Radian R Mag Spring/Summer 2015

ET !

G R & HE I N UC E IT V O R W £2O A

Welcome

MAGAZINE

Money Page 12

www.radian.co.uk

Kids’ Zone Page 15

INSIDE: NEWS, ADVICE, GAMES, YOUR VIEWS AND MORE...

Radian offices Your local Avon office: Endeavour House, Crow Arch Lane, Ringwood BH24 1PN 9.00am to 5.00pm, limited parking Your Longwood Park office: Byron House, Common Road, Langley, Slough SL3 8TN 9am to 12 noon, limited parking Your local Rother office: Drum Court, The Spain, Petersfield GU32 3NG 8.45am to 5.00pm, limited parking Your local Solent office: Collins House, Bishopstoke Road, Eastleigh SO50 6AD 8.45am to 5.00pm, limited parking Your local Thames office: Parkside House, 33-39 Sheet Street, Windsor SL4 1BY 8.45am to 5.00pm, metered parking

Decorating tips Page 8

Universal Credit Page 12

Get in Touch Page 16

Magna Carta events Page 14

Radian’s ‘Walk for Housing’ was a huge success!

Over a hundred people were accompanied by a Samba band whilst they ‘Walked for Housing’ across Southampton on 11 March to urge politicians to end the UK’s housing crisis within a generation.

Radian were asked by the National Housing Federation to lead the Southampton walk, which set off from Centenary Quay in Woolston and finished in Guildhall Square in the city centre. Spirits were high with speeches by housing professionals, Radian residents and music from a traditional Brazilian steel band motivating the walkers.

Lindsay Todd, Chief Executive at Radian, said: “We’ve played a part in the larger National Housing Federation campaigning for Homes for Britain because not enough houses are being built every year.

This sliding effect means that our children will struggle to get any sort of housing. We believe that housing associations and the wider political society must do something on a long-term sustainable basis so that everyone has somewhere to live.”

A mix of people joined together on the day including homeowners,

1

Hints and Tips Page 8 Tenancy Audits Page 11

SPRING/SUMMER 2O15

Back to our roots! Page 6

Local Updates Page 3

Winchester Night Shelter, Radian staff and neighbouring housing associations including First Wessex, Aster Homes, Saxon Weald, Hyde Group and the Society of St James. The local TV crew also made an appearance, and we were featured on ITV Meridian News.

Rachel Vincent, Walk for Housing Event Coordinator at Radian says: “It was fabulous to see so many people come out and support us in the name of Homes for Britain.

This shows that so many of us care about the housing crisis and what it means for future generations.”

More on page 10...

0300 123 1 567 (From 8.30am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday and until 7.00pm on Thursday)

Welcome

Editor’s Note Howdy everyone, welcome to the spring/summer edition!

My name’s Philippa and I am guest editor for this edition of R magazine.

Because the weather is improving, more of us are inclined to chill in the garden with a BBQ on the go – check out the cheese and chilli melts recipe on page 14 – super scrummy for a summers evening!

Thinking about having a spring clean or a fresh lick of paint around your home? Then head to page 8 for Dave’s decorating tips.

As the school holidays are approaching, we have some tricky puzzles to solve in the

Kids’ Zone – page 15, try not to look at the answers!

As always if you have anything you would like to share – send it over! Our contact details are on the back page.

Philippa

Thank you for thanking us We often receive some great comments from our customers who want to praise the service they’ve received from a particular member of staff, or Radian as a whole.

We really appreciate this and always make sure these comments are passed on to the right person, so they know how grateful you were and what a great job they are doing.

Aged 50+?

Computers made easy!

We record all the compliments we receive and the great news is, we get far more compliments than complaints. In 2014 we received 680 compliments and 454 complaints. It is always great to know when things are going well.

If you have received a particularly good service from someone at Radian and want to let us know, you can do this via our website, send an e-mail or letter, or just give us a call and let our Radian Direct staff know who will pass your comments on. You can find all of our contact details on the back page.

Find more news at radian.co.uk 2

Training opportunities in your area The Employment, Support and Training (EST) team have various events and courses running across all areas. EST is open to all Radian residents and is completely free of charge!

They cover all manner of things such as courses in first aid, construction and becoming self-employed.

There are employment fairs, job clubs, open days and taster training days; plus the team can help with job searching, CV writing, interview skills, tackling application forms, writing cover letters and telephone techniques.

The team are also offering apprenticeships, so get in touch!

Call EST on 0800 422 0570 (option 1) or email ESTsupport@radian.co.uk. You can also find out more by visiting www.radian.co.uk/est

Age Concern Hampshire: ‘Taking the mystery out of modern technologies’ Bring your knowledge, skills and abilities into the 21st Century with one-to-one tuition, for only one hour per week, for up to eight weeks.

Learn how to use the basic applications (“apps”) on your computer, laptop, tablet or mobile device, including internet, photos, social media, emails, shopping, banking and home-study learning.

Call today to enrol for one of our friendly and informative training sessions at your local centre.

Freephone: 0800 328 7154 or email enquiries@ ageconcernhampshire.org.uk www.ageconcernhampshire. org.uk

Local Updates

Avon Area Panel Update

Rother Area Panel Update

Solent Area Panel Update

Thames Area Panel Update

By Chair, Lorraine Thompson

By Panel member, Gina Hopkins

By Panel member, Chris Jenkinson

By Panel member Louise Kettle, David Simpson & Cath Price

I was already involved with the Swaythling Housing Society before it became Radian so it seemed a natural progression to join the Avon Area Panel. I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to get involved in local matters.

I got involved in the Area Panel because I lived in one of Radian’s first eco-homes and had a lot of problems with the technology installed. I was interested in helping Radian see it from the residents’ view and attended groups and meetings to ensure the same mistakes weren’t repeated in their future homes. I felt that by joining the Area Panel my voice and knowledge would be valuable!

I have been involved with the Solent Area Panel from its initiation – you could say I am one of the ‘original’ members. My involvement started through a knock at my door at a ‘let’s get involved’ event.

