intouch ISSUE 74 | SPRING 2013 | FREE
The magazine for residents of Wales & West Housing
In this issue... Le ngs update Is a lodger the answer? Emergency Alarm Annual Report 2012/13 Photo comp – win £100
lement ment SuppMay 2013 | Self Assess ng si est Hou Wales & W
Once in a while every company needs to take a long hard look at itself and think about how well it is doing and what would make things be er. We talk to people every day and know how difficult it is to find somewhere to live which is why we want to grow and provide more homes for local people. We also know that we can make a difference to our residents in how we run Waless & West Housing.
Ge ng it right...
We’ve taken that long hard look at ourselves, at all the things we do, and want to tell you what we found. With In Touch you will also have ve received your copy of ‘Ge ng it right...’ t...’ Please take a few minutes to read thiss and then give us your feedback. If you u do, and if you give us your contact details, etails, you’ll be entered into our prize draw. It’s so easy. Either: reply to the text we have sent you if we have a current mobile number for you reply online at our website www.wwha.co.uk. Or go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/Ge ngItRight2013 or call freephone 0800 052 2526 and ask for ‘Ge ng It Right’ customer survey Three lucky residents drawn at random from everyone who feeds back to us will each win Argos vouchers worth £100. But don’t delay – please note that surveys received a er June 30 will not be entered into our prize draw.
Editor’s Le er | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 03
Editor’s
Le er
Welcome to the Spring 2013 edi on of In Touch – the magazine especially for residents of Wales & West Housing. Having enough money to pay the bills, eat and keep a roof over our heads can be a real worry for many people today. If this sounds familiar, have a look at our Money Ma ers sec on (p16 to 18) which, as usual, has plenty of places to go for help and advice. Another op on, if you are short of cash, might be to take in a lodger (p12 to 14). We look at the pros and cons, as well as provide a ‘how to’ guide, if you decide this is for you. And thank you to everyone who took the me to tell us what they think of what we plan to do with the way we let our homes (p6 to 8). Finally, you can’t fail to be inspired by two very different ‘people’ stories: Freda, who has given up smoking and saved so much money she’s been able to buy herself a new car (p19), and Libby, who has got her first ‘proper’ job with us (p32) - and is loving every moment of it! Keep in touch!
Contact Us
Contents WWH News & Info Money Ma ers Healthy Living FoodBanks update Planned Maintenance Health and Safety Emergency Alarm Annual Report Neighbourhoods that work Development update Work.skills.experience Quarterly Report Equality and Diversity Residents Par cipa on Making A Difference Awards Awards Round Up Charity update Your News & Views Going Green Birthdays and Anniversaries Photo compe on
4 16 19 20 22 24 26 29 31 32 35 40 42 45 47 49 51 52 53 55
Did you know that you can now get more news and updates online? Follow us on twi er @wwha
Other languages and formats If you would like a copy of this edi on of In Touch in Welsh or in another language or format, for example in large print, please let us know and we will help you.
Wales & West Housing, 3 Alexandra Gate, Ffordd Pengam, Tremorfa, Cardiff CF24 2UD. Telephone: 0800 052 2526 | Text: 07788 310420 Email: contactus@wwha.co.uk | Website: www.wwha.co.uk You can also contact members of staff direct by their email. For example, joe.bloggs@wwha.co.uk
04 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | News and General Informa on
Rent Panels
explained Big rent arrears? Not talking to us? This could be your last chance to save your tenancy In our last edi on we ran an ar cle on our rent collec on service. In it we explained that it is really important to us that we do all we can to help you pay your rent and manage your money effec vely. We also explained that we don’t want to evict people - but may have to do so as a very last resort. This will happen if you do not talk to us in order for us to agree a way for you to pay back the money you owe us, your rent arrears. However as an organisa on that prides itself on being fair, we want to give any resident facing evic on one last chance to resolve things before we will take legal ac on to recover their home. Therefore as part of our Rental Collec on Service we have introduced our very own Rent Panels. A Rent Panel Hearing is basically a last chance discussion where a resident is
asked to a end a mee ng with their Housing Officer, a Housing Manager and / or the Head of Housing. The aim of the panel is to reach a sustainable payment plan for the resident to prevent the repossession of a resident’s home. Where necessary we will also have a Money Advice officer either present or on hand to give budge ng advice and assistance. Judges across the country have welcomed our approach which demonstrates to them that we really have tried everything to engage with our residents to avoid having to go down the legal route to take away their home. • During 2012 we held 62 Rent Panels • 54 residents a ended, are keeping to an agreement and are s ll in their homes • 18 residents either did not a end or did not keep to an agreement and have now lost their homes.
News and General Informa on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 05
Welfare
Reform
weathering the storm Our agenda has been, and con nues to be, dominated by welfare reform and in par cular the impact of the ‘bedroom tax’ which came into effect on April 1st. Working efficiently with local authori es throughout Wales we have been able to iden fy more than 800 WWH households across Wales which will be affected by the change. Our staff have contacted all affected residents to talk through the changes, discuss the poten al impact on household budgets and to work with them to find affordable solu ons. To date, the vast majority of our residents have told us that they intend to stay in their exis ng homes although many may struggle to make up the shor all in their housing benefit. In recogni on that many of our residents will need more help to sustain their tenancies, we have also invested heavily in providing ongoing support through the crea on of seven en rely new Tenancy Support Officer posts.
Natalie Davies and Amanda Collins, two of our seven new Tenancy Support Officers, enjoy a tea break in our Cardiff office
Star ng work with us now and based across Wales – four (Natalie Davies, Amanda Collins, Stuart Lock and Sharon Jones) in the South, one (Donna Steven) in Mid Wales and two (William Brook and Jen Bailey) covering our proper es in North Wales – they will work with residents to help them deal with the impact of all forthcoming welfare reforms, including the introduc on of Universal Credit, giving them the knowledge, choices, strength and hope to weather the forthcoming storm. Of course, one knock-on effect of the bedroom tax is that we are now seeing some of our larger proper es – especially three bedroom family homes – becoming available. Again we are working closely with all our local authority partners, and other agencies to make sure that the right people in housing need are able to access these affordable homes.
06 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | News and General Informa on
Changing our approach
to le ngs
In the last edi on of In Touch we told you about our plans to change the way we let proper es. You may remember that although our overall policy was staying the same we were planning to change the size of house or flat we would offer to a family so that it fits in with the new ‘bedroom tax’ rules. We asked for your views and for the opinion of a number of other individuals and organisa ons we work with. In all we had 41 responses: 21 were in favour of the proposals, 5 did not agree and the remaining 15 were unsure or did not express a view. We took account of everyone’s comments and have made some amendments to our proposals.
So how will the changes will affect you? We are proposing to let our proper es in line with the bedroom tax rules so you may be affected if you want to transfer from your current WWH home to a different one. The new approach applies to all residents of working age whether you are in receipt of housing benefit or not. Residents in receipt of pension credit are not affected by this change. The table opposite summarises the main changes. You can see if you are a single parent with access to a child/ children you
are only en tled to a one bedroom flat/ house so you will not be able to apply for a transfer to larger accommoda on. If you are a family with two children under the age of ten and are already living in a two bedroom house you will not be able to apply to move to a larger house. There are some excep ons to the table and these have been introduced as a result of the consulta on we carried out. We are willing to under-occupy in the following circumstances: • Where we have difficulty in finding families large enough to fully occupy a house; • Where there is an urgent housing need such as the need to provide or receive support or where there is a risk of violence and there are no proper es of a suitable size; • For households with a high level of housing need due to medical or other physical/mental disability where their housing needs cannot reasonably be met by a smaller property.
News and General Informa on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 07
PROPERTY to be REGISTERED
HOUSEHOLD TYPE (EXISTING)
HOUSEHOLD TYPE (PROPOSED)
Studio/ 1bed flat/ house
Single person
Single person
1bed flat/house
Childless couple
Childless couple Single parent with access to a child/ children
2 bed flat, maisone e or house
Couple or single parent with 1 child
Couple or single parent with 1 child
Single parent with access to a child
Couple or single parent with 2 children under 10 Couple or single parent with 2 children of the same sex under 16
3 bed flat, maisone e or house
Couple or single parent with 2 or 3 children, regardless of sex
Couple or single parent with 2 children of dierent sex with at least one over 10
Single parent with access to 2 or 3 children regardless of sex
Couple or single parent with 3 children Couple or single parent with 4 children (2 boys and 2 girls) Couple or single parent with 4 children (3 of one sex, 1 of the other where at least two children are under 10, and of the opposite sex)
4 bed flat, maisone e or house
Couple or single parent with 4 or 5 children, regardless of sex
Couple or single parent with 4 children (3 of one sex, 1 of the other where at least 3 children are over 10) Couple or single parent with 5 children
08 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | News and General Informa on In all these cases we will carry out an affordability check to make sure you can afford to pay the rent and cover any deduc ons made as a result of bedroom tax. You will also have to provide us with some proof of your urgent need to move.
