HOME | Autumn | 2020

HOME NEED TO KNOW Page 02

NICE TO KNOW Page 06

YOUR HOME Page 19

COMPETITION Page 24

somewhere to feel at home

RENEWAL NEW resident website/portal NEW courses and digital training opportunities

AUTUMN 2020

Somewhere to feel at home

WELCOME In this issue you can find out how Swan can help support you and your family through this difficult time.

NEED TO KNOW

NICE TO KNOW

New website coming soon

Free training opportunities

Page 02

Page 06

YOUR HOME

COMPETITION

Win a Smart TV PLUS many more prizes to be won on page 24 Check your central heating Page 19

Enter our competition Page 24

02

Announcing Swan’s new website and resident portal!

Two years ago Swan began a journey to improve your digital experience with us. This work has continued throughout the months of lockdown. We are proud to announce that every single resident will soon be able to access a brand new resident portal where you will be able to report repairs and access your rent account at a time that suits you. We’d like to thank every single resident who has been involved in this work.

We’re also preparing to relaunch our entire website. The new website is in its final testing phase

and very close to going live. If you would like to help with this final piece of resident testing please contact involvement@swan.org.uk or call the Resident Involvement and Community Development Team on 01277 844242.

Do keep an eye out for

our new website and,

when it goes live, we’d love to know what you think.

Please share your thoughts about our new digital services or any other aspect of our services by emailing info@swan.org.uk

NEED TO KNOW

Somewhere to feel at home

Axis team:

26,045

Covid-19 response in numbers

incoming and outgoing calls

For the latest information on our services, including any changes we need to make during the current pandemic, please visit www.swan.org.uk

Between April and August:

62

19

new customers welcomed into our homes

existing customers transferred into a new home

Resident Involvement, Community Development and Neighbourhood teams:

Estate Services team:

3,566

2,640

telephone calls made to support vulnerable residents

visits made to our blocks to check and clean

830

945

hours of telephone support

29

1,450

households swapped their home

new applications for a Swan home

visits to clean high traffic areas

Welfare team:

546 residents contacted our Welfare Team for support because of the impact of Covid-19 on their income

2,101

3,496

5,597

emergency (same day) repairs completed

emergency (five working days) repairs completed

total number of repairs completed

Customer Service team:

125

average number of telephone calls answered per day (as well as responding to emails and Live Chats)

04

NEED TO KNOW

Why is Swan increasing my rent?

Swan is committed to providing you with an excellent service. For the past four years, the rent you pay has reduced following the Government’s Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. While the rent you pay has reduced, the cost of providing services and maintaining your home has risen.

NICE TO KNOW

Somewhere to feel at home

06

Renew yourself!

Covid-19 has made many people consider making changes in their lives. If you want to look for a new job, develop your skills or are even considering a career change, there is no better time to start!

Swan offers residents free employment and training support, tailored to your needs, whatever they may be. Our expert team can help you gain basic skills or access advanced training, arrange work experience, access apprenticeships or

graduate schemes. We can also offer you help to write your CV or prepare for an interview, with additional support to help you achieve your personal goals!

We offer a large selection of free distance learning courses where you can gain qualifications in management, counselling and customer service through to retail, care and nutrition. We can also help you learn techniques to build your confidence, networks and skills.

Free and accredited e-Learning courses

We’ve looked at all the ways we can continue to provide and improve the services we offer and have discussed this issue with our board. Everyone has concluded that rents must be increased so that we can continue to provide our services, such as the dedicated Welfare Benefit team who offer support and advice to anyone who needs it as well as continuing to repair and maintain your homes.

Swan is now offering lots of free accredited e-learning courses to residents. If you want to develop basic skills or would like some more advanced training, there are accredited courses ranging from creative thinking to digital marketing to courses that focus on working in customer service, retail, care and many more. Why not take a quick look at www.virtual-college.co.uk/courses/search to see if there is something that interests you?

You will recently have received a letter detailing how much your new rent will be and explaining in detail how this has been worked out. All rents are calculated using the Government formula and, this year, they will rise by 2.7% (CPI +1%). Your new rent will be charged from Monday 26 October if you pay weekly and Monday 2 November if you pay monthly. If you receive Universal Credit it is very important that you inform the Department of Work and Pensions about this increase.

Swan is committed to offering you the right mentoring and support so that you can fulfil your potential.

