Tenants Update September 2011 by Wolverhampton Homes

News and information for tenants and leaseholders of Wolverhampton Homes

September 2011

Re A po nn rt ua In l si de !

Talking 窶話out my generation! Meet the young tenants getting involved on page 12

page

Welcome Welcome to Tenants Update! This issue includes our annual report which gives you all the information you need to judge how we are doing. You can also read about what we are doing to hear from young people. Find out about the events being held and meet some of the young tenants involved in the special feature on page 12. I hope you enjoy this issue. Please let us know your feedback through the form on the back page. Ann Ramsbottom, Editor, Tenants Update

• Call us on 01902 556789 • Email us homes.direct@wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk • Call us out of hours for emergencies on 01902 552999 • Call us to report antisocial behaviour out of hours on 01902 558901 • Text 60066 and start your text WHomes followed by a space • Check out www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk • Tweet us at www.twitter.com/WolvesHomes • Join us at www.facebook.com/WolvesHomes

Prefer Email? If you’d prefer us to email you an electronic copy of this newsletter, let us know by sending your request to communications@wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk. Please note, if you receive an electronic copy of Tenants Update, you will no longer receive a printed version in the post. We can also receive feedback and competition entries at the same email address.

Our Next Board Meetings Tenants and leaseholders are welcome to come along to our next board meetings on: Monday 19 September 2011 (AGM) • Monday 23 January 2012 All meetings will be held in our Board Room at our Head Office, Hickman Avenue and will start at 9.30am. To find out what decisions were made at previous board meetings, search 'board' at www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk

Kurdish

If you require this information in another language or format, contact us on 01902 556789 Farsi

Urdu

Punjabi

Hindi

Polish

Arabic

Bengali

Gujurati

page

A chat with the Chief Executive In this issue of Tenants Update, we’re trying a new style of introduction from Lesley Roberts, our Chief Executive. At our Young Get Together Kelly Andrews, 26, from Low Hill, put her questions to Lesley. How did you get involved with Wolverhampton Homes and what do you feel you have achieved so far? Wolverhampton Homes was the job of my dreams. I wanted to work where the people were nice but there were still WHEN KELLY MET LESLEY: challenges and I could hopefully make a difference. Kelly Andrews gets her questions I'm pleased to say a lot has changed. Three quarters of our answered by our Chief Executive homes have been modernised under the Decent Homes programme, tenants tell us they are more satisfied with repairs and we've been able to cut running costs so we can put more money into things like fencing and minor works. What do you do to get young people involved? We do help fund a number of youth projects across the city, and have found that football is a great way to engage young people, particularly boys. Events like the Young Get Together are also a great idea. But we also have to help other generations be more tolerant of young people. Does Wolverhampton Homes have a suggestion box? We used to have suggestion boxes in our One Stop Shops but they weren't used very much. Perhaps we could set up an e-mail suggestion box? We have a whole host of other ways tenants can let us have their views Get Togethers, Special Interest Groups, regular questionnaires and many more. If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be? I would like to meet Tony Blair to understand why the Iraq war happened.

Upcoming Get Togethers The next Get Togethers are coming soon and we’d love for you to join us! This time, the Get Togethers will focus on antisocial behaviour and tackling hate crime. We will be using actors to tell the story of how hate crime can affect people. There will be light refreshments and child care facilities. We’ll also arrange transport if required. Come along to your local event: Merry Hill - Tuesday 20 September, Connaught Hotel, 6 to 8pm Wednesfield - Thursday 22 September, Heath Town Community Centre, 6 to 8pm Bilston - Tuesday 27 September, Hilton Hall, 3 to 5pm Low Hill - Thursday 29 September, Low Hill Community Centre, 6 to 8pm For more information call 01902 556789.

Your Say on Council Housing At the last Get Togethers we asked for your views on who should be given Council housing. We will now share your views with Wolverhampton City Council, who own your homes. Any changes would require extensive consultation, including with tenants, before they were made. We discussed how many refusals are acceptable and if being involved in ASB should have an impact on what band you're placed in, for example. For more information on what was said visit www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk

page

Let’s Get Money Smart!

Benefits Update continued. Studies have shown that working age families could lose an average of £11 per week. Claimants with a disability and a nonresident carer will be entitled to funding for an extra bedroom.

Heather Leary Money Smart Manager

Nadine Law Money Smart Manager

Chris Cash Money Smart Officer

Tenants are expected to meet the shortfall from their own income and to keep their rent account paid and up to date. Tenants may want to consider moving to a smaller property. This will not affect tenants of pension age.

What is Universal Credit?

One Stop Shop for Money Advice We’ve teamed up with the Money Advice Service to offer you advice on everything from saving and budgeting to planning your retirement.

Universal Credit brings together a range of benefits (including housing benefit) into a single payment. If you claim benefits and are of working age, you will move to the Universal Credit system between October 2013 and 2017.

