Extracts from the
Annual Report 1999/2000

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

"Being a Co-operative - it's a matter of principle"

Over the past twelve months Alamo has been reviewing its future role as it attempts to grapple with the stiff challenges ahead. In addressing the future we have given regard to our founding principles as the theme of our annual report for this first year of the millennium.Top of the page

Ist PRINCIPLE: Membership of a Co-operative should be voluntary and open without restriction or discrimination Over the past year Alamo has continued with its trend towards offering membership to all people in need from a wide range of sources. For example new Alamo members may have joined us this year because they are escaping domestic violence in Islington or fleeing political persecution in Central Africa. They may be gay or lesbian and require housing in a shared household that is sensitive to their needs or they may be alone in London from overseas and need the fellowship and support of our co-operative. Whatever their race, nationality, gender or sexuality, Alamo has made every effort to offer them a home where other providers have failed. In 1998 Alamo made it clear that it needed to redress the imbalance in the ethnic backgrounds of its membership and to update its Allocations Policy in order to comply with the Commission for Racial Equality Code of Practice on Rented Housing. As a consequence we have seen a continued progression towards our aim of having a membership that fairly represents the community in which we operate. The following chart illustrates our performance in this area for the period 1999/2000.

2nd PRINCIPLE: Co-operatives should be democratically administered by persons appointed or elected by and accountable to the members. Alamo's affairs are governed by a democratically elected Management Committee which in turn manages and oversees the work of the Co-operatives staff team. This year fourteen people voluntarily gave of their time to serve on the Committee, three of whom were co-opted by the elected members. Five General Meetings were held during the year, at which issues of concern to the membership were discussed. In October 1999 Councillor Milton Babulall, a great friend of Alamo and the co-operative movement, died suddenly. He served on the Committee for only a year but his wisdom and calm influence made a lasting impact on us all. This year there were fourteen members serving on Committee.

3rd PRINCIPLE Member Economic Participation .Each member of Alamo holds a £1 share; the primary purpose of share ownership is to promote democracy and accountability. Therefore no interest is paid to members. Value is distributed to members by the Co-operatives efforts in keeping rents affordable and improving services. In 2000 the membership endorsed the Committees decision to set a nil rent increase for the forthcoming year despite an increase of 15% in the levy charges set by Islington Council. Top of the page

4th PRINCIPLE Autonomy and Independence. Since its birth Alamo has operated independently, free from the influence of funders, regulators and Government. It is, however, acutely aware of the need to look outwards as it faces the future. Subsequently this year we have been actively engaging other democratic organisations with a view to initiating closer working relationships. Should Alamo seek to work as a partner or as part of a larger group structure in the future then it will do so on the basis that tenant control will remain as our overriding core value.

5th PRINCIPLE Co-ops should make provision for the education and training of members, officers and staff Alamo has recognised that, in order to respond to the changing needs of the organisation and the increasing demands placed on staff and Committee, better levels of training are required. This year we have been forced to make budget savings in all areas due to the rises in levy and landlords costs. The one area where expenditure has increased however has been training. In the past year we have increased our training expenditure to £4,225; this was a doubling of the investment in training over the previous year. About one third of this money was allocated to Committee training. Members considering serving on the Committee should be aware that Alamo does offer opportunities for learning in return for service.

6th PRINCIPLE Co-operation amongst Co-operatives Alamo has been a leading player within the short-life movement assisting the London Short-life Housing Federation in its lobbying and influencing roles. This has led to the investigation of initiatives such as: ¥ Setting up a performance benchmarking club ¥ Investigating the setting up of a common waiting list. ¥ Investigating the sharing of services and merger. As a member of the Confederation of Co-operative Housing Alamo sent delegates to their National Conference at the UK Co-operative College where it promoted Shortlife housing as a solution to the scandal of empty homes. Towards the end of the year Alamo delegates took part in the International Co-operative Housing Conference in Glasgow where much was learnt about the co-operative housing solutions employed throughout Europe, India, Canada and most notably in Scotland. In the latter part of the year we took part in a most pleasing project which involved co-operation with CDS Co-operatives and our near neighbours in Islington (Blacksheep, Redbrick, and Unit 11 Housing Co-ops) This was the Short-life Arts Project, which celebrated 20 years of artistic contribution and achievement by short-life members in Islington.Top of the page

