets, prepares forecasts and assists with applications for projects and grants.

Iain Todd

Former tenant
Architect
Board member since 2007
"I have been a resident with People First for nearly two years. During this time I was asked to participate in a resident review panel. The review looked at resident involvement with People First, and after meeting a number of times, to discuss this question, a proposal was put together. I enjoyed working with other residents and I was very pleased to see that People First do ‘as it says on the tin’ put their residents first. I strongly believe that People First are working hard to do more than manage housing, they are providing homes, which in turn is creating a community. This is an important role that I fully support, and I am happy to give my time to help People First continue their work."

Shareholders

All tenants of People First (and Hulme residents who can give a valid reason) can apply for membership of the association by purchasing a share for £1and completing an application form, which is then considered by the Board of Management. Members of the association are called upon to attend General Meetings and are able to apply to become Board Members. If you wish to become a shareholder please go to the contact us page for ways of getting in touch and address your query to Linda Paterson.

The roots of the the association in Hulme

Our Chair, Adrian Lohrey, is a tenant of People First and has lived in Hulme for over 10 years. Here is his account of the the story of People First.

"People First grew out of the redevelopment of the Hulme district of Manchester. This was proposed by the government in the early 1990s.  It was decided that the existing council housing stock was to be demolished and replaced by a mix of social housing and homes for sale. The social housing was to be owned and managed by established housing associations (HAs).  The government also wanted to have a community based housing association, which would involve local people in it decision making processes.

People First was initially set up by a group of local people, who wanted to establish this community based housing association.  The main difference between People First and all of the other social landlords was that tenants would form a majority on the Board allowing them to be involved in the decision making process.  The ethos of this association was to actively involve tenants in these processes at whatever level they were happy with."

The early years

"In the early years People First was run by a voluntary committee of local people with guidance from a partner association, i.e. Manchester and District HA.   At this time People First was not actually managing any properties and employed no staff.  This service was carried out by North British HA, who managed 83 properties for just under a year.  During this period the association’s progress was also being monitored by the Housing Corporation, which oversees the work of all social landlords.

The most important milestone for the association came in 1996 when the Housing Corporation agreed to the registration of People First as a fully fledged Housing Association.  This was vital as only with registration could the HA take on a loan to buy its properties.  This was a very important step as small HAs like People First are less economically viable. At the time we managed only 200 properties."

Progress since 1995

"The association has gone from strength to strength since 1995.  The number of staff employed by People First has grown to over 50. We are now involved in working with 4 local authorities across the North West providing support to vulnerable people with a range of needs. This growth in the business has been essential in securing our longer term viability and has led to significant growth in the number of employees.  This work is vital in helping the association to continue growing and employing staff to make People First run efficiently.

 We have not lost our focus on the local community in Hulme. We are still striving to actively involve local people in the decisions we take regarding their housing and other issues.  Our commitment has been and will remain to continue this work."  

People First milestones

1993: Spurred by the political changes inducing a new phase in Hulme's history, a group of local residents decide to unite their efforts and form People First.

1995: People First opens an office in Hulme to manage its first properties. Kulbinder Kang (now Chief Executive) is appointed as its first and only employee.

1996 People First registers with the Housing Corporation and is recognised as a social landlord.

1997 The association buys its first 201 properties.

2002 People First diversifies its work with the creation of the Community Support Service in Manchester, supporting people with mental health issues. Later that year, the homelessness project launched in Tameside.

2003 People First starts supporting young people in Vale Royal and Asian women in Rochdale.

2005 People First pilots a service for Irish men with issues around alcohol misuse and/or homelessness in Manchester.

2006 People First celebrates its tenth year as a Registered Provider.

2006 People First starts providing and managing temporary accommodation in Vale Royal.

2007 People First starts supporting young people in Tameside. Later that year, the Early Intervention service is launched in Manchester

2009 People First launches befriending services in Rochdale and Tameside.

Investor In People

People First undergoes an Investors in People review at regular intervals.  We passed our 2008 review with flying colours.  In the report, the assessor stated:

"People First exists to ensure that its service users and tenants are empowered to access opportunities and services that will improve their lives.  This commitment to equality of opportunity runs through the whole organisation and is applied to staff as well as customers."

18 from the 52 members of staff were interviewed in May 2008.  Here is one of the quotes from staff the assessor chose to put in the report:

"The whole organisation is about putting people first – whether that is through helping them with drug addiction, supporting them to maintain their tenancy or helping them to gain housing and employment after leaving prison.  We help people to help themselves."

The assessor notes that this ethos also extends to the treatment of staff at People First:

"There is an open and relaxed approach within the business, that encourages people to try things, take ownership of their roles, and sometimes, take risks, in order to achieve the desired outcomes.  Everyone interviewed feels that they are trusted, have autonomy and decision making responsibility within their roles."

10 year Anniversary Celebrations

In 2006 People First Board members, staff and special guests celebrated in style in Castlefield at an event marking the association's tenth year as a registered social landlord. People First's registration with the Housing Corporation in 1996 was the culmination of mammoth efforts by a handful of local residents and the then newly appointed Chief Executive Kulbinder Kang to secure the future of what is still one of a handful associations in the country, which are community based and governed by its tenants.

Ten years later during the celebrations People First had over 40 staff (and now has more than fifty) working in four offices to provide community support services to vulnerable people, as well as managing its own properties in Hulme and managing temporary accommodation in partnership with Vale Royal Council for households presenting as homeless.

The evening's entertainment included performances from the talented Emma Black - one of the association's tenants - as well as a jazz quartet headed by People First's IT consultant, Dave Harrison.

People First tenants also joined in the celebrations. The Housing Management team put on a meal at the Sanam restaurant in Rusholme, which was attended by around 100 tenants, friends and family. Uncharacteristically of such events there were no long speeches, just a short welcome by the Chair and Chief Executive and a picture presentation of key moments in People First's history.

To mark the event, People First issued a commemorative booklet, The Power of 10. In it, we asked people - our tenants, staff and service users - what ten meant to them. Their responses were honest, original, sometimes a little quirky, but always unique.