Creating A Better Future | Annual Report 2022/23 | Pine Court Housing Association

01

WELCOME - PAGES 4 TO 7 02 OUR COMMUNITIES - PAGES 8 TO 19 03

OUR CUSTOMERS - PAGE 20 TO 23 04

OUR HOMES - PAGES 24 TO 25

06 08

OUR FINANCES - PAGES 28 TO 29

OUR PERFORMANCE - PAGES 30 TO 33

GOVERNANCE - PAGE 34 TO 35

05 OUR ENVIRONMENT - PAGES 26 TO 27 07 09

REGISTRATION DETAILS - PAGE 36

If you need assistance understanding the information in this document, or require a different format, please contact us on 0151 709 6878 or email us at contactus@pinecourt-housing.co.uk.

如果您需要幫助理解本文中的信息文件，或需要不同的格式，請聯繫我們 0151 709 6878 或發送電子郵件至 contactus@pinecourt-housing.co.uk

The information inside this report was correct at the time of publication date. For the most up-to-date information, please visit pinecourt-housing.org.uk.

KEY

k = thousands | m = millions

WELCOME

CREATING A BETTER FUTURE

Welcome to our 2022/23 annual report, which details how we have strengthened our offer and services for customers across the last financial year.

Our multilingual colleagues worked hard to identify elderly, vulnerable and at-risk customers, providing them with tailored support to meet their needs and requirements.

In addition to providing affordable quality homes and inclusive services, we were proud to work closely with our communities, investing in meaningful projects to enhance and shape the lives of our customers.

Working collaboratively with like-minded organisations across the region to deliver projects, such as Chinese Wellbeing, L8 Disarm and New Horizons, supported us in fulfilling our mission of creating opportunities and changing lives.

We remain committed to the creation of diverse, inclusive neighbourhoods – valuing and celebrating the individuality of our customers, communities and colleagues, ensuring everyone is treated fairly and with respect, free from discrimination.

As part of The Sovini Group, our commitment to creating a diverse, inclusive workplace culture has been recognised with accreditations including Investors in People Platinum, Mindful Employer and the Navajo LGBTIQA+ Charter Mark.

As we navigate our way through challenging times, we will continue to create thriving, inclusive communities as we strive to forge a better future for our customers who remain at the heart of Pine Court Housing Association.

David Brown - Director of Operations

Steve Gow - Chair of the Board

IN 2022/23

We launched our new website to showcase our impact across diverse, inclusive communities.

The platform, which was designed in collaboration with our customers and key stakeholders, provides robust translation features for minority ethnic customers and comprehensive signposting for those experiencing financial difficulties or mental health issues.

We worked collaboratively with partners, including Merseyside Police to improve cultural tolerance and cohesion whilst reducing anti-social behaviour and hate crime across the Liverpool City Region, as part of the L8 Disarm project.

Through our Community Development Fund, we supported Europe’s oldest Chinese community to celebrate Lunar New Year, with spectacular performances bringing an explosion of culture to Liverpool.

As part of The Sovini Group, we retained the Investors in People Platinum accreditation, which is achieved by only 5% of over 50,000 companies who are assessed.

Our Customer Service Excellence (CSE) accreditation was successfully retained through the Group, with our customers being at the heart of everything we do!

02 OUR COMMUNITIES

At Pine Court Housing Association we are driven by our vision to create a better future and recognise our role as a key contributor to the social and economic development of the Liverpool City Region.

We were established in 1986 as a registered social landlord, with a mission to provide quality homes and inclusive housing services for those in need.

Today, 57% of customers living in our homes are from minority ethnic backgrounds, and we continue this mission, with a commitment to positively promote cultural cohesion across our diverse communities.

DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES

As one of Liverpool’s leading minority ethnic housing associations, our vision is not just to provide quality homes and services for our customers, but also to nurture diversity and inclusivity in the communities we serve.

We work closely with customers and local partner organisations to break down social, economic, and cultural barriers, so that our customers have access to all of the services and amenities that will help them lead fulfilling lives.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

We are committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in everything we do, and strive to make our services accessible to everyone and treat all of our customers fairly, with dignity and respect.

We proudly champion change and actively promote a positive culture of valuing and celebrating diversity.

During Black History Month 2022, Operations Director, David Brown, shared an insight into his life growing up in Liverpool and his career journey following the Black Lives Matter movement on the Sovini Speaks podcast.

“MOVING TO THE UK CHANGED MY LIFE” CHINESE REFUGEE SHARES HER STORY 36 YEARS ON

Mum of three, Tieubinh Tien has lived in the UK since 1986, and met with Pine Court Housing Association to reflect on her transition from life in Vietnam and China to England in celebration of Refugee Week 2022.

