EBuzz August 2017

August 2017

! r e m m u S Come Back ALL THE LATEST NEWS, VIEWS & ACTIVITIES FROM MHA STAFF

REMEMBER...

EBuzz is put together following John’s briefings every other month. This is your newsletter and it would be great to hear some of your stories!

If you have anything you want to share, please get in touch with Louise Davies via In House, 01495 761104 or email: louise.davies@ monmouthshirehousing.co.uk We look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy this edition.

John’s Briefing MAD Awards

Nominations are open and we’re looking for as many tenants as possible to nominate people from their community so that their brilliant work can be recognised – these people are often the unsung heroes in their areas and these awards are often the first time that people have won anything in their life, despite always working for others. So when you’re out and about please encourage tenants to vote for their neighbours.

Pitch For Your Project

The autumn instalment of Pitch For Your Project is currently taking applications – small charities have the opportunity to win funding for their cause or event, so again please remind people that this is something they can apply for.

Welfare reform

Welfare reform continues and tenants are struggling with the changes to Universal Credit payments. The Income team is working hard with tenants and won every single appeal against benefit sanctions and cuts to tenants’ payments.

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Work placements

Huge thanks goes out to Building Services for helping people on work placements – participants have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and our appreciation goes to them for enabling people to discover what they can achieve.

Staff Christmas Party

This has been postponed this year as we are ten years old in January so we’ll be having a celebration for this instead. We want all staff to attend.

Dads Can

Dads Can have been doing some great work with local dads on their stone wall project. Feedback from the dads is that this changed their life perspective spending time doing something productive, getting up each day and getting the satisfaction from achieving something each day. This is powerful stuff – and transforming lives is part of MHA’s vision.

Tenant satisfaction surveys

We need as many back as possible and we’re particularly keen to see results from Oakley Way following the works undertaken. The estate has been transformed and morale there has improved.

We have had some enquiries regarding fire safety following the Grenfell Tower fire, but we’ve advised tenants that our cladding is different and is significantly more fire resistant with no air gaps – please advise any concerned residents of this.

AGM

We’ll be asking Members to ratify proposed rule changes – these will be changing the number of Council nominees on our Board from four to two.

Stay Safe policy

Evacuation can allow fire doors to be kept open, allowing fire to spread – fire doors need to remain closed to contain fire. Sprinklers can help fight fire in specific flats where it has started but in the case of Grenfell Tower, would not have prevented the spread of the fire. The best solution is to ensure that tenants have good appliances in their homes, with good quality work.

We’re also working with leaseholders to re-fit appropriate fire resistant front doors. It’s likely that in future leaseholders will need to comply with gas safe checks and work with landlords to comply with safety checks.

Welsh Water rates

We’re not collecting water rates from October and we’ve began to send out letters to all tenants advising them and encouraging them to switch over their payment methods to Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW). This decision has been made as a result of court cases against housing associations in England challenging whether they could collect water rates.

We also need to concentrate on collecting rent. 34% of tenants have made the switch so far – please remind tenants to get in touch with DCWW on 0800 152 0145 if they haven’t already.

24Housing Top 50 Landlords

We were recently voted 3rd best social landlord IN THE UK, we also came out 2nd best housing association and TOP housing association in Wales. To be named as the top Welsh Housing Association in the list is a tremendous achievement for everyone at MHA. Everyone involved should take great pride in the fact that we are now recognised beyond Wales as being an outstanding Housing Association with outstanding people. To come third overall in the list out of hundreds of entries from across the UK is a magnificent achievement for us. Well done to everyone!

Depooling service charges

We’ve been awaiting further clarity from Welsh Government on what’s required to depool service charges from rents – now we've had this we’ve begun the process. It’s complicated and there are a lot of factors to consider in costing services due to different needs and requirements. It’s important to remember that in most cases service charges won’t be added on top of rent; tenants’ net outgoings will be the same. The cleaning service might be the most controversial but frequency of cleaning may vary based on how well tenants keep their communal spaces.

Merger Policy

Board has approved our Merger Policy which sets out the criteria on the kind of business we might merge with should we need to do so in the coming years.

In House

There have been updates to Health & Safety policies for fire, legionella and gas. They’re available on InHouse. Don’t Walk By Policy – is also on In-House: If you notice something that could put tenants or staff at risk, don’t walk by: report it.

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Communal lighting Fire safety & security Window cleaning

Lift maintenance Grass cutting & landscaping

De-pooling!

Mapping costs are well underway and we envisage this to be completed by the end of August.

Breaking down the rent charges has seen a number of obstacles so far, however once all costs have been identified, thorough discussion will be required in how we apportion these charges amongst our tenants to ensure we are fair and reasonable in our approach.

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• Communicating with our tenants • Dedicated page on the website - August 17 • Brochure for tenants and leaseholders explaining de-pooling - August 17 • Frequently Asked Questions/ Tenant Matters and Blogs - Aug/Oct 17 • Social media campaign - Commences August 17 • Drop-in surgeries - October/ November 17 • Live Hour Talk Tuesdays, live chat, online questions - September 17 • Letter to stakeholders, Councillors and support agencies - October 17 • Formal consultation letters - November 17 • Rent increase notifications - February 18

What you can expect • Monthly updates from Project Manager via team meetings, EBuzz and In House - Ongoing • John’s monthly staff briefings - Commences July 17 • Posters and newsletters - September 17 • Staff training and briefings - October 17

If you have any ideas for social media campaigns, or questions please speak to Lauren Lewis.