I helped at a few events and was asked to join the Swaythling resident group which went on to become the Solent Area Panel.

We are very pleased to have just appointed a new resident member and a new leaseholder member to our Panel. However, we also bid farewell to Pat Bargent who has been on the Area Panel since the very start.

Panels change quite often and we’ve got four members currently; although we are recruiting! I’d encourage any Avon resident to come and join us, get involved and really have a say.

The Panel do all sorts of things, such as review funding applications. We get a wide range through from sponsoring a graffiti wall, funding parent & toddler groups, funding school holiday projects and supporting young parents.

I’m proud of so many things the Panel have been part of, such as producing the Aids and Adaptations leaflet and holding the first ever Shared Owners conference. The way we work with Radian staff is also something I’ve seen develop into something we can all be proud of.

As a Panel member you help enrich the lives of residents by making decisions that have a positive effect on their lives.

Being involved helps you to see the big picture and not just what is happening in your own home but in other communities.

Read more on page 4

At present there are six Area Panel members for the Rother area but we are always looking for more residents to join our friendly team!

Every resident’s voice can help shape the future. To anyone who is interested in joining I would say it definitely helps us all move forward; your voice is very important for present and future residents. It is very interesting and can be fun along the way!

The Rother Panel are very proud of ‘getting out there’ and listening to all the residents. We look through grant applications for various things such as fencing, football kits, fun days, communal garden benches and training for individuals etc. These grants help residents in various ways.

It is very important to have residents involved in being Area Panel members. This helps Radian shape things for the better, giving residents a voice for a brighter future.

To join an Area Panel, contact the community Involvement team for your area on 0300 123 1 1567.

Read more on page 5

We’re currently a Panel of six; we may be small but we have achieved a lot of great things.

We’ve helped with journey mapping of a Neighbourhood Officer’s duties and the steps we have taken to review the anti-social behaviour reporting procedure. We also tackled car parking as one of our priorities – whilst the ‘success’ rate wasn’t as good as we hoped, it did show the depth of problems involved and most importantly as a Panel we listened to residents problems and tried to find positive solutions.

I find being on the Panel very rewarding as it helps to ‘give something back’ to contribute in my own little way to the development of Radian from a tenants point of view.

To use my knowledge of situations I have been in both good and bad for a greater good.

If you were thinking of joining, I’d say go for it! It is very interesting and the staff are always helpful and make you feel at ease. It is not a case of ‘them & us’ – it’s a team thing. The Area Panel is conducted in a semi-formal relaxed way and I enjoy being on the Panel.

Read more on page 6

Thank you, Pat, for all of the time you have contributed. We will miss you and wish you all the best; we’re pleased you will still be involved with Radian on the Editorial Panel.

The Thames Area Panel are planning a stock tour over the coming months and also want to meet with and hear the views of more Thames residents this year. Recently, Panel members have attended an event for older residents and a Big Society event, both in Windsor. They also went ‘behind the scenes’ at Radian’s Technical Services department to find out more about how the system works. In April, Panel members met to start looking at the satisfaction reports and preparing what they want to focus on when they meet with managers from Technical Services.

Louise Kettle, Panel member, says: “I joined the Area Panel when I was going through a stage three complaint as it was then. I have to say I have learnt so much about the other side of Radian; I have a much better understanding of how things work and not just as a resident! The Panel gives the residents a voice, I’m very happy to be part of it.”

Read more on page 7 3

New CIPs for Avon At Radian we are developing a series of Community Investment Plans (CIPs). The idea behind these plans is to find out what issues are affecting residents in the local community and then work together with other partners and organisations to look at ways to address them if we can.

Avon

Our bulk sulk!

Whilst there are some who appreciate finding an armchair in a bin store, many of us do not but it does happen far too often!

Please remember that if you have a bulk item that needs to be disposed of you make the necessary arrangements to have it removed rather than just leave it in a communal area. Bulk items can cause health and safety hazards, increase fire risks and work to remove items from our sites can increase the service charge.

If you are receiving means-tested benefits you might find that there is no collection charge.

If you are unsure of what to do with your bulk items please contact your Council for further advice.

Two of our new CIP areas are Beaufort Park estate in Southbourne, and the Heather Road estate in Fawley.

Flipping marvellous!

Since 2013 we have been developing a Community Investment Plan (CIP) for Bemerton Heath and as part of this we have held two cookery projects, the latest one saw families come along and make pancakes using the facilities at Sarum Academy.

Tony and Alex from The Training & Learning Company helped the parents and their children prepare the mixture and cook the pancakes and whilst these were cooking they also prepared some delicious fillings for the participants to fill their pancakes with.

Matthew Barton, Community Development Officer, said:

“the families enjoyed themselves and it was great that Radian was able to arrange a free event that parents and children could do together.”

Thank you to those who attended, to Sarum Academy and to the tutors from the Teaching and Learning Company.

Festive Fiesta Schools Community Challenge Does your child attend a school within the Totton, Southbourne, Bemerton Heath or Blackfield areas? If so, watch this space…

We have an exciting opportunity for schools to take part in our Community Challenge. We will be writing to schools in these areas soon with more information!

In the meantime, if you want to find out what it’s all about contact Stacy Saxby or Matthew Barton on 0300 123 1 567.

4

The hard work and creativity of young people was on full display at St Michael’s Community Centre in Bemerton Heath in December, with their fun filled Festive Fiesta event!

Just a few months earlier the young ladies who put the event together were discussing how it was a shame more wasn’t being done for children in the community.

Instead of waiting for someone else to do it, this group of determined people turned their frustrations The team who made it all happen into action. said: “We were nervous but it turned out really well. Everyone Supported by Rise:61, a local looked like they were having a great charity set up to empower young time. We are so proud of what we people, the team met weekly have achieved and feel confident over a period of 3 months making about making the summer event wallets and cards to sell, designing even better!” flyers, decorations and meeting groups to organise the music, Matthew Barton, from Radian’s bouncy castle and café.

