The house that Jack built

Spare time on your hands? Interested in learning about Hull Housing and making a difference? Meet Jack Ford - at 82, avery active council tenant who did exactly that.

He says: "If you don't get involved, how can you expect things to change? "It's easy to sit back and moan about the way things are, but I wanted to have theright impression of the council, not the wrong one," says Jack.

"To do that I needed to learn about how things work and how this affects what happens where I live."

Jack joined a Decent Homes ServiceImprovement Group, run by Hull Housing, which meets every month. Being part of the group gives him achance to have a say on the programmeto bring every council house in the cityup to the government's Decent Homes Standard. It's a programme which will see a total of £189 million being spent for the entire project - so that's a lot of responsibility.

Once his morning's work is finished, Jack pops back home to Bilton Grange for some lunch. But he is soon on the move again.

"I have just started the Tenants' Housing Academy, and so back I come into the city centre for my evening class at Hull College.

"The Academy is a great way of finding out even more things about the housing service," says Jack.

Building on his experiences, Jack had the confidence to join his local tenants and residents'association in Bilton Grange. He feels able to help other localtenants have a say in their housing. "I was delighted when, after only sixmonths, I was asked to become chair ofthe group. We usually have around 70 people at each meeting, and with all the things I now know, it helps me to answerother people's questions.

"That is the great thing about being a tenant representative. It gives you the chance to get to the people that countand make your voice heard. The house that Jack built. If you don't get involved, howcan you expect things tochange?" - Jack Ford.

Tenants and Residents'Associations(TARAs) play a vital role across the city and are the eyes, ears and voiceof local communities. If you would like to join or start a tenants and residents'association,Hull United Residents and Tenants(HURAT) can help. For moreinformation, call 331313 or email r.turner@hurat.org.uk