Your letter will include an FAQ leaflet

which explains this in more detail and, if

you need any further help please contact us on 0300 300 2500, through ‘Live Chat’ on our website or by email: info@swan.org.uk

If you would like any information about the free training support and accredited courses offered by Swan, please contact Abdullah Hossain, Employment and Training Manager on 01277 844242 or ahossain@swan.org.uk

NICE TO KNOW

Spotlight on Pete Morley-Watts Swan’s Executive Director of Customer Experience Pete Morley-Watts has led Swan’s Supported Housing and Care and Support team since 2014. He was recently appointed to the role of Executive Director of Customer Experience.

Last year Pete’s professionalism and dedication was recognised when he scooped two ‘Housing Professional of the Year’ accolades. Pete is passionate about delivering excellent service and this has been reflected in the success of his teams.

Swan’s board is truly focussed on improving our customer experience at every level and Pete is at the forefront of this initiative. He spent much of last year leading a concerted effort to improve satisfaction and to really listen to every Swan Care customer and resident. This approach resulted in Swan’s Care and Support Team recording 100% customer satisfaction and the Supported Housing team increasing customer satisfaction to over 90%.

“My priority in my new role is to focus Swan’s services around you, our residents and customers, building customer trust.

This will mean ever increasing opportunities for customers from all areas of the business to get involved in shaping future service delivery and in helping us at Swan continually improve our services for you.”

If you would like get involved and

help to shape our services please

email involvement@swan.org.uk or call 01277 844242 to speak to our Resident Involvement Team who will be happy to talk you through all the involvement options we have.

Somewhere to feel at home

08

Meet the resident Tia, is a young person who lives at Heather Court Foyer. She has been selected to represent young people on the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

She told us that “The IOPC is an independent body, which makes their decisions entirely independently of the police and government. They investigate the most serious and sensitive matters, such as death following police contact, and set the standards for how police should handle complaints.”

The IOPC youth panel gives young people a voice on the handling of complaints conducted by the police in England and Wales. Reports show that young people have low confidence and trust in the complaints system, so the panel aims to find out why and how this can be improved. Tia is one of 30 young people on this panel.

Tia added “I hope to be able to use my voice and create a positive change through encouraging young people to speak up while building their confidence on this system! Young people are the heart of our communities and they are the generation of tomorrow. We need to ensure they feel safe; that our communities are safe. There is always more that we can do and I’m hoping with my involvement in this panel that I can do exactly that!”

NICE TO KNOW

Somewhere to feel at home

10

Street Tag This year, many people have enjoyed adding a daily lockdown walk to their routine. People have decided to make changes and make space in their busy lives for physical activities.

‘Street Tag’ is a new initiative that may help motivate you and your family to remain active. It may even motivate the more reluctant members of your household to get active, by offering a chance to win Amazon vouchers, gift cards, sports equipment and lots more.

Swan is supporting the free Street Tag app available on IOS and Android. It is currently available close to many Swan homes in Basildon. If you would like more information please visit www.streettag.co.uk or speak to the Resident Involvement and Community Development Team on involvement@swan.org.uk or 01277 844242.

HouseProud Pledge

Shaddow Group At the beginning of the year, Swan launched the Shaddow Group project for young people living in Laindon. The young people had just started to learn how to create music, films and podcasts and choreograph dance routines when lockdown intervened.

During the initial upheaval, Swan supported the Shaddow Group to provide ‘virtual’ sessions. This enabled the young people to continue being

creative and work together from the safety of their homes. It gave the young people a weekly safe and creative space helping them to improve their self-esteem and confidence during very challenging circumstances. In the height of lockdown the young people created dance routines, songs and performances – you can see an example of their work on Swan’s Laindon Futures website: www.laindonfutures.co.uk/latest-news

Swan is committed to working towards greater equality for everyone and recently signed the HouseProud Pledge to demonstrate our commitment to LGBTQ+ equality and support. As part of this pledge we want to make sure that the voices of our LGBTQ+ residents and customers are heard.

If you would like to get involved in any

way please contact the Resident

Involvement and Community Development Team on 0300 303 2500 or 01277 844242 or involvement@swan.org.uk For more information about the HouseProud pledge and HouseProud’s ‘No Place Like Home’ research that led to the development of the pledge, please see www.houseproud-lgbt.com

HouseProud

NICE TO KNOW

Somewhere to feel at home

Meet the resident:

12

Balvan’s story

*

Less than a fortnight before the first lockdown, Balvan’s wife passed away after a battle with cancer. As the country locked down, he was grief stricken and struggling to support his three young children both emotionally and financially.

