News Extra - Issue two 2019

Annual Report special • Annual Report special • Annual Report special

newsextra Issue two 2019

Important news, advice and information for customers of South Staffordshire Housing Association

Merger news page 2

My SSHA Do more online page 3

Customer-led changes bringing great results pages 6-7

Annual Report 2018-19 pages 11-14

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Important news about your housing association Chief executive Sarah Boden shares the latest update on our merger with Stafford and Rural Homes and what that means for customers.

“Earlier this year we asked for your views about a merger with Stafford and Rural Homes. You said that you wanted us to take this opportunity to build a bigger group, offering even better homes and services.

On 1 October 2019 we will merge with Stafford and Rural Homes. Our new group will manage 18,000 homes and provide employment, training and apprenticeships for almost 800 local people.

More of what is important to you When we proposed this merger we said that, working together, we would be able to do more of the things that are important to you.

We promised to offer a wider choice of homes, starting the construction of 2,000 new homes for rent, shared ownership and outright sale by 2023. We’ve begun that work already, with some exciting news on page 8 of this magazine.

We committed to providing even better community based care and support for older people. Working together, we

2 newsextra | Issue two 2019

will support independent living and provide peace of mind and confidence for people and families.

Our combined group will provide employment for around 800 local people and we have set a target to create 100 new apprenticeship opportunities in the Group and with our suppliers within five years.

We pledged to make more of our services available online so that we can offer more individual support where it is needed. We’ve been busy preparing for that challenge, too. Check out the great news on page 3 to see how you can make rent payments and check your account securely online, at any time of the day or night.

Customers have played a huge role in our success to date and will continue to shape the services of our new group, with a customer voice at board level. If you would like to be part of that journey you can find out how to get involved on the Let’s Talk pages of our websites or see page 7 for details.

Some things won’t change Although the new group has been created to make a real difference in Staffordshire and Shropshire, some things won’t be changing.

Your home, your rights, the rent and any charges that you pay will not be affected by our merger. Services will be delivered locally and your landlord will continue to be SSHA. You can still expect a fantastic service from repairs operatives and call centre advisors who know your area and understand what is important to you.

As we celebrate the launch of our new group it is time for us to meet our challenges. When it’s more difficult than ever for young people to move into their first home, families find it hard to make ends meet and older residents struggle to manage alone, we will provide excellent homes, services that make a difference and support for thriving communities.”

On the cover — leading the new organisation is Alison Hadden, designate Group board chair, Sarah Boden, designate chief executive and Gareth Evans, designate senior independent director.

Register for our new online service today!

My SSHA

Why not sign up to do more online?

It’s easy, secure and available 24/7

Have you checked-out My SSHA yet? This new online service makes it really quick and easy to pay your rent securely, check your current balance or view previous payments at a time that is convenient for you!

To join the large number of customers who have already registered and are benefiting from using this exciting new service, simply visit www.ssha.co.uk and click on the My SSHA link at the top right hand corner of the website homepage.

It’s really easy and straightforward to register — all you need is: }} A valid email address }} Your name and date of birth }} Your account reference number, which can be found on your rent letter.

This new online service was developed in partnership with our customers and we would like to say a big “thank you” to everyone who helped design My SSHA. As you might remember, we mentioned that we would be trialling online rent payments in this year’s rent review letter and in the last edition of this magazine. We asked you to get in touch if you would like to be part of that trial.

Almost 200 customers contacted us and they have helped to ensure that My SSHA is easy to use.

Members of our customer panel were also closely involved from day one, giving feedback at every stage from the initial design to rigorously testing the online service before it went live in August.

What do YOU think?

We’d love to hear what you think of My SSHA. Once registered, if you take a look at your rent statement page you will find a link where you can give feedback and suggest other services you would like to be able to access online.

Q: How would you rate this service on a scale of 0-10?

A: “10 out of 10 – it’s good because I can keep track of my rent which puts my mind at ease”

Register today by visiting www.ssha.co.uk and clicking on the My SSHA link.

Your feedback in

ACTION

You said you wanted faster repairs All emergency repairs are now attended inside 4 hours All urgent repairs are carried out within 4 days The average time you wait for repairs has fallen from 9 days to just 4 days in 2019.

You can help shape services and make your voice count by registering to get involved at www.ssha.co.uk/register-get-involved www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 3

Full marks for homework club pilot A new homework club launched by our learning programme and digital inclusion team is proving a huge success.

It’s so popular with pupils that their head teacher visited the club to find out more.

Pupils in year six at Meole Brace C of E Primary and Nursery school have been attending Severnside’s Meole Digital Den – part of a community partnership with Social Telecoms - to take part in the homework club since the launch of the pilot project in February. Head teacher Henry Bray dropped in to see how pupils are making improvements in their ability to complete homework on time and to a good standard.

“The after-school sessions at the Digital Den have been a real boost to our pupils,” said Mr Bray.

“They benefit academically from the small group tuition and it gives them an opportunity to get their homework done and dusted to the best of their abilities in a really focused and positive environment. The nurturing, supportive nature of the sessions also helps them to build bonds socially and the children regularly tell me how they have enjoyed going.”

from the support on offer.” explained learning programme and digital inclusion officer Paul Evans.

“Finding adequate time and space to study at home can add to the pressures of family life. The club aims to reduce some of those demands and support our younger residents to thrive at school.

“With access to computers and dedicated support, the club is a quiet place for pupils to complete their homework and gain confidence in their abilities.”

Do your homework – the popular learning programme has something for all ages.