If you are already on our transfer list then you may have already received a telephone call from our Housing Op ons Team to discuss your transfer applica on. If you have not heard from us already then we will be in touch soon.
In other circumstances, including these, we will allow under-occupa on without an affordability check:
If you are thinking of applying for a transfer then please speak to your Housing Officer or telephone our Housing Op ons Team on 0800 052 2526. They will be able to advise you on the situa on in your area and in rela on to your personal circumstances.
• Households with an unborn child which means they will be eligible for an extra bedroom or where the ages of the children mean they will be eligible for an extra bedroom within two years ; • Where the oldest member of an resident’s household will be in receipt of pension credit within two years and therefore exempt from the ‘bedroom tax’.
Please note – we are members of Common Wai ng Lists in Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf and the Vale of Glamorgan, so different rules may apply.
£ Winner £ £ Direct Debit
Win £100 by paying your rent by Direct Debit
Miss A Burgess, of Llwyn Alun, Hope, Flintshire is the lucky winner of £100 for our last quarterly Direct Debit draw and will be receiving her cheque from us very soon. To qualify for an entry in the draw all you need to do is pay your rent by Direct
Debit. It is as easy as that and it is so easy to set up.
Please contact your Housing Officer who will help with any queries you may have or call our Customer Service Centre on 0800 052 2526.
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Adver sement | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 09
Helping tenants across Wales to swap homes using Facebook
Like our Facebook page
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Post your property
Join a group
3
4
Find a swap!
www.houseswapwales.co.uk facebook.com/houseswapwales
Sponsored by
10 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Adver sement
Shared Equity Opportunity Brython Drive ^ƚ DĞůůŽŶƐ͕ ĂƌĚŝī Are you looking to buy your own home? We now have 3 lovely NEW homes for sale at just 70% of the market price. Ordinarily these 2 bedroom houses would cost £119,000, but we have them on the market for just £83,300 under our Shared Equity Scheme. dŚĞLJ ŽīĞƌ ƚƌĂĚŝƟŽŶĂů ƐƚLJůŝŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ Ăůů ƚŚĞ ďĞŶĞĮƚƐ ŽĨ Ă ŶĞǁ ďƵŝůĚ͕ ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ ͻ DŽŶĞLJ ƐĂǀŝŶŐ ĞŶĞƌŐLJ ĞĸĐŝĞŶĐLJ ͻ WĂƟŽ ĚŽŽƌƐ ͻ ĞƐŝŐŶĂƚĞĚ ƉĂƌŬŝŶŐ ƐƉĂĐĞ ͻ 'ĂƌĚĞŶ Ăƚ ƌĞĂƌ ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ ƉĂƟŽ ĂƌĞĂ
Go to www.wwha.co.uk or call freephone 0800 052 2526 and ĂƐŬ ĨŽƌ ,ŽƵƐŝŶŐ KƉƟŽŶƐ dĞĂŵ Please Quote 01//d/0ϱ13
News and General Informa on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 11
Shayne gives evidence
to Parliament Shayne Hembrow, WWH Deputy Chief Execu ve and Commercial Director, joined other senior figures from social housing in Wales to give evidence to parliament about the impact of the ‘bedroom tax’. Shayne reported to the Welsh Affairs Select Commi ee on April 16 and explained that there are not enough one-bedroom proper es for people to downsize to avoid being hit by the ‘bedroom tax’. He was joined by Nick Benne , Chief Execu ve of Community Housing Cymru, Duncan Forbes, Chief Execu ve of Bron Afon Community Housing Associa on, and, Antonia Forbes, Chief Execu ve of Cynon Taff Housing Associa on, who also gave evidence to the Commi ee. The day before Welsh Government Housing Minister Carl Sargeant had also
given evidence to the Commi ee, which is chaired by MP David Davies. A fourth evidence session took place on Tuesday 14 May at 9.30am in the Thatcher Room, Portcullis House, where Lord Freud, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, gave his evidence to the Commi ee. This session was also televised. The Commi ee is now considering all the evidence it has received. If you would like to find out more go to h p://www.parliament.uk/welshcom Then click on the tab labelled ‘The impact of changes to housing benefit in Wales.’
There you can read in full the evidence given by all witnesses to the Commi ee, and watch videos of Shayne and his colleagues speaking to Parliament.
12 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | News and General Informa on
Taking in a lodger the pros and cons If you have a spare room, or rooms, in your home you might want to consider taking in a lodger. This could be especially helpful if you are finding it more difficult to make ends meet due to changes to the benefits system. Here we take a look at what this means, the pros and the cons and how to go about it, if you decide taking in a lodger is for you.
The ‘Pros’ of taking in a lodger • You will earn extra income • The first £20 of weekly income you gain from taking in a lodger will not affect your benefits. • You can earn up to £4,250 a year in rent before you have to pay any income tax. • And as this annual rent of £4,250 is “tax free” it also won’t affect the amount that you receive in Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit either. • Company / friendship • Security – someone else at home • Addi onal skills in your household
The ‘Cons’ of taking in a lodger • You will have to be happy about sharing your home with a stranger • A rela ve or close friend living with you and living as a member of your household would normally be treated as a ‘non-dependant’ in benefit terms and their income would affect your Housing Benefit. • If you receive more than £20 a week in rent, the addi onal cash is likely to affect your benefits. However you are s ll likely to be be er off. Your housing officer, local authority or housing advice organisa on will be able tell you exactly what impact this extra cash will have on your benefits, if any. • Things can go wrong if you are not clear from the outset what is acceptable to you in your home, and what is not. If things do go wrong, and you are not able to talk things through calmly and quickly to resolve any problems, you could find your home becomes a place of stress and tension, rather than your refuge from the world.
News and General Informa on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 13
Thought it all through and want to go ahead? Here is our step by step guide to ren ng out a room 1. Talk to us, your landlord You must involve us in your decision to take in a lodger as we will be able to advise you if this is possible under your tenancy agreement with us. Call freephone 0800 052 2526 and speak to our Housing Op ons Team, or speak to your Housing Officer at the earliest possible opportunity. They can – and will – help you to make an informed decision about whether taking in a lodger is right for you. 2. Get your home rent ready Make sure your home and the room you want to rent out is safe, fire proof and that you have general safety sorted. Also speak to your benefit provider to check if the extra cash will affect your benefit en tlement, and if so how.
www.spareroom.co.uk and have a look what other people nearby are charging. Just pop your postcode or area into the search box on the homepage and click ‘search now.’ Or you could check what other people are charging in your area on sites like gumtree.com, or in the rooms to let sec on of your local paper. 4. Adver se Try pu ng a no ce in your local shop or go online and adver se it for free through one of the many websites available. If you live close to a college or university you might want to register with them your interest in le ng a room.
It may also be worth speaking to your local Ci zens Advice Bureau.
5. Find someone that’s right for you Le ng someone live in your home is a big step, so it pays to be prepared. Take your me to talk to the people viewing your property to make sure they are a good fit for your home. It is also good to lay down your simple ground rules early, so you both know what to expect.
3. So how much can I charge? The answer is, of course, ‘it depends’. Several factors will affect what your room is worth. Loca on, the type of property, the decora on, fixtures and fi ngs – all of these will affect what you can charge. The current UK average for a double room, including some bills, is around £90 per week. Try visi ng
6. Get wri en references Ask your new lodger if they can provide references from an employer or previous landlord. It’s best to get these in wri ng, and a phone call to double check with their referee won’t do any harm either. This can give you extra peace of mind that the agreement you are entering into is likely to be alright.
14 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | News and General Informa on 7. Have a wri en agreement Have a wri en agreement between you and your lodger. This is important - for both of you and will be what you refer to should things go wrong. Your wri en agreement should include: • rent amount and payment details • which rooms/facili es your lodger is en tled to use • services you agree to provide • any share of household bills • how long un l the payment amount is reviewed • house rules • no ce period.
For more informa on see www.gov.uk/government ment /publica ons/le ng-rooms rooms -in-your-home-a-guide e -for-resident-landlordss
If you find this all a bit daun ng, don’t worry. There are several good guides to lodger agreements available through bookshops, sta oners or online. Or call our Housing Op ons Team who will be able to send you a copy.
Simple ps to help you stay safe • Always have a trusted friend with you when you interview prospec ve lodgers • Keep your valuables locked away during the interview • Make sure you use the interview as an opportunity to ask about anything that concerns you
News and General Informa on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 15
Residents Sa sfac on
Survey - winners!
In October and November 2012 we ran our annual resident sa sfac on survey which went out to one third of our residents asking them for their views on a wide range of services. We brought you the results of this in the last edi on of In Touch. To thank residents for comple ng and returning the survey, each household was entered in a prize draw and the lucky winners were: 1st prize of £100 Argos vouchers went to Mr Phil Jones in Llay, Wrexham. He told us, “What a lovely surprise! Thank you very much Wales & West. The first thing I’ve won in 70 years!”