Community Development Team said: “We were delighted to provide The community really got behind it, some funding to help make this with donations and support from event possible. It’s young people the church, residents and The Sound like these who are the future of Emporium, a local music business. our communities.”

So far local residents and organisations who work in these areas have been sent surveys and asked questions about their community. Our next step is to look at the results and produce an action plan. Once this has been completed we will launch the CIP to each local community so the residents and local companies can see what we hope to do in their area.

In recent months we held a Taster Training Session with our Employment, Support and Training (EST) team; this saw two residents find employment.

We also organised a first aid course in partnership with Forest First Children’s Centre and the British Red Cross designed to help babies and young children in the event of an emergency.

Our aim is to develop further activities in line with the CIPs so please keep checking in on us!

If you have any questions please contact the Avon Community Involvement team on 0300 123 1 567

Surveying your community Hampshire Police have asked us to help in a survey they are conducting over the New Forest East district. The Police want to know your thoughts on how best they can serve your community.

What would you say is your Policing priority where you live?

If you have a few minutes to take part in an online survey, please go to www. surveymonkey.com/r/NFECP

We have a winner

Rother

The Rother Area Panel has just come back from looking at some incredible school projects put forward for the Radian Schools Challenge. After much deliberation a winner was picked: congratulations Petersfield Infant School!

It was a very hard decision as each school had done a marvellous job.

Thank you so much to the schools that took part and to the Panel who judged. Take a look at why the Panel were spoiled for choice with all the wonderful school projects...

wait to start using the room to support pupils and their families.

Padnell Infant School – The sensory garden is in full swing and the children will be sending out invitations to local residents to invite them to come to share in their Anstey Junior School – last year’s celebration and also asking people runners up have got well underway to come and join the gardening with this year’s challenge of expanding club to keep the garden going. their ‘Growing Great Greens’ project.

They have been involving the whole Petersfield Infant School – The school in designing the new welly school held a silver surfers day store and expanding the veg plot. where grandparents were invited to use the computer suite. Six Denmead Infant School – Pupils in retired volunteers have also come Denmead came up with the idea to aboard to help pupils in a variety create a family room at their school. of activities. Over Christmas, They’ve been getting quotes from the pupils created shoeboxes to builders and shopping around for donate and Year 2 pupils performed soft furnishings; the school can’t Christmas songs to local residents.

Purbrook Park Secondary School – Classrooms are being taken over by seedlings for onions and cabbages and the school have installed a path and vegetable beds. Next on their list is to plant the seedlings for peas, beetroot and carrots. The pupils are realising how much hard work goes into setting up an allotment.

St Mary’s Junior School – The Sunrise Breakfast Club has been running a range of themed breakfasts in the mornings. The club provides a stable, safe and reliable environment for children to begin their day. The school hope this will provide a more engaging relationship between them and the children, parents and the community.

Home-Start: Supporting families Home-Start is a national charity that provides one-to-one support and friendship to families with at least one child under five. The Home-Start WeyWater group covers Bordon, Alton and Liphook.

We visit families at home for a couple of hours every week offering help and advice as needed. We also run family groups and social events.

Our family group meet on Mondays at Martinique House, Camp Road, Bordon, GU35 0HJ. We also have a new Thursday morning group at Weyford Infants School, Mill Chase Road, Bordon, GU35 0EP. The Thursday session offers pre-schoolers help in achieving essential milestones such as dressing and teeth brushing.

It also includes a session on first aid and offers parents the opportunity to meet and chat over a cuppa.

To find your local group, visit www.home-start.org.uk For more information about Home-Start WeyWater, visit www.homestart-weywater.org.uk or call 01420 473555

Street dance in Headley Radian has teamed up with Funk Format Trust, East Hampshire District Council and Headley Down Community Association to support and fund weekly dance lessons for local children.

creativity and having loads of fun!

Sessions are led by professional Funk Format street dancers who performed at the Olympics Opening Ceremony and worked with famous faces such as Alicia Dixon, Kylie and Sean Paul.

The youngsters have been enjoying learning some awesome new dance skills in hip-hop and break dancing as well as keeping fit, building their confidence,

If you are interested in getting involved or would like more information please call Helen Pugh on 01428 717231 or email cpw@hdca.co.uk.

5

Solent

Join us to go back to Radian’s roots!

Ninety years ago, Herbert Collins, Claude Ashby and Fred Woolley set up the Swaythling Housing Society in response to the severe housing shortage after WW1. Their philosophy of building high quality homes in an open, green environment which would help support health, wellbeing and a good sense of community is something that we continue to strive for at Radian.

Read more news from your area at radian.co.uk Pilands Wood survey

To mark the anniversary we’ll be holding a series of activities and events in and around Mansbridge over the coming months. We’ll be finding out more about the local area through online research projects, talks, local residents’ stories and memories and we’ll be capturing our local history through arts and crafts, drama and photography.

If you have any thoughts or ideas, stories or memories of life in the Mansbridge area we’d love to hear from you.

Join us at the Round About Cafe in Mansbridge on Friday 26th June as we go back to 1925 to explore what life was like when those first houses were built. Over the next few weeks we’ll be trying out food,

6

For information check out the Round About Cafe website www.roundaboutcafe.org or, even better, pop in to the Cafe for a chat.

Need help getting online?

Thanks Pete!

Jamie’s Computers in Southampton can help!

Do you live in Pilands Wood, Bursledon? If so, keep an eye out for a survey which aims to find out what you think of the area.

The Pilands Wood Partnership; a group made up of partners such as Eastleigh Borough Council, Radian, Pilands Wood Community Association and the Police; want to know how you feel about living there. It will help us work together to improve the things you think aren’t so great about the neighbourhood. We need your help to do this! Look out for us in the coming months.

hair, fashion, music and dance as we prepare to go back in time.

They’re offering a voucher for 10% off computer equipment.

Pete Marsh, one of our Millbrook residents, has been doing his bit to keep his neighbourhood tidy.