In 1978 Ms Tien lived in Vietnam with her then husband and two-year-old son, working in fabric factories and making shoes. At just 23 years old, she was forced to flee from racist attacks in post-war Vietnam. The young family sought refuge in mainland China in 1978, and later moved to a refugee camp in Hong Kong.

Reflecting on this time in her life, Ms Tien said:

“I was riddled with fear and unable to sleep due to the [Vietnam] War. We had no choice but to flee and were fearful of the future with no idea what was going to happen tomorrow. All we had was each other and the community of people who also lived in the camp.”

Three months following the birth of their daughter in 1986, with their son then ten years old, the family were granted asylum in England and travelled from Hong Kong to the Wirral where they settled in Rock Ferry. They then welcomed the birth of their third child in 1987.

To help the family settle into life in England, the Government sponsored Ms Tien and her husband onto an ESOL (English for Speakers of other Languages) course at Wirral Met College, which supported her into employment within the hospitality sector.

The family of five were one of Pine Court Housing Association’s first customers when the organisation was formed and lived in a home in Birkenhead until 2010 when Ms Tien and her husband divorced. Following the divorce from her husband, she moved to one of our apartments.

Ms Tien went on to speak about how appreciative she was:

“Moving to the UK changed my life, I am so appreciative. It was exciting to have a future we could look forward to, with a safe place to stay and enjoy life.”

She added:

“I love where I live, the location is great and my neighbours are lovely, it is nice and quiet. Pine Court are a very good organisation and look after the whole community, not just their customers.”

Ms Tien is now retired and lives in one of our Independent Living schemes and spends her spare time as part of our Customer Empowerment Panel and Chinese dance group who most recently performed as part of celebrations during the Platinum Jubilee.

I love where I live, the location is great and my neighbours are lovely, it is nice and quiet.

NEW HORIZONS

In 2022/23, we partnered with Steve Biko Housing Association to offer customers across the Liverpool City Region access to empowering employability sessions.

The innovative project, named New Horizons, is the first of its kind in the area and offers support to people from a minority ethnic background who experience specific and multiple barriers accessing job search, training and education opportunities that enable them to compete effectively in the employment market.

Free sessions which ran over five weeks, helped participants to:

Boost their skills and confidence

Build and improve their CV Gain experience through volunteering and work placements

Access one-to-one employment advice

The New Horizons project aims to remove barriers to employment and education opportunities through raising aspirations, developing confidence and skills to elevate the economic position of those involved, and in turn enhance the wellbeing of these individuals and those around them. Through empowering the individual, we enable communities to flourish.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND

Our Community Development Fund supports local projects that enhance the quality of life for our customers and the neighbourhoods they live in.

ENCOURAGING CULTURAL COHESION AND WELLBEING

We worked with our Independent Living Schemes, Chung Hok House and Aigburth Vale, to offer day trips to customers onboard the Pride of Sefton, in support of Starts at Home Day 2022.

Starts at Home Day celebrates the value of care and support services and the difference that having a safe and secure place to

£75K+ SOCIAL VALUE GENERATED*

We have proudly partnered with Chinese Wellbeing; a local charity working to promote and improve the wellbeing of older people in Liverpool’s Chinese community, helping to support them to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible.

Through our Community Development Fund, we supported their event at Sefton Park’s striking Palm House, which saw customers and friends from the local community engage in arts, health and wellbeing activities to celebrate Lunar New Year.

Individuals, resident’s groups, community groups, charitable organisations, and social enterprises throughout the communities we work in, are eligible to apply to the fund.

In 2022/23, the Community Development Fund benefitted a number of local community initiatives, including:

call home can make to people’s lives.

Though a grant from the Community Development Fund, members of the Chung Hok House Residents Association also enjoyed a day trip to Llandudno, supported by multilingual colleagues.

HONOURING CHINESE HERITAGE

We marked Lunar New Year with a vibrant celebration for our local community, including a variety of entertainment, food and fun as we welcomed in the Year of the Rabbit.

Predicted to be a year of hope, the celebrations were an opportunity for us to bring people together for the first event since COVID-19 at the Pagoda Arts Centre, which celebrate its 40th year in 2022.

Director of Pine Court Housing Association, David Brown, said:

Our annual Lunar New Year celebration is a real highlight for Pine Court Housing Association and helps promote inclusive and diverse communities. It was an absolute pleasure to see our customers, colleagues and friends in the community come together to welcome in the Year of the Rabbit.

As the cost-of-living rises, we know many will be finding this time of year challenging. We hope this event along with our commitment to reinvest into our communities will continue to make a positive impact.