Find out more at www.ssha.co.uk/help-and-advice/ online-courses

Learning programme

The homework clubs form part of Severnside’s learning programme which aims to boost skills and inspire local people of all ages to reach their full potential. It is a great example of the benefit of community partnerships, with the Digital Den working closely with the school to develop the project.

“When we started the club, we set about establishing a connection with the local school and identified children who would benefit most

Your feedback in

ACTION

Back row from left - Henry Bray, head teacher at Meole Brace C of E Primary and Nursery school, Paul Evans, Severnside’s learning programme and digital inclusion officer.

Front row from left - Pupils Owen Wilcox, Isobel Davis and Ryan Cossie-Sullivan

You said you’d like to know how to get in touch with your local MP From this issue onwards, contact details for local MPs will be included in the Useful contact numbers box on the back cover of this magazine.

You can help shape services and make your voice count by registering to get involved at www.ssha.co.uk/register-get-involved

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In the picture…

John Birch, resident of Cherry Tree Court and green-fingered guru for local school children.

“I spent 27 years as site manager for a school. I loved my job and it means the world that so many former pupils have kept in touch. Last Saturday was the wedding of a young man I first met when he was four years old!

“I lived on the school premises and when I retired, I had to leave my home. I rented a house near Bloxwich but I was the victim of a nasty robbery and didn’t feel safe there any more.

Three years ago I came to look at a flat in Cherry Tree Court. I moved in four days later and haven’t looked back.

“Earlier this year I volunteered to run the Gardening Club at St John’s Primary Academy, here in Essington. I’ve been working with 14 children, all in Year 4. The club meets after school but one young lad makes sure that all the plants are watered at break time.

“We’ve grown lettuces, onions, runner and dwarf beans and peas. In the greenhouse we’ve got aubergines and tomatoes. The children wanted to name the first tomato. It’s the size of my thumbnail and it’s called Bobby.

“Each pupil has completed a project on one vegetable and they’ve made-up a little booklet.

It brings them a lot closer to they food they eat.

These days, people think that everything comes from a supermarket; they forget that someone has to grow it.

‘‘I’m really enjoying being involved with a school again. I missed the routines of the school year; the start of a new term and the excitement of Christmas.

“We’ve got a new project now. We are working in a small area of woodland on the edge of the playing fields, restoring the old trails and creating a forest classroom. The work is being done by volunteers, teachers and of course, the pupils. They enjoy being outdoors. The other day I had 11 children helping me. I could see eight of them and hear the other three!

“I get out walking every day. It’s important to keep active and if I sit down, I might not be able to get up!”

John and the pupils of St John’s Academy Primary have played a big part in the creating of a fabulous new garden at Cherry Tree Court. Read about that amazing community project on page 21 of this magazine.

My job is to make life easier for you.

If you need care and support to help you live independently, get in touch with Care Plus 01785 312102 www.care-plus.org.uk

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Customer-led change brings great results We are big believers in the importance of listening to our customers. After all, you’re the best people to tell us what we’re doing right and where we might be able to do things better.

Thousands of you took part in the last STAR survey. From the results we learned that repairs are hugely important to our customers and that you felt we could improve this service.

We acted quickly on that feedback by launching a rapid response triage repairs service. We piloted this project early last year and when customers told us that they loved the changes, we rolledout triage in all areas, focusing on emergency and urgent repairs. In December 2018, phase two introduced extended operating hours and the management of all repairs taking up to one hour to complete.

An innovative approach Calls are passed from customer services to a triage team in Property Plus. With extensive knowledge and on-the-job experience, they accurately classify the repair and can order a rapid response from a dedicated team.

Triage means that repairs can be carried out more quickly.

Smart diagnosis also means that the majority of repairs are completed on the first visit. Any followup work is arranged at your home and as visits are booked at a time that’s convenient for you, we’re cutting the cost of missed appointments.

Customers have not only inspired the change through the STAR survey, they’ve been important partners in the problem solving, too. Solutions were tested with members of the scrutiny panel who reported on the effectiveness of the improved service to our board.

Outstanding results Following the roll-out of triage, satisfaction with our repairs has risen to 97%. Customers have given lots of feedback on their impressions of the new service, saying: “That’s fantastic, thank you!”

Get involved!

You can make a difference too. Please give us your feedback when we call to ask what you think, after you have received a service from us. Take part in surveys like the communications one in this magazine. If you’d like to get more involved, step up to join our customer or scrutiny panels.

Your feedback in

ACTION

You told us you wanted to do more online We have launched My SSHA so that you can pay your rent and manage your account online.

Visit www.ssha.co.uk to register

You can help shape services and make your voice count by registering to get involved at www.ssha.co.uk/register-get-involved

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“I know that we’re listened to. As customers, we can make a difference” David Spruce has been an SSHA customer since it was formed, in 1997. He is part of the scrutiny panel and was closely involved in its report into Property Plus services this summer.

“I decided to get involved with the scrutiny panel because I felt that housing associations have looked after me pretty well over the years. I’ve got some time now and I wanted to give something back.

“The first surprise, for me, was how open and accessible everyone is.

When we work on a project like the Property Plus report this year, we ask for a lot of information and evidence. We met the people involved at every level, went out with the operatives and talked to other customers.

“Our report and recommendations go to the board. When something’s wrong or needs improving, we say so. We’re looking at areas of the service that are really important to us and I know that we are listened to. As customers, we can make a difference.

“We’re looking at

areas of the service that are really important to us and I know that we are listened to.”