Pete goes out every other day to pick up litter, return trolleys and gather any bulk items around his community. Neighbours have been remarking on how much better the estate looks and we think he is doing an excellent job – well done Pete and thank you!

Pete’s kindness and hard work

doesn’t stop there. Together with his partner Lynn, Pete also runs a project to help out homeless people in Southampton by collecting bedding, clothing and food which they distribute 6 days a week to those who need it.

You can find out more about their project or how to make a donation by searching for ‘The new help the homeless in Southampton’ page on Facebook.

I’m already web savvy!

We’re also on the lookout for ‘Digital Champions’ – people who can point others in the right direction for training, software, good deals and provide the basics of getting online. If you fancy the challenge, get in touch!

For more information or to claim your voucher, contact Stacy Saxby on 0300 123 1 567 or email stacy.saxby@radian.co.uk

New CIPs for Thames

Supporting sheltered schemes We recently surveyed all our sheltered schemes and asked if there were any activities they’d like us to look into and support.

Many already have social groups set-up and were happy with things where they live. But two themes cropped up a few times; IT and exercise.

We have three new Community Investment Plan (CIP) areas to focus on this year. We are in the process of asking residents, partners, staff and other housing providers across the areas what issues they face and how we can work with them to resolve them.

Wellesbourne, High Wycombe – the main issues coming up here are around parking, bin collections and tidy streets.

We’re going to focus on improving those areas where possible as well as trying to build a community spirit in the neighbourhood. We hope to host some events over the summer and beyond.

Our friends at Moores Court in Datchet had the idea of converting a spare room into an IT room.

Other schemes mentioned armchair exercises, in particular armchair zumba! We’re looking into all the suggestions and ways we can get funding or support for as many as possible! Thanks to everyone for taking part.

IT Suite review at Longwood Many residents from Longwood Park will have benefited from service provided through the IT suite at the Byron Centre and although it is currently closed, a team of residents and staff are working hard to plan its future.

Sawyers Close, Windsor – the main issues we’re finding here are about anti-social behaviour (ASB) and income. From that, we’ve got some sessions with the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) money surgery coming soon. Kids club and regular events are still going on in the neighbourhood too.

The job club has been a great success and since we installed Kaonix (a system that matches people to jobs), we were able to assist even more residents who have been looking for employment.

It’s also been really encouraging to see that so many residents have signed up to the Longwood Park WIFI.

Longwood Park, Slough – we will be consulting with the Longwood Park residents shortly so watch this space for details.

We are currently reviewing the project and making some decisions

about its future so please keep looking in the Longwood Park News, the R Mag and the Radian website for further information.

For those residents seeking employment and training opportunities please contact our Employment, Support and Training team on 0800 4220570 or email ESTsupport@radian.co.uk for details.

Thames Disability Forum needs you

Citizens Advice

If you have a disability or care for someone with a disability, you might like to get involved with our Disability Forum.

From 4 March 2015, Citizens Advice will be giving free support in Dedworth

At Radian we really want to improve services for our residents with disabilities but we can’t do it without you.

Your experiences and opinions are really important to make sure we put right what’s wrong, and improve what’s going well.

Games and puzzles are on page 15

Thames

The Thames Disability Forum has been working hard over the last few years towards improving services. We’re proud of our achievements, especially that we were able to create work placements for residents with a disability, and also enhance the handheld devices our tradesman use to ensure

additional needs of residents with a disability are met.

This year the Thames Disability Forum are looking into how we can promote Radian’s Tenancy Sustainment service to Radian residents with a disability, and how to promote the work the Disability Forums are doing by raising their profile at local events.

If you are interested in joining the Thames Disability Forum or would like to find out more, contact Shabana Farooq at shabana.farooq@radian.co.uk or 0300 123 1 567

Call in for information and advice on debt, benefits, housing, employment, relationship breakdown and consumer issues Wednesdays 10am-2:30pm No appointment necessary The Manor Youth Centre, Hanover Way, Dedworth, Windsor SL4 5NW Alternatively call the Adviceline on 03444 111 444 MondayFriday 10-4pm 7

Hints and Tips

How to avoid damp & mould • Make sure you use trickle vents or keep windows open as much as possible, especially in the morning.

• Cover pans when cooking and use your extractor fan if you have one.

• Whenever possible, dry washing outside. If you can’t, then make sure you hang it in a well ventilated room and not on radiators or all over the home.

• Ventilate the bathroom after having a bath or shower either with your extractor fan or by opening the window.

• Close the kitchen door while cooking and have the window open to let the excess heat and moisture out.

Dave’s decorating tips Dave Edmonds, one of Radian’s Painter & Decorators, has over 40 years experience in making homes look lovely. Here he shares his handy tips and tricks that you can use for refreshing your home.

• Get some decent brushes – you don’t want stray hairs in your gorgeous gloss work!

• Frog Tape or masking tape is great for putting around skirting boards for that perfect finish. It’s also good for cutting-in (painting corners and edges) so you don’t paint the white wall blue!

• If you’re painting an entire room, start with the ceiling first then move down to the walls, and finish with glossing. Before you start to paint a wall, cut in first to make things easier later!

• Put some dust sheets over any furniture and floors to avoid paint spots. No matter how good you are, there will always be little spots somewhere!

• If you end up getting some paint on your furniture or carpets, you should wash it off with white spirit which you can buy from DIY shops.

• If you get a splodge of paint on some glass or light switches, use a credit card to gently scratch it off.

• Keep a gap between furniture and any external walls.

• In cold weather, keep the heating on low all day even if you’re not at home. This will prevent surfaces from getting cold enough for moist air to condense. It will also make it easier to get the home to a comfy temperature when you get home and costs no more than heating the home from cold twice a day.

In the udder bin!

On a sunny day in April we held an event with Eastleigh Borough Council to promote recycling.

Lorraine Kemp, Waste & Recycling Officer from the Council, and Jamie Pearson, Neighbourhood Officer from Radian, attended the event although the star of the show was ‘Daisy the Recycling Cow’ (who looked suspiciously like a black and white bin)!