News In Brief Policy Update The Performance Management – Supervision & Mentoring Policy (Resources) has been updated, please visit In House > Mandatory Reads to view it.

Superstar Apprentices Congratulations to the Superstar Apprentices of Building Services – Catherine Campbell, Tracy Riggs and Kelly Bennett. They have all passed their National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level 2 and will be moving on to level 3 in September.

Catherine is now a qualified Plumber and will be studying heating installations, servicing and repair next year. Tracy is completing her plastering qualification. Kelly is aiming to become a fullyqualified Painter and Decorator. In the traditionally male-dominated construction industry it is now becoming more common for women to be taking on roles at all levels and in all sectors.

Catherine, Tracy and Kelly competed in an open recruitment process for the apprenticeships on offer and were the best candidates. Their commitment, work ethic and willingness to learn has proved that we made the right choice.

Civica Cx We’re almost ready to rock and roll with the Cx implementation as most of the quirks and bugs have been resolved and our new housing management system is ready to go live.

All office based staff have been given a quick overview of the system through August ahead of system training in October and November. The training is divided into modules so not all staff will undertake all the training modules.

The system is set to go live on 27th November.

Here are a selection of “Pickles” that you have awarded to your colleagues recently: Katie Knill has ‘pickled’ Sarah Harrison for… "helping to find the gas supplier for Severn View which had two addresses and two post codes for the same property! Thank you! Hugely appreciated.”

Natasha Jones has ‘pickled’ Jacob Richards for… "helping Mrs Keeble (90) dust the cobwebs from around the top of her garden patio. Jacob was on a visit to the scheme when Mrs Keeble asked Jacob where she could get some help, so Jacob kindly offered to lend a helping hand.”

Scott Thomas has ‘pickled’ Ben Hennessy for… "sterling work on the Llys Cadoc micro site and for going the extra mile helping with the Homesearch event for the scheme. Also thanks for the help with the Meet the Contractor event at Brookside.”

Emily Townsend has ‘pickled’ Graham Harvey for… "helping out with all the MAD awards promo material and for coming up with a cake design for the Tenants Forum! Yum :) Thanks Graham.”

Do you think your colleagues should be recognised for their additional work efforts? Going above and beyond customer expectation and showing a good service. Then award them a pickle via In House.

A prize will be awarded to the employee with the most deserved pickles during the quarter.

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Z Z U B E E

B Y L N O L L WI A I V E L B A L AVAI FROM R E B M E C E D 2017 Eric

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Visit Big Pit

By Chris York

I thought I’d write about my recent visit to Big Pit in Blaenavon, with my family.

Most people probably know that Blaenavon is a World Heritage Site because of its industrial heritage; Blaenavon was a major world-wide producer of coal and iron for a long time.

If you’ve never been and want somewhere to go on a rainy day it’s well worth making a visit. It’s free to go (although you can make a contribution) and you can spend hours there with the family, including going underground.

Retired miners act as tour guides, so they can tell you pretty much anything you’d like to know about Big Pit and what it’s like to be a collier.

Here’s some of the interesting stuff I remember: • There’s 26 miles of tunnels under Big Pit. • It was mined for 200 years, but it’s estimated only a quarter of coal has been taken out of the ground.

• Blaenavon is very unusual because of its geology: iron, lime and coal are all in very close proximity, which is what helped to drive industry there.

• Big Pit employed 1,300 people underground during its peak of operation.

• The coal drams, used to transport the coal out of the mine, would weigh a ton. A horse would need to pull two of those.

• Horses worked underground for 50 weeks of the year and were taken out for 2 weeks, as a holiday.

• Children would start in the mine at the age of 6.

After 1842, The Mines Act prohibited boys and girls younger than 10 from working in mines, although the law was still routinely broken for a long time after.

It was really interesting and worth an afternoon visiting. You should go if you get the chance.

COMPLIMENTS Mrs Hancock would like to thank Sean Williams for...…

”The service he provided when carrying out the annual gas service. Mrs Hancock described Sean as a lovely, lovely man.”

Mr Knowles would like to thank Matthew Taylor for...…

”Making him feel much better about his situation. Mr Knowles was filling in paperwork with Cath Murray and it asked about how he felt about his current financial situation on a scale of 1-10. Mr Knowles said that before his appointment it would have been really low, but he circled 10 as he said Matt made him feel much more in control.”

Mr Duck would like to thank Karl Clague for...… ”A repair carried out at his home. Having returned from a tiring flight at 1am on Friday, Mr Duck discovered that the hot water supply wasn’t working. Mr Duck made a call midmorning to the call centre and by 2pm Karl Clague had called, repaired and left Mr Duck very happy. Great service from a great team!”

