Here's an idea

Five months ago Eastern Valley Housing Association brought in a text messaging service that allows tenants to get in touch without having to say a word. It adds to the number of ways they can contact us.

We bought a new mobile phone, at very little cost, and dedicated its use to receiving tenants' texts.

We advertised the phone's number in our newsletters and on posters in the area.

Any kind of relevant query can be sent: it might be a problem with a neighbour, a blocked drain or urgent repair work.

Housing officers take it in turns to carry the phone. Whenever a message is received, they either call back immediately to deal with the query or arrange for the most relevant person to handle it.

Texting is cheaper than making a call and is an easy way to keep in touch when you are in a situation where it might be difficult to talk.

Most people own a mobile phone, so the majority of our tenants should be able to use the service.

Take-up has been slow – we tend to get one or two text queries a week – but is gradually increasing. We hope it will be used more often as people become familiar with the service. A more memorable number might also make it more popular.