“I spent time with the grounds maintenance team.

They were a fantastic bunch – at the end of the day, I wanted to work with them!

“This summer I attended a national tenant participation conference focusing on customer engagement, along with two other panel members.

The overriding feeling that we came away with was how well our customer voice model works in Housing Plus Group. Other organisations were really impressed with what we achieve and how we do it.

“We’ve got a very good relationship with the board. They treat us as though we are part of the business and I suppose, in a way, we are.”

Get involved — your voice, your home, your future

st Let’ alk

We are committed to listening to the views of our customers and offering you lots of opportunities to have a real say in the services we provide.

Our board has pledged to listen to and be influenced by the views of customers over and above the regulatory requirements.

Your voice, your home, your future

If you would like to have your say, there are a number of ways that you can get involved. You can join one of our customer-led panels who regularly meet at our offices, share your views by completing online surveys or tell us what you think over the phone and by email.

What do I need to do?

It’s easy to get involved. You can register online at www.ssha.co.uk/register-get-involved Email letstalk@housingplusgroup.co.uk or call our customer voice team on 01785 312000

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Exciting projects for Staffordshire and Shropshire A new future for Copthorne Barracks We are pleased to confirm that we will be offering new homes in Shrewsbury as part of the conversion of Copthorne Barracks.

Flagship development for Perton Housing Plus Group is set to deliver more than 200 homes after completing the purchase of residential development land in the village of Perton.

The 22.24 acre site next to Wrottesley Golf Club has outline planning permission for up to 220 new homes. Close to the expanding i54 South Staffordshire, it will provide a combination of rented, outright sale and shared ownership homes. It will also feature a newly created allotment site for residents.

“We are very excited to share news about this flagship development,” said chief executive Sarah Boden. “We look forward to creating fabulous new homes in this popular village and to supporting economic regeneration in the area. Work on the i54 expansion got underway in the summer and is expected to bring more than 1,700 additional jobs to South Staffordshire. This represents a huge investment in the economic wellbeing of our region but will create even more demand for housing in surrounding communities.

“We are working closely with the parish and district councils to start work on these new homes as soon as possible and we expect the first properties to be completed by early 2021.”

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The former base of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry is the site of new housing built by Bellway Homes. This will include 43 properties for our customers.

“This is fabulous news for Shrewsbury,” said Sarah Boden. “There has been a huge amount of interest in this site and we are delighted that our proposal for socially rented housing and shared ownership was successful. This is going to be an amazing place to live, with the first homes already completed.”

New homes in Pontesbury Work has commenced at two new development sites in the popular Shropshire village of Pontesbury. In Mount Close work will start soon on 21 homes for shared ownership and social rent.

Nearby in Linley Avenue we are looking forward to demolishing three outdated properties and replacing with the same number of attractive, modern homes for rent.

Building a better future for older people in Kinver

Good news in Ellesmere and Bridgnorth

Work to replace cramped bungalows with purpose-built apartments designed for older people will begin in November.

Having won a Homes England tender, we are looking forward to developing up to 68 new homes in Brownlow Road in Ellesmere.

The project will create 20 self-contained apartments for people who want to live independently, with access to excellent social spaces and support when they need it.

Many of these homes will be available for outright sale, meeting local demand and generating income to build more homes for affordable rent and shared ownership.

The development has been welcomed by former residents of the old bungalows, one of whom said: “It is good news for the village. My bungalow was small, cold and damp. Because it was so dark, I used to have my lights on in the daytime. We need homes designed for older people so that we can live comfortably and safely, near our friends and families.”

We are also looking at the exciting potential of a high profile site in the beautiful town of Bridgnorth. The development area in Westgate draws together land previously owned by the local authority and West Mercia Police and will create a mixture of housing types to support the existing community.

Last chance to buy in Codsall At Watery Lane in Codsall we are completing the last phase in an ambitious project to provide 72 new homes for social rent and shared ownership.

Kinver

The final nine homes are now ready to buy – don’t miss out!

For information about new homes for shared ownership and outright sale, please check the Coming Soon section of the Severn Homes website. Details of the agents marketing our homes are also listed at www.severnhomes.co.uk To find out how to rent a home from SSHA, visit the Find a home section on our website www.ssha.co.uk/renting-a-home

My job is to help get your finances straight.

If you’re struggling with your money, finding it hard to budget or have debts, get help from the Employment and Money Advice (EMA) team.

01785 312000 www.ssha.co.uk • ema@ssha.co.uk

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nual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 •

Help to Save

£1

New savings scheme gives up to £1,200 bonus A new government-backed savings scheme called Help to Save can help people on low incomes boost their savings by 50p for every £1 saved.

Help to Save is a new kind of savings account designed for low-paid workers. To open an account you need to be a UK resident and: }} Entitled to working tax credit and receiving working or child tax credit payments OR }} Claiming universal credit and have an individual or household income of £542.88 or more for the last monthly assessment period.

How does Help to Save work?

If you can afford to do so, you can save between £1 and £50 each month. After two years, you’ll receive a 50% bonus. If you choose to keep the account and continue to save, you will receive another bonus at the end of year four.

Depending on how much you save, your Help to Save account could be boosted by as much as £1,200.

Because this account has been designed for people on lower incomes, you won’t lose out if

you need to draw money out to pay important bills. The bonus is paid on the highest amount you have in the account, before any withdrawals.

So, if you save £1,000 but go on to withdraw £250, your bonus will still be £500 because that’s half of your highest balance. And because it’s a government scheme, all your money is secure.