Ms Saunders would like to thank Emma Gallo for…...

”The assistance that she provided. I was working with a client from Carbonne Close who, in coming to let me in to the block, had the wind blow the door against her and we were both locked out of the building. Phone contact with MHA was supportive but of no avail getting us in to the building. We went to Trevor Bowen House where the client’s mother lives and bumped in to Emma. Emma was really helpful in that she had an access key to Carbonne Close and went out of her way to head there.”

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Lisbon

By Graham Harvey

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Getting lost in Lisbon Having visited and loved Lisbon a couple of times in the past, my partner (now wife) and I decided it would be the ideal destination for our honeymoon... and make the most of being child free for three whole days.

Day 1 We landed Tuesday afternoon and took the metro from the airport to our hotel in the centre of the city. The metro system is cheap (€6 for a 24 hour pass) but being a relatively small city, you can walk most of it.

The hotel welcomed us with a traditional Portuguese drink, 'Ginjinha', this was like thick sangria served in a shot glass, it tasted as good as it sounds! The hotel had also put a congratulatory bottle of bubbly on ice in our room... It paid to send a cheeky email telling them it was our honeymoon before we arrived.

Having freshened up and finished off the Champagne, we headed out for the evening. We opted for pizza at one of the many restaurants on the Rue Augusta. The area is a busy tourist area of the city with lots of smaller, vibrant streets joining it. At one end is Praça do Rossio (Rossio Square) and the Arco da Rua Augusta leads onto Praça do Comércio (Commercial Square) at the other, both have plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from. There is also a tiny beach on Praça do Comércio where you can enjoy an ice cream and escape the hustle and bustle of the city if you want The best nightlife can be found in the Barrio Alto district, a labyrinth of narrow streets crowded with bars and restaurants including the traditional Fado clubs (a popular Portuguese song, usually with a melancholy theme and accompanied by mandolins or guitars). The night starts getting lively about 11pm, the streets get flooded with revellers until late into the night. The food in the Barrio Alto is fantastic and it's one of the cheapest areas to eat and drink, especially if you look for the bars with deals (€1.50 for a large Super Bock or €1 for a mojito suited us just fine). After a few hours we carefully made our way down the steep, cobbled streets back to the hotel.

Day 2 After breakfast we caught the metro down to the oceanarium situated on the banks of the Tagus river. The aquarium is the largest indoor aquarium in Europe and boasts a huge 360o, full viewing wall featuring sharks, stingrays and loads of fish. As well as marine life there is a penguin enclosure, seals and otters. The 'Forests Underwater' exhibition by Japanese artist Takashi Amano was running whilst we were there, this was very relaxing.

The surrounding area is quiet but the 'Vasco da Gama Shopping Centre' is a few minutes walk away if you fancy spending some euros.

A short metro trip back to the centre and bit more wandering took us to the 'Sardines From Outer Space' exhibition, celebrating Lisbon's fishing heritage as well as the city's cultural diversity. With weary legs we decided to find a café to sit down and sample some 'pastel de natas', a portuguese custard tart that is best served with a shot of espresso... I could have eaten a basket full!

We pre booked a Tagus river sunset cruise (romance isn't dead) for that evening so we took a taxi from the centre to the port area (€5 for a 15 minute journey). The dock was a bit difficult to locate but after half hour of Google maps taking us on a wild goose chase we found it. The "captain", or solo sailor with a passion for surfing, greeted us and the other passengers (about 12 in total), then we climbed aboard the intimate yacht and off we went.

The cruise took us along the river with stunning views of Lisbon as well as Arialva, home to an eerie, derelict fishing village that sits in the shadow of the Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge. The constant sound of traffic crossing the bridge added to the ambiance, creating a haunting humming as we sailed by the old ghost town. Every so often the captain would abandon the helm to get drinks for everyone, leaving the boat to head off in which ever direction he left it pointing, there were a few twitchy moments, such as, heading towards a cargo ship / a dock / a cruise liner with the captain nowhere to be seen.

Eventually he would surface from the galley and correct the steering... I'm sure he knew what he was doing!

Towards the end of the two hour cruise the sun set and we headed back to land... then back up to the Barrio Alto.

Day 3 The plan was to take the train along the coast to Cascais, but as we had done this on the previous trip and had limited time in Lisbon we decided to walk up to the old district of Alfama and spend the morning in the grounds of Castelo de S. Jorge instead. The views from the castle are amazing and you can see out over the whole of the city. The streets leading up to the castle are steep but trams are frequent and a fun way to get around (as are the tuk-tuks). We made our way back down the narrow streets, dodging trams, stopping at the large Cathedral then spending the rest of the day eating, drinking and exploring the city.

We thought it would be rude not to pop back up to the Barrio Alto for our last night in Lisbon... Cheers!

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Neil & Jessie “Rent has always been my first priority every month. I’d never been in rent arrears, but after moving on to Universal Credit and finding myself owing money for my rent – it was very stressful.

I was worried.”

Neil moved on to the government’s Universal Credit system just before Christmas last year. Universal Credit is a single, monthly payment replacing many individual benefits that was introduced in Monmouthshire in 2015.