He urgently needed some financial help and was very confused about benefits. He knew that his wife had received Child Benefit and Child Tax Credits but he didn’t understand the benefits system or realise that Child Tax Credits have been replaced by Universal Credit for new applicants (a benefit claim dies with the claimant).

Shofu, one of Swan’s Welfare Support Officers, spent some time speaking with Balvan. He explained how the Universal Credit system works; how to make an application; how the money he is entitled to is based upon his personal circumstances and how he would be able to receive the money. He explained how he needed to contact the Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit offices to tell them about the situation so they could update their records accordingly.

With Shofu’s support, Balvan’s application for Universal Credit was successful and he even received an advance payment for the exact amount Shofu had calculated for him plus backdated payments. This support has enabled him to clear his rent arrears and secure some financial stability for his family.

The Welfare Team has continued to support hundreds of residents throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. They can offer support and advice to any resident who has been affected financially and will do whatever they can to help from offering benefit advice, making food bank referrals or even connecting residents with befriending schemes.

If you need some support please call them on

0300 303 2500, contact them using the Live Chat

facility on www.swan.org.uk or email benefits@swan.org.uk *Name has been changed and stock photography used

YOUR SPACE

Somewhere to feel at home

14

Autumn warmer: Borscht soup

Scrutiny Panel update

Borscht is a wonderfully vibrant beetroot soup perfect for a cheap, cold weather warmer.

The Resident Scrutiny Panel has recently completed their review of Resident Involvement.

This has now been presented to Swan’s Operations Committee. The Panel hope that the majority of their recommendations will be able to be implemented.

What you need...

They are currently working on a review of the new Swan website.

We are always looking for new members to join our Scrutiny Panel.

If you are interested in learning new

skills, expanding your housing

knowledge and really making a difference to the services you receive, please contact us at involvement@swan.org.uk or call 01277 844242.

Resident’s tip One of our residents recently experienced problems with their central heating. The problem was eventually traced and identified as flat batteries in their heating thermostat, meaning all the problems they experienced were avoidable. They suggested that we remind residents to check that the batteries in their thermostats are working if they start to experience problems with their heating. This resident received £50 for their tip (see p.15 for details).

•

1½ litres/2½ pints beef stock (a good stock cube will do)

•

½ purple cabbage, finely shredded

•

2 tomatoes, skinned, cored and chopped

•

salt and freshly ground black pepper

•

3 medium sized beetroots (around 450g/1lb unpeeled weight), peeled and diced

•

1 tbsp vegetable oil

•

15g/½oz butter

•

1 large carrot, diced

•

1 celery stick, diced

•

1 onion, finely chopped

•

1 large waxy potato, diced

•

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

If you have a simple recipe

you’d like to share with us

please send it to CommunicationsTeam@Swan.org.uk or post it to us at FREEPOST ANG10361, Swan Housing Association, Billericay, CM12 9ZZ

Method: 1. Heat the vegetable oil and butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Once melted add the carrot, celery and onion and cook gently for a few minutes. Add the beetroot, potato and garlic. Fry for a couple of minutes, until well coated and combined.

2. Add the stock and season with salt and black pepper. Bring to just below the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Add the cabbage and tomatoes. Cover and leave to simmer for a further 20 minutes.

4. Serve the soup with dollops of sour cream and a sprinkling of dill, if you wish.

YOUR SPACE

Somewhere to feel at home

16

£50 for your thoughts...

We are always on the lookout for comments from residents suggesting how we can make our services better. Residents’ suggestions help us to improve.

Your idea may also be useful for us to share with other residents and help us to deliver the services you really want.

We will award £50 in Argos vouchers for any ideas that we can use.

So, tell us what you think about how we can: • improve services • offer new services • save money or reduce waste All suggestions are considered by our Resident Consultative Committees.

Any ideas we implement will be published in HOME.

RCC update

Stella Damm, Chair London RCC

If you have any suggestions or ideas don’t delay - send them to us today! Send your ideas, along with your name and address to cwood@swan.org.uk or call the Resident Involvement Team on 01277 844242

Since the last edition of HOME magazine, the Resident Consultative Committees (RCC) have moved to bi-monthly meetings. The London RCC have approved Swan’s Rent Payment and Arrears policy, the Customer Service policy and the Rent Setting policy. One community grant has also been approved.

The RCCs have also had the opportunity to review the Hackitt Review report, so that they understand

the key issues relating to fire safety.

This means that they are able to more effectively challenge Swan around fire safety moving forward.

The two RCC groups had to change their way of working due to Covid-19 and lockdown measures. Since this time, the London and Essex RCCs have held their meetings jointly via Skype. This has been successful so we will continue with this format for the foreseeable future.