The Money Advice Service will be holding free sessions every Tuesday at the Market Street One Stop Shop. Call 0333 321 3434 or visit any One Stop Shop to make an appointment.

Payments will be capped at £500 per week for families and £350 per week for singles/couples. Universal credit will be paid to you directly, once every four weeks. People with disabilities may receive more.

For more helpful tips visit www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk

Once you transfer to Universal Credit, your housing benefit will be included in the single payment. You will be responsible for paying your rent each week.

Benefits Update

Council tax benefit will be paid separately to Universal Credit.

Deductions for Under-Occupation From April 2013, tenants of working age, who under-occupy their home, will face a reduction in housing benefit payments. Under-occupying means you have more bedrooms than people in your home. Tenants will receive housing benefit based on how many people live in the home. Bedroom needs are expected to be based on: A bedroom for each person or couple except for: • Two children aged 15 or under expected to share a room if of the same gender • Two children aged 9 or under expected to share a room regardless of gender Information suggests that if a claimant underoccupies their home by one bedroom, this could lead to a cut of around 13% in housing benefit. Under-occupation by two or more bedrooms could lead to a cut of around 23%.

We will keep you regularly updated about these and any future changes as we know more. The Money Smart Team is on hand should you have any queries, please call 01902 556789.

Rent First Reminder The Rent First campaign is back! During November and December, look out for posters around the city reminding you to put your rent first. We’ll also be sending letters to all tenants in arrears to remind them to pay their rent as a priority. If you are struggling to pay your rent, contact us now for free, confidential advice on 01902 556789.

page

Together we’re Tackling Hate Crime Wolverhampton Homes recently held a special week to highlight its approach to helping to tackle hate crime in the city. Staff from Wolverhampton Homes, the Safer Wolverhampton Partnership and the police joined forces to encourage victims of hate crime (when you are harassed due to race, gender, transgender, disability, sexual orientation, age or religion) to speak up. If you feel you have been a victim of hate crime, you shouldn’t suffer in silence. There are a number of ways you can report it and get support. Call the national helpline on 0800 138 1625 or contact Wolverhampton Homes on 01902 556789 or hate.crime@wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk. KICK START: Goalz has given 50 youngsters a brighter future through football

Hate crime is the theme of our next Get Togethers. See page 3 for more information.

Scoring ‘Goalz’ in Bilston The Goalz project has helped more than 50 local youngsters stay on the right track. Organised by Wolves Community Trust and funded by Wolverhampton Homes, the project aims to tackle antisocial behaviour in Bilston through football sessions and educational workshops. Brett, aged 17 from The Lunt, attends the Goalz sessions and is currently working towards an FA Level 1 Coaching Certificate. He said: “I really enjoy the sessions. Playing football has kept me out of trouble and given me something to focus on.” For more information contact Wolves Community Trust on 01902 828311.

TACKLING HATE CRIME: You shared your thoughts at a special week

Protect your Possessions

Disturbances

We all value our possessions - so why not look after them with home contents insurance? It's a great way to protect your belongings against theft, flood, fire, and depending on your policy, accidental damage too!

Here is our position on evicting tenants involved in the riots from Lesley Roberts, Chief Executive: "If a tenant has been convicted of an indictable offence committed in, or in the locality of, the home we will consider eviction on a case by case basis, ensuring that whatever we do is proportionate and appropriate."

Wolverhampton Homes offers a variety of lowcost options for insuring your possessions with easy payment methods. For more information call 01902 556789.

For more information please see our website www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk

An Re nu po al rt

How did we do? You decide!

This annual report is your opportunity to judge us on whether we’ve done what we say we would do. We have a set of promises, called service standards, which were developed by tenants and leaseholders and are available in the One Stop Shops and on the website. These are linked to the five standards regulated by the Tenant Services Authority, the organisation which checks on social landlords. Tenants have been involved in developing this report from the very beginning. Thank you to Kathy Allen, Margaret Elsey, Andrew Fisher, Gina Hanlon, George Marston-Gallear, Graham McFadyen, Jason Smith, Maureen Rudge, Karen Trainer and Barrie Ward of the Communications Special Interest Group who took part in a session to plan the content of the annual report. Thank you to Jackie Durnall, Rachael Evans, David Higgins, Julie Kendrick, Alzie Logan, Juliet Logan, Joy McLaren, Saba Teckle and Chris Woolcock of the Review Panel who approved our approach to the annual report and commented on what it should include. Thank you to tenant board members Ann Ramsbottom and Sue Roberts for their guidance and input. You can also view an animated video of our annual report and a more detailed version on our website: www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk

Wolverhampton City Council is proud to endorse the second Annual Report to Tenants prepared by the Housing Management Agents who provide housing services to the Council’s tenants across the City. The report will give information on the performance of the Managing Agent in your part of the City, depending upon where you live, either from Wolverhampton Homes or one of the four TMOs. It will show how the management matches up to the standards put in place by the Tenant Services Authority which is the part of government that oversees Social Housing in England. The Council is aware that many tenants have helped shape the reports and this shows the City’s and its Managing Agents’ commitment to engaging with and responding to tenants’ needs in relation to their homes and how they are managed. The Council continues to support and monitor the work of the Managing Agents to ensure continued success and improvement to services provided to our tenants.