Help to Save and Housing Benefit You or your partner can save up to £6000 without affecting your Housing Benefit payments. This includes money in your Help to Save account.

Help to Save bonus payments will not affect your Housing Benefit.

How to apply You can open a Help to Save account through the government website www.gov.uk/get-helpsavings-low-income/how-to-apply or the HMRC app. If you can’t get online you can call 0300 322 7093 to open an account.

Stop press…

Congratulations to everyone who took part in this year’s Best Kept Village competition, sponsored by SSHA. Brewood won the hotly-contested SSHA trophy in the large village category, with Bednall taking the prize for small villages.

Neighbourhoods director Jan Goode presented the awards and congratulated the winners along with the green-fingered residents of Perton, Wombourne, Acton Trussell, Kinver and Pattingham who also impressed the judges.

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© Caters News Agency

Congratulations to former Old School Court residents Joan and Jack Bare, who recently celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary and have been described as Britain’s ‘longest married couple’.

Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–1

Annual Report 2018–19

How are we doing?

Every year we tell you about our financial performance. We also report back to you on how we measure up against the important service commitments we make to our customers.

Financial reports, that include value for money statements can be found on our Group website www.housingplusgroup.co.uk. Here is an at-a-glance guide to our performance in key areas.

Income and expenditure How your rent is spent

Value for money

The government sets the level of rents that we can charge and we work hard to ensure that the income we receive is well spent and gives value for money

84% of customers feel their rent provides value for money.

How each pound of your rent is spent:

Bringing our Staffordshire grounds maintenance service in-house enabled us to employ 12 local people, save £130k and deliver an improved service.

3p 9p 26p

£1

18p

19p

We spent £9.4m (63%) of our Group budget with 180 suppliers in Staffordshire and Shropshire, helping to support and benefit local communities.

25p

Investment in new homes

26p

Staff costs and overheads

25p

Interest on our loans

19p

Repairs and services to our homes

18p

Improvements to your home

9p

Services to your home and communal areas

3p

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Involving and empowering our customers Over 122 involved customers regularly share their views to help us improve our services.

The customer panel, along with a growing number of customer insights collected from the virtual panel, contributed to the development of a number of key policies, service standards and communications.

The customer-led scrutiny panel volunteered 247.5 hours of their time.

11 actions were implemented from their recommendations in 2 key projects.

st Let’ alk Your voice, your home, your future

One of these key projects looked at whether the Group was on target to deliver improvements to our repairs and maintenance service, promised as a result of the STAR survey to address the fall in customer satisfaction.

The panel checked whether customers’ concerns about the service had been addressed and reviewed the results of improvements. This led to a higher satisfaction rate and an overall increase in value for money.

You can find out more about our Let’s Talk campaign and how you can register to get involved at www.ssha.co.uk/my-home/get-involved-lets-talk

Customer services Overall customer satisfaction with our call centre was 89%.

54 customers were welcomed at our Acton Gate reception.

We answered 75,276 calls from you, with 74% of your queries being resolved the first time you call, against a target of 75%.

1,575 email enquiries were answered.

65% of calls were answered within 30 seconds, against a target of 75%

Twitter accounts.

147,350 people visited our website and 1,256 people followed our Facebook and

Customer satisfaction

181

complaints were received. of complaints were responded to

32% within the 10 day target.

all complaints received were resolved 88% ofat Stage 1 of our complaints process. complaints were acknowledged 79% ofwithin two days.

A new gas contractor was appointed and as a result, complaints in that area were significantly reduced by 78.9%.

The average amount of time taken to respond to a complaint is 21.6 days which is outside of our service level agreement of 10 working days. We are working hard to monitor and improve this.

12 newsextra | Issue two 2019

2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Re

Your neighbourhood 330 starter tenancy and follow-up visits were carried out.

138 tenancy agreement changes were made, including mutual exchanges, succession and assignments.

We undertook 1,346 communal block fire safety inspections.

167 no access cases for gas and electrical

Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) We are committed to helping customers experiencing ASB. We dealt with 72 new cases of ASB, 33 of which resulted in us taking legal action, including 23 injunctions.

244 environmental ASB cases were also resolved which included fly tipping and abandoned vehicles.

inspections were dealt with successfully.

Your community Employment and money advice

Your tenancy

Our employment and money advice team received 241 customer referrals for 528 different areas of support, achieving money savings of nearly £1.2m.

We made a commitment to keep rent arrears below 2.5%

Money savings are defined as any increased income for customers, through effective debt management, increased/ additional welfare benefits or access to grant and trust funding.

Building Better Opportunities (BBO) We engaged with 29 people to help them into employment, further education or work placements. 24 of these people attended local job clubs and 21 completed personal development courses.

Result: rent arrears were 1.72% in 2018–19 We let 333 homes, 30 of which were newly built properties.

Of those applicants:

30 were in the Gold Priority band 78 were in the Gold band 146 were in the Silver band 79 were in the Bronze band

We spent nearly £603k improving and repairing homes that became vacant. www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 13

Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–1

.

Your home Improvement work

New homes

Over £3.9m of our total budget was spent making planned improvements to our homes, including:

We built 168 new homes across the Group, our highest ever number with the following tenures:

171 374 393 504 23

new kitchens new bathrooms and wetrooms central heating systems new doors rewires

43

Well maintained homes We spent over £10.7m on repairing, maintaining and improving homes.

125

13,595 property repairs were completed.

