Spring newsletter 2022

SPRING

2022

Carrick Street, Ayr If you’ve passed by recently you’ll have noticed a change in the streetscape with the steel frame taking shape. Our contractor JR has been busy erecting the frame with the floor installation due in the coming weeks.

North East Troon Cruden, our contractors are progressing well on site with the first batch of homes scheduled for handover in early April. The homes sitting along Commonwealth Drive look great and we can’t wait to welcome our new tenants!

The full development of 52 homes is expected to be finished by the end of 2022.

When finished in January 2023 this new development will comprise of 31 one and two bed flats, designed to suit the needs of older and disabled households.

Carrick Street

Troon Troon

We are getting ready to open our doors to our tenants over the coming weeks. Initially this will be by appointment only. We understand that many of you will still be hesitant about coming into the office and we have lots of alternative ways that you can get in touch.

Call: 01292 880120 (option 1 for repairs and 2 for reception).

Email: info@ayrshirehousing.org.uk My Home: www.ayrshirehousing.org.uk/ your-home/ You can also message us through our Facebook and Twitter pages: @ayrshirehousing

Have you registered with

MY HOME

to access your secure digital online tenant account?

Secure access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Pay your rent & view your rent account Report a repair Manage your tenancy online

Send and receive documents Take part in surveys

Repairs Satisfaction Surveys on My Home Were you happy with your recent repair?

Let us know…

Log in to My Home Go to the My Repairs panel My Repairs History

Click on the grey speech bubble next to the repair

Log your feedback My Home is safe and secure. No bank details are held on My Home and payments are made through a secure online gateway. You can register through our website www.ayrshirehousing.org.uk, or you can request an email link which is valid for 24 hours.

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We are almost ready to welcome our tenants and communities to our new venue, The Local.

The Local is a bright and airy space with a flexible layout which can be hired for an affordable charge by local community groups. Our town centre location and accessible features make the Local a welcome addition to Ayr’s event spaces.

COMING SOON

If you would like more information about our new public spaces please contact Shonya on 01292 880120 or email s.mcginlay@ayrshirehousing.org.uk

Our improved space also includes a new reception area and three interview rooms which will be used for face-to-face meetings where we can provide advice and guidance to our tenants. We also have some drop-in pc’s which will be free to use. We hope these will encourage our tenants to get online or learn basic IT skills.

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Consulting with you

Our Board recently No increase 24% approved a 4.5% increase in rents following a Increase below 14% consultation with tenants. 4.5% We wrote to all our tenants Increase at 4.5% 62% in December asking for your views on this. We received 110 responses and the results are noted in the above table.

The decision to increase our rents was not taken lightly and we realise that many of you are facing more financial pressures than ever. However, if we did not increase the rents or increased them at a lower level than 4.5%, then we would not be able to continue maintaining your houses or building new ones.

If you are struggling to manage your finances we can help.

Contact your housing officer or our dedicated money advice team for assistance. You can find contact details on our website: www.ayrshirehousing.org.uk or give us a call on 01292 880120.

Congratulations to the following tenants whose names were picked in our prize draw. Each won a £25 voucher: Martha McClung, Kevin Helton, Helen Coughtrie, Muriel Hendrie and Ashley McGill.

After many years’ service we are sorry to be losing housing officer, Marie Brown (right). Marie has been a very valued member of our staff. Her contribution and dedication to Ayrshire Housing has been immense and we wish her all the very best for the future.

We would also like to wish finance assistant, Ainslie Wyllie (left) all the very best when she retires at the end of April. Ainslie has been a great asset and a valued colleague during her 21 years with the association. Kirsten Anderson (far left) will take over from Ainslie and her role will be split between reception and finance.

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Our money advice team are here to help!

More and more households are feeling the pressures of the increase in the cost of living. Jacqueline and Wendy, our money advice officers are happy to talk over your circumstances and may be able to offer some help.

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They can check to ensure your income has been maximised and help with applying for benefits, filling in forms, challenging decisions and representing at tribunal.

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They work closely with our partners and are aware of other support, grants, and funds that you may be eligible for.

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They can help with budgeting and work with partners who they can refer to for unmanageable debt.

Did you know that our money advice team can also help with claiming Universal Credit?

Are you unsure how to go about claiming Universal Credit? Worried how long the process will take or how complicated it might be? Our money advice officers have lots of experience in this area and are happy to help.