Tenant Involvement and Empowerment More than 500 tenants participated in our Get Togethers, Focus Groups, Special Interest Groups, Review Panel and Tenants Update Editorial Board, with several attending more than one. 65% of tenants said they were satisfied that we take their views into account. Our target was 70%. 77% of tenants said they were satisfied that we kept them informed. It has gone down from 83.1% in 2009-10. Thank you to everyone who got involved this year – it’s because of you that we can improve. We know that you need to feel confident that we will act on what you say – or if we are unable to act that we will give you a good explanation why. We have hundreds of examples of where we have improved things thanks to tenant feedback. You can read them on our website www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk by searching ‘involvement’ and look out for the ‘You Said We Did’ report coming out with December’s Tenants Update. We're sorry that you feel less well-informed than you did in 2009-10. In 2010-11, we produced six Tenants Updates as well as a You Said, We Did update, leaflets, posters and flyers, and a new look website. Did you know you can keep up with what we’re doing on Twitter www.twitter.com/WolvesHomes, Facebook www.facebook.com/WolvesHomes and Youtube www.youtube.com/WolvesHomes?

Customer Service

An Re nu po al rt

94% of customers said they were satisfied with how their call had been handled. We answered 75% of all calls within 30 seconds; this was an improvement on the previous year’s performance but short of our target of 90%. 4.9% of calls were abandoned which was within our target of 5%. We didn’t answer calls as quickly as we’d like during the cold winter. We know this isn’t good enough. To improve things for this winter, we have trained a team of staff to be drafted in to take calls in emergencies. We’re also tackling the problem of condensing boilers freezing in cold weather by re-routing them inside tenants’ homes. All 1,500 homes which had problems with their boiler pipe freezing (except for homes that we couldn’t get into) have now had them re-routed. If you had problems last year but we haven’t yet re-routed your boiler pipe, call us on 01902 556789 to arrange an appointment.

Your Home: Decent Homes We carried out Decent Homes work to 3,927 homes. Our target was 3,560. We completed 97% of Decent Homes work within 20 days. Our target was 96%. We have completed more than 15,000 of the 23,519 homes to the Decent Homes standard. Following changes to funding from the Government, we have had to extend the programme to 2015. We sent out the Yellow Book in April to all tenants who have not yet had the improvements. The Yellow Book shows when each street will have the work. You can see a copy of it on our website www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk

Your Home: Repairs and Maintenance We carried out 98.5% of emergency repairs within 24 hours. Our target was 99.8% We completed 98.1% of urgent repairs within 7 days. Our target was 99.5%. We completed 99.1% of routine repairs within 20 days. Our target was 98.5%. Repairs are one of the key issues that tenants raise. You want them done quickly, safely and preferably in one visit. We have steadily improved how we are doing on repairs but we know there is much more that we should do. Our Review Panel (a group of tenants) have analysed our repairs and made a series of recommendations to improve.

An Re nu po al rt

Lettings and Re-housing 1,693 council properties were let using ‘Homes in the City’ We re-let homes on average in 15 days. Our target was 24 days.

We know letting homes quickly is important to you. We are well ahead of our target. We have worked very hard to make sure we re-let homes quickly and we are aiming to do it even quicker next year.

Your Tenancy We carried out 92% of new tenancy checks within 28 days of the tenancy starting. Our target was 95%. We carried out 87.55% of home visits during the eighth month of introductory tenancies. Our target was 90%. We just missed both of our targets to visit new tenants. We know how important it is that new tenants get extra support when they’re just settling into their new home. Our visits help them manage their budget, be a good neighbour and iron out any problems they’re having. We always put an emphasis on new tenant visits and will continue to focus on hitting the target. It really helps us if you respond to our appointment letters. For tenants who need a little extra help, we also now have a series of enhanced visits to ensure they are coping with their tenancies. If we do not visit the customer in the eighth month, we keep trying to contact the tenant to carry out the visit in the ninth month.

Your Estate 91.7% of tenants receiving the Tidy Garden Scheme said they were satisfied with the service received. Our target was 90%. 86% of tenants and leaseholders receiving the concierge service said they were satisfied with it. We carried out 100% of daily fire safety checks at high rise blocks. It is good that most of you are satisfied with the grounds maintenance and concierge services. Fire safety is a life and death issue, so it is important we continue to carry out 100% of the checks. Thank you to everyone who has helped us do this by removing items from communal areas.