Across the Group, 93% of customers were satisfied with the repair service they received.

96.05% of routine repairs were completed within target.

Over 13,000 safety first inspections were completed to safeguard our customers and their homes with overall safety compliance for all areas across the Group at 99%.

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Affordable and social rent Shared ownership

125 43

100% of customers told us that they were either very satisfied or fairly satisfied with their new home.

For every £1 invested in the building of new homes, the social return for the local area was up to £8.54 and this equates to a staggering £176m across the Group.

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Partnership in action Josh Goodwins, 22, blazing a trail in the housing world Collaboration between Housing Plus Group and South Staffordshire Council has created a fantastic opportunity for a local graduate and provided a model for a new way of working.

working. He has been identifying underused garage sites that we own, which adjoin pockets of land owned by the council.

Josh was appointed jointly by both organisations who worked with the University of Wolverhampton’s graduate employment agency.

He spends half of each week in the development team at Housing Plus Group and the remainder of his time as part of the Enterprise and Growth team at the council.

“The idea is to bring these spaces together so that we can provide much-needed new housing for local people.” Josh explains. “Often, these sites are in villages where there is a big need for new homes but a lack of land for residential development. These are small sites that have a low impact on the neighbourhood but can make a huge difference to people and families who want to live there.

The new role was introduced in an exciting example of partnership work where the shared ambition was to help local communities thrive and prosper.

“This approach works on so many levels,” explained Imre Tolygesi, partnership development manager at South Staffordshire Council. “For the council we’re able to dispose of land that’s costly to maintain and re-invest in projects that make a real difference. Housing Plus Group can identify new sites, helping to provide the homes our communities need. And for Josh, our joint approach gives him the added benefit of insight into two like-minded organisations, providing the platform to become a future leader with the right balance of skills to continue serving our residents.”

The project that Josh has been working on this year has demonstrated the benefits of this way of

“At the council, I’m working in a team that tries to get the maximum use and value out of councilowned land. Both my teams want the same thing, which is the best for local communities.

“I put into practice a lot of what I learned about the development process as part of my degree but I’ve gained a huge amount of knowledge in my job. I can look at an area and know the planning policy for that kind of land and the priorities for the local councillors. I’ve got an insight into what our planners want as well as an understanding about the demand for housing from people on our waiting lists.

“It will be amazing when work starts on the first of ‘my’ sites. I’m very lucky to be in a position where I can learn so much and make a real difference to communities where I live.”

Important information: Closure of our offices at Christmas Our offices will close for Christmas at 3pm on Tuesday 24 December 2019 and reopen on Thursday 2 January 2020.

Our out-of-hours service for emergencies will operate as usual throughout this period. You can contact this service by ringing the normal customer services enquiry number 01785 312000.

The out-of-hours service is available for you to report emergency repairs. Emergency repairs are classed as things that present a health and safety risk or which could cause a danger to people or property.

Remember that you will be able to access useful information on our website and can make online

rent payments or check your account at My SSHA 24:7 throughout the Christmas holiday.

If you receive personal, planned care from Care Plus then this will continue as normal during the Christmas holiday. If you have any queries you can contact staff on 01785 312102.

If your home is in one of our retirement living communities then you will be able to contact local officers during working hours. In an emergency on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day, call 01785 312000. www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 15

Making a difference Proud to support community champions Each year Housing Plus Group makes a number of donations to great causes. In your last magazine we told you about our support for Shrewsbury and Oswestry Crucial Crew, a summer project benefiting up to 1,500 children from 60 local primary schools.

Craft Club lends a hand Congratulations to the fantastic members of the Craft Club at Pencric, in Penkridge, who have been fundraising to support Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

The crafty neighbours wanted to do what they could after the hospital helped the grandson of one of the residents. Through the sale of beautiful handmade cards and gifts they have manged to raise an impressive £360 for this great cause.

Talented residents in other retirement living communities have also been doing their bit to help others with cake sales, summer fairs and more.

At Corsers Court in Perton, the volunteer-run Knit & Natter group has been making toys for children in need in this country and abroad as well as raising money for charity through their knitting.

See what happened when we dropped in on the Knit & Natter group in this short film at www.youtube. com/watch?v= 40jt312mzgY&t 16 newsextra | Issue two 2019

Community fun We were pleased to support one of our own residents, Sara Connelly who organised a community fun day near to where she lives, in Featherstone.

Sarah was raising funds and awareness for Cancer Research.

“It’s a charity that is close to my heart, having lost my mother and a close friend to the disease,” she told us.

Housing Plus Group helped ensure the success of Sara’s event by contributing a shopping voucher raffle prize. The voucher was won by Brian Clayton.

Brian was providing food for the event and when he learned that he was a raffle winner, he made a generous cash donation topping-up the appeal.

Sara’s fun day raised a fantastic £600 for the cancer charity. “I hope my mum and my friend Andrea would have been proud of me. I was amazed at all the support we had and it was lovely to see the community come together.”

Volunteer awards The Group also backed the Volunteer Celebration Awards.

We know that many of our customers help out in their communities and Care Plus provides lots of opportunities for people to offer their skills, time or friendship in retirement living communities. So we were very pleased to sponsor a special award for those working with older people.

The Care Plus sponsored award was won by the Coven ForgetMe-Not Club, an organisation run by volunteers, which arranges meals, coach trips, speakers and activities for older people who might otherwise become isolated at home.

And because we know how much pride so many of our customers take in their neighbourhoods, we have also been proud to support the hotly-contested Best Kept Village Awards.