The first Universal Credit monthly payment usually takes around six weeks to arrive in someone’s account after they have applied.

Neil admits he struggled with no money coming in and that’s when he began to fall behind with his rent. He was also suffering with depression and felt overwhelmed by his situation.

“I’d never been in this type of 10

situation before. I was confused

by Universal Credit and how it all worked. But I manged to get an advance payment and that helped me a lot.

“Jessie [MHA Income Officer] has helped me enormously. She started by getting me to budget more effectively. I work out how much my bills are each month, identify the most important costs and then work out what I need to pay and when, then look at how much I have left over for food and other necessities.

“I’ve got my priorities straight and I feel in control again. By Christmas I know I’ll be £120 better off and no longer in arrears – that’s a big thing for me.”

Jessie also suggested Neil get in touch with MHA’s Work and Skills Wise team. Work and Skills Wise helps people get the skills they need to get back into work, education and training.

Neil has always loved cooking and creating new dishes from scratch. Cath from the Work and Skills Wise team helped Neil enrol on to MHA’s Jamie Oliver Cooking Course and get a food hygiene certificate.

Neil said he felt energised again after the courses and decided to attend Pop Up Business School in Newport. Pop Up Business School is an innovative series of workshops, sponsored by MHA, that teaches people the skills they need to set-up their own businesses quickly and easily.

“I make food using recipes from all around the world. I had a stall at Newport market that I used to sell my food, including my speciality breakfast pie!

“My hope for the future is to clear my debts, and get my own food stall up and running and making money. I know it’s a challenge, but I’ve faced bigger challenges in my life, so I know I can do it!”

H&C Are Getting

in the Zone Following the H&C restructure we have been pushing agile working as best practice in H&C. This was to allow teams to become more specialist and more visible to tenants. As a growing service we have found there is not enough room for all staff at HQ. We introduced hubs based across the county and hot desking was implemented in the office.

What is agile working?

Agile working is a way of working with maximum flexibility and minimum constraints to empower staff to work where and when they choose. It goes beyond just flexible working and focuses on eliminating the barriers to getting work done efficiently to perform and deliver “best in class� value and customer service.

Agile so far There has been a good take up on using hubs on site, this has sometimes resulted in them being at full capacity. We have now taken on two partnership hubs - Mardy Park and The Junction to help with this.

Following feedback hot desking was highlighted as being difficult for some services in H&C and meant it needed reviewing to make it more inclusive for all. A staff working group was established to look at how we could improve agile working for staff. We pulled together brilliant ideas and suggestions from staff for our proposal which was agreed by SMT.

What’s next?

We have been using Micollab, a system that enables staff to stay connected and allows us to instantly contact each other via a real-time messaging system.

Status availability will help you know when your colleagues are available, view calendars and help you find and identify where H&C staff are. To remove some of the difficulties for H&C services when hot desking we are currently trialling Thin Clients which are in the collaboration zone on the first floor (breakout area). Feel free to come along and try them out.

We are upgrading hot desking and giving the first floor a new look with zoning. The zones will include: hugger zones, hopper zones, collaboration zone (breakout area) and a quiet zone.

What is a hugger zone?

A hugger zone is for staff that need a permanent work space at HQ and will have an allocated desk.

This will include admin staff and managers.

What is a hopper zone?

A hopper zone is for staff that work with tenants on a more face to face basis within the community. A work station will be available for them during their time at HQ. The collaboration zone will be staying and we will be adding a quiet zone to allow staff to work undisturbed.

Staff that are hoppers will have lockers allocated to them where they will be able to leave relevant information for them, this will follow the Data Protection policy.

You will be able to use Micollab to identify where a hopper is when you need them.

We will be updating everyone in the next EBuzz issue in October, however in the meantime up to date information can be found on our In House page.

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Why not say hello to all the new starters on

Mollie Morris Income Admin Apprentice Before coming to MHA, I used to work for my mum and step dads audiology business. I’ve gone from ear wax removal and testing to a housing association so it’s a slightly different ball game!

Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why?

I would like to be stuck in a lift with anyone who has booze on them so I can make the most of a bad situation!

Sean Williams Heating Engineer I have primarily been in the gas/heating industry as well as being a member of the Army Reserves for the last 26 years. This has kept me fit and well-travelled, although the Army soon to come to an end as to spend more precious time with my girlfriend and my girls aged 8 and 10.

I have rejoined MHA after spending 9 years with SSE Swalec where I was a Lead Technical Engineer / Deputy Area Service Manager. It’s lovely to meet and work alongside all my old friends and colleagues again, it's like I've never been away.

Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why?

Stuck in a lift with? Umm, I should really say my girlfriend but I am drawn to say Kelly Brook for the conversation of course or Harry Houdini.

Blodwyn Prosser Facilities & Compliance Officer Hi, I’m Blodwyn Prosser and I started at MHA on 10/07/2017 as a Facilities & Compliance Officer. I love health and safety and have been fortunate to have built my experience from many different industries such as homelessness, food manufacturing and dentistry… As a result, I now have a lot of random knowledge.

Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why?