Preventing and Tackling Antisocial Behaviour 502 cases of antisocial behaviour were reported to us. 78% of tenants said they were satisfied with the way we had dealt with the antisocial behaviour problem. This is a 6% improvement on the previous year. Our target was 80%. We know that antisocial behaviour can ruin people’s lives, so we are committed to tackling it head on. We want more of you to feel satisfied with the way we handle cases, so we are holding our next Get Togethers on antisocial behaviour. Why not come along and tell us what you think? (For details, see page 3.)

An Re nu po al rt

Value for Money 74% of tenants said they thought their rent was value for money, an increase of 2% from 2009. Almost three quarters of you think your rent is value for money. This is good but we know we need to improve this. Next year we will look at what we throw away and see if we can reduce or recycle it, continue to reduce the time it takes to relet homes so we collect the maximum rent possible and increase the amount of rent we collect by Direct Debit to reduce costs. The money saved will be used to improve services.

Your Rent and Other Charges We collected 98.38% of the rent that was due. Our target was 98.2% Thank you for paying your rent on time. We are pleased to have beaten the target but we want to improve even further next year and we know that there may be difficult financial times ahead. Remember, if you are worried about money or are in arrears, contact our Money Smart Team who can help you, on 01902 556789.

Your Feedback It’s really important that you tell us what you think of this annual report so that we can improve for next year. Everyone who gives us feedback will be entered into a prize draw for £25 of vouchers. Name: ................................................................................................................................................. Address: ............................................................................................................................................. ....................................................................................Postcode:....................................................... Telephone number: ........................................................................................................................... What did you think of our annual report: ....................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................................. How satisfied were you with our annual report?

q Very satisfied q Satisfied

q Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied q Dissatisfied q Very dissatisfied Return to: Communications, Wolverhampton Homes, Chillington Fields Industrial Estate, Off Hickman Avenue, Wolverhampton, WV1 2BY

Qu Re arte po rly rt

How are we doing NOW?

This is a round-up of how we have done between April - June 2011

Antisocial Behaviour We take ASB seriously. We have a new computer system which will help us judge how we are doing. We’ll give you more information in March 2012. • 83% of respondents are very or fairly satisfied with the way their ASB complaint was dealt with - above our target of 80%. • 75% of respondents are very or fairly satisfied with the outcome of their ASB complaint. This is on target.

Customer Care The Homes Direct call centre answered 39% of calls in 20 seconds. Our target was 80%. This is not good enough. There were several reasons for this which we are tackling. Only 16% of calls were abandoned. Thank you for bearing with us. • 95% of complaints continue to be dealt with in time. • Older people, who have lived in their homes for more than 20 years are less likely to contact us. We're looking into why this is to ensure that all customers can easily contact us.

Decent Homes

Rents

We completed 391 Decent Homes between April – June 2011, above our target of 330. This figure may actually be higher because not all the paperwork was returned in time. We will update you in the next issue of Tenants Update. • 98% of properties have been completed within the 20 day timescale which is within our target of 96%. • 15% of employees on the Decent Homes project are trainees which is better than our 10% target. 38% live within the city boundaries, which is well above our 30% target. • This service is being delivered across all groups equally.

• We are continuing to collect rent on time. • The percentage of tenants owing more than seven weeks rent is within our 1.75% target at 1.69%. • We now have 24% of tenants paying by direct debit and this figure is rising steadily toward our target of 26% by March 2012. • We’ve found that certain groups are more likely to have difficulty paying their rent. We’re going to be giving more support to these people.

Repairs • 98.99% of Routine repairs completed within 20 calendar days - 0.01% short of 99% target. • 99.2% of Urgent repairs completed within 7 calendar days - just outside of 99.5% target. • 99.76% of Emergency repairs completed within 24 hours - above 99.75% target. • 88% of repairs appointments were kept. This is improving but is still below our 98% target. • 99.9% of homes have a valid gas certificate, above our 99.5% target. • Young people and people who have lived in their homes for less than five years are more likely to report repairs. We're looking why this is.