Individuals as well as organisations can apply for sponsorship from our community fund. You can download an application form from our website.

Go to www.ssha.co.uk/sponsorship

Getting advice, info and services – the best way for YOU Quick and easy routes to success

When will I get a new kitchen or bathroom?

The fastest was to find out is by visiting the Planned Improvements page on our website to see the qualifying timescale and schedule for your area. You can find this in the Repairs and Maintenance menu, under the My Home tab.

I want to know why my bin hasn’t been collected Call South Staffordshire Council on 01902 696203

I want to check my rent balance Are you online?

YES - You can do this 24:7 through My SSHA accessed from our website.

NO - Call 01785 312000 during office hours

I am experiencing ASB

Call us on: 01785 312000 Email: ies enquir @ssha.co.uk Or write to: South Staffordshire Housing Association Acton Court, Acton Gate Stafford, ST18 9AP

I want to have more of a say in the services I receive from SSHA Are you online?

YES - register through our website 24:7 at www.ssha.co.uk/register-get-involved or email letstalk@housingplusgroup.co.uk NO - Call 01785 312000 during office hours and ask to speak to our customer voice team

I have questions about my tenancy

Quick and easy answers to a lot of questions are in the My Home area of our website. It’s where you will find things like a direct debit form, your rent calendar, an application form, guidance notes to request a mutual exchange and information about the Lettable Standard.

What do I do if I need to report a change of circumstances that might affect my HOUSING benefit?

You need to report a change of circumstances for you or someone else in your household. If you don’t do this straight away your claim could be stopped or reduced.

Changes include: }} starting or stopping work, education, training or an apprenticeship }} changes to the benefits you or anyone else in your house gets }} changes to your pension, savings, investments or property }} moving house }} your rent going up or down }} going abroad for any length of time }} going into hospital, a care home or sheltered accommodation

}} people moving into or out of your house (for example your partner, a child or lodger) }} having a baby }} your partner or someone you live with dying }} your child turning 18 Report any change of circumstances to your local council.

If you are having problems with your money or benefits you can find advice in the Help and Advice area of our website. Alternatively, you can email ema@ssha.co.uk or call customer services and ask to speak to a member of our Employment and Money Advice (EMA) team.

Call 01785 312000 or visit www.ssha.co.uk www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 17

Focus on apprenticeships We are very proud of the apprenticeship opportunities we offer to young people in Staffordshire and Shropshire.

One area with a particular focus on apprenticeships is our electrical team, where an outstanding training programme has recently been highly commended by the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA).

Apprenticeship and mentoring involves onethird of the workforce in the electrical team, with full-time employment for all apprentices on completion.

The apprenticeship programme includes administrative as well as technical positions.

This has resulted in improved support for the team from colleagues with relevant skills and knowledge.

Better training results in happier customers, too. As well as skills training, these ‘bright spark’ apprentice electricians improve their communication skills, boost their problem solving abilities and develop bags of personal confidence.

You tell us that you like the resulting right-firsttime service and friendly staff.

Apprentices are considered an important and valued part of the team, from day one.

Apprentices and trainees from Property Plus met chief executive Sarah Boden for a catch up about their progress.

One of those invited to meet Sarah was Haydn Beddow, 26, who is in the fourth year of an electrical apprenticeship. Hayden told us that “Sarah said she was proud to meet us and explained that apprentices are the future of the organisation. I think this is the best apprenticeship opportunity you can get. I’m definitely looking forward to further career progression here in the future.”

Check out www.housingplusgroup. co.uk/careers regularly for the latest updates on apprenticeship opportunities.

“I followed you on Facebook and got an interview the following week!”

Care and support worker Laura Siverns ‘liked’ Care Plus on Facebook. Along with lots of great news stories and pictures from our retirement living communities, we often post details of job vacancies on our social media.

Laura soon spotted a link to a vacancy on her doorstep. She completed the enquiry form and had an interview the following week. She started work at Corsers Court this summer.

“I’ve been a carer for about ten years. I was really pleased when I saw the job advert on Facebook.

Corsers Court is super-convenient from my home and it’s a great place to work. The apartments are lovely and the residents and staff are all very friendly.

“I like working for Care Plus. It’s a big organisation with lots of opportunities and job security.”

It was a lucky day for Laura when she followed our Facebook page. For all the latest news and updates, you can find Care Plus, Housing Plus Group and SSHA on Facebook and Twitter.

18 newsextra | Issue two 2019

Keeping you safe in your home As you know, we have always taken fire safety very seriously indeed. We know that you do, too.

Our new fire door safety team is an investment in sectorleading standards of safety for customers living in residential blocks. This team checks EVERY fire door, twice yearly.

During these safety checks the team will put right anything that they find which could compromise the effectiveness of one of these doors if a fire breaks out.

You will have read articles in previous issues of this magazine

highlighting the importance of keeping balconies and communal spaces clear to reduce fire hazards and ensure that emergency services could reach you quickly.

We have been doing more to increase the safety of balconies to flats. This year we replaced almost 100 timber balconies at flats in the Harlescott, Monkmoor and Belle Vue areas of Shrewsbury.

“We removed old wooden balustrades and installed a more modern mesh design,” explained senior projects manager John Pullen.

“The new balconies are popular with local residents because they have improved the appearance of these homes as well as creating a safer environment.”

Fire safety is a responsibility we share. Never wedge open a fire door that’s there to protect you.

Keep communal areas clear and don’t use balconies to store material that could cause a fire to spread. Don’t light barbecues, gas patio heaters or anything else with a naked flame on your balcony.