“Proper recycling is essential” said Jamie. “We are charged extra by the Council when recycling doesn’t happen correctly and we have to pass those charges on to our residents through service charges.

It was good to get out and meet people to highlight this important issue. I found it all very moo-ving!”

8

Just as a reminder here’s what should go in your recycling bins: • Papers • Newspapers • Cardboard • Food tins • Drink cans • Plastic bottles • Aerosols

• When you’ve got more painting to do tomorrow, leave your brush wrapped in a carrier bag or wrap in cling film to stop the paint and bristles drying out. You can pick up where you left off the next day!

• When cleaning a brush covered in emulsion, use warm soapy water. For glossy brushes, wash them in white spirit first then warm soapy water.

Happy painting!

How to become a Shared Owner

Housing Information

Changes to mutual exchanges If you want to buy your own home but think it’s out of reach, you might be surprised at how affordable a Shared Ownership property with Radian could be.

The Shared Ownership scheme allows you to purchase a share of a property and pay a low rent on the remainder. It can be a low cost alternative to buying a home on the open market, and you will only need to have a deposit for the share you are buying rather than the full market value.

You can initially buy shares from 25%-75% depending on the property and your own financial circumstances. If you can afford to buy more shares later on, then you are able to do so, which could mean you own 100% and not pay any rent (buying more shares is called ‘staircasing’).

What are the costs involved?

You will need to be able to get a mortgage to buy at least the minimum share available, as well as having a mortgage deposit available. The deposit may be 5-10% of the value of the share you are purchasing. However, remember you will be expected to purchase as much of the property that is affordable for you.

Other costs to consider include:

• Valuation fee – this is a requirement of your mortgage application • Legal fees – you may be given details of recommended solicitors • Monthly service charges – again, these will vary from property to property

• Reservation fee – this will be taken off the total purchase price

• Other monthly costs – don’t forget about Council Tax, TV licence and utility bills, for example

• Mortgage arrangement fees – this will vary depending on your financial advisor and mortgage lender

Find out more at www.radianhomes.co.uk/ shared-ownership-guide or call our team on 0800 145 6663.

*Based on at 25 year repayment mortgage at a rate of 5.39%

Approx total monthly cost

£226.42

Approx monthly mortgage

£66,500

Monthly rent

£3,325

Monthly service charges

£190,000

Min share value

3 bed semi detached

Min. 5% mortgage deposit

Full market value

Illustration of monthly cost based on a recently sold 3 bed house

£27.17

£384*

£637

A mutual exchange is often the quickest way to move house; you simply swap your property with another tenant. However, changes in our Allocations Policy may effect you if you were looking to mutually exchange into a Radian property.

We are no longer allowing residents to under-occupy.

This means Radian will only consider a request to exchange if the household matches the correct occupancy level for the property you have found.

What does under occupancy mean?

Under occupancy is when you are assessed as having more bedrooms than you have people to occupy them. To assist you in finding a potential exchange, we have provided a breakdown of how bedrooms are allocated. One bedroom is allocated for: • Each adult couple • Any other person aged 16 or over • Two children of the same sex under the age of 16 • Two children under the age of 10 regardless of their sex • Any other child • A carer (who does not normally live with you) if you or your partner need overnight care If you have any questions about mutual exchange or if you have found a potential exchange, please contact Radian Direct on 0300 123 1 567 or email radiandirect@radian.co.uk.

9

Successes

Radian’s ‘Walk for Housing’ was a huge success!

Continued from page 1 The fun didn’t stop after the walk either as a handful of Radian employees were invited to the Homes for Britain rally in Methodist Hall, London, on 17 March. There, they were joined by over 2000 people from around 300 organisations to hear what five UK political parties were committing to, in order to help end the housing crisis within a generation.

• Ed Davey – Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change • Nigel Farage – Leader of the UK Independence Party • Caroline Lucas – Green MP for Brighton Pavilion • Grant Shapps – Chairman of the Conservative Party and former Housing Minister • Ken Loach – English Film and Television Director

Philippa Gough, PR & Marketing Assistant at Radian, attended the event and said: “The rally was electric with positivity and high hopes of what changes are to come. There were some really eye-opening, hard hitting moments showing how the housing crisis has escalated over the past few years but I think that only gave attendees more determination to make a change.”

Just some of the speakers on the day included:

As you might expect, there were a mixed bag of views shared on the day about how to end the housing crisis, which understandably generated mixed reactions.

You can help show your support for the campaign by adding your voice! There are a number of things you can do, with resources available at www.homesforbritain.org.

• Hilary Benn – Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

Youth Radio Jess Tubb, radio presenter, tells us more...

• Pledging your support via the Homes for Britain website • Putting up posters in your windows at home to show your support • Following Homes for Britain on Twitter (@homesforbritain) or Facebook (facebook.com/ homesforbritain) to see regular updates on the campaign and ways to get involved.

Radian has joined forces with Music Fusion to produce the fabulous ‘Youth Radio’ – a project produced by young people for young people.

Music Fusion is a charity-based music group that works with young people. Myself and a few other Radian residents have been involved in many of Music Fusion’s projects, such as Younique, Challenging Stereotype and Negative to Positive. By getting involved in these activities it has given us confidence and expanded our skills and knowledge.

With the suggestion of starting a radio show we jumped at the chance; and with help from Radian’s Tenancy Sustainment Team and Community Development Team we have grown from strength to strength!

We meet every Tuesday to plan and record our shows. We’ve been

10

Just some of the ideas include:

very lucky as Music Fusion has leant us the equipment to make this possible. Olee, a resident from Petersfield, takes the role of our tech man doing all our editing and recording. Jenni and myself are on the mic (pictured). We produce monthly shows containing interviews, music and projects of the month. We have recently recorded a show on subjects such as benefits, universal credit, employment & training and future shows will include topics such as housing, volunteering, bullying, disability and mental health.