‘Helped me understand that I had to transition from ESA over to UC, explained it all in great detail, and put my mind at ease.’

One of our tenants who has recently benefited from the money advice service told us that he had been put off applying for UC as he thought it would be a minefield. ‘I didn't know where to start and was put off applying, however Jacqueline was absolutely great and spent so much time on the phone helping me. It wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I thought and it has all worked out. The service is invaluable.’

‘Advisor was very pleasant and helpful, professional and put me very much at ease.’

‘I have benefited hugely. My situation was complex yet the support given made me feel I wasn’t a problem.’

For information or assistance please contact us on 01292 880120.

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Our popular pet competition is now open!

Here at Ayrshire Housing we just love to see pictures of your pets. Why not enter them into our competition. There are pet shop vouchers and rosettes to be won and the winners and runners up will feature in our newsletter.

Hi, Ruby here. Why not ask your humans to enter you into our competition? Top prize is a purrfect £50 pet shop voucher!

To enter, simply upload a photo of your pet to your My Home portal or email it to ruby@ayrshirehousing.org.uk. Please include their name, age, breed as well as your name, address and contact number/email. Only one pet per household is permitted. Closing date is Friday 5th August 2022.

Enter our garden competition!

At long last the weather is starting to get better. Whether you are a seasoned gardener or just starting out, we’d love to hear from you.

No matter how small your outdoor space is you can brighten it up by growing herbs or pot plants. Watching something you created grow can give your mental health a boost and is also a great way to get children involved in gardening. To be in with a chance of winning a National Garden Voucher, simply upload a photo of your garden to your My Home portal or email info@ayrshirehousing.org.uk. Please include your name, address and contact number/email. Closing date is Friday 5th August 2022.

First prize £50 garden voucher

‘Give a Dog a Bone’ can offer financial support for over 60’s who are struggling to pay for their pet costs (insurance/food). They also have a pet food bank, that anyone can access and will make up parcels. They have three community bases, with Troon being the Ayrshire branch and pet food parcels can be collected from there. They also cover the one-off rehoming fee so people over 60 can afford a rescue pet companion and there are free group activities and relaxing therapy treatments to enjoy. To find out more head to their website: Loneliness & Animal Charity - Scotland | Give a Dog a Bone or Facebook page: @giveadogabone.net 6

The Law in Scotland has changed and as of 1 February 2022 every home in Scotland now needs to have interlinked fire alarms.

Ayrshire Housing and Gas Sure have been working to ensure that all of our properties have:

 One smoke alarm in the room you spend most of the day (usually your living room),  One smoke alarm in every circulation space on each storey, such as hallways and landings,

 One heat alarm in the kitchen To date we are 95.5% compliant with this legislation and are taking action to ensure that we are fully compliant by 31 April 2022. We place the health and safety of our tenants at the heart of everything we do.

We have started working to modernise the smoke vents in the common areas of our properties in South Harbour Street, Ayr. These improvements are progressing well and should be completed by the end of April 2022.

We have been working hard to ensure that our properties are maintained to the highest standard and that our major works are continuing despite the challenges faced as a result of the Covid pandemic. This year’s programme has consisted of: 

98 new kitchens installed to the value of £369,966

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147 new gas boilers to the value of £261,210

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8 new heating systems to the value of £36,369

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5 properties fitted with external wall insulation to the value of £32,132

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26 properties re-roofed to the value of £295,940

 27 new bathrooms were completed to the value of £98,243.

Unfortunately as a result of supply issues and contractual costs, we have not been able to complete some of our programmed jobs. Our external door contractor notified us that they would not be able to continue with the contract due to supply chain and other issues directly related to Covid restrictions. We are currently in consultation with an alternative supplier and are hopeful that these works can take place within the next year.

We can supply this document in a print size to suit. It is also available in Braille, audio and other formats, and in other languages. Our website also has several accessibility features which you may find useful.

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We’ve teamed up with popular Ayr café Renaldo’s and have four vouchers to give away to use on their tasty treats!

To enter all you need to do is design your ultimate Easter egg using the template below. You should be between 3 and 13 years old to enter.

Closing date 27 May.

Name: _______________________________

Address: _____________________________ ______________________Postcode: _______ Email/Tel: ____________________________ Age: __________________

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