We have joined a national campaign to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) and keep people in our homes and neighbourhoods safe. Running from November 18 - 24, ASB Awareness Week 2024 aims to encourage communities to take a stand against ASB and highlight the actions that can be taken by those experiencing it.
Last year, 370 new ASB cases were reported to us with the top reported cases involving criminal activity, unacceptable behaviour to staff, drugs and assault. Action taken included 10 evictions, 91 Notice of Seeking Possession, 95 Pre-Notice of Seeking Possession and 33 Community Protection Notices working in partnership with Northumbria Police and Sunderland City Council.
Louise Bassett, Chief Executive Officer, said: “At Gentoo, the safety and wellbeing of our customers and residents is our priority. We take prompt, appropriate, proportionate and decisive action to deal with ASB, striking a balance between prevention measures and early intervention plus support and enforcement.
“Our experience has shown us that working with partners is essential to reduce ASB and make people feel safer and more secure. One of our top priorities is to help our communities thrive and as part of that we are committed to working with Sunderland City Council, the police, health providers and other agencies to reduce ASB in our neighbourhoods and communities.”
As part of our placemaking activities, we work in partnership with different stakeholders, including local communities and schools, Northumbria Police, Sunderland City Council and the voluntary and community sector. Projects include Hetton Aspirations Linking Opportunities (HALO), Southwick Altogether Raising Aspirations (SARA) and Sunderland Altogether Improving Lives (SAIL) which were set up to work with local communities and help build a sense of ownership and pride in the area at the same time as tackling a range of issues including anti-social and criminal behaviour, environmental crime, unemployment and poor mental health.
Over the last year, we have been part of successful partnership work including tackling ASB around bonfire night as part of the Darker Nights campaign, tackling motorcycle disorder and youth disorder citywide and installing security fencing and A-frames to reduce ASB and motorbike disorder, to name just a few.
Earlier this year, we were inspected by the Regulator of Social Housing and awarded the highest grading of C1 for delivering the outcomes of the Consumer Standards. In its regulatory judgement, the Regulator said it was assured that Gentoo works with partners to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour in our neighbourhoods and saw evidence of how we have engaged with our Customer Committee and scrutiny panel to review our approach for reporting anti-social behaviour and hate crime incidents.
YouGov research commissioned by Resolve, the UK’s leading ASB and community safety organisation, found that almost 1 in 5 people have had to consider moving home because of the impact ASB was having on them; 1 in 10 have actually moved. Despite this, over half of those surveyed who were either a victim or witness of ASB did not report the ASB.
We are urging customers not to suffer in silence if they are experiencing ASB. To report ASB, you can:
- call us on 0191 525 5000 and select option 4 or 0800 028 4445
- fill in an online form at www.gentoogroup.com/ASB
- visit your local Gentoo office
- send us a message on Facebook
If you need urgent support or are in an emergency, you can call the police on 999 or 101.
Rebecca Bryant OBE, Chief Executive of Resolve added:
“ASB is not low-level. It can have a devastating and long-lasting impact on the lives of victims and communities and can be a precursor to more serious crime.
“It is important that the challenge of ASB continues to be given the priority it needs so that people everywhere feel safe in their homes and communities.
“We are delighted that Gentoo Group is supporting this hugely important campaign. It is vital to develop partnership approaches across communities to deal with the growing challenges around ASB.”
For more information on how to report ASB or how we can help, visit www.gentoogroup.com/ASB
For more information about ASB Awareness Week visit www.resolveuk.org.uk