We have been very lucky working with Matthew and David from Radian who have given us support and advice throughout the shows, teaching

us interview techniques and basic radio presenting skills.

We even have a media skills session lined up in May which will be delivered by Spirit FM and we are all looking forward to what we will learn from this.

Listen to shows at: radian.co.uk/youthradio

What is tenancy fraud?

Tenancy Audits

Tenancy fraud can mean several things, such as obtaining a property using false information or by claiming to still live in a property while renting it out to someone else.

The most common forms of tenancy fraud are: • Unlawful subletting of the property – where the tenant doesn’t live in the property themselves, rather they rent it to someone else, usually for a much higher rent.

• Succeeding to the tenancy – for example, if the legal tenant passes away and their children take on the tenancy without the landlord’s permission or knowledge, and they may not have rights to succeed legally.

• Using false information – a tenant may deliberately use incorrect information in their application or use false documentation to gain a social housing property.

social housing homes for the people who need them; so it’s important that we let our properties with those who are entitled to live there. People committing tenancy fraud are causing even longer waits for those entitled to live in social housing.

Why we carry out tenancy audits We have a regulatory requirement to conduct tenancy audits, but we do them not only to check tenancies are being occupied lawfully, but to see if we can help with any other issues, such as advice on welfare benefits.

We also check the household details are correct and that the property is being well looked after.

It’s a good opportunity for the residents to discuss any other matters with us.

Process of carrying out tenancy audits We use a targeted approach to identify those properties which may require a visit and other The Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013 made tenancy fraud checks to establish who is living in the property and if tenancy fraud a criminal offence and introduced is occurring. We conduct a data fines & prison sentences. matching exercise which highlights any anomalies, such as linked At Radian, we take tenancy fraud very seriously as there aren’t enough addresses, that we may need • Key selling – this is when a tenant ‘sells’ their keys to someone else for a lump sum payment.

to investigate further. We will also use information passed on to us from neighbours or concerned people in the community, as well as talking to our colleagues in other teams across Radian.

During the last round of tenancy audits, we investigated 180 potentially high risk addresses.

We were able to recover 6 properties: 1 x 1 bed flat, 2 x 2 bed flats, 2 x 3 bed houses and 1 x 4 bed house. These were subsequently let to people in genuine need and nominated by the local authority.

What can you do to help?

If you have suspicions about tenancy fraud, please get in touch. You can contact us via any of the methods on the back page, and you can stay anonymous if you wish or email us at tenancyfraud@radian.co.uk.

Safety first All Radian staff have an ID badge and you should ask to see it if we ever knock your door. We don’t mind! If you’re not sure, take the Radian employee’s name and call us on 0300 123 1 567 to check their identity.

Radian teams are good with gas!

We’ve achieved 100% compliance on gas servicing!

Achieving 100% means that we have not only met the regulatory standards and complied with the law, but we have also demonstrated our proactive approach to keeping residents safe in their homes.

Huge thanks go to our Housing and Technical Services teams who worked in partnership to deliver the annual gas servicing programme.

Please try and keep your appointments as they are for your own safety. If you can’t keep your appointments please try and reschedule for as soon as possible.

11

Money

Universal Credit

What is it again?

Universal Credit will eventually replace 6 existing working-age benefits: Housing Benefit, IncomeBased Job Seeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance (Incomerelated), Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. It will not affect Pension Age benefits. It will be paid monthly in arrears.

I keep hearing about it.

Is it really coming this time?

Yes, we finally have the dates when new claims for Universal Credit can be made.

See the table below for when it will affect you.

I’m already receiving some of the benefits it replaces so when do I have to claim it?

Not yet. We still don’t have those dates. At the moment, only single people without dependent children who would previously have made a new Job Seeker’s Allowance claim will make a claim for Universal Credit, once it’s introduced in their area.

So, I’m on Income Support with a child under 5. When she reaches 5 in June and I come off Income Support, will I have to claim it?

No, at the moment, only people without children need to claim Universal Credit.

a breach of the terms of your tenancy agreement. If you are concerned about not being able to pay in advance, act now. Call our Income team on 0300 123 1 567 to discuss how you can start getting in advance with your rent, before you move over to Universal Credit.

What about people who leave work due to illness?

They can still claim Employment and Support Allowance. People claiming Universal Credit will have to make a commitment to looking for work, so at the moment it is only open to people who would have claimed Job Seeker’s Allowance before.

How much is it?

It’s within a penny or two of the Job Seeker’s Allowance amount.

Can I claim it sooner?

If Universal Credit is available in your area and you are single and have no children, you can claim if you are working and your wages are less than £338 per month. If you are working part-time and receiving a top-up of Job Seeker’s Allowance, you might get to keep more of your

wages under Universal Credit.

You could end your JSA claim and transfer to Universal Credit, but we would advise you to speak to Radian’s Welfare Benefits Officers before you do this.

It’s not coming to my area for nearly a year. Do I need to do anything?

Yes, make sure you have a bank account that your Universal Credit can be paid into. As the Universal Credit will include your Housing Benefit, decide how you will pay this amount to Radian. Will you set up a direct debit? If not, how will you pay your rent?

My Universal Credit will be paid in arrears, am I able to pay my rent in arrears?

No, your rent is due in advance and failing to pay in advance is

I am worried about paying my rent, what can I do?

We have lots of support and advice available, from budgeting and debt management, to welfare benefits and advice on ways to pay your rent, and opening a bank account. Please call us if you are worried as our dedicated teams can assist you with all of these issues and if we can’t help you directly, we will be able to refer you to organisations that can.

Anything else?

To manage Universal Credit, you will need internet access.

You may have this, or you may have a friend who has internet access. If not you can consider joining the library, where you can access the internet.

If you want help or advice about any aspect of Universal Credit, please contact one of our Financial Inclusion Officers or Welfare Benefits Officers on 0300 123 1 567.

Council finder

Dates when new claims for Universal Credit can be made Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

If you’re not sure which council to contact, use the online council finder at www.gov.uk/find-yourlocal-council or check your council tax statement.