I would like to be stuck in a lift with Michael Jackson so I could learn how to do the moonwalk! Although just being able to learn how to move my feet when I dance would be alright.

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Emma Tapper Performance Admin Assistant I joined the Continuous Improvement Team from a very happy but noisy Newport Primary School as a Financial School Support Officer. Prior to that I worked for MCC, initially in Cwmbran before moving to Usk, as a Democratic Services Officer and ICT Support Technician for over 13 years. It has been great to bump into so many familiar faces from MCC here at MHA and to also meet many new colleagues.

I have two children, a son of 5 and a Lush Cosmetics obsessive daughter of 13.

The age gap is a challenge to say the least! I love spending time together with my family in particular at the Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford or enjoying a meal at our favourite Italian restaurant.

Coldplay, Bryan Adams, James and Elbow are some of my favourite artists with a bit of Jason Donovan thrown in for a laugh! My motto in life is sing, laugh, shop and eat chocolate!

Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why?

I would love to be stuck in a lift with Juan Mata! Mata is magic on the pitch and does so much for charity, a real gentleman of the game.

Vicky Ferris Marketing & Communications Trainee Hello! I’m Vicky and I have recently started as the new Marketing Trainee and I’m loving my time already with MHA. Originally from Devon, I moved to Cardiff to complete my Masters and haven’t looked back since. Before starting at MHA I have had an eclectic career history ranging from working for a public affairs firm to the TV show The Valleys.

Outside of work I can be found at the gym, eating, watching sport and socialising with my friends. I love trying new things and travelling to new places and hope to do a lot more of this in the future.

Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why?

If I was stuck in a lift I would like to be stuck with Beyonce so she can entertain me and I can try to persuade her to adopt me.

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Continued

Kristina Leek Customer Services Advisor Before joining MHA I worked for a company called GoGroopie (like Groupon, don’t worry I didn’t know who they were at first either!) I’m 25 and recently purchased my first house in Pontnewydd with my boyfriend and crazy spaniel Juno. I’m currently studying English Language and Creative Writing with The Open University. My hobbies include reading, writing, Netflix binging, drinking Prosecco and running (not at the same time). I’m currently training for my first 10k race in September and hope to run my first half marathon soon after.

Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why?

I’d most like to be stuck in a lift with J.K Rowling so I could pick her brains about Harry Potter.

Katie Double Dads Can Coordinator I am really excited to start my journey with MHA and ‘Dads Can’. Prior to this role, I developed and managed a Lottery funded project called CHAPS. This involved operating a training and activities site where we would address individual’s social, emotional and behaviour issues through therapeutic outdoor, rural and equine activities. The other aspect of the scheme involved working in some of the most deprived communities in Wales with urban horse owners, providing them with educational and aspirational opportunities. I have also spent many years working in Leisure as a Manager in the field of Sports and Operations as well as developing several other successful schemes such as a Beach and Water sports centre, a programme for teenage sex workers, a veteran’s project, an alternative curriculum programme and several offender back to work initiatives.

I am passionate about utilising innovative engagement methods to drive social and economic change and break the cycle of generational unemployment and underachievement.

In my spare time I love spending time with my horse, Chilli and heading to the beach for a surf or BBQ.

Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why?

I would most like to be stuck in a lift with Bryan Adams and a bottle of wine. I have no doubt my singing skills would result in the doors opening in no time…

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Nicola Severn Payroll Officer I have been working within a payroll/finance role for the past 16 years. Myself and my partner relocated to Wales last October when the company he works for was relocated to Newport. We are now feeling settled in our home just outside Abergavenny and having completed the renovation work on our house we are slowly getting to know the area.

Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why?

If I was stuck in a lift for any time I’d like to be with Graham Norton, hopefully his dry wit and sense of humour would make the time fly by.

Daniel Hedges Building Surveyor

Kingsleigh Jones Heating Engineer

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Continued

Kelly Bennett Capsel Apprentice Decorator Hi all, I'm Kelly, I'm 27 years old, I live in Cwmbran. I joined MHA 18 months ago through the Yprentice scheme as a painter/decorator and I'm thoroughly enjoying working with a great team of tradesmen who go out of their way daily to make sure I get the best training possible. Spare time is hard to come by with work and college however the little spare time I have is usually spent with my iPod listening to music.

Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why?

I would like to be stuck in a lift with Dave Price (my MHA mentor) cos he's a legend.

We wish them the best for the future

Ann-Marie Murray Support Officer

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Win a hot air balloon ride for two over Monmouthshire

To enter: Like our competition Facebook post Or retweet our competition Twitter message Or sign up at www.capsel.co.uk Do all three to triple your chances of winning! /capselwales

@capselltd

Full terms & conditions apply. See www.capsel.co.uk for more details. Competition closes on 30th September 2017.

Young Lead As I am sure you have heard about, we (Emma Gallo & Cath Murray) have been part of the National Housing Federation’s (NHF) ‘Young Leaders Award’.