Empty Properties and Lettings • The average time to relet our empty homes is 17 days, beating our target of 18 days. • Rent lost through empty homes is 1.8%. This is above our 1.3% target but we are aiming for a reduction over the coming months. • 77% of tenancies offered were accepted first time, just below our target of 80%. • Between April 2010 – March 2011 the average time to relet empty homes in sheltered schemes (for tenants aged 60 plus or 55 plus and registered disabled) was 172 days for 53 properties. Many sheltered homes that have been empty for some time are now being relet thanks to new ways of working. • Our homes are allocated proportionately to the ethnic and age groups of people on the housing register, however fewer disabled people than expected are applying for housing. We’ll be looking into why this is and whether disabled people need extra support.

page

New Options for Homes Direct In October, Wolverhampton Homes is planning to introduce a simple menu of options to choose from when you ring Homes Direct. For example, options which will connect you to the Council or Housing Benefits and an option for making payments. If you have a general or repairs query choose that option or hold the line and you will be connected with Homes Direct in exactly the same way as before. Lindsey Stanley, Head of Customer Services at Wolverhampton Homes, said: “We’re always trying to improve our service to you. By directing calls in this way we hope to reduce waiting and overall call times for customers. “We will keep the message at the start of calls as short as possible and the process very simple.” During emergencies, such as last winter’s cold snap when many tenants had problems with their heating, there will be an extra option available to deal with calls relating to the situation and make our response more efficient. We welcome your feedback on these changes. Please call 01902 556789 or email homes.direct@wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk

Chair, Sue Roberts collects her MBE It was a proud moment when Chair of Wolverhampton Homes, Sue Roberts collected her MBE from the Queen in June for services to social housing. A passionate tenant activist, Sue, 58, has been involved in tenant consultation and participation for over a decade. Sue said: “It was such a wonderful day and an experience I will never forget.”

Low Hill becomes a Networked Neighbourhood Tenants of Low Hill are taking part in a project to bring a sense of pride to their area. ‘Celebrate Low Hill’ is looking at all aspects of how the reputation of the estate can be improved. They are developing a website which will include news and information for residents, what’s on in the area and memories from days gone by. A group of tenants, including Carole Billingham, Tony Blakeway, Jackie Durnall, Malcolm Hurd, Pat Kinsey, Joan Morgan and Dot Wood have got involved but now they are looking for more members. Jackie said: “We’re all really proud of Low Hill and we want the rest of the world to know about our area. We’re looking forward to seeing the website up and running.” If you live in Low Hill and would like to get CELEBRATING involved, please call the Communications LOW HILL: Team on 01902 556789. Jackie Durnall

New Pest Control Service

FULL OF PRIDE: Sue Roberts with her MBE

You can now arrange treatments for infestations of wasps and ants from the Council. The service costs £52.50 for a one off treatment for wasps and £52.50 for the initial treatment and first revisit, then £16 for all subsequent re-visits for ants. Other pest control services available to tenants free of charge are rats, mice, cockroaches, bed bugs and fleas. For more information or to arrange a treatment visit http://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk or call 01902 551155.

page

Here is a quick reminder of the Directors at Wolverhampton Homes. Thank you to Mr Boardman from Kitchen Lane for suggesting this. Left to right: • Philip Toni, Director of Resources, who manages our money • Mark Henderson, Director of Housing, who looks after your estate and tenancy • Sue Kunynec, Director of Corporate Services, who looks after the staff • Shaun Aldis, Director of Property, who makes sure repairs get done • Lesley Roberts, Chief Executive, who is in charge

Prioritising Parking You've told us that parking on some estates is one of your biggest bugbears. Parking problems are causing congestion and inconvenience so we have put together a team of experienced officers from Wolverhampton Homes and Wolverhampton City Council to consider ways to address the issue. The team have been working closely with tenants – you may have spoken to them out and about during ‘Parking Week’ or attended a recent focus group. Tackling parking is not easy and Wolverhampton Homes is working closely with the Council to see what options are available depending on the problems being experienced. We welcome your views on what you feel the issues are in your area. We ask you to park considerately where you can. Staff from OUT AND ABOUT: We took to the streets to get Wolverhampton Homes will do the same. If you would like more your views on problem parking information please call 01902 556789.

Young Tenants Get Heard Young tenants have been getting involved and getting their voices heard! In July we organised a special Get Together for more than twenty 16 – 30 year olds. They picked up advice on money matters and shared their views on how Wolverhampton Homes should be spending its money. Chief Executive, Lesley Roberts was there to hear what they had to say. At the event we spoke to young tenants about why it was important to them to get involved. Carly Hackett, 23, said: “A lot of young tenants don’t know where to go if they need help and it’s important to get involved so we know what is out there for us. “I really enjoyed this event, the staff were very helpful and I hope there are more like this in the future.” This is just the beginning - we’ll be looking for more young tenants to get involved. If you’re interested contact the Tenant Involvement Team on 01902 556789.

TOP TIPS: Carly Hack ett gets advice from Heather Leary from ou r Money Smar t Team at the Young Ge t Together

page

WFTA visit the Beacon Centre

ON TOUR: WFTA take a special tour of the new Beacon Centre for the Blind Wolverhampton Federation of Tenants Associations (WFTA) recently paid a visit to the new Beacon Centre for the Blind. The WFTA were given a tour of the building and were shown the activities carried out to support blind and visually impaired people at the centre. They were particularly impressed by the skills on show in the arts and crafts workshops. Dave Norman, a visually impaired member of WFTA, gained employment as a chef thanks to support from the centre. He said: “I appreciate all the support I’ve received from officers and volunteers at the Beacon Centre - they do a really good job.”