2nd prize of £75 Argos vouchers went to Jackie Desmond from Canton, Cardiff. “I am so happy, I never win anything, I am going to buy a Vax carpet cleaner. Thank you so much,” she said.
Claire Jones, Housing Officer with winner Jackie Desmond
Rhian Marsh Housing Officer presen ng Phil with his prize.
And 3rd prize of £50 Argos vouchers went to Miss R Jones in Mold. Congratula ons to all our winners and many thanks to everyone who took the me to complete our survey.
16 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Money Ma ers
Worried about
benefits changes? Don’t be. Help is at hand. First try www.yourbenefitsarechanging.co.uk. Run by Community Housing Cymru this site also offers plenty of useful informa on to help you nego ate the changes to the welfare benefits system. There are links to this site from our own website www.wwha.co.uk. And don’t worry if you are not online. Call 0300 303 1073, or text ‘change’ to 80018 and an adviser will call you back. Or you could try Turn2us. Turn2Us is a charity which helps people access the money availableto them – through welfare benefits, grants and other help.
They have recently produced a great website highligh ng all of the changes to the benefit system. Go to www.benefitsawareness.org.uk You can also link to this site from our own website at www.wwha.co.uk where there is more informa on about managing your money in the residents sec on. And don’t forget that you can talk to your housing officer about your finances and any worries you may have at any me.
Money Ma ers | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 17
Disability Living Allowance - update Having focused on the bedroom tax in previous issues of InTouch this me we are looking at a benefit change that hasn’t had as much coverage. Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a benefit you can claim if you need help with increased costs due to a disability. You may be en tled to it if you need help looking a er yourself or you struggle to walk. From June 2013 in Wales, the Government is no longer accep ng new claims for DLA if you are aged between 16 and 64, but is instead replacing it with a new benefit called Personal Independence Payment (PIP). This new benefit assessment will focus on how your disability affects your day to day life and how it impacts on your ability to carry out various tasks. Most people will be asked to a end a face to face consulta on with a health professional prior to any award being made. If you are currently claiming DLA the roll out of PIP will happen in various stages depending on your award: • From October 2013, if you are already claiming DLA and you reach the end of your current award or report a change in your care or mobility needs you will be invited to claim PIP.
• If you have a child who receives DLA and they turn 16 during or a er October 2013 they will also be invited to claim PIP. • For anyone else who receives DLA and has an indefinite award (you have not been told that you need to renew your DLA claim) you will not be affected by this change un l October 2015. If you’re online you can find out more informa on at www.gov.uk/pip
18 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch |Money Ma ers
Money Advice Service The Money Advice Service is an independent service, set up by the government to help people make the most of their money. They give free, unbiased money advice to everyone across the UK – online, over the phone and face to face. From financial advice to cope with life changing events like having a baby or re ring through to general ps about managing your money, the Money Advice Service has informa on useful to everyone. The site also has advice about Universal Credit, the Government’s new benefit system that is due to be rolled out na onally at the end of 2013. Though most people will not be aected by this change in the immediate future there are some aspects of it that would be worth preparing for now:
Get online The new system will require people to claim their benefit online. Whilst accessing the internet can seem daun ng many libraries run sessions to introduce people to it and show them the many benefits of using the internet in your day to day life. Or call Communi es 2.0 on
0845 474 8282 who may be able to tell you about suitable courses near you.
Open a bank account Universal Credit will combine all the benefits you receive into one monthly lump sum which will need to be paid into an account. The Money Advice service has lots of advice around opening a bank account, summarising the accounts available and the process of opening one.
You can find out more by going to www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk, calling them on 0300 500 5000 or booking a face to face appointment by calling 0300 330 0520.
Healthy Living | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 19
Save money
and save your life... It’s never too late to give up smoking “Nothing could stop me from smoking 30 cigare es a day and up to 12 packets a week” said Freda Watkins, WWH resident and proud ex-smoker. Freda smoked her first cigare e when she was 14 years old. “Nine out of eleven members of my family smoked. It made us feel cool to look grown up and everyone did it then. “At 32 years of age I had my first heart a ack and even a er three more a acks and three strokes I s ll couldn’t stop, I was really hooked,” she admi ed. “Over the years I’ve tried hypnotherapy, patches and even electronic cigare es, but nothing worked for me un l I got ‘the’ wakeup call – I was told by my doctor that I had to give up smoking or else I would lose both my legs within twelve months. Even then I went home and had a cigare e! “But then it suddenly struck home and I stopped smoking on the spot. That was on the 28th December 2012, a date that is ingrained in my memory. “My husband David, is a smoker, but has cut down drama cally since I’ve given up and goes outside to smoke; I think he will also eventually give up in me. We came back to Wales from living in Sussex in
1999 and enjoy our WWH flat in Danymynydd in the Garw Valley, people are so very friendly. All our furnishings in the flat had to be thrown, from the curtains to the carpets because I could s ll smell cigare e smoke. Besides having a newly decorated flat I have treated myself to a new bright new red Mitsubishi Colt car from all the money I’ve saved. It’s great. “Now at 62 years of age my health is slowly improving, I walk further without ring and the benefits are s ll kicking in. My family are so very proud of me. I found it helped to keep posi ve and to tell myself I could do it and not to let this thing beat me. “If this message mo vates just one person to stop smoking then I’ll be very happy and it will all be worthwhile.”
Do you want to quit? For more informa on, help and to request an NHC Quit Kit go to: www. smokefree.nhs.uk or call Smokefree on 0800 0224 332
20 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Foodbanks update
Suppor ng
foodbanks across Wales
A recent report* states that the poorest households in Britain spent almost a quarter of their income on food in 2012. Four out of five teachers also reported that some of their pupils come to school hungry. With the household food bills rising, these figures also look set to increase. We support The Trussell Trust, a charity that runs foodbanks in local communi es. To do this we have set up food bank collec on points at: • Head Office, Cardiff • Flint Office • Wilfred Brook House, Cardiff • Hanover Court, Barry • Ty Pontrhun, Merthyr Tydfil • Cwrt Anghorfa in Pyle • and in April 2013 at Tŷ Gwaunfarren, Merthyr Tydfil Since we started doing this last December five foodbanks across Wales have received dona ons from our collec on points. With the agreement of Trussell Trust we also used some of the donated food to provide food boxes to three families in crisis who were living in our proper es in Cardiff.
“When shopping, staff and residents taking part put an extra item or two in their shopping basket and it is amazing how quickly this can add up” said Anne Hinchey. “The generosity of our staff and residents towards others in crisis is inspira onal.” Typically, a list of food need by foodbanks will include staple items such as UHT/dried milk, nned veg/ fruit / meat / fish and soups, cereals, tea bags/coffee, rice/pasta, pasta sauces. Each foodbank has a list of food they are short of depending on dona ons received. Merthyr Cynon foodbank has also started recycling old clothes, shoes and handbags to raise addi onal funds. “When asked, all of our re rement schemes in Merthyr Tydfil have agreed to be collec on points for these unwanted items, which is fantas c,” said Alison Chaplin, Community Development Par cipa on Officer. *Report released in March 2013 by Kellogg’s
Foodbanks update | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 21
WWH staff Karen Lewis, Phil Howell with Cleida Correia from Merthyr Cynon foodbank collec ng a dona on from Tŷ Pontrhun. Pictured below is another food co-op recently opened at Cwrt Pentwmpath in Llay, Wrexham.
foodbanks provide a minimum of 3 days emergency support and food boxes to local people in crisis. redundancy, delayed benefit, family breakup or an unexpected bill. If you would like to support your local foodbank and would like a list for your area, or if you would just to know more about the work of foodbanks please ring us on freephone 0800 052
2526 and ask for Herman, Vy or Alison, our community development project officers, who will be happy to help you. Or you can go to h p://www.trusselltrust.org
Cwrt Pentwmpath residents Sue and Dilys sor ng dona ons for their new foodbank.
