Meet the Board: Joan Allen – bringing lived experience to the table

Meet the Board: Joan Allen – bringing lived experience to the table

We’ve launched our new Meet the Board campaign to help colleagues and customers get to know our Board.

It’s a monthly series giving you the opportunity to hear directly from the Citizen Board so you can find out about their roles, experiences, who they are, what they do and why it matters.

We sat down with Joan Allen to find out more about why she became involved in the Board and what makes her tick.

When did you first join the Citizen Board?

I moved into a Citizen property in 2001, and I got involved with some groups straight away. I didn’t get involved in the Board until much later. After a few years of supporting with the groups, there was an opportunity to get involved with the Board. Adverts went out, and I thought I’d go for it!

I thought that one of the things I could do if I was on the Board is to make sure that the voice of the customer was heard at the top level of the organisation. And I was successful, so here I am!

Why is championing the customer voice so important to you?

The voice of the customer needs to come right through to the Board because they shape the services that they are given. I wanted other customers to feel confident that the board was hearing what they had to say, and the Board gave me the encouragement to do so, and they were keen to listen.

That’s why the strapline Home is our foundation for life really spoke to me. It absolutely is. Your home can make you feel happy, secure and part of society, or it can make you miserable. It shapes your whole life.

Can you tell us a bit more about you?

I’m a retired teacher, which is funny because I work harder now than I did before I was retired! I enjoy gardening, arts and crafts, the occasional game of bingo– and spoiling my gorgeous ginger cat, Mr. Mango. I feed him smoked salmon, my children think I’m crazy but he’s my baby.

What’s the most rewarding part of being on the Board?

Making a difference. Making people, feel that they are valued, giving them back their dignity. There is an awful stigma that goes with people living in social housing. It’s followed me right through when I when I first became a tenant, and it hasn’t stopped. Things have improved slightly, but you still have a stigma, that people that live in social housing don’t have high expectations that they are okay with anything, but that simply isn’t true.

What’s one decision or project that you’re really proud of?

It has to be the Citizen Local Fund, it’s such a great initiative. It gives local groups a chance to do something positive in their area. I’d never even heard of anything like that before Citizen – and the way the Customer Engagement Team supports people to get involved is brilliant. They meet people and help them grow in confidence.

I’ve also been volunteering my time at the Gateway to run cooking classes for customers. Although I’m a retired teacher, I’m passionate about sharing my skills. I want to help people moving on from homelessness learn the basics – how to cook and how to manage at home – so they can sustain their tenancy. That’s what I used to teach, and it still means a lot to me.

What’s your advice to anyone thinking about getting involved with the Board?

Have a go. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to give. There’s support every step of the way, and your experience matters. If you’ve lived it, you can help shape it.

Watch the full interview with Joan below:

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