Poplar HARCA
Workshops and facilitation / Resident engagement / Strategy / Copywriting
Project:
Community panel - ASB strategy
Client:
Poplar HARCA
Weave Communications was appointed to design and deliver a resident engagement project by Poplar HARCA, to review the housing association’s approach to antisocial and nuisance behaviour.
While resident satisfaction with antisocial behaviour is strong (85% in 2024, compared to a national average for tenants of 57%) the community safety team wanted to involve and engage residents in their review and refresh of this critical housing management policy.
Acting as independent consultants, we worked with the London housing association, a panel of five residents and representatives from HARCA’s community safety and resident engagement teams over three months in summer 2025.
Weave designed and delivered four creative and collaborative in person workshops. These were bespoke and considered, steering the resident panel through the process of evaluating the current policy and approach. The workshops included exercises and activities for the panel to:
define the brief and scope of their work, identifying the information, expertise and data they would need to scrutinise the ASB policy and wider context
support to identify key stakeholders and organisations to meet with, and help to prepare for these conversations
complete their evaluation of the existing policy and wider strategy in the context of the legal, regulatory and social landscape
identify, articulate and ratify their findings, conclusions and recommendations.
We guided the panel throughout the process, providing challenge and steer where helpful, without compromising their independence. The workshops and independent exercises and research were designed to break down complex themes, legal context and structures and to balance these against the residents’ experiences and knowledge of the local community and HARCA’s strategic priorities and regulatory responsibilities.
Feedback from the panel was positive and they described the process as ‘thought provoking, insightful and enjoyable.’ The initial outcomes of the project include:
8 core priorities for HARCA’s ASB policy and wider approach
31 recommendations to improve Poplar HARCA’s ASB policy
10 further recommendations to improve communications and community engagement around the policy
A nuanced and robust final report – defined by the panel and written by weave communications.
The panel’s findings and recommendations will directly influence HARCA’s new ASB policy and the panel will be involved in this process.
“Working with Weave on the ASB Resident Panel was a genuinely refreshing experience and I would absolutely recommend Sarah to other organisations looking for thoughtful, resident-centred facilitation and strategic communications support.
Sarah’s ability to balance structure with creativity was impressive and she brought a clear framework to the project while allowing space for resident voices to shape the process and outcomes.
Her facilitation style was inclusive and empowering, and she quickly built trust with both residents and colleagues. Sarah demonstrated a deep understanding of our priorities from the outset and and tailored her support to ensure the panel’s objectives were met.
Our work with Weave not only strengthened our ASB policy review but has also enhanced our confidence in co-producing future policies and strategies with our community.”