£257K SOCIAL VALUE GENERATED*

150 BENEFICIARIES SUPPORTED

REMOVING LANGUAGE BARRIERS

Following engagement with our Customer Empowerment Panel, we found that our customers were struggling to access benefits, as well as police and legal services. Through our donation to Pagoda Arts and colleague contribution, we were able to support the local community with translation services.

£171K+

SOCIAL VALUE GENERATED*

SUPPORTING THE FIGHT FOR EQUALITY

We provided funding for Mandela8, a charitable organisation whose antiracism and equality agenda is working to commemorate and pursue the legacy of Nelson Mandela’s outstanding achievement for humanity.

Nelson Mandela’s importance to Liverpool is well documented, and in Toxteth, the area known as Liverpool 8, Mandela was, and remains, a highly significant role model.

Over 200 customers benefitted from the activities, which included a gala dinner and reception for the Mandela family, who travelled to the city to make their mark on artwork which will form part of the city’s permanent Nelson Mandela memorial in Princes Park.

The completed memorial will include a ‘Freedom Bridge’, a pavilion and 32 cylindrical stone-works inscribed with inspirational Mandela quotes. These pedestals represent the oil drums used to grow an allotment on the rooftop of Pollsmoor Prison where Mandela was held for part of his prison sentence.

As part of our donation and partnership with Pagoda, members of the community were also able to access ESOL (English for Speakers of other Languages), Tai chi classes and hate crime reporting services.

100 BENEFICIARIES SUPPORTED £343K+

SOCIAL VALUE GENERATED*

200 BENEFICIARIES SUPPORTED

SOCIAL VALUE

Social value is a way of measuring the additional benefit to the wider community, over and above the delivery of our standard service. We use the Housing Association Charitable Trust (HACT) Social Value Tool Kit to independently verify the impact our services and activities have on the local community. We also measure the effectiveness and social value of the community initiatives we support through our Community Development Fund via HACT’s Social Value Calculator.

SOCIAL

CLEAR RENT ACCOUNTS

The Clear Rent Account scheme is designed to help customers who may have previously faced challenges affording their rent, resulting in outstanding balances on their account.

Through the scheme, we supported our customers by clearing their outstanding balances, and provided access to relevant benefits and financial inclusion services to ensure they are able to sustain their tenancy.

£1.3m+

SOCIAL VALUE GENERATED*

EQUATING TO £32.24 FOR EVERY £1

INVESTED IN COMMUNIT Y INITIATIVES

£84.9k+

SOCIAL VALUE GENERATED*

EQUATING TO £6.30 FOR EVERY £1

INVESTED

*Source: HACT Social Value Tool Kit

CLEAR RENT ACCOUNTS

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

As the cost-of-living rose to an all-time high during 2022/23, we provided bespoke financial inclusion support to customers, including:

1. Advice on how to manage debt.

2. Help accessing benefits which they may have otherwise missed out on.

3. Funding The Florence Institute’s food bank..

4. Support with rent payments through our Hardship Fund.

• 15 referrals made to external organisations.

• 60% of customers referred accessed additional benefits, totalling over £36k.

• 65 Discretionary Housing Payments made totalling £17.5k to cover rent shortfalls.

• 19 Hardship Fund referrals made to support customers struggling with rent arrears and shortfalls owing to bedroom tax.

We also launched our #HereToHelp campaign with a digital guide and regular communications to help signpost customers to local and national support services.

03 OUR CUSTOMERS

The knowledge and insight of our customers is invaluable to us in our quest to continuously improve the services we deliver.

We recognise that customer involvement improves the effectiveness with which services are delivered, bringing the benefits of new skills and increased confidence for customers.

We are committed to making sure that our customers have every opportunity to get involved and play their part in shaping and improving the awardwinning services we deliver.

Joining the Customer Empowerment Panel has given me the opportunity to meet Pine Court staff and understand how the organisation operates and performs compared to other housing associations. It also provides a good communication channel between tenants and Pine Court to feedback any improvements. I now understand more about the future strategy and how we can work together to create a brighter future for Pine Court and its customers – Podon

CUSTOMER EMPOWERMENT PANEL

There are a number of ways our customers can get involved, depending on their interests and the amount of time they have available

Our Customer Empowerment Panel is made up of customers who volunteer their time to meet monthly and share their ideas and insight regarding our services. The panel remained instrumental throughout 2022/23 in helping us identify areas of service improvement.

Across this period, the panel considered and approved the Community Development Fund applications, discussed our internal targets and complaints process, and reviewed a number of our policies.

