Welcome letter
Thank you for your interest in joining Arhag’s board. Arhag was founded in 1979 as “African refugee housing action group” initially to provide housing and support to migrants and refugees, primarily from Africa. Over the last 44 years Arhag has grown substantially. Today, Arhag manages over 900 homes primarily in east and north London. Operating in fourteen London boroughs Arhag provides homes for residents from a wide range of communities that reflects London’s cultural and ethnic diversity. Alongside the provision of social housing, Arhag continues to champion the rights of all migrants and refugees. We provide a supported housing scheme for refugees and work in partnership with a range of migrant and refugee voluntary organisations, some of which are based in our office in Stratford, East London.
As part of our succession planning, we are now looking for two new board members.
The first role is for Chair of Audit and Risk Committee (ARC), and for this role we are looking for someone who has senior experience in social housing finance and risk; and ideally with experience of chairing a committee.
The second role is for a Resident Board Member, and for this you will need to have a strong connection with Arhag residents, the wider community, and an ability to contribute your experience and insight.
We’re committed to ensuring that all our board members have access to training and development opportunities. There will be individual and collective training, as well as the opportunity to attend conferences. A full induction programme will also be in place.
Arhag has an experienced and effective staff team, led by our Chief Executive, Chris Harris, and we have a strong and committed board. Over the last eighteen months we have made good progress in developing our services further by appointing a new repairs contractor, implementing new policies on equality, diversity and inclusion, complaint handling and people and culture.
However, we are not complacent and recognise that there is more to do to improve and develop our services for residents and migrants and refugees, and as such we have agreed on the following four key priorities:
- To engage with our residents and other key stakeholders
- To develop our asset management approach and strategy
- To ensure the integrity of our data
- To achieve operational excellence
Integral to achieving these priorities is our approach to equality, diversity and inclusion and our support for staff. These will form the basis of our corporate strategy for the next three years.
This is an exciting time for Arhag and for you to consider joining our board. We are an ambitious organisation with a strong social purpose and values and are committed to supporting migrants and refugees. We are looking for board members who are passionate about making a contribution for Arhag to continue its progress in delivering excellent social housing services and supporting the rights or migrants and refugees.
Reena Purchase. Board Chair.