22 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Planned Maintenance
Planned maintenance Spring Summer 2013 Here is our current planned maintenance schedule. Call us on freephone 0800 052 2526 if you would like to know more. Kitchens
Window and Doors
Ongoing at Twyncarmel, Merthyr Tydfil Clos Meithrin, Prestatyn Christchurch Court, Llandrindod Wells
Hammond Way, Cardiff Graham Close, Cardiff Salmon Close, Cardiff A ield Close, Cardiff Tyn Twll Lane, Holywell (front & rear doors only) Pen Lon, Wrexham (front & rear doors only) Lon Odyn, Flint (front and rear doors only) Barracksfield, Wrexham (roofline only)
Bathrooms Heol y Fynnon, Brecon Cwrt Tarrell, Brecon Spinney Close, Cardiff Clos y Waun, Bridgend Teilos Drive, Bridgend Cricklewood Close, Bridgend Llys Colwyn, Old Colwyn Lon Odyn, Flint Albert Place, Connahs Quay Fishermans Wharf, Connahs Quay Coleford Drive, Cardiff Clos y Betws, Cardiff Clos Tregare, Cardiff Clos y Gornant, Cardiff Clos yr Onnen, Cardiff Clos y Berllan, Cardiff
Fuel Switch Yew Tree Court, Cardiff St Catherine’s Court, Caerphilly Clos yr Ardd, Cardiff
Planned maintenance feature | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 23
“I’ve never met a nicer bunch of guys” Mrs June Watkins who lives in Ely, Cardiff, told us she was amazed when she had a replacement kitchen. Not only did she have a choice of worktops, cabinets, flooring and les, Cambria Maintenance workers happily put up shelving and a light fi ng for her, over and above their work plan. “My kitchen is so much larger and I’ve got loads more cupboard and drawer space,” she said. “The Cambria workmen came in on a Monday, and the same workmen worked straight through un l they finished four and a half days later. It’s so much be er than different workers coming and going all the me. “They cleaned up a er themselves every day and when they had finished I thought I might have to wipe around, but I didn’t have to do anything it was spotless. They arrived between 7.30am and 8am every morning and really put in a full day’s work. They went that extra mile to make sure I was happy with everything.
“I was impressed with their honesty, reliability and trusted them to be in my home alone. I o en le them to it. I can’t praise them enough, and prefer Cambria any me. I can’t say anything nega ve about them at all. They were lovely hard working boys. “I was a chef working in a very busy environment in Cardiff, but have had to stop because of my health, but I just love cooking and have my kitchen just so. They also replaced all the old electricity sockets and added some extra as well. My kitchen is now easier to clean and is a joy to cook in. I love it.”
24 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Health and Safety
Gas boilers, your safety
our responsibility
If you have a gas boiler and you live in one of our proper es we need to service your boiler every year. Sounds excessive? It isn’t. In fact, as your landlord we have a legal obliga on to ensure that the gas boiler in your home is serviced every year, writes Commercial Manager Mike Wellock. Why? To make sure that it is working correctly, not leaking poten ally deadly carbon monoxide, and, that your health and wellbeing is not at risk. Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas given off when fuels including gas are burnt and if your hea ng appliances are not working correctly, the flue is blocked or the room is not ven lated correctly, then carbon monoxide can build up quickly and suffocate those inside. Most of our residents understand and appreciate the need for this annual service and work with us to ensure the work can be carried out. However, unfortunately there are a few who think that this annual service is not necessary and who do not allow contractors entry to their home, meaning that their boiler remains untested. A boiler service is quick and clean so please help us to ensure that you and your family do not become a sta s c. It’s easy to arrange. Our contractor PH
Jones will contact you when your boiler needs a service, and all you have to do is agree a me which is convenient for you for them to have access to your home. Once the visit has taken place you will not only know that your home is safe, but you will also be placed in our draw for one of two £250 prizes to be won every three months.
Did you know that on average 50 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning each year in the UK? And that 200 are seriously injured, and another 4000 people are affected each year facing the possibility of long-las ng effects on their health? For those who refuse to allow us access to their home to service their boiler the end result may not be so happy. At worst it could lead to death or serious injury and at best it will certainly lead to a court judgement, payment of £150 court costs and a forced entry into your homes to do a job for which you could have won a cheque for £250. Have your gas boiler serviced every year - you know it makes sense.
Health and Safety | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 25
Get your gas boiler serviced and
you could win £250
Mrs June Wells of Edwardsfield, Newtown, receiving her cheque for £250, flowers and bubbly from Paul Carter, Area Opera ons Manager (Wales) P H Jones and Annerley Brown, WWH Asset Management Officer. Mrs Wells was thrilled to have won our prize draw as she had never won anything before.
Mrs Frances Jones of Llys Hebron, Rhondda was over the moon and excited to win her prizes. “I’m pu ng the prize money to good use by trea ng my granddaughter who will be 18 years old this month as well as enjoying a family get together” said Frances.
YOU could also be a WINNER, all you need to qualify is to have your boiler serviced on your FIRST appointment or give us at least 48 hours’ no ce to postpone the visit.
26 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Emergency Alarm Annual Report
Emergency Alarm Annual Report 2012
Welcome! Here are some facts so you can see how we performed in 2012, including our achievements and survey results. ͻ
ͻ
ͻ
ͻ
In 2012 we answered 93,305 calls - on average 250 calls answered each day. 1,408 were emergency calls where we sent out the emergency services or some other form of help. We made 53,004 calls to check you were OK. We increased our customer base to 4,050 units.
How we performed The performance standard set by the Telecare Services ƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ ;d^ Ϳ͕ ƚŚĞ ŽƌŐĂŶŝƐĂƟŽŶ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĂƵĚŝƚƐ ŽƵƌ service, for the percentage of life threatening calls to be answered within 60 seconds is 98.5%. 9 In fact we answered 99.6% of all calls
within 60 seconds The TSA standard for the percentage of life threatening calls to be answered within 3 minutes is 99%. 9 We answered 100% of all calls within
3 minutes This means that in both cases we performed above and beyond the standards set by the TSA.
Emergency Alarm Annual Report | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 27
Survey results 2012 If you have a dispersed alarm unit we asked you to score us out of 10, and if you didn’t give us 10 we asked you what we could do to improve. The 280 people who returned a survey – thank you all - gave ƵƐ Ă ƐĐŽƌĞ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ŽǀĞƌĂůů ĮŐƵƌĞ was 9.5 out of 10. If we called out a third party as a result of your call you will have been asked to complete Ă ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƚ ƐƵƌǀĞLJ͘ Ϯϯϭ ƉĞŽƉůĞ responded to this survey – thank you too! dŚĞ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ĮŐƵƌĞƐ ƐŚŽǁ ŚŽǁ ƐĂƟƐĮĞĚ LJŽƵ ĂƌĞ ǁŝƚŚ ŽƵƌ service. We’re really pleased with ƚŚĞŵ ĂƐ ƚŚĞƐĞ ĮŐƵƌĞƐ ƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ further improvements on last year’s already good results.
Happy with the speed of response
96% The operator was helpful
98.7% The operator assisted with your problem
98% The operator was professional
99.5% ^ĂƟƐĨĂĐƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ŽǀĞƌĂůů ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ĨƌŽŵ the emergency alarm control room
96.3% Do you consider the Emergency Alarm service to be value for money?
98.1%
Highlights 2012 ͻ March 2012 - we were ranked 8th in the Sunday Times Best Companies Best Public/Third Sector ŽƌŐĂŶŝƐĂƟŽŶƐ ƚŽ ǁŽƌŬ ĨŽƌ͘ ͻ April 2012 - we won a contract for emergency alarm monitoring for Newydd Housing ƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ Vale of Glamorgan and Aberdare.
ͻ April 2012 - we were inspected by the TSA Auditors using their new and more demanding code of ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞ Ͳ ǁĞ ƉĂƐƐĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ŇLJŝŶŐ ĐŽůŽƵƌƐ͊ ͻ September 2012 - Jackie Edwards, CSC Manager, ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞƐ ƚŽ ƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ the Welsh Emergency Alarm control rooms on the Telecare Services
ƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ ďŽĂƌĚ͘ ͻ December 2012 - we won a contract for out of hours repairs and ĂŶƟ ƐŽĐŝĂů ďĞŚĂǀŝŽƵƌ for Bron Afon Community Housing for their residents and ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶĂů ŵŽŶŝƚŽƌŝŶŐ ŽĨ ŵŽƌĞ ƚŚĂŶ ϭ͕ϬϬϬ ĮƌĞ and smoke alarms in their sheltered housing schemes.