!

Safety checks SSHA has important legal duties and obligations to ensure you and your family are safe in your home.

If we book a safety check appointment with you, it is essential that you are at home to let our contractors in to undertake this vitally important work.

Our safety first checks include:

}} Gas servicing and repair }} Electrical installation checks and associated repairs }} Solid fuel and oil central heating servicing and repairs }} Managing asbestos }} Solar PV roof panel inspections

Every year we spend over £60,500 on missed pre-booked appointments — money that could be spent on improving homes.

}} Un-vented cylinders checks }} Fire risk assessments (communal areas and sheltered schemes only) Failure to give access to your home to carry out these important inspections is a breach of your tenancy, which could result in the loss of your home.

If you need to change a safety check appointment please contact our customer services team on 01785 312000.

www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 19

Have your say

Win an

iPad

Hundreds of you responded to our communications survey last year, helping us to make some important changes to the way we engage with you. We are repeating the survey again this year just to check that we are still getting it right.

1. How do you like to hear from us? (tick all that apply) Magazines Letters

Email newsletters Leaflets

Social media Other (please state)

Websites

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2. Overall, how satisfied are you with these methods?

Magazines Email newsletters Social media Websites

Letters Leaflets Other

3. How well informed do you feel?

4. Is the information easy to understand?

Very easy to understand Easy to understand Neutral Hard to understand Very hard to understand

Fully informed Fairly well informed Neutral Poorly informed Very poorly informed

5. What would you like to know more about? (tick all that apply)

You can also complete this survey at www.ssha.co.uk

Retirement living Care and support Shared ownership/market rent properties How to give feedback about our services Stories about our customers and our staff Other (please state)

Money advice Employment advice Repairs advice Home improvements and maintenance Local activities and events Housing developments in your area News about SSHA

6. Is there anything else you would like us to think about as part of this survey?

Name:

Phone:

Address:

Email:

Age:

18–24

25–34

35–44

45–54

When you have completed your survey, return it to us by 29 November 2019 to stand a chance of winning an Apple iPad.

55–64

65+

Prefer not to say

Send your survey to: Freepost SSHA

You can complete this survey anonymously but you will not be entered into the prize draw.

Read full terms and conditions on our website www.housingplusgroup.co.uk/tc-magazine-survey-2019 20 newsextra | Issue two 2019

On the move?

If you are thinking about leaving your home there are a few things you need to remember.

Giving notice First, you must give us at least four weeks’ notice in writing, when you wish to end your tenancy.

Tenancy weeks always start on a Monday, so if you give us notice on a Wednesday your notice period won’t begin until the following Monday.

Make sure that you give vacant possession and return your keys to us by 12pm on Monday at the end of your notice – if you don’t do this you will be charged a further week’s rent.

Leaving your home ready to let When you end your tenancy you should remove all furniture, personal possessions and rubbish, leaving the home and fixtures in a clean, lettable standard. If you have a loft or garden, you will need to ensure that it is free from rubbish and in a neat condition before you leave.

SSHA will charge you for the cost of: }} replacing any missing or damaged items }} replacing any alterations to which we did not give written consent }} removing all rubbish and personal belongings left in the property }} cleaning the property, if necessary When someone is no longer a customer of SSHA and still owes us money, we don’t write it off. It is our responsibility to recover this debt, which can be reinvested in homes and services for our customers. Between April and December last year we recovered £73,000 owed to us by previous tenants. That’s enough to pay for 25 new bathrooms or nearly 150 Home MOTs!

Community project is blooming at Cherry Tree Court A garden makeover has sown the seeds of competition success at Cherry Tree Court in Essington.

Cherry Tree Court has been the focus of a largescale community project this summer, creating a fabulous new garden which was completed just in time to be included in the Essington in Bloom contest.

Everyone pitched in to a Ground Force-style makeover in partnership with local councillors.

Caring businesses donated materials and labour and Year 6 pupils of St John’s Primary Academy in Essington visited weekly to help the residents paint decorative pots and to plant-up the containers. Housing Plus Group made a generous donation to help make the project a success, contributing £500 for plants and flowers.

Dementia friendly The garden has been carefully designed to be dementia-friendly and the school pupils have also learned dementia awareness as part of their involvement.

The new space has been named the Cherry Tree Court Retreat. It provides a sociable outdoor meeting place for residents, complete with sheltered seating area, raised beds and a centrepiece water feature. There is a lush green lawn too, although as resident John Birch who helped create the garden explained, it isn’t quite what it seems: “We wanted something that was easy to look after, so we chose synthetic turf. It looks incredibly realistic and it just needs a quick vacuum every now and again!”

The finishing touches were put to the garden hours before a visit by judges of the Essington in Bloom contest. We will learn the results of the competition later this year but residents present during the visit said that the judges seemed “Very impressed by what everyone had achieved.”

www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 21

JUSTICE CORNER

Helping to beat the county lines gangs As a landlord, we continually engage with the police to assist them in fighting crime. This includes attending local meetings hosted by the police which include representatives of schools, social services and child protection.

One of the issues discussed at these meetings is the problem of drug trafficking into our area, known as the county lines operation.

Drug traffickers often target vulnerable people.

They befriend the individual, take over their home and start using it as a base for drug dealing. From here they groom people to form a drug supply chain and to act as lookouts.

One recent case heard in the Crown Court at Wolverhampton led to five people being jailed for a total of more than 30 years. Landlord information supplied since 2016 was part of the evidence for this trial.