7th PRINCIPLE Concern for the Community Throughout the year Alamo has continued to be a good neighbour in the communities where it operates. This is particularly evident on estates that are awaiting regeneration. In such circumstances our members have occupied and maintained properties that would otherwise become targets for vandals, arsonists or squatters. This vital role has brought relief to communities who have to bear the brunt of the problems that are associated with empty and neglected properties. Our role in these communities sometimes goes unrecognised by landlords who can expend significant resources on site security, repairs, disinfestation and legal costs by keeping property empty. Fortunately partners such as Circle 33 Housing Trust and Peabody Trust recognise the value we can add to the local community. We look forward to our new partnership arrangement with the Guinness Trust in the forthcoming year. In conclusion I should like to thank all my colleagues on the Management Committee, and those members who have volunteered to help, advise and support the co-operative over the past twelve months. My thanks also go to the staff team who have responded well to the need for cost-effectiveness and flexibility in the competitive environment within which we work. It is my hope that we can continue to offer homes and fellowship to people who have no other options in the distorted housing market which currently prevails in London. We have faced and have overcome many challenges to date. I am confident we will have a role in the forthcoming years and will continue to contribute to the provision of affordable housing in London for people who have no other choices. Top of the page

WHO DO WE HOUSE?
During the latter part of the year Alamo carried out a survey of its membership in order to determine just what type of people Alamo provides housing for. Some 169 members responded to the survey, which represents 30% of the membership: the results were encouraging in that the profile of the membership very much reflected the target groups we are hoping to provide solutions for, namely:- Single people or childless couples whose domestic status excludes them from social forms of housing and whose income excludes them from the private sector solutions.

• Equal Opportunities Results
  The survey revealed that 51% of members are male and 49% female. Five respondents described their gender as other. The sexuality of the membership is represent in the following table;- Hetero sexual 55% Gay Men 14% Lesbian 14% Bi-sexual 14% Other 3% In 1998 Alamo set out to improve its performance on racial equality within allocations. Consequently over the past two years we have been encouraged by the increasing number of black and minority ethnic members who have joined the co-op since 1998. However when these figures are compared to the results of the survey there are further questions that need to be asked. It may be the case that since many of our new members are asylum seekers and refugees they may be less willing to complete questionnaires in a foreign language.
• Domestic status
  Single people and childless couples have few or no rights under the provisions of the various Housing Acts hence Alamo and shortlife housing are a valuable resource for these people. The following tale illustrate the domestic status of the membership
• Age
  Most Alamo members are between the ages of 25 and 39 years old. The average length of membership is 4.6 years. New Members Ethnicity since 1998 Survey Results African 9 4 Asian 8 4 Black British 10 5 Caribbean 7 3 Irish 12 10 Latin American 15 9 Other 20 18 Other European 17 14 White British 62 102 Total 160 169 Domestic Status % Frequency Single No Children 66 Couple No Children 15 Single with Children and Custody 6 Couple with Children and Custody 5 Single with Children but no Custody 3 Couple with Children but no Custody Top of the page
• Income and Employment Status
  Of those who responded some 65% are economically active or in training\studies. The most significant employment groups are in arts, media, education and leisure services. The modal income group earns between £750 and £1000 per calendar month. These findings support the view that Alamo provides an affordable housing option enabling people in low paid occupations to sustain their economic contribution to the community without recourse to welfare benefits.

• Affordability
  If the rent is 25% or less than the gross income of a tenant it can be deemed as affordable, so how do the Alamo rents stack up when compared against the income members earn? The following illustration gives us some insights. It is evident from our findings that the earnings threshold with rents set at £50 per week is a monthly wage of £850. Only 60% of those surveyed fall within the parameters of affordability if Alamo rents are maintained at current levels. If one applies a typical rent in the private sector in London of £140 per week then affordability is reduced to a mere 3.5% of those members surveyed. To conclude, our findings confirm that Alamo is providing much needed sources of affordable housing for an otherwise excluded group. Until other forms of affordable housing are provided for this group then Alamo will strive along with other shortlife providers to continue to serve the communities in which they operate. Top of the page

HOW WE PERFORMED