28 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Emergency Alarm Annual Report
Feedback we received from you during 2012 included: “I was very grateful for the operator to stay with me ǁŚŝůƐƚ ǁĂŝƟŶŐ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ĂŵďƵůĂŶĐĞ ƚŽ ĐŽŵĞ͘ LJ ƚĂůŬŝŶŐ / ǁĂƐ ĂďůĞ ƚŽ ĐŽƉĞ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ƉĂŝŶ ĂŶĚ ĂŶdžŝŽƵƐ ĨĞĞůŝŶŐ͘͟ Ͳ Dƌ ^͕ ƵĐŬůĞLJ dŚĞ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ŝƐ ͞ǁŽƌƚŚ ŝƚƐ ǁĞŝŐŚƚ ŝŶ ŐŽůĚ͘͟ Ͳ DƌƐ ^͕ ƌŝĚŐĞŶĚ ͞ džĐĞůůĞŶƚ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ĂŶĚ ŶŽ ĐŽŵƉůĂŝŶƚƐ͘ dŚĞ ŽƉĞƌĂƚŽƌ ƚŽŽŬ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞ ĐŽŶƚƌŽů ĂŶĚ ŬĞƉƚ ŵĞ ĐĂůŵ͘͟ Ͳ DƌƐ '͕ ĂŐŝůůƚ ͞/ ǁŽƵůĚ ůŝŬĞ ƚŽ ƐĂLJ ƚŚĂŶŬƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƉĞƌƐŽŶ ŽŶ ĚƵƚLJ ƚŚĂƚ ŶŝŐŚƚ͘ ^ŚĞ ŵĂĚĞ ŵĞ ĨĞĞů Ă ůŽƚ ďĞƩĞƌ͘͟ DƌƐ ͕ >ůĂŶƚǁŝƚ Major ͞dŚĞ ƐĐŚĞŵĞ ŝƐ ĞdžĐĞůůĞŶƚ͘ ^ƚĂī ĂƌĞ ǀĞƌLJ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƐŽŵĞŽŶĞ ƉŚŽŶĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŶĞdžƚ ĚĂLJ ƚŽ ŵĂŬĞ ƐƵƌĞ / ǁĂƐ ŽŬĂLJ͘͟ Ͳ DƌƐ W͕ ŶŐůĞƐĞLJ
Complaints Connect24 received no ͞ŽĸĐŝĂů͟ ĐŽŵƉůĂŝŶƚƐ during 2012 - however, there were 28 day-to-day complaints which were
all resolved amicably with the complainants Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ƟŵĞ ďLJ ŽƵƌ ƐƵƉĞƌǀŝƐŽƌLJ ƐƚĂī͘ There were no major
We are constantly reviewing our emergency alarm monitoring performance so during 2013/14 we will be asking members of Only ZĞƐŝĚĞŶƚƐ ůŽƵĚ ;KZ Ϳ ƚŽ ŚĞůƉ ƵƐ with this if they use the service. If you would like to be included and are not a member of ORA then please contact Jayne Orchard.
incident complaints so we didn’t have to review our procedures or change the way we work.
If you have any queries or comments about this report, please contact me, Jayne Orchard, on freephone
0800 052 2526
Neighbourhoods that work | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 29
Our new approach
to ‘nuisance’ Welcome to our third update in a series to tell you how we are progressing with our new approach to dealing with your complaints of nuisance based on what we understand to be important to you. So far we have rolled out our new approach to areas of Cardiff, Powys and Bridgend and we’re con nuing to include more areas so this soon becomes our adopted approach for all areas and proper es we own and manage. In this ar cle we’re focussing on the feedback from residents who have experienced their complaints being dealt in this new way. We believe that your views are the best test to prove if we’re ge ng it right. We’ve also spoken to Group 500 residents (now Only Residents Aloud, see page 42) who have agreed to be contacted and give us their views. We wanted to be er understand if what we have interpreted as your expecta ons of us when you make a complaint are how we have designed our new approach – based on what ma ers to you. The feedback was really encouraging that we have understood what ma ers. We learnt from speaking to
ORA members that most of them had experienced neighbour nuisance and that they had been le feeling frustrated at needing to ‘prove everything’. They also did not like the fact every me they wanted to report neighbour issues they had to spend a long me explaining the problem to the Customer Service Centre, for the problem only to be passed to the Housing Officer who they would have to explain it to all over again.
So how are we doing so far? You want: ‘to speak to the right person’ 41 (85%) people thought that they had spoken to the right person and 15% (7) felt they hadn’t. Of those 7 people who felt they hadn’t they gave the reasons for this as: the housing officer was on holiday, one person found it difficult to get through to the housing officer, one person wanted to speak to the housing manager.
30 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Neighbourhoods that work You want: ‘to receive a speedy response’ 39 (81%) people felt they had received a speedy response but 9 (19%) felt they hadn’t. Interes ngly all 9 people had complained of noise nuisance so we looked at their complaints to understand the reasons why this par cular complaint meant we hadn’t responded as quickly as they would have liked. We found that it was the result of wai ng for the council’s noise pollu on teams to prove or disprove that the noise was happening at the mes and levels being complained about. This is an issue that we will be looking to resolve by working with council teams to speed up the response to noise complaints. You want: ‘to be kept informed of your complaint as it is inves gated’ 34 (70%) people felt they had been kept informed and 14 (30%) felt they hadn’t. This is something we need to improve. From what we are learning everyone is different and some people would like much more contact with their housing officer. We need to find the right balance from the start of addressing a complaint of how best to keep complainants informed and how o en we can reasonably do this.
You want – ‘to feel safe and be safe in your home and where you live’ Most people 34 (70%) stated they did feel safe but 14 (30%) said they didn’t. We’re looking at this result to see where those people live who said they did not feel safe. It may be that they feel this way as a result of experiencing nuisance or it could be down to perhaps something we can do, such as improving ligh ng or improving communal door entrysystems. You want: ‘us to stop the nuisance happening again’ Because we have contacted people to do our survey at different stages of the process in some cases their complaint may have stopped or be ongoing. This is because if we aren’t ge ng things right we want to know about it at the me so we can do something there and then. So we have broken down the responses to the ques on ‘has the problem been resolved?’ to ‘open cases’ where the issue is s ll ongoing and ‘closed cases’ when no ac on is currently being taken. Of the ‘open cases’ 38% of people felt their case had been resolved and 62% felt it hadn’t been. As would be expected when we asked the same ques on of people where their complaint was at an end the percentage of those who felt their complaint had been resolved rose to 85%. Again it appears that noise nuisance complaints prove the hardest to resolve par cularly in blocks of flats.
Neighbourhoods that work | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 31 We are currently working on projects to trial minimising noise impact and will monitor the effect these have. Our role: ‘to be clear what we can do to resolve the issue or what we can do to make it more bearable’ Feedback to this ques on tends to be comments rather than ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. People tended to feel that we were trying our best and understood why we could not solve their problem
if this was the case. There was also an understanding of the need for other agencies to work with officers to resolve problems.
If you would like to find out more about our redesign work and how we are using residents comments to shape the new service please contact me, Bridget Garrod on bridget.garrod@wwha.co.uk or look out for the next update in the next edi on of In Touch.
Development update We are delighted to be able to tell you that we have been granted a substan al amount of addi onal funds by the Welsh Government to help us build more much needed affordable homes across Wales. Last autumn we said that we were on course build 800 new homes within five years. Thanks to this new investment we are now on track to deliver 1,000 new homes in the next four years. One of the latest schemes we are now working on is in Greenfield, Flintshire, where we have been granted planning permission to build 58 new homes. Contractor Anwyl Construc on has
started work on this £7.8m development and the homes should be completed in the autumn of 2014. Elsewhere in Flintshire, our new extra care / demen a care scheme, Llys Jasmine, is nearing comple on with the first residents due to move in this autumn. There is s ll me to apply though, as applicants are being assessed on need, and not on a first-come-firstserved basis. Call our Housing Op ons Team for more informa on. Finally, to find out more about all our new developments please see our website www.wwha.co.uk
32 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | work. skills. experience
‘My parents are so proud of me!’ A warm welcome to one of the newer addi ons to the Wales & West Housing family goes to Libby Price, our new Community Liaison Officer for Hightown in Wrexham. Libby started with us this February thanks to a partnership with careers organisa on, Go Wales, a Welsh Government and European Union funded ini a ve to support young people carve their career paths. Libby said: “I couldn’t believe it when I got the job, my parents are so proud of me! It’s really hard to find work at the moment. Most employers are asking for work experience from young people that they just haven’t got. It’s a vicious circle. I would recommend every young
person to persevere though and to keep checking out websites such as gowales.co.uk.” Libby is working with the community in Wrexham to find out what they would like to see at their new Community Resource Centre, which is due to replace the old community centre this summer. The new centre is part of our £17m regenera on of the area, which will also provide 147 affordable homes by winter 2014.
work. skills. experience | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 33 Libby has already enjoyed success with an Easter event which she organised proving popular among locals, despite severe snowy condi ons. The Hightown Easter Bonanza won widespread praise from dozens of community members who a ended (see picture below), council staff and Wrexham’s local paper, The Leader. “My highlight so far has definitely been the Easter event,” she said. “I couldn’t believe that so many people turned up during a blizzard! Even the newspaper photographer couldn’t quite believe it! “I definitely want to stay working in the housing sector. I did my degree in social
inclusion and am passionate about equality. WWH are great employers too!”
If you are from Wrexham and would like to have your say on what you would most like to see at the new Community Resource Centre, have any comments about the development, or would like to keep up to date with the latest Hightown and Caia Park news, please visit www.hightownflats.com
34 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | work. skills. experience
Corby Atherton and Nathan Pla two of the appren ces at Llys Jasmine in Mold with AM Sandy Mewies
Suppor ng appren ceships AMs Sandy Mewies and Aled Roberts experienced what it’s like to be a construc on appren ce for the day during recent visits to our construc on sites at Mold, in Flintshire, and Hightown in Wrexham. Appren ceship Week – held in March highlighted the talents and skills of appren ces, to encourage young people and employers to think about how an appren ceship could benefit them.
Meanwhile AM Aled Roberts met with a group of construc on appren ces on site at our development in Hightown, Wrexham, to learn about their training and try his hand at a few of their daily tasks.