It started back in February when managers put forward staff in an internal competition. Within MHA, we then had to write an essay on “What housing will look like in 10 years’ time”. Emma wrote about smart houses and Cath discussed types and levels of support going forward and we were chosen to put forward to NHF. NHF judges selected 20 individuals to put forward for an online vote. This involved us campaigning and cringe videos on Twitter and Facebook for around two weeks.

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Thanks to all you lovely people and some light threats of P45’s from John, your votes meant both of us went through to the top 10 (this is getting like XFactor).

We were given the topic of “How to change and innovate the sector” where we had to compile a 5 minute presentation. The challenge we both found was keeping it to 5 minutes.

Emma’s presentation focused on StepUp (young person’s supported housing project) and Cath presented about building relationships through digital transformation and use of data segmentation.

After a practice run with John, David and Michelle Morgan & Smith, we headed to London!

ders Award It being both our first time travelling to London, we conquered the tube with confidence (whilst being entertained by a brass band and piano). Treating ourselves to pizza & wine on John (preparation for the coming day) we bumped into Gok Wan in the street, which is now our claim to fame!

After another practice run in a coffee shop around the corner from NHF offices, we headed to the 12 noon meet & greet including discussions over lunch with the other 8 participants and judges (directors of housing, managers and CEO’s). After we couldn’t face lunch, we undertook our presentations!

The fellow 8 competitors completed presentations on: leadership (collaboration); being a messy leader;

recruiting young talent to the sector; social media as a first point of contact; personal journey; crates properties (pre fab housing); green homes and agile working.

After a Burger King, prosecco on the route home and a sigh of relief we painstakingly waited all weekend for the final decision. On Monday, we were able to celebrate our very own Emma Gallo being shortlisted into the top 5. The next stage for Emma is to be interviewed at MHA by NHF then she will be off to Manchester to present a speech in front of the National Housing Federation Conference. So get supporting!

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3 d n u o R 20

F

ollowing the success of the Pop Up Business School programme that ran in autumn 2016 and February this year, Pop Up Business School returns to Newport from Monday 11th to Friday 22nd September 2017 at The Gallery, Newport Market.

Pop Up Business School helps people set up their own businesses and get their big ideas off the ground. Based around a series of interactive workshops – from building a website for free to getting the confidence to start your own business – Pop Up Business School offers the ideal starting point to turn your ideas into reality.

So if you have a passion you’d like to turn into a money making business – get in touch!

Email catherine.murray@ monmouthshirehousing.co.uk to find out more or register your interest.

Pop Up Business School Monday 11th to Friday 22nd September 2017 The Gallery, Newport Market www.popupbusinessschool.co.uk 21

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Chepstow Area: The Bridge Church Unit 1a Critchcraft Buildings, Bulwark Industrial Estate, NP16 5QZ

news What's New?

There have been some important changes happening recently that will impact on tenants and staff. We’ve created a ‘what you need to know’ area on In House to keep you updated with the changes and the communication that has been sent out to tenants. Please familiarise yourselves with the changes that will help you and also help you support tenants should you receive any queries.

Open Wednesdays: 10am – 1pm Chepstow Baptist Church Lower Church Street, NP16 5HJ Open Fridays: 12pm – 2pm

Caldicot Area: Caldicot Town Council Office Sandy Lane, Caldicot NP26 4NA Open Fridays: 10am - 12pm

Abergavenny Area: Abergavenny Foodbank Central Chambers, Lion Street, Abergavenny, NP7 5PE Open Tuesdays & Thursdays: 12pm - 3pm If you are in need of short-term emergency support and need a Food Bank Voucher then please contact the Income Team on 01495 761016.

If you need help or support with In House, please do not hesitate to contact the Corporate Services Team, Graham, Emma, Nathan & Louise will be happy to help or provide you with a Demo

Remember it’s your intranet.

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Monmouthshire Employment & Skills Fayre MHA’s Work & Skills Wise team chair the Monmouthshire Employment & Skills Fayre working group, working with the local authority, Job Centre Plus and other support providers in Monmouthshire to arrange 2 jobs fayres across North and South Monmouthshire every year.

We have been undertaking this for the last 3 years with visitor numbers and satisfaction high for each event. The recent Employment & Skills Fayre was held on 4th July at Caldicot Choir Hall had 27 employers and support providers covering a wide range of sectors with live vacancies in the following sectors: administration, contact centre work, warehouse, engineering, education, care work, hospitality & construction.

It was a resounding success and we had 235 visitors through the doors, people who were unemployed, seeking work and also those working and looking for progression. There was a lovely community feel around the room and from speaking with many of the visitors they were incredibly pleased with the welcome and information provided.

When asked on the feedback forms what they enjoyed most, here are just some of the lovely comments:

"Meeting recruiters, you never know who you’ll meet and where it will lead."

"Meeting employers & CV advice.

Would attend again a good use of jobseeking time."

"Volunteering info, meeting employers and interview advice.

Made very useful contacts."

"Meeting employers and CV advice, it was very helpful."

"Given the opportunity to meet face to face – increased confidence."

"The event was very informative and welcoming."

"Very helpful, good to speak to companies and advice on jobs."

"I liked the people who gave advice just to see where I am in terms of finding work."