16 March 2015

Between May & July 2015

Between September & November 2015

Between December 2015 & April 2016

Southampton

Eastleigh

Bracknell Forest

Basingstoke

Wiltshire

Bournemouth

Chichester

East Hants

Christchurch

Slough

Fareham

Poole and East Dorset

Test Valley

Gosport

Reading, West Berkshire & Wokingham (Applies to customers claiming at Newbury Jobcentre only.

Bracknell Jobcentre will form part of phase 3)

Winchester

Havant

Find more news at radian.co.uk 12

Windsor and Maidenhead Hart Wycombe

Portsmouth Rushmoor New Forest Woking

Money

Housing Benefit FAQs

Money Matters Champions We recently trained four Radian residents to become volunteer ‘Money Matters Champions’.

They are now able to chat with residents and signpost them to agencies, organisations or members of staff at Radian who may be able to help with financial matters.

If you would like to know more, please contact your local Community Involvement team on 0300 123 1 567.

Working out a budget The best way to start to work out your budget is to make some lists.

I heard that Housing Benefit now get details of my earnings from Revenues and Customs direct. Do I still need to tell the council about changes in my wages?

Yes. Last year, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) did a small scale exercise where they gave councils details of claimants’ past earnings. In some cases these wages had not been declared, or there had been changes in the wages since they were first declared to the council.

Many claimants found they had been overpaid Housing Benefit as a result and are having to pay this money back.

Some customers had had drops in their wages, but because they had not told the council at the time, were not entitled to any extra benefit.

It is important to tell the council about any changes in your earnings as they happen and provide them with wage slips, or you might be missing out on benefit. If you are paid monthly and your wages change monthly, you can provide each wage slip. It is easier for the council to amend your wages once a month rather than trying to work out when you had a pay increase 18 months ago.

Do I need to tell the council about my rent increase if I’m getting Housing Benefit?

Yes. Radian tries to tell the council about as many rent increases as possible, but if you were not claiming Housing Benefit in January, or your claim was suspended, the council will not be aware of your increase.

You are responsible for notifying the council of the change in your rent. You must do so within one month of the rise, or your Housing Benefit increase will not be backdated.

Under Universal Credit, Radian will not be able to tell HMRC about your rent increase and you will have to notify them.

Do one list for the money you receive each month – any wages, benefits and pensions. Then do another for the money you must pay out every month, including monthly bills such as rent, council tax, water, heating and lighting, food, the cost of getting to work, insurances and loan repayments.

Take your monthly spending away from your monthly income, and you’ll see how much you will have left for anything else you need to buy.

Talk to your whole family about the budget; if money is going to be tighter, it’s important that everyone – including your children – understands why and can help save money where they can.

13

Nice Things

Magna Carta 800th anniversary celebrations It has been 800 years since the sealing of Magna Carta.

To celebrate, events will be taking place across the country to commemorate its significance to law, liberty and legacy.

Back in 1215, the Magna Carta promoted freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law for all to follow, so in a way, this anniversary marks 800 years of democracy.

There are lots of events happening in the Thames region – contact the Radian Community Involvement team for Thames on 0300 123 1 567 for details.

There’s a lot being planned for this huge occasion, from specially commissioned BBC documentaries and books, to academic conferences, public exhibitions, community events and a Magna Carta tourism trail.

The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead also has some information on their website: www.rbwm.gov.uk.

In Thames, one of our residents, Ian Philips, has been nominated to be a ‘charter bearer’. Charter bearers will help carry a replica of the Magna Carta down the River Thames on the River Relay, which is taking place in June.

You can join the Magna Carta mailing list to keep informed and key upcoming events will be announced on their website: www.magnacarta800th.com/events.

Check the next issue of R magazine for events taking place elsewhere.

Recipes

Cheese & chilli melts What you will need: • 250g strong cheddar, grated • 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped • 1 green or red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped • ½ large bunch coriander, leaves roughly chopped • 8 flour tortillas • Oil, for brushing

1st

Method: Put the cheese, tomatoes, chilli and coriander leaves into a bowl with some seasoning, then mix well.

Warm tortillas in the microwave according to pack instructions – this makes them more bendable.

Divide the cheese mix over one half of each tortilla. Fold over the other half to make 8 half-moons, then press down to seal.

Brush the tops with a little oil, then sit, oil-side down, on a hot area of the barbecue. Cook for a couple of mins until crisp and golden, brush the uncooked side with oil, then flip over for another few mins. Slice into wedges, then pile onto a platter while you cook the rest.

Source: www.bbcgoodfood.com

14

12stnd Awesome artists!

Congratulations to our young artists who recently entered our competition to draw a dream home.

The wonderful winners – who each receive a book voucher and a colossal art set – are: 1st place – Jasmine, age 10 2nd place – Ellie, age 7½ 3rd place – Grace, age 6

3rd

The competition formed part of the national Homes for Britain campaign; encouraging politicians to end the housing crisis within a generation.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered – there were so many fantastic drawings to pick from, it made judging very hard!

Kids’ Zone

Holiday Wordsearch Competition time!

Level: Hard Love2Shop vouchers are up for grabs! Great for spending over the summer holidays!

The competition is open to all children aged 16 and under. To enter, complete the wordsearch (it’s tricky) and fill in the details below. Then send in your finished puzzle via post or email.

