Residents News - Issue 59

Residents News

59 | SPRING 2024

I really workingenjoywith the other resident volunteers!

Read more about our Resident Forum on page 8

Dates for your diary

Our Contact Centre will be closed over the upcoming bank holidays. If you have an emergency repair during this time, please call our Out of Hours service on 0800 542 8904. This ‘call-out’ number is available 24 hours a day.

If you smell gas, please telephone National Gas Emergency on 0800 111 999 immediately. If possible, isolate the meter to make it safe where necessary and open windows to ventilate your home.

Join our Community Engagement team at our upcoming drop-ins!

These upcoming resident drop-ins are a great way for you to get know your neighbours and people in your community as well as providing an opportunity to talk with our teams face-to-face. At each of our drop-ins, you will be able to voice opinions, discuss local concerns with us, and explore available resources.

29 MAR Good Friday

APR 1 Easter Monday