A SOCIAL housing company has been praised by the Home Office.

Staff members and customers of East Durham Homes (EDH), based in Peterlee, met with Home Office officials to discuss their work to reduce anti-social behaviour.

The company, which manages 8,500 homes across east Durham, gained special recognition for its buddying programme in which customers volunteer to provide one-on-one support for victims of anti-social behaviour.

Buddying volunteers are trained by the Victim Support charity to give emotional and practical assistance to those involved in severe cases.

Other initiatives which were commended were the company’s customer feedback surveys, restorative approaches and Community Alcohol Partnership tackling underage drinking.

Paul Mains, EDH chief executive, said: “We’re extremely proud of the hard work of our enforcement team and we’re delighted to be recognised by the Home Office.

“We are dedicated to regenerating estates and communities and we will continue to employ innovative approaches and work with a range of partners and our customers to tackle anti-social behaviour.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “This event has been really useful to gain a better understanding of the practical aspects of dealing with anti-social behaviour along with the policy.

The day was enjoyable and very informative, so thank you to East Durham Homes and their partners for taking the time and effort to make the event so worthwhile.”