Name: Age: Phone number: Address:

W

S

A

N

F

G

D

P

B

Z

A

S

T

R

Y

O

L

B

W

A

U

L

Z

I

E

D

R

P

I

V

Y

N

A

U

J

E

H

A

U

N

H

I

Q

H

F

G

T

K

R

S

G

D

A

P

S

T

H

S

C

R

O

R

D

Q

B

K

C

V

P

L

E

L

N

U

P

G

L

K

X

V

U

B

M

K

Y

K

A

P

Y

I

J

L

K

A

N

U

H

X

Q

A

H

P

F

L

I

P

F

L

O

P

S

R

Z

N

F

H

A

B

I

K

T

N

I

C

D

J

S

P

D

R

C

U

B

K

A

R

T

I

L

J

G

D

K

Z

D

C

S

F

R

E

Q

M

H

S

E

Y

D

A

V

R

D

Q

E

O

E

N

S

K

M

O

A

W

C

S

J

R

S

B

U

P

C

E

O

S

A

H

W

F

P

N

Y

F

V

R

P

E

H

B

M

V

S

A

J

M

E

L

K

Z

Y

S

B

K

S

L

H

B

R

L

O

A

B

K

R

N

L

P

N

Z

R

M

O

I

C

U

O

U

A

V

O

J

H

U

I

T

L

X

K

S

Y

B

A

D

I

S

P

A

F

R

H

L

D

N

P

K

R

U

D

C

A

S

O

G

U

D

A

N

C

L

B

D

R

D

L

G

A

X

D

B

U

N

M

S

E

K

P

F

M

T

W

R

V

A

O

J

E

N

J

B

S

N

I

T

Q

H

L

P

L

C

N

E

U

H

P

Q

B

B

S

Z

T

C

X

S

F

U

L

D

R

C

S

I

Y

P

R

D

M

T

F

C

K

H

E

T

F

Y

J

N

E

H

R

W

A

G

Z

P

K

N

C

E

J

L

A

T

Z

M

F

A

L

Y

N

H

C

P

L

F

E

Q

K

A

S

U

X

E

A

A

N

P

W

O

I

D

C

E

D

F

L

O

M

G

B

P

L

H

N

U

J

P

L

M

V

Y

K

B

D

V

Y

H

R

W

J

A

B

U

S

O

Y

U

I

S

M

D

F

V

W

X

E

O

E

U

L

P

B

K

N

D

R

A

Z

L

A

K

B

J

B

S

C

M

L

E

O

H

G

A

K

D

A

A

V

O

H

S

U

N

C

R

E

A

M

L

T

A

S

V

I

L

S

U

C

O

T

S

L

U

J

F

N

L

S

B

D

K

O

L

S

J

E

Y

A

D

P

A

I

H

K

Y

S

L

E

A

W

V

L

P

K

M

U

L

K

C

D

E

A

T

E

S

T

D

E

V

U

H

S

K

C

R

E

A

G

Z

L

H

B

Y

N

F

S

R

H

R

A

B

F

L

N

B

E

E

Q

M

Z

H

C

X

P

A

S

S

P

O

R

T

O

I

L

R

U

S

T

K

M

R

C

A

S

L

T

F

O

I

H

M

D

Y

X

L

N

P

E

U

C

E

B

R

A

B

D

Postcode:

Find these words:

All entries must be received by Tuesday 30th June 2015. Post your entry to ‘R magazine’, Collins House, Bishopstoke Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO50 6AD. Alternatively, email your puzzle to rmag@radian.co.uk.

Winners will be contacted before 31st August 2015.

Barbecue Beach Beach ball Bikini

Dingbats

Bucket Deck chair Flip-flops Ice cream

B1L1U1E M1O1O1N HOME

Answers on page 16

KIDNEY LUNG HEART

Parasol Passport Sand castle Spade

OR QUITS OR QUITS

Dr.

do

Sun Sun cream Sunshine Surfboard AID AID AID

BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS BEANS 15

Scan here!

Get in Touch

Age 16-18?

Be a Youth Leader!

In partnership with the YMCA we have secured six free places for a four week residential course in Youth Leadership.

Scan this QR code using a smartphone with a camera and a QR code reader app (there are free apps available).

When you take a picture of this code you’ll be sent to the Radian website!

The easiest decision Mum and I ever had to make Ooops!

In the last edition of R magazine we featured an article about late serviceman, Arthur Stacey, who had been awarded the Arctic Star medal.

We’re sorry to say that the image we used to accompany the piece was of a different medal – the 1939-1945 Star.

We’re sorry for any upset this caused; the correct medal is pictured above. Thank you to the readers who brought this to our attention.

If you’re aged 16-18 and enjoy helping people and being out & about, this could be a fab opportunity for you! It’s a great course especially if you’re interested in working with children, in a sports environment or in the great outdoors.

this summer practicing language skills, get in touch!

The course is designed to bring together people from all over the world; so if you’re looking for the next step in personal development or fancy spending

If you want to participate or find out more contact Cita Jagot at Radian on 0300 123 1 567 or email cita.jagot@radian.co.uk.

The course will take place at Fairthorne Manor, Southampton (Hampshire) during the school summer break.

Daffodil delight Flourishing is very important to us here at Radian, and the pretty raised beds at Doreen Welfare House, Southampton, are leading the way with their blooming gorgeous daffs!

Thanks to Barbara for sending in this lovely photo!

Opt out message We’ve sent you the R magazine as we want to keep you up-to-date on the things we think matter to you.

However, if you would rather not receive general information like this from us, let us know and we’ll stop sending it.

Alternatively, if you want to get this by email instead of post – great! Either way, our contact details are below.

Currently only available in Hampshire

Radian on social media For Radian news, events, jobs and updates, check us out on social media! www.facebook.com/RadianCommunity @RadianRmag@RadianGroup Linkedin.com/company/radian-group-ltd For jobs: Facebook.com/RadianJobs or @RadianJobs

Contact us

Telephone

Accessibility

Radian, Collins House, Bishopstoke Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO50 6AD

This magazine can be produced in audio and translated into any language on request.

Email: radiandirect@radian.co.uk

Radian Direct: 0300 123 1 567 Monday-Friday: 08.30-17.00 Thursday: 08.30-19.00 (Closed 10.00-12.30 on the first Wednesday of every month for training.)

Website: www.radian.co.uk

Emergency out-of-hours number: 0800 783 8937

If you are visually impaired and would like our letters and magazines sent to you in large print, please contact us.

Answers for dingbats on page 15: • Once in a blue moon; • Double or quits; • First aid; • Home is where the heart is; • Doctor Dolittle; • Full of beans