Stella Damm, Chair London RCC

NEED TO KNOW

Tackling anti-social behaviour Did you know that Swan provides CCTV recording on more than 25 estates in London and Essex?

Somewhere to feel at home

Swan’s dedicated ASB Team have recently worked on a serious case in a semi-rural cul-de-sac development in Clacton. In June, Julie*, a single mum with three children, called us about a disturbing incident involving Billy* her neighbour’s 17-year-old son.

Kerrie, Senior Neighbourhood Officer- ASB says: “Throughout lockdown Billy flouted the rules; playing loud music and holding constant late night parties. His mum (Swan’s tenant) did nothing to stop him. The household affected everyone living in the cul-de-sac.

One night, the Police were called and after they left, Billy, who appeared to be under the influence of drugs, climbed into Julie’s back garden shouting, swearing and making threats. Julie called the Police.

Her neighbours were woken by the disturbance and also called the Police, who arrived quickly and arrested Billy and one of his friends.

The next day Julie and the other residents contacted Swan and I liaised with the Police. Billy was charged and released on bail with the condition that he did not approach Julie, although he continued to live next door. I helped secure Julie’s home and began to collect evidence including video footage, noise recordings and witness statements from the neighbours. *Names have been changed.

So that the residents in the cul-de-sac didn’t have to wait too long for a resolution, and because Billy is a minor, we applied for a Without Notice Injunction against his mother. This is the first time Swan has taken such action against a minor but, given the seriousness of the situation, everyone agreed that it was the quickest and most appropriate action to take. The Injunction included a Power of Arrest if any of the terms were breached.

We made numerous offers of support to Billy’s mum but she failed to attend court and has made no attempt to contact us. Just 11 days after the Injunction was served, five residents in the cul-desac had recorded evidence of multiple breaches.

They reported every single breach to the Police.

We’ve now made an application to the Court for a Committal hearing and fully expect the judge to find the Defendant guilty at this hearing, after which we will apply for possession of the property using mandatory grounds and ensure it is let to a family in need”.

If you wish to make an anonymous

report about anti-social behaviour or

would like to report anything unusual that you’ve noticed, such as multiple gas canisters or a strong smell of cannabis, please help Swan to help keep you and your neighbourhood safe. Call your Neighbourhood Officer on 0300 303 2500 or email ASB@swan.org.uk

18

CCTV recordings

Did you know that Swan provides CCTV recording on more than 25 estates in London and Essex? Most of the pictures captured by the cameras are sent to our control room in Bow, East London, where they are recorded onto a digital hard drive. Swan’s CCTV Operators hold Security Industry Authority qualifications so they understand the need to ensure the images are stored securely in line with data protection guidelines. Their role is to ensure the images are captured and made available if required. If they witness an incident they will notify the Police to investigate.

CCTV helps to prevent and reduce incidences of ASB, vandalism and crime, providing safer communities. It also helps to monitor parking.

YOUR HOME

Somewhere to feel at home

20

Time to check your central heating Before it gets cold, Swan and Axis recommend that you follow these steps to test your central heating: Make sure all the radiator valves are turned on and are set to maximum.

Turn up the thermostat to maximum.

Update on Axis repairs

Turn on the central heating.

After 15 minutes, check every single radiator to see if it is warm – if they are all warm then everything is working properly! If one or two radiators remain cold, then it is likely that some air has entered the heating system and your radiators need to be ‘bled’ to release the air. You can find a video that shows you how to do this on Swan’s YouTube Channel.

If you’ve followed these steps and you are still having problems with your central heating, please call Axis on 0800 783 2768 or email swanresidents@axiseurope.com

In line with current Covid-19 Government advice to limit social contact, Axis will continue carrying out all repairs in resident’s homes during the second lockdown period. However, due to restricted supply of material some repairs may not be able to be completed at first visit.

Where repairs do need to be completed in your home, we will discuss what measures we have in place to keep you and our contractors safe while the work is being completed.

We are watching the situation closely and will provide further updates on our response to the

situation on our website and you can also connect with us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news.

The Axis team are still available to support you however, they are receiving lots of calls so do bear with them as it might take longer to get through.

For the latest updates about repairs

during this time please visit www.swan.org.uk

YOUR HOME

Somewhere to feel at home

22

You said: Some repairs can take several visits from different Operatives to resolve.

How did we do?

We did: Where possible, Axis will allocate the work to one Operative who is skilled to complete different jobs to minimise the number of people visiting your home.