To show her support Sandy Mewies, Assembly Member for Delyn, spent the day with appren ces on the construc on site of WWH’s Llys Jasmine extra care / demen a care complex in Mold.
Aled said: “It’s never been more important to support and encourage more young people and employers to par cipate in and develop appren ceships.”
Sandy said: “I really enjoyed experiencing first-hand what an appren ceship involves. Appren ceships play a crucial role in providing las ng and successful careers in industries such as construc on, with appren ces bringing many benefits to employers.”
Organised by CITB-Construc onSkills, the Sector Skills Council and Industry Training Board for Construc on, in partnership with Anwyl Construc on and Wales & West Housing, the events were just two of several events which took place around Wales celebra ng the achievements and skills of appren ces.
Quarterly Report | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 35
What ma ers to you? Here’s the fourth edi on of our regular feature on performance across all areas of service delivery at Wales & West Housing. We update our performance informa on every three months, so we hope this will be as useful and relevant as possible for you. Regular readers of In Touch will already be aware we have previously focused on Le ngs, Rents and Repairs, and, in a separate ar cle about communi es that work.
However we would like to know if there are any other areas you like to know about for us to focus on in the future. Have you got a par cular interest in an area of our work? Just let us know and we will happily tell you about it!
So how well are we doing across all areas of the business? (All informa on relates to January - March 2013)
2274
Rent
69.5%
(32% of Tenancies)
Number of Rented Accounts in Arrears
1
% of accounts where an agreed payment plan is in place
Evic ons With all the changes in Welfare Reform this con nues to be a very challenging me for residents and staff are working hard to help and support them with their rent payments. So it is great to see that nearly 70 % of residents are maintaining payments to reduce their arrears. We have employed Tenancy Support Officers to give extra help to residents to prepare them for the changes in bedroom tax and Universal Credit that residents face in the coming months.
36 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Quarterly Report
66%
99.34% 47 remaining proper es where a gas service is required
Gas Safety Compliance
Repairs completed in one visit
Repairs
9.3/
10
Resident sa sfac on
97.1% Repairs that stayed fixed
16 Average number of days to complete a repair
Cambria Maintenance Services has expanded and from 1st January 2013 provides a maintenance service to residents in North Wales as well as South and Mid Wales. We are pleased that our sa sfac on levels have remained high and we will con nue to learn from feedback. We have done a lot of work on gas servicing to ensure that we gain access to residents’ proper es, we have now completed 99.34% of all servicing and this will con nue to be an important area of focus for us.
Quarterly Report | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 37
41
246/1503 17% completed so far
Boiler renewals Bathrooms completed
Planned Maintenance
77/369
9.2/
10
21% completed so far
Kitchens completed
Resident sa sfac on
The 2013 planned maintenance programme is underway and we are pleased with our progress in delivering new kitchens and bathrooms. Part of our normal programme is the fi ng of new windows during the middle 6 months of the year, when we expect the weather to be be er. Our programme started this April and you will see the first set of sta cs cs rela ng to window fi ng in the next edi on of Quarterly Report.
38 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Quarterly Report
9.3/
10
Resident sa sfac on
16 Houses
104
179
Le ngs and building proper es
General needs
75
Le ngs
20
Of the 16 new build - 12 are social rent and 4 are Intermediate.
New proper es
Re rement
4 Flats
Of the 20 new houses that that we acquired, 16 are newly built and 4 houses are through our mortgage rescue scheme where we helped people with financial diďŹƒcul es to be able to remain in their own homes. We have a large number of schemes that are currently being built across so expect to see these figures grow! Resident sa sfac on remains strong and we con nue to learn from what residents are telling us. We were par cularly pleased that a number of residents were very happy with the financial support advice they received.
38,143
97%
Telephones
69,120 30,977 Emergency Alarm
Total number of calls answered
CSC/ Emergency Alarm
Number of calls answered within 30 secs
5 5 seconds average answering me
Quarterly Report | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 39
110 An -social behaviour (serious, including criminal)
18
212 Neigbourhoods that work
Average number of days to inves gate - ASB
12
Incidents reported to us
30 Cases in the new trial system
72 Estate management issues affec ng tenancies
7.5/
10
Resident sa sfac on
Average number of days to inves gate - estate management The number of cases we have dealt with in 2013 has reduced considerably since 2012 and the way and speed in which we have dealt with them has improved. Our average me to inves gate an -social behaviour (ASB) cases has reduced to 18 days and this has happened because we have reviewed how we handle cases and have tried to make it much simpler and easier for residents to report cases. We con nue to work in partnership with a range of agencies tasked with dealing with ASB and carry out joint work with local authori es and police.
So what do you think about our performance and any aspects of our service? If you have any comments or feedback on anything we have told you please let us know. You can contact us about this or any other issue at any me. Feedback can be given in a variety of ways – online via our website, email, le er, phone, by text, or, in person to a member of staff or at our offices.
• We are always happy to hear from you whether you want to ask a ques on, tell us something, make a sugges on, pay a compliment or make a complaint. • This feedback helps us to make decisions about our future plans and improvements to our services. Thank you!
40 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Equality and diversity
race This is the 6th in a series of ar cles which explain the Equality Act 2010 – in the last 5 edi ons we looked at age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity writes Claire Bryant, Equality and Diversity OďŹƒcer.
Equality and diversity | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 41 There are 9 ‘protected characteris cs’ within the Act and the aim of these ar cles is to break down the legal bit into something that’s easy to understand for everyone.
What are the 9 protected characteris cs again? Age, disability, gender reassignment, sexual orienta on, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, sex, ethnicity, and religion or belief. In this ar cle we are looking at race. Britain is a far more diverse society than it was a genera on ago. Nearly 1 in 6 people in Britain is from an ethnic minority. Nearly 1 in 10 Bri sh children is growing up in a mixed race household. In the high-visibility worlds of government, entertainment and sport, there are signs of progress: there are more than four mes as many black and ethnic minority MPs in Parliament as there were in 1993. An increasing number of directors on the FTSE 100 list are from an ethnic minority and we have seen a significant increase in young people se ng up business. Black and Asian actors regularly take leading roles in prime- me TV series. A tudes are changing – the 2010 report ‘How fair is Britain?’ report says that people are increasingly at ease with the idea of working with and for
people of a different ethnic background to their own. Research carried out for the Equality and Human Rights Commission on the 10th anniversary of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry report found that 70% of those who surveyed would be relaxed if their son or daughter chose to marry someone of a different race or religion. The 2008/09 Ci zenship Survey reported that 81% of adults in England and Wales had meaningful interac ons at least once a month with someone from a different ethnic or religious background. However, its safe to say its not all posi ve. Black men and women in their early twen es are twice as likely to be not in employment, educa on or training as white people. Black and Asian defendants are s ll more likely to go to jail than their white counterparts when convicted of similar crimes – and they serve longer sentences. The latest stage in the UK’s progress towards equality is the Equality Act 2010. It states it is unlawful for a person to discriminate on racial grounds against another person. The Act defines racial grounds as including race, colour, na onality or ethnic or na onal origins. In the next edi on we will be looking at religion and belief.
42 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Residents’ Par cipa on
Introducing Only Residents Aloud Hi I’m Jane (opposite) and I’m a member of Only Residents Aloud (ORA). No it’s not a choir! It’s a way of sharing our ideas and feedback with Wales & West Housing (WWH). It used to be called Group 500 but it’s been given a new name, chosen by residents, that we think suits it be er. What do I do?
How do I give my views?
I give my views on lots of things such as:
I prefer to use Wales & West Housing’s website but you can also give your views by post or phonecall. I’m sent an email and a text to let me know that there’s a survey online. We have two weeks to respond so I can complete te it when it suits me. I go onto WWH’s website bsite then I sit with a cup of coffee, read d the informa on n and fill in the survey ey on my computer. er. It usually onlyy takes about 20 minutes.
• How good I think WWH are at telling us what they’re doing • How good I think WWH are at asking and listening to our views and using them to improve services • New services / new ways of doing things that WWH are thinking of doing • WWH’s website www.wwha.co.uk • In Touch residents’ magazine • New documents that will be sent to residents
Why do I do it? I like it that Wales & West Housing actually listen to what I have to say and use my views to make services be er for all residents. It’s a good way to find out more about what WWH do. Every me I take part I get entered into an annual prize draw - just for taking part! It’s so easy!
Only Residents AL OUD
Residents’ Par cipa on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 43
Meet your Resident
Jane Styles
Par cipa on
Steering Group (RPSG) Who are we?
We are group of up to 18 WWH residents from across Wales, who help Wales & West to monitor resident par cipa on. We meet every six weeks to check that resident’s views are always taken into account, whatever the service. This means that we speak to lots of different WWH staff and hear about lots of WWH’s services at our mee ngs. We alternate our mee ngs between south and north Wales.
What have we been up to so far this year?