They also supported the National Housing Federation’s Better Social Housing Review, providing views and insights on how to improve social housing for people across England.

The activities undertook by our Customer Empowerment Panel in 2022/23 generated circa £21.7k in social value.

In 2023/24 we will continue to amplify the voice of our customers, as we introduce new Tenant Satisfaction Measures in line with new consumer regulations set out by the Regulator of Social Housing.

As a member of the Customer Empowerment Panel, I look forward to the monthly meeting and the opportunity to discuss topics including policy changes, funding and new developments etc. It’s a great way of being involved with management, PCHA staff and with residents of different cultures. – Bernie

Interested in joining our Customer Empowerment Panel? Get involved today by visiting the website, calling 0151 709 6878 or emailing contactus@pinecourt-housing.co.uk

04 OUR HOMES

We create opportunities and change lives through providing quality, safe and affordable homes for our customers.

We are proud to share that in 2022/23, we invested circa £1.1m repairing and improving our existing homes, including £221k into major improvement projects.

100% OF OUR HOMES MEET THE GOVERNMENT’S DECENT HOMES STANDARD AND WE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN OUR PROPERTIES

99.7% OF CUSTOMERS WERE SATISFIED WITH OUR FIRSTCLASS REPAIRS SERVICE**

100% OF OUR PROPERTIES HOLD A VALID GAS SAFETY CERTIFICATE AS OF 31ST MARCH 2022

**Source: transactional survey of customers receiving the service in 2022/23

DECORATION ALLOWANCE

The decoration allowance supports customers to make cosmetic enhancements to their homes. In 2022/23, this allowance benefited 19 new customers.

£207K+ SOCIAL VALUE GENERATED*

EQUATING TO

£115.14 FOR EVERY £1 INVESTED

AIDS AND ADAPTATIONS

Our aids and adaptations service enables customers to live independently in their own homes. During 2022/23, we invested circa £11k as we continued to deliver a highquality supportive service to our customers who required aids and adaptations.

05 OUR ENVIRONMENT

As part of The Sovini Group, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact and are striving to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.

We value our customers and communities, which is why we are focussing on factors that not only affect our ecosystem, but also on a local scale tackling issues that directly impact everyone.

We are committed to enhancing the environment through our operations, wherever possible, and minimising any negative impact.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting refers to the disclosure of data and activity covering our operations in three areas: environmental, social, and corporate governance. It provides a snapshot of our impact in these three areas for reporting to stakeholders and is used to demonstrate compliance with ESG reporting requirements.

E - ENVIRONMENTAL

The environmental criterion considers how we use energy and manage our environmental impact as stewards of the planet. Factors considered include energy efficiency, climate change, carbon emissions, biodiversity, air and water quality and waste management. We have several objectives to make a positive difference in our environmental management practices and our ambition to work towards becoming a ‘net zero carbon’ business.

Streamlined Energy & Carbon

Reporting (SECR) performance:

As part of The Sovini Group we have transformed our working practices to reduce energy usage. In 2022/23 we produced the equivalent to 3.04 CO₂ tonnes per full-time employee in relation to scope one (direct) and two (indirect) greenhouse gas emissions.

Since 2010/11 we have already reduced our carbon footprint by 69%.

S - SOCIAL

The social criterion examines how we foster our people and culture, and how that has ripple effects on the broader community. Factors considered are inclusivity, gender and diversity, employee engagement, customer satisfaction, data protection, privacy, community relations, human rights, labour standards.

We have generated £1.3m pounds of social value for the 2022/23 year.

In October 2022, as part of The Sovini Group, we were awarded the Investors in People Platinum accreditation, for the second time. We also hold accreditations from:

G - GOVERNANCE

The Governance criterion considers our internal system of controls, practices and procedures with regards to how an organisation stays ahead of violations. Creating transparency, it ensures industry best practices are adhered to, whilst also opening up a dialogue with regulators. Factors considered are our leadership, board composition, executive compensation, audit committee structure,

internal controls, and shareholder rights, bribery and corruption, lobbying, political contributions, and whistle-blower programs.

Our compliance with UKAS accredited management systems across ISO 9001, ISO 140001, ISO 45001, ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 standards ensure transparency and confidence in our activities.

06 OUR FINANCES

VALUE FOR MONEY

We are committed to offering excellent Value for Money (VFM) in the services we provide to our customers. In 2022/23, we continued to explore new ways to improve our offer so that we can provide better quality and more efficient services to our customers.

Through active benchmarking, we compare our costs and performance with local and national peers. Across the financial year, benchmarking data from registered providers across the Liverpool City Region (LCR) placed us as number one for average property re-let times at 0.5 days.