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Join the MHA

House-Share Pilot Are you looking for an affordable place to live in Monmouthshire?

Our new house-share pilot is now open to applications from the following Monmouthshire residents: • Single, with no dependent children • Between 22 and 35 years old • Unemployed and actively looking for work or who are on low incomes

Why are we starting a shared-house pilot?

From April 2019 most council or Housing Association tenants between 22 and 35 years of age will have the amount of Housing Benefit (or the housing element of Universal Credit) capped to the ‘Shared Accommodation Rate’. In Monmouthshire this is currently £54.60 per week. The average rent for a 1 bed flat with a Housing Association in Monmouthshire is currently around £90 per week.

This means that many younger tenants will not be able to afford to rent a one bed flat unless they are in employment. To support people affected by this welfare reform change MHA is setting up our first shared-house pilot.

What is a shared-house?

• A number of 2 bed apartments in Caldicot and Abergavenny will be used for the pilot.

• We expect people to live in the shared-house.

• Two people will share the apartment and be responsible for the bills.

• You will each have your own bedroom.

• You will share other rooms, including the kitchen and bathroom with your flat-mate.

• The apartment will be newly decorated, carpeted and furnished in communal areas.

Who will I share with?

You will share with another person who meets the criteria for the pilot.

You can apply to house-share with someone you know or we will help match you with someone to share with.

What support will I receive?

You will receive an enhanced housing management service, with regular visits from your housing officer during your tenancy, including support to write your own ‘house rules’ at the start of your tenancy.

You will be fast-tracked to our Work & Skills Wise Team who will support you to find paid employment.

MHA will also help you to move-on from the sharedhouse into a home you can afford long-term, once you have secured paid work.

I’m interested? ...how can I apply?

If you would like to register your interest in the house-share pilot, please ring Homesearch on 0345 900 2956 or email us at Homesearch@ monmouthshirehousing.co.uk

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Poplars Close Capsel has completed work on two specially designed bungalows in Abergavenny. Built for Monmouthshire Housing Association (MHA) tenants with disabilities.

The new Poplars Close development has been built on the site of 14 garages which were no longer fit for purpose. Capsel were contracted by MHA to build two brand new, high quality and affordable homes on behalf of MHA. Work included fitting them with bespoke fixtures to ensure the homes met the tenant’s needs. This included power units for future installation of hoists and stair lifts, reinforced ceilings and infrastructure to allow for a future wet room The idea behind the project was to build properties in order to re-house current MHA tenants from accommodation which was no longer suitable for their needs. Both properties are suitable for wheelchair users and have been built to allow for further adaptations if needed to meet the tenants future mobility needs. The homes will allow the tenants to live independently and make life as easy as possible.

Work on the houses started in November 2016 and marks Capsel’s fourth house building project 26

in partnership with MHA. The new Poplars Close development perfectly demonstrates Capsel’s commitment to supporting local communities’ previously developing specialist adapted housing in Caldicot.

Capsel Commercial Manager, Liz Jones, said: “Working alongside Monmouthshire Housing Association on projects like Poplars Close provides a fantastic opportunity to support the local community and provide quality homes and work with a client whose values match our own.”

“This is an area of work we are continuing with two larger projects which would provide 20 plus homes for rural communities in the pipeline.”

New tenant Chloe Jennings said: “I am delighted with the house and looking forward to moving in.”

MHA Surveyor Lee Roberts said: “The contractor pulled out all the stops to get the project finished on time and within budget, with the quality desired by the client.”

“Turning a run-down garage site to the finished product is something that Capsel can be very proud of.”

WELSH Water Char­ges Letters have been sent to all tenants regarding the switch over from MHA collecting rates, to Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW). So far 34% of tenants have made contact to set up new payment methods with DCWW and further chase letters have been sent

by DCWW: if you have contact with a tenant please remind them to get in touch with DCWW – the number for them is 0800 052 0145.

In some cases tenants have been sent their new bills already and these have been calculated from 2nd October 2017 to 31st March 2018. Some of the bills have shown the normal payment amount and some tenants have been asked to fill in forms for the HelpU and Water Assist tariffs. We’ve spoken to them about this and they assure us that any tenants already on a social tariff like HelpU and Water Assist will automatically be switched over and won’t need to fill in any forms.

What’s next?

DCWW will continue to remind any outstanding tenants to get in touch to set up their payment method in the coming weeks.

There is also a roadshow planned for Friday 25th August at Abergavenny Community Centre from 11am to 3pm so please let any Abergavenny tenants know so that they can pop along to talk to someone from Welsh Water. This will be promoted on the MHA website and on social media.

Can tenants get further help?

Any tenants who are struggling with debt or bills can be supported by our Inclusion team who will help them to apply for HelpU or Water Assist.

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Christmas Party Survey Results Event

Area

Okay, so the Christmas party is being postponed and will be transformed into a New Year celebration of MHA being a decade old. However, here are the results of the recent Christmas party survey so you’ve got something else to look forward to for 2018!