April - September 2020

94.7% People satisfied with their last repair (target 93.5%)

You said: During the pandemic it has been difficult contacting Swan’s Income team to make a rent payment.

78%

81%

Satisfied with overall service (target 85%)

Satisfied with quality of home (target 85%)

88

100%

We received 88 Stage 1 complaints in this period

Stage 1 complaints responded to within six working days (target 98%)

We did: Improved Swan’s Customer Portal. You can now make rent payments and contact Swan about some of our common requests through our new portal.

99.9%

28.1

91.4%

Properties with a valid gas safety certificate (target 100%)

Average number of days taken to re-let an empty home (target 15)

Repairs completed at first visit (target 96.5%)

85%

100%

96.3%

43

People satisfied with the complaints procedure (target 86%)

People satisfied with how their ASB report was dealt with (target 80%)

Repair appointments made and kept (target 97%)

We have had 43 compliments during this period

Somewhere to feel at home

COMPETITION

24

Swan Rewards Our way of saying thank you Here is your chance to win some fabulous prizes as part of the Swan Reward Scheme. Please check that you qualify to enter by visiting www.swan.org.uk and then choose which of these great prizes you would like to win. The closing date for entries is Friday 11 Dec 2020.

Please note, there may be a delay in distributing prizes due to the current Covid-19 pandemic.

1. £100 Argos voucher What is the fastest flying bird in the world?

A. Peregrine Falcon B. Crow C. Swan

5. LG 43inch Smart 4K TV

If you qualify to enter, just fill out the form below with the answers circled and post to: Swan Housing Association, FREEPOST ANG10361, Billericay, CM12 9ZZ with your name and address or email us at competition@swan.org.uk quoting ‘Swan Reward Scheme competition’ with your answers, name and address.

What are the names of Harry Potter’s parents?

A. Lily and James B. Kim and Kevin C. Sue and Scott

Images are for illustrative purposes only and prizes may vary.

Please circle your answers 1. £100 Argos voucher

A

B

C

A

B

C

A

B

C

A

B

C

5. LG 43 inch Smart 4K TV

A

B

C

6. £100 Argos voucher

A

B

C

2. Bush Electric Cooker 3. HP Chromebook

4. £100 B&Q voucher

3. HP Chromebook How many legs does an octopus have?

A. Two B. Four C. Eight

Full name Address

Phone number

2. Bush Electric Cooker

4. £100 B&Q voucher

Where would you find the Eiffel Tower?

What is the 10th letter of the alphabet?

A. Spain B. Italy C. France

A. C B. F C. J

6. £100 Argos voucher In what country is Berlin?

A. France B. Germany C. Ukraine

Somewhere to feel at home

COMPETITION

26

Help squirrel home Help the squirrel to get home and you could win a ÂŁ25 Argos voucher.

The two runners up will win a ÂŁ10 Argos voucher.

When you have found the right path,

send this page along with your name,

age and address to: Swan Housing Association, FREEPOST ANG10361, Billericay, CM12 9ZZ or email a picture of the page to competition@swan.org.uk remembering to put HOME in the email subject line.

Entries will be drawn on Friday 11 December 2020. Please note, there may be a delay in distributing prizes due to the current Covid-19 pandemic.

This competition is only open to Swan residents aged 16 or under.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic we are here to help you. Even though our offices are closed to visitors and our staff who are not on the front line are working from home, you can still get the support you need: You can access information about our services on www.swan.org.uk You can find our Live Chat service here too.

If you cannot find what you need online please do speak to us via Live Chat or email us at info@swan.org.uk

You can also call us but please do bear with us, you might have to wait a bit longer than usual to speak to our staff.

somewhere to feel at home

Swan HA Pilgrim House Billericay Essex CM12 9XY

NU living Tramway House 3 Tramway Avenue Stratford E15 4PN

Hera Management Services Limited Tramway House 3 Tramway Avenue Stratford E15 4PN

Our staff are available to help you Monday Thursday 9.00am - 5.15pm

Our staff are available to help you Monday Thursday 9.00am - 5.15pm

Our staff are available to help you Monday - Thursday 9.00am - 5.15pm

Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm

Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm

Tel: 0300 303 2500

Tel: 0800 819 9390

swan.org.uk

nuliving.co.uk

@swanhousing

@nulivinghomes

Repairs: 0800 783 2768 or 020 3597 2067 from a mobile (24 hrs a day)

In your language Please call 0300 303 2500 if you would like someone to explain any of these articles to you.

Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm Tel: 0345 683 8812 heramanagementservices.co.uk @heramanagement