About advocacy
Advocacy means getting support to help you:
- say what you want to say
- understand your rights
- make choices
- get the services and support you need
Your rights
All tenants and people applying for housing have the right to bring an advocate or representative to any meeting or conversation about landlord services.
An advocate is someone who speaks with you or for you to make sure your voice is heard and respected when talking to services or organisations.
They can help you:
- understand information
- help make decisions
- help get you any support you need
You have the right to:
- choose someone to act as your advocate
- expect advocacy services to be independent, confidential, and free
- be listened to and have your choices respected and represented
- have an advocate act only with your permission
Our commitment
We want everyone to get person-centred support.
We are committed to supporting:
- tenants
- people applying for housing
- residents affected by estate regeneration
To make sure we deliver this support, we will:
- allow you to have an advocate or representative when speaking with City Housing services
- make information about advocacy easy to find on our website
- record details of your chosen advocate for as long as you want us to
- refer you to the Birmingham Advocacy Hub if you cannot make important decisions and have no one who can help
- create clear guidance about advocacy for all City Housing staff
Types of advocacy
- Informal advocacy – Support from family, friends, or carers.
- Community advocacy – Help from local groups or charities.
- Citizen advocacy – A group of people with shared experiences speaking up together.
- Peer advocacy – Support from someone with similar lived experience.
- Specialist advocacy – For people with specific needs, for example, mental health, learning disabilities.
Page last updated: 30 January 2026