Couldn't Attend

37

48

12 31

61

13 11

59

23

20

20

19

33

31

Abergavenny

Sit down meal with disco or band

Caldicot

Sit down meal with entertainment

Cardiff

Themed night with dinner and drinks

Chepstow

Disco buffet and drinks

Crickhowell

Buffet and drinks

Newport

Individual team party

Usk

Sit down meal with other companies

Preferred Date 14

6

Transport

21

17 25 57

6

53

53

11

Date not good

Friday 1 December

Yes

Venue not good

Friday 8 December

No

Activity not good

Friday 15 December

Other

Friday 22 December Prefer not to have one

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67

RECIPE

WE NEED YOUR PETS! If you have a pet you'd like to enter for the pet corner competition, please email Graham Harvey with a picture and small write up to be in with a chance of winning a £10 high street voucher.

Congratulations to Sky (and her owner Jill Morgan) on winning April’s Pet Corner competition!

Spatchcock Piri-Piri chicken (Serves 4)

by Alisa Price Ingredients • 1 chicken • (about 1½ kg/3lb 5oz) • 4 red chillies, chopped (deseeded if you don't like it too spicy) • 3 garlic cloves, crushed • 2 tsp sweet paprika • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar • 2 tbsp chopped parsley • 2 tbsp olive oil • lemon wedges and Tabasco sauce (optional), to serve Method 1. To spatchcock the chicken, flip it over so the backbone is facing you. Using a sturdy pair of kitchen scissors or poultry scissors, cut down either side of the backbone, then discard. Turn the chicken over and push down firmly on the breastbone to flatten out the bird.

Make a few slashes in each leg joint.

You can watch a video showing how to spatchcock a chicken in the How To Cook section of the website.

2. Put the chillies and garlic in a food processor with a good pinch of salt, or use a pestle and mortar. Blend to a paste, then add the paprika, vinegar, parsley and olive oil. Mix well, then smear over the chicken. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hr or overnight if possible. Can be frozen at this stage.

3. Fire up the barbecue. When the flames have died down, place the chicken on the centre of the barbecue, skin-side down, and cook for 15-20 mins until nicely charred. Flip the chicken over and continue cooking for another 5-15 mins until cooked through. Check that the juices run clear, as the heat of every barbecue will vary. To cook in the oven, heat to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cook for 35-40 mins on a baking tray. To char the skin, grill for a further 5-10 mins.

Serve with lemon wedges, and Tabasco if you like it hot.

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Capita Clinic - August 2017 Welcome to Capita Clinic!

Did you know that we record tenant’s disabilities and support needs on Capita? It’s really easy to add a support need or disability, you should ensure that this information is put on to Capita. Here’s how:

Inputting and removing a disability or support need Enter the record and access the occupants section. Go to the person’s record by clicking on their name. The disability and support need information is in the diversity section on the front page of the record.

Adding a new disability or support need Click in to the code column in the relevant section (either disability or support needs) and enter the relevant code. Here are the codes and where they go.

To remove a disability or support need you will need to untick the active box and select ‘details changed’ from the drop down in the inactive reason column.

DVIS - Visually Impaired DDIA - Diabetic DWAL - Walking Frame/Stick DUNS - Unseen Impairments

DPRE - Prefer not to say DDEA - Deaf DSPE - Speech Difficulty DMOS - Mobility Scooter DOTH - Other

Support Needs A001 - Difficulty Reading A004 - Difficulty with day to day tasks DDOM - Victim of Domestic Abuse DLEA - Learning Difficulty DMEN - Mental Health Dist DSUB - Substance Abuse D012 - Care Leaver D001 - None A002 - Difficulty Writing

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D005 - More Support in Future D009 - Support by Friend

D006 - No Support D010 - Support by Support Worker

REQ001 - Knock Loudly REQ004 - Phone before Arrival

REQ002 - Give time to get to door REQ005 Telephone when outside

REQ003 - Use Back Door REQ006 - Request Email Corresp.

Removing a disability or support need

Disabilities DBLI - Blind DHAR - Hard of Hearing DMOB - Mobility Impaired DREG - Registered Disabled DNON - None

D004 - Has Enough Support D008 - Support by Family Member D011 - Support by Social Worker

A005 - Difficulty with English DDOP - Perp of Domestic Abuse DLTI - Long Term Illness DNEU - Neurological Condition DCLU - Cluttering Issues D003 - Prefer not to say D007 - Household Foster Children A003 - Help with Forms

DAGO Agoraphobia DFOS - In Foster Care DALC - Alcohol Misuse DRED - Reduced Phys Capacity DHOA - Hoarding Disorder D002 - Other

You can add a free text note to the record e.g. you may want to state “Dementia” next to DNEU (Neurological condition).

When you have added/removed the codes, click on the save icon to save your updates.

With this information, we can identify which tenants may need additional help with our services and develop services that support our tenants.

For further help with updating and analysing the information on Capita, please contact Claudia Blair or Nathan Cook in the Corporate Services Team.

PRESS RELEASES

Unfortunately we are unable to include newspaper clippings in future editions of Ebuzz.

Corporate Services will continue to monitor the local papers and will advise teams if there is any coverage. You will then be able to view the article in the newspaper by visiting Corporate Services.

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