Source: LCR Housing Association Benchmarking Report 22/23

Our strategic approach to VFM planning and reporting means that we are compliant with the Regulator of Social Housing’s VFM Standard. This robust approach has enabled us to generate circa £6.8m in efficiency savings (as of 31st March 2023) since joining The Sovini Group.

INCOME

Our annual income for 2022/23 was £3.18m, with the majority deriving from social rent income. Our income enables us to continue to invest in our properties and communities, as we actively create opportunities and change lives.

79.18% RENTAL INCOME

11.57% SERVICE CHARGE INCOME

9.11% GRANT INCOME

0.14% OTHER INCOME

EXPENDITURE

Our expenditure for 2022/23 was £2.24m. Investment in our homes and continuing to ensure they are maintained to a high standard accounted for the highest proportion of this.

24.43% ROUTINE AND PLANNED MAINTENANCE

23.86% INVESTMENT IN HOMES

13.93% EMPLOYEE DIRECT COSTS

12.14% SERVICING OF FINANCE

9.31% BUILDING COSTS

7.80% CORPORATE SERVICE AGREEMENT (THE SOVINI GROUP)

7.62% CENTRAL OVERHEADS

0.91% DEVELOPMENT COSTS

07 OUR PERFORMANCE

We want our customers to understand how we are performing against our targets. We compare our performance against internally set targets, as well as benchmarking some performance measures against ‘top performing’ organisations in our sector. The following tables detail our performance for 2022/23.

CUSTOMER SERVICE AND COMPLAINTS

Our customers remain at the heart of everything we do, as we continue to strive for excellence. We measure our performance using industry benchmarks and are committed to continuously improving customer experience.

*In the majority of cases, a partially upheld complaint would be a multi-faceted complaint in which the investigating officer may agree with some elements of the complaint but not all of them.

In 2022/23, we were awarded the HouseMark Complaint’s Accreditation following a rigorous assessment, during which colleagues and customers were interviewed, and closed complaints cases examined by an independent Housemark assessor. We are also compliant with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaints Code.

HOUSING OMBUDSMAN

The Housing Ombudsman is an independent complaints regulator, established to impartially resolve complaint disputes between Registered Providers of Housing and their customers.

We work in line with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code. This helps us to resolve complaints fairly, quickly and effectively in line with best practice, whilst providing data to set industry benchmarks.

The Complaint Handling Code sets out good practice that will allow landlords to respond to complaints effectively and fairly.

We are committed to providing an annual self-assessment, to ensure we remain compliant, enabling a positive complaint handling and improvement culture across the organisation. This self-assessment is reported to our Board members and is also available to read on our website

During 2022/23, some of the improvements we made are:

• Analysing enquiries and informal complaints logged by colleagues that have been resolved before a formal complaint is made.

• Improvements to the repairs process where multiple appointments are required, with priority given to customers who experience repeated issues.

08 GOVERNANCE

OUR BOARD

We are governed by a board consisting of seven members, six Non-Executive Directors and one Executive Director.

The board define the strategic direction of the organisation. Through good governance and performance management arrangements, they ensure efficient running of the business, and monitor the achievements we make through our purpose of shaping our inclusive, diverse communities.

In 2022/23, we operated within and certified compliance with the requirements of the National Housing Federation’s 2020 Code of Governance and associated model rules. Our board also certified that we remained compliant with the Regulator of Social Housing’s regulatory standards during 2022/23.

Board member Category

Steve Gow Non-Executive Director (Chair)

Moira Woo Non-Executive Director

Julia Emelogu Non-Executive Director

Gill Ditchburn Non-Executive Director

Jim Currie Non-Executive Director

Mike Parkin Non-Executive Director (Chair of Risk and Assurance Committee)

Roy Williams Executive Officer (Group Chief Executive Officer)

Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We remain committed to creating opportunities and changing lives across our inclusive, thriving communities. - Roy,

Group CEO

09 REGISTRATION DETAILS

REGISTERED OFFICE

Pine Court Housing Association Unit 1, Heysham Road, Bootle, Merseyside

L30 6UR

Regulated by Regulator of Social Housing Reg No: L3692

Communities and Benefit Society Reg No: IP25192R

VAT Reg No: 997330871

INTERNAL AUDITORS

Beever and Struthers

St George’s House, 215-219 Chester Road, Manchester

M15 4JE

EXTERNAL AUDITORS

BDO LLP

5 Temple Square, Temple Street, Liverpool

L2 5RH

BANK

Royal Bank of Scotland

1 Dale Street, Liverpool

L2 2PP

SOLICITORS

Weightmans Solicitors, 100 Old Hall Street, Liverpool

L3 9QJ

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