Annual Gas Safety Checks Wolverhampton Homes is required to carry out annual gas safety checks in all of the homes we manage to ensure appliances are working safely. It is important that you allow us access to your home to do this. Our partner contractor, Dodd Group, will write to you giving you a fixed appointment and you must contact the free phone number provided to confirm or re-book your appointment. If you miss three appointments and do not respond to us, by law we must start legal action to gain access to your home. This is the very last resort. For more information contact the Dodd Group on 0800 0854 837.

Fire Safety Reminder Please remember to keep communal areas, such as stairways and landings, clear as they are your emergency exits. You must not store any inflammable, explosive or noxious substances, such as paraffin or petrol, or any compressed gas bottles in your home or communal store cupboards. This is for everyone’s safety. In case of a fire in a communal area or a nearby flat, please stay in your home unless instructed by the fire service. Move to the room furthest from the fire and keep all doors closed. Use something, like a damp tea towel, to keep smoke from coming under the door.

Customer Comments Mr Nightingale, Dartmouth Crescent said: “Thank you for the lovely card I received for keeping my garden well maintained. All tenants are responsible for their gardens and should do the same.” We said: Thank you for your comment, Mr Nightingale. We really appreciate tenants who do their bit to maintain a tidy garden. You can find out more about keeping a tidy garden on page 14 or can call us anytime on 01902 556789 for more information.

Are you Moving Out? Don’t fall foul of recharge repair costs when ending your tenancy if you, a member of your family, or a visitor cause: • damage to your property • carry out unauthorised DIY • or leave rubbish or your belongings You could be entitled to £50 at the end of your tenancy if you leave your property clean and tidy and fix repairs that are your responsibility. Contact 01902 556789 for more information.

page

Best Foot Forward Residents of Lincoln Green in Bushbury meet every Wednesday to walk one mile around their estate. During their walk, the group, who are all aged over 60, also do a litter pick to keep the community tidy. Walker, Maureen Rudge said: “It is a great way to keep fit and meet new people. We also make shbury KING FOR HEALTH: Bu AL W the most of the new exercise walk sidents on their weekly re equipment at Lincoln Green - the park is not just for kids!” Mel Broadbent, health worker for the Wolverhampton Primary Care Trust, organises the walks and joins the group each week. The Walking for Health group are always looking for new members, of any age. If you are interested in joining the group, they meet every Wednesday at 9.45am on the green, off Wood Lane.

Keep a Tidy Garden Wolverhampton Homes is holding a Tidy Garden Week between 26 – 30 September. During the week, staff will be out and about encouraging tenants to keep their gardens tidy. Keeping your garden tidy is important and helps you to feel proud of your home and estate. It is also part of your tenancy agreement. During the last Tidy Garden Week in June, staff visited more than 2,700 properties, referred 23 tenants to the Tidy Garden Scheme and left ‘thank you’ cards for 117 tenants with lovely gardens. They also picked up 57 tenancy breaches which are now being followed up. If you need help looking after your garden, why not GORGEOUS GARDENS: Estate manager, join our Tidy Garden Scheme? For more information Jo Duffy helps tenants keep a tidy garden call 01902 556789.

Bulky Waste Collections The Council has special collection services for bulky waste, such as furniture and toys. It costs £17.79 to have up to five items collected. If you need to get rid of white goods, it costs £18.83 per item as they are more difficult to dispose of. If you receive benefits you can get one collection every six weeks, free of charge. You can arrange and pay for a bulky waste collection in a number of ways, including at any of our One Stop Shops. For more information visit www.wolverhampton.gov.uk and search 'bulky waste'.

page

Join our Review Panel Wolverhampton Homes needs tenants and leaseholders to join the Review Panel! The Review Panel checks that Wolverhampton Homes is keeping its promises to tenants, ensures that they are fully involved in decisions and makes recommendations directly to the Board. If you are interested please contact Grant Sproston for more information and an application form on 01902 551046. The closing date for applications is Friday 4 November.

Communal Trees A programme for maintaining the trees in communal areas managed by Wolverhampton Homes is underway. The work began in April and will cover each of the 20 wards within the city over a five year period. Tenants will soon be able to see the rota and what work is planned within each area, by visiting our website www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk. Trees in your garden remain your responsibility. However, if there is a health and safety risk the details should be reported to Homes Direct on 01902 556789.