The National Crime Agency says some signs to look out for suggesting involvement in county lines activity include: }} An increase in visitors and cars to a home }} New faces appearing at the home }} New and regularly changing residents }} Substance misuse and/or drug paraphernalia

}} Changes in a resident’s mood and/or demeanour (e.g. secretive/withdrawn/ aggressive/emotional) }} Unexplained, sometimes unaffordable new things (e.g clothes, jewellery, cars etc) }} Residents or young people you know going missing, maybe for long periods of time }} Young people seen in different cars/taxis driven by unknown adults }} Young people seeming unfamiliar with your community }} Truancy, exclusion, disengagement from school }} An increase in anti-social behaviour in the community }} Unexplained injuries

What you can do?

If you have information about the supply of drugs call police on 101 or remain anonymous by speaking to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. You can also report it to your neighbourhood officer by calling 01785 312000 or emailing enquiries@ssha.co.uk and we will gather the information to share it with the relevant partners.

Shopping voucher up for grabs!

Did you know that when we install new gas central heating to a home, Morgan Lambert carry out a gas safety audit?

Customers who give access to their home for this work to be done are entered into a quarterly prize draw. Up for grabs is a £50 shopping voucher!

Pictured is recent lucky winner Mrs Hill from Codsall.

22 newsextra | Issue two 2019

WIN £50

Greener services As a Group with roots in the local community, we are very conscious of our responsibility to look after the environment.

You will have seen our electric cars and vans. We are installing electrical charging points at our offices and in centrally located retirement living communities, too. We’re also installing energyefficient lighting in communal areas and replacing older boilers with new equipment designed to cut the amount of energy you use.

New homes and retirement living communities that we are building meet the highest possible standards of energy efficiency. For example a £2.6m project to create 24 new homes for social rent on a brownfield site in Wellington this year was carefully designed to cut the environmental impact of the scheme.

Reducing plastic As well as reducing the amount of plastic used in construction, insulation is provided well beyond the requirements of building regulations. The homes were built to reduce water and energy consumption and the development includes storm water storage tanks supporting long-term flood management in the local community.

With this issue of your magazine we’re reaching another green milestone.

For the first time, more than half of our customers will be receiving the magazine by email, bringing a huge reduction in paper and printing.

Those of you who prefer to receive a paper copy might have noticed that your news has arrived in a compostable bag.

The area where we are making the biggest difference is in

Share your ideas for ways for us to deliver greener, better services. Email enquiries@ssha.co.uk If you receive a paper copy of the magazine, please make sure that it is recycled when you have finished reading. Alternatively you register to receive your magazine digitally at www.ssha.co.uk/digital-news-extra

the disposal of waste after we have installed a new kitchen or bathroom.

Cutting landfill Each year we improve hundreds of homes in Staffordshire and Shropshire. Waste is removed in big containers called HIPPO bags. That keeps your neighbourhood tidy while we work. As well as that, we can ensure that we recycle as much as possible and that waste like cardboard, timber, metals and insulation materials is diverted from landfill.

Between April 2018 and March 2019 we filled

1017

HIPPO bags

93.77%

of this waste – almost 1,000 tonnes – was successfully diverted from landfill.

My job is to keep you safe.

By law we must carry out gas safety checks so it’s important that you give us access to your home to complete this vital work. Every year we spend over £60,500 on missed appointments. You can help us reduce this by letting us know if you need to cancel or change a safety check appointment. Together, we can cut waste, improve services and invest in our homes.

01785 312000 www.ssha.co.uk

www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 23

WIN ÂŁ25

Word search Find the 10 hidden words to win a ÂŁ25 shopping voucher.

Please send your entry to the address below, by Friday 1 November 2019.

The first correct entry drawn will win the prize.

Freepost SSHA Name: Address:

Postcode:

Tel: Congratulations to Mrs J Vale who won the word search competition in the last edition of News Extra

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Fundraising

Partnership

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Facebook

New homes

Satisfaction

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Not for profit

Volunteer

Full competition terms and conditions can be found on our website www.housingplusgroup.co.uk/terms-and-conditions-customer-magazine-competitions

Useful contact numbers: ll General property, heating and hot water repairs, rent payment, debt advice and fault reporting 01785 312000 (SSHA Customer Services)

ll Refuse collection 01902 696203 (South Staffordshire Council)

ll Gas servicing 01782 564448 (Phoenix Gas Services)

ll Street cleaning 01902 696316 (Staffordshire County Council)

ll Gas leaks 0800 111 999 (National Gas Emergency Service) ll Health and sickness help and advice 111 (NHS Direct) ll Police 101 (non-emergency)

This magazine is also available in: Large print Other languages

Audio

ll Street lighting 0300 111 8000 (South Staffordshire Council)

ll Personal concerns, worries and troubles 116 123(Samaritans) ll Jeremy Lefroy MP Stafford 020 7219 7154 jeremy.lefroy.mp@parliament.uk

SSHA @ssha_tweets Care Plus @careplus_tweets

ll Amanda Milling MP Cannock Chase 020 7219 8356 amanda.milling.mp @parliament.uk ll Mark Pritchard MP The Wrekin 020 7219 8494 pritchardm@parliament.uk ll Gavin Williamson MP South Staffordshire 020 7219 7245 gavin.williamson.mp@ parliament.uk

Acton Court, Acton Gate, Stafford, ST18 9AP Customer Services 01785 312000 enquiries@ssha.co.uk www.ssha.co.uk