We’ve worked with TPAS Cymru to look at our skills and iden fy training to help us to do our roles be er, including monitoring and evalua on training. We’ve already been on training to learn about encouraging young people to par cipate and environmental projects. We’re currently looking at how WWH provide training for residents who
par cipate, how residents can give our views in the ways we want to, local par cipa on (Area Improvement Plans) and the Make It Happen grant (see page 44). We also now look at how much WWH have spent on par cipa on and what they plan to spend for the next quarter.
New members
We’d like to give a big welcome to our new members – Jan Sco from Cardiff, Freda Watkins from Blaengarw and Jeff Bunce from Bridgend. We’re s ll looking for members in the Cardiff area. As lots of our current members are over 50 we’d like to encourage people aged under 50 to apply so we can hear your views too.
To join Only Residents Aloud or our RPSG contact: Claire Hammond, Resident Par cipa on Strategy Officer at claire.hammond@wwha.co.uk or phone 0800 025 2526. To be a member of ORA you don’t have to be the tenancy holder and more than one person per household can join.
44 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Residents’ Par cipa on
Summer’s
coming Want to try something new?
Glenys Vandervolk and Jimmy Barnes plan ng peas in St Mellons Community Garden, Cardiff
We have lots of ways that we can help you to get together with your neighbours and try something new. Our Make It Happen grants are small grants of up to £500 to help residents get together at your scheme or estate and you don’t have be part of a group to apply. We can fund equipment for ac vi es you might want to try. Here are some ac vi es that residents have already used the grant for: • cooking equipment to start a weekly Lunch club • tools and materials to make cards or jewellery to sell and raise funds for more ac vi es • facepaints and play equipment to put on a Funday for all the family • a Wii-fit console and controllers to do zumba and games that get you moving • a bingo machine to hold fun bingo nights where you could win a prize
We can also help if you need training to help you do your new ac vity such as food hygiene training so you can safely prepare food at a lunch club. We can give you money to start off new gardening projects for growing fruit and veg through our Environment grant and Make It Happen grant. If you’re interested in learning about computers we can help bring in tutors with laptop computers to teach you at your scheme or estate.
If you’d like to know more about any of help or ac vi es men oned here please contact Claire Hammond, Resident Par cipa on Strategy Officer, at claire.hammond@wwha.co.uk or call 0800 052 2526
Making A Difference Awards | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 45
Who’s Your Hero? Who do you know who makes a real difference to your neighbourhood? Someone who goes the extra mile to help friends and neighbours? Perhaps they have started a youth or community group? Maybe they tend a beau ful garden, or perhaps they grow fruit and veg – or have started growing their own on an allotment? Or maybe they have overcome big problems to get back into work? Or entered college to gain new qualifica ons? Whatever their story – we want to hear it.
On Friday October 11th we will be holding our sixth annual Making A Difference Awards. Now firmly established as a highlight of Wales & West Housing’s year, the awards celebrate the great efforts of all our unsung heroes and heroines – as well as being a great night out.
46 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Making A Difference Awards
All shortlisted nominees – and the people who nominated them – will enjoy a top-notch three course dinner and entertainment in the Mercure Holland House Hotel, Newport Road, Cardiff. You can see more for yourself on YouTube – search for Wales & West Housing Associa on’s Making A Difference Awards, where you can see short videos of previous years’ ceremonies. The categories again this year are: Good Neighbour, Fresh Start, Eco Champion, Green Fingers (Older Persons), Green Fingers (Younger Persons), Community Project and David Taylor Local Hero. It’s free to enter – you’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain.
So if you’d like a copy of the nomina on form either go to our website www.wwha.co.uk where you can download a copy, or call Sharon or Keri on 0800 052 2526 any me and we’ll be happy to send you a form, and help you with any ques ons you may have about the awards. The closing date for nomina ons will be Friday 30th August 2013.
Doing the right thing | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 47
Awards round-up
At the me of going to print we have a number of staff and residents either having won, or having been shortlisted for major awards. They are as follows:
TPAS Cymru Par cipa on Awards 2013 Congratula ons to our greenfingered gardeners, aka ‘Eco Warriors’ from our re rement scheme Western Court in Bridgend, pictured below, who won the Improving the Environment Award. Money Advice Office Les Cooper received a huge round of applause for achieving third place in the Inspira onal Colleague Award. Les, pictured below right, who was based at our Flint office in North Wales, sadly passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. An ac ve member of the North Wales Financial Capability Forum, Les was enormously influen al and respected in the sector and had a hugely posi ve impact on the lives of all those with whom he came into contact.
CIH Housing Heroes Awards Scheme Manager Helen Jones, above, from Llandudno, Conwy, has been shortlisted in the intensely compe ve Inspira onal Colleague category in these UK-wide awards. The winners will be revealed at a red carpet gala evening in London on June 24th – good luck to you Helen, and well done for making it so far in these pres gious awards.
48 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Doing the right thing
Sydney Hall Court in Cinnamon Trust’s Top 5 Most Pet-Friendly Re rement Accommoda on in UK
HR Excellence Awards Anne Hinchey, Chief Execu ve, has been shortlisted for the Most People Focussed CEO Award in the Charity/ Not-for-Profit sector. This is the third consecu ve year that Anne has been shortlisted for this award and once again she is the only CEO from a Wales-based firm on this shortlist, which has been derived from Sunday Times Best Companies 2013 results.
Sydney Hall Court, Connah’s Quay, is leading the sector again with inclusion in the Cinnamon Trust’s Top 5 Most Pet Friendly Re rement Schemes in the UK. Well done to Scheme Manager Rob Holmes, all residents and, of course, their very happy pets for helping the scheme to retain this coveted posi on. “The trust recently gave Sydney Hall Court a dona on of £250 which will enable us to provide a safe dog walking area at the scheme” said Rob. We now look forward to welcoming Cinnamon Trust’s film crew onto the scheme over the summer – watch this space!
Best Companies 2013 We were delighted to improve yet again on our Best Companies (Not-for-Profit) ranking, placed 7th in the UK this year, a gain of one place from our ranking last year. This means we have maintained our posi on as top ranked not-for-profit company in Wales, and also retained the coveted Best Companies three stars ra ng. Beryl Haslam with Cheeky the cocka el
Charity Update | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 49
And juuuuuump! More than £10,000 raised for Stroke Associa on Cymru Wales & West Housing’s crack sky dive team Verity Kimpton, Di Barnes and Anne Hinchey successfully jumped for Stroke Associa on Cymru - raising over £10,000 in the process. The trio leapt from 13,000 feet over Swansea Airfield in brilliant sunshine on April 6 and have described the jump as “terrifying” but “brilliant.” So far the three have raised £10,034 for Stroke Associa on Cymru and are hoping to raise even more. Ana Palazon, Director Cymru Stroke Associa on Wales said: “What an achievement! We are thrilled and delighted with the bravery of those who jumped from such a great height to support the Stroke Associa on - it certainly is not for the faint hearted. To have raised £10,000 for us from a single event is phenomenal. We are extremely grateful for those who made the jump
and to those who contributed so generously as part of their fundraising efforts.” Verity has first-hand experience of the devasta ng effects of stroke, as her mum Julie suffered a stroke at the age of 45. Now aged 60 Julie has thankfully made a great recovery, and Verity says she quite literally - jumped at the chance to fundraise for Stroke Associa on Cymru, without whose support she is convinced Julie would not be as well as she is today. “Never in my life did I think I’d do a skydive and my heart has only just stopped pounding,” said Verity. “But I am so proud of us all - it was absolutely brilliant.”
50 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Charity Update
Nant Y Môr residents support both chari es
£26,500.00 Help for Heroes cheque handover In February the WWH charity team travelled from Cardiff to Tedworth House in Wiltshire, home of Help for Heroes, Charity to hand over a cheque for £26,500.00.
Resident Marguerite Kinsella of Nant Y Môr Extra Care Scheme in Prestatyn with help from her daughter Jenny organised a Jubilee fundraising day last year which raised a total of £376.46. This grand amount was then split equally between Help for Heroes and St Ken gern Hospice. The delayed presenta on was on the 1st April 2013 owing to Mrs Kinsella’s ill health. “Congratula ons on this magnificent achievement to all Nant Y Môr residents and hear elt thanks to Marguerite.” said Yveline Hands, Extra Care Scheme Manager, Nant Y Môr.
This was the incredible sum raised by WWH’s charity team during the past two years. Tedworth House is a flagship recovery centre. Its purpose is to inspire the wounded, injured and sick servicemen and veterans where they can return to for life me support.
WWH staff enter the 10th St Davids Day Run in Cardiff
Marguerite and daughter Jenny with presenta on cheques.
Among the 2000 runners in Bute Park in Cardiff on 3rd March WWH members of staff, Roy Preece, Suzanne Round and Glyn Smith ran the 5k run together with Sean Gough and his teenage twins, pictured above, Rochelle and Fearghas who ran the 10k run. The race was organised by the Bri sh Military Forces to raise money for Cancer Research and other elected chari es. Between the group they raised £338 for Stroke Associa on Cymru.