Keeping you Secure Garages Update We have a number of garages available to rent at competitive rates. There are currently vacancies at Reedham Gardens, Swancote Drive, Woodhouse Road North, Wrekin Drive and Claverley Drive. These garages are for private use and not for commercial purposes. We would also like to remind current garage tenants to keep their accounts upto-date and to report any repairs or break-ins as soon as possible. You can pay your garage rent by Direct Debit, please see page 17 for more information. If you are interested in renting a garage, or if you are a garage tenant and would like to report a repair or break-in, please call 01902 556789.

This year’s fencing programme will see fencing put up in more than 300 rear gardens in the following estates The Lunt, Caledonia, Bradmore, Pennfields, Graiseley, Merry Hill and Low Hill. Preparations are already under way and it is anticipated that fencing will start to be put up in October.

Customer Comments Mr Boardman, Kitchen Lane said: “Please could we have an update on new Estate Managers.” We said: Thank you for your suggestion, Mr Boardman. We have created a page on our website which gives you up-to-date details of your estate manager. Please visit www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk and search 'estate managers’. If you don’t have access to the internet, pop into your local One Stop Shop and they will be able to print you a copy of this information.

page

Join an EcoTeam Tenants have been taking part in ‘EcoTeam’ workshops to help them save water, energy and the planet. This is part of the Plug In Project, which has also seen water saving devices installed in homes across the city. At the interactive workshops, you can get a better understanding of what uses the most energy and water around the home and share tips to help you save money on your bills. Gloria Blair-Riley from Heath Town, an EcoTeam member, said: “The session was fun and informative. I think it’s very important to know how I can have a positive impact on the environment.” Wolverhampton Homes is running a second workshop on Thursday 13 October between 11am - 1.30pm at our Hickman Avenue office. If you are interested in attending or would like more information on running an EcoTeam workshop for your community group contact the Climate Change Team on 01902 556789.

ECOTEAMS IN ACTION: Join the next workshop to get top energy saving tips

EcoTeam Top Tip Use a flask to keep water from the kettle hot once it’s been boiled. This will save water, energy and £££s!

Pick up New Skills

LEARNING SOMETHING NEW: Our skills sessions are in full swing

We’re continuing our series of free skills workshops. The following sessions are coming up: Understanding Your Community, 11 and 12 October 2011 - Learn more about your community and sample food from other cultures. Personal Effectiveness, 3 November 2011 - Build your confidence and learn how to make your point more effectively. Look out for skills sessions on DIY, writing newsletters and using the internet coming soon. Nordia Brown from Parkfields, who attended a previous Personal Effectiveness workshop, said: "It was very interesting and the tutor made it fun while we learnt." To learn something new, call the Tenant Involvement Team on 01902 556789. Please let us know if you have any special requirements which would help you to take part.

page

Have Your Say

SPEAK OUT: Come along to a Get Together or join us on Facebook

There are many ways you can get involved with Wolverhampton Homes and have your say on how we do things. Currently your involvement is shaping how we tackle ASB and our repairs service. You can choose how much or little time you want to give - come along to a Get Together (see page 3), join a focus group or even become a tenant board member. If you are short on time or can’t make an event, you can always share your thoughts on our Facebook page. Why not take part in our regular polls on important issues? Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/WolvesHomes To get involved call the Tenant Involvement Team on 01902 556789. We look forward to hearing from you!

Encouraging Diversity at Wolverhampton Homes

Do it by Direct Debit One in four tenants now pay their rent by Direct Debit. Paying your rent this way is simple and hassle free plus you will be entered into a prize draw every month, quarter and year if your rent account is up to date! The latest winners are Mr and Mrs Morgans from Chetton Green who won the monthly competition and Miss Edmunds from Bilston who scooped the quarterly prize. They both won £150 paid into a Credit Union account. You can pay weekly on a Monday or Friday or monthly on the 1st, 8th, 15th or 22nd of the month. To set up a direct debit please call free on 0800 408 0440 or email rents.management@ wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk

Farewell to Gladys Pearson Gladys Pearson, 78, sadly passed away after a short illness in June. Gladys was Chair of Lanesfield Tenants and Residents Association and a member of the Wolverhampton Federation of Tenants Associations (WFTA). She campaigned tirelessly to improve the quality of life of residents in Lanesfield. June Grashion, Secretary of WFTA and friend of Gladys, said: “I worked alongside Gladys for 16 years and she’ll be remembered for her unwavering cheerfulness, with nothing being too much trouble for fellow tenants.” She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

WORKING AT WOLVERHAMPTON HOMES: Find out how we’re making Wolverhampton Homes a diverse place to work Information on who is delivering your services is now available on our website. This information shows you things like who got jobs at Wolverhampton Homes and the background of the staff working for you. You can use this information to see how we are making Wolverhampton Homes an accessible and diverse place to work. Go to www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk for all the details.

Stranger Danger We would like to remind tenants and leaseholders not to allow strangers into your homes or the communal areas of your block. Look out for unfamiliar people following you into your block and always request ID from visitors carrying out repairs or inspections. This is for your safety and security.

page

TV is going Digital!

SATISFACTION SURVEY: What you think is important to us

Annual Satisfaction Survey Results Out Now Every year we carry out the Tenant Satisfaction Survey to get your views on your home, the services we provide and how we can improve things. The findings from 2010 show that Wolverhampton Homes is continuing to provide a strong service. The headline results are: • Overall satisfaction with area as a place to live 81% (this figure has increased from 79% 2009) • Overall satisfaction with rent in terms of value for money 74% (this figure has gone up 2% since 2009) • Overall satisfaction with services provided by landlord 81% (2009 figure was 82%) • Satisfaction with the overall quality of home 82% (85%) • Overall satisfaction with repairs service 79% (this figure has gone up 1% since 2009) • Satisfaction with the general condition of property 79% (81%) • Overall rating of keeping tenants informed about things which may affect them 77% (83%) Where you have said that you are slightly less satisfied than you were a year ago, we’ll be looking to why this is and taking steps to improve in these areas. For more details on the survey and how it is carried out search 'tenant satisfaction' at www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk

The digital switchover takes place this month. Homes in Wolverhampton yet to make the switch from analogue to digital TV will do so on 7 and 21 September. To ensure you don’t lose your TV signal, you will need to convert your TVs to digital before the 21 September. If you would like further information on the digital switchover please contact Digital UK on 08456 505050 or www.digitaluk.co.uk, Wolverhampton Homes on 01902 556789 or search ‘digital switchover’ at www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk

Cultural Insights From food to family life, Tannita Lewis is incredibly proud of her Jamaican roots. Her maternal grandma moved to England in the 1960s to start better life. She settled in Wolverhampton and worked for DISCOVERING HER ROOTS: British Rail for Tannita Lewis is proud of her more than 20 Jamaican roots years. Her grandma now lives just around the corner and makes sure that Tannita keeps the family’s Jamaican culture alive. Tannita said: “I am very proud of my grandma and our Jamaican background. I try and cook traditional food, such as salt fish and akee or my favourite, jerk chicken, once or twice a week. The whole family regularly get together for a big meal of what we call ‘soul food’!” If you would like to tell us about your culture, please contact us on 01902 553373 or communications@wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk

page

! September 2011

Kids Colouring Competition Brighten up the ‘back to school’ days with our fantastic colouring competition just for kids! There are two prizes of £20 vouchers up for grabs – one for the under fives and one for 5-10 year olds. All entries will also receive a certificate. In June, Jessica May James scooped the prize for the under fives and Kyanne James for the 5-10 year olds. Send your entries to: Communications, Wolverhampton Homes, Chillington Fields Industrial Estate, Off Hickman Avenue, Wolverhampton, WV1 2BY

Name: ................................................................................................... Age:.................................... Address: ............................................................................................................................................ .......................................................................................................................................................... ..............................................................................................................Postcode: ............................ Telephone:......................................................................................................................................... How satisfied are you with the information in this newsletter? q Very satisfied q Satisfied q Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied q Dissatisfied q Very dissatisfied

Customer Comments You said: “You have taken no action on loud music, youth gangs and obvious drug dealing in certain areas.” Anonymous We said: “Tackling ASB across the city is tough but we believe we have made some significant steps to address the problem. We have dedicated ASB coordinators who work with the Council and the police to try and keep estates safe. Read the article on page 5 for more on what we are doing to tackle hate crime. Remember, you can report any form of ASB in confidence on 01902 558901.

page

! September

Join our Editorial Panel

Word Search Solve our special money themed word search for a chance to win £50 in vouchers! Find all 12 words on page 4. The lucky winner of June’s competition was Sulekha Hallone from Ettingshall.

R E

Advice Benefits Smart

Universal Service Savings

S R I

Help us make Tenants Update even better by joining our editorial panel. We had a great turn out at the last panel meeting and the ideas shared by tenants have really shaped this issue.

Rent First Heather

Chris Nadine Money

The next meeting for the December issue will be at the beginning of October at our head office. We’ll pay your travel expenses. If you’re interested or would like to suggest a story email communications@wolverhampt onhomes.org.uk or call 01902 556789.

September 2011

Your feedback Tell us what you think about any of our services and you could be included in the next Tenants Update. We welcome all feedback – good or bad. ............................................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................................. Your name: ........................................................................................................................................ (or you can give feedback anonymously if you wish) Your address: ..................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................Your postcode:....................................................... Your telephone number: ................................................................................................................... How satisfied are you with the information in this newsletter? q Very satisfied q Satisfied q Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied q Dissatisfied q Very dissatisfied Return to: Communications, Wolverhampton Homes, Chillington Fields Industrial Estate, Off Hickman Avenue, Wolverhampton, WV1 2BY