Your News and Views | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 51
Your stories from around Wales been nominated by her daughter, Anwen, who wanted to show everyone just how brave and special her Mum is. Chris is a wonderful Mum and Grandma to her 3 grandchildren, Ellis, Finnlay and Isaac who certainly keep her on her toes!
Goodbye get-together for Roz and Peter Sylvester Court residents held a fairwell party early in December for residents Roz and Peter Whi aker who were leaving for Cumbria to be closer to their family. There was a wonderful turn out to thank them for their work with residents as well as Communi es First and the Barracksfield “Men in Sheds” - a project to encourage more men to develop an interest in gardening. “They both made a big difference to the lives of many residents living at Sylvester Court and will be sorely missed” said Dianne Hughes, Scheme Manager.
Daily Post ‘Mum of the Year’ Winner Mrs Chris ne Williams from Ty Gwynn Jones was named ‘North Wales Mum in a Million’ by The Daily Post for Mothers Day, having
Foot tapping entertainment at Nant Y Môr Residents tapped their feet and clapped their hands to the sounds of “Strings & Things”, a bluegrass band who entertained for over an hour. A whip round raised £65 for Hope House Charity at Colwyn Bay.
Lena Charles receives recogni on at 95 years of age. A er being nominated by Yvonne Humphreys, Scheme Manager at Danymynydd in the Garw Valley, Lena Charles was awarded the Lord Mayor Award for her charity work throughout the Valleys over the years. She a ended the ceremony on the 15th March with her daughter.
52 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Residents Par cipa on
Going green with our environment fund Did you know that WWH has a pot of money available for residents to develop environment and garden projects? Qualifying for financial support is simple: • Get together with your friends and neighbours • Come up with a eco-related way to improve your neighbourhood • Agree to work as a team • Apply to WWH for funds One such project which our Environment Fund is suppor ng is the recently established St Mellons Community Garden in Cardiff. The team behind this community garden is now looking for more residents to get involved and develop this green space. Other good examples of Enviroment Fund projects include Caerau Po ers at Caerau Court Road, Cardiff and Buxton Court Community Garden in Rhyl. In Bridgend, residents of Western Court con nue to develop their growing spaces having added to their two raised beds by incorpora ng a further part of the grounds to plant fruit bushes. At Glan Yr Afon, near Maesteg, residents con nue to develop their growing spaces and have just purchased more topsoil.
Meanwhile at Oak Court Re rement scheme in Penarth, residents are just star ng their own gardening club and will be developing some of the land around the scheme as a growing space. All the above projects are always seeking volunteers to help out so if you live near any of these above schemes don’t hesitate to pop over and join in. Finally, if you have any ideas around improving your neighbourhood or green spaces in your community please contact Owen Jones the Environment & Sustainability Officer, owen.jones@wwha.co.uk. Please note that unfortunately our environment fund cannot support applica ons by individuals at this me.
Birthdays and Anniversaries | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 53
Happy Birthday Nan Mrs Annie (Nan) Law celebrated her 100th birthday at Llys Hafren Re rement scheme, Newtown, Powys, with a party hosted by friends and family on the 9th February.
Darrell Smith, Asset Management Officer, Rhian Marsh, Housing Officer, Nan and Amy Parry Scheme Manager, Llys Hafren on nans birthday.
Four big birthdays There has been plenty to enjoy at Ty Pontrhun, in Troedyrhiw, Merthyr Tydfil with four birthday celebra ons during March: Mr Clayton Jones was 80 years old on March 23rd
Joan Woods
90th birthday Rela ves, friends, and neighbours gathered on Thursday 21st March in the communal lounge at Sydney Hall Court, Connah’s Quay, to celebrate the 90th birthday of one of the schemes newest residents, Joan Woods. Her daughter and son organised a party and buffet which many of her rela ves and neighbours a ended. Originally from Liverpool, Joan moved into the scheme in October 2012 to be nearer Linda and Carlo, her daughter and son-in-law. Joan is a very keen reader, and is proud grandmother to five, and also great grandmother to five with a sixth great grandchild due later this year. Scheme Manager Rob Holmes said, “It was great for Joan to be able to celebrate her birthday in this way with a big get together.” Joan, who served in the Land Army during WW2 added that she, “Wants to thank everyone from the bo om of my heart for making my birthday the best ever and very memorable.”
Double birthdays for Alec Anderson, 90 years old, and, Michael Rees, 60, on March 27th Pauline Orchard, 72 years old on the 29th March
Happy birthday to you all! Joan taking a stab at her 90th birthday cake!
54 | www.wwha.co.uk | intouch | Birthdays and Anniversaries
Frank & Flo Munn’s Diamond Wedding Anniversary
at Byron Court, Vale of Glamorgan A er sending le ers to each other for over three years Frank finally sent a wedding proposal le er when he was in the RAF in Egypt. Frank says he had sent her the money to buy a ring and the jeweller gave her ‘strange looks’ when she turned up on her own! He arrived home on the 21st Feb 1953 and the wedding took place on the 28th February by special license. These love birds say that at the last count they have lived at 29 different addresses. The describe each move as ‘an adventure with new friends and wonderful memories’. Happy Anniversary Frank and Flo.
Lena cu ng her birthday cake and her card from her family Gill & Gareth.
Happy Birthday Lena Lena Charles celebrated her 95th birthday is style at Danymynydd, Bridgend, on the 23rd March.
Winner of Photo Compe
on
The winner of the Winter edi on photo compe on for the theme of ‘Friendship’ was Mrs Lindsey Harrison, of The Paddock, Mancot, Deeside, Flintshire, who is pictured receiving a framed copy of the winning shot and her Argos vouchers from Craig Atherton, Housing Officer.
Photo Compe
on | intouch | www.wwha.co.uk | 55
Send us your photos
for your chance to win! For this edition’s photograph competition we are looking for photographs that reflect living and working with Wales & West Housing. Get snapping and you could win £100 of Argos ǀŽƵĐŚĞƌƐ͘ ŶƚƌLJ ŝƐ &Z ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟŽŶ ŝƐ ŽƉĞŶ ƚŽ Ăůů tt, ƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚƐ ĂŶĚ ƐƚĂī ĂĐƌŽƐƐ Wales, of all ages. Send in your entries either by email (JPEG format please) to: keri.jones@wwha.co.uk with the theme ‘Living and working with Wales & West Housing’, your name, age, address and phone number. Or you can send your prints to Keri Jones, Wales & West Housing, 3 Alexandra Gate, Ffordd Pengam, dƌĞŵŽƌĨĂ͕ ĂƌĚŝī &Ϯϰ Ϯh . Please remember to enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you would like your prints to be returned to you. WůĞĂƐĞ ŶŽƚĞ ƚŚĂƚ ďLJ ĞŶƚĞƌŝŶŐ ƚŚŝƐ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟŽŶ LJŽƵ ĂƌĞ ĂƵƚŽŵĂƟĐĂůůLJ ĂŐƌĞĞŝŶŐ ƚŚĂƚ ĂŶLJ ŝŵĂŐĞƐ LJŽƵ ƐƵďŵŝƚ ŵĂLJ ďĞ ƵƐĞĚ ďLJ tt, ĨŽƌ ŵĂƌŬĞƟŶŐ Žƌ ƉƌŽŵŽƟŽŶĂů purposes.
The deadline for entries is 31st July 2013 and tt, ŚŝĞĨ džĞĐƵƟǀĞ͕ Anne Hinchey, and Chair of the Board, Kathy Smart, will select the winner who will receive £100 Argos vouchers, as well as a framed copy of their shot. The winning shot will be ĨĞĂƚƵƌĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŶĞdžƚ ĞĚŝƟŽŶ of In Touch.
stroke.org.uk
Take action on stroke and help us raise funds by organising a ‘Sip for Stroke’ event. Invite your friends, family, neighbours or work colleagues and organise anything IURP D FRÇ‹HH PRUQLQJ WHD SDUW\ RU HYHQ D FRFNWDLO SDUW\ĹŠWKH SRVVLELOLWLHV DUH HQGOHVV so be creative! )RU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ DERXW Ĺ 6LS IRU 6WURNHĹĄ DQG WR UHFHLYH \RXU IUHH IXQGUDLVLQJ SDFN SOHDVH FRQWDFW WKH :DOHV )XQGUDLVLQJ 7HDP on 029 2052 4417 or email fundraisingwales@stroke.org.uk Registered as a Charity in England and Wales (No 211015) and in Scotland (SC037789). Also registered in Northern Ireland (XT33805) Isle of Man (No 945) and Jersey (NPO 369).
In DÞĔ RĂť Wýĕ 6WćÄ&#x;NĂş $VĈÄ&#x;FÞđÄ?Ä&#x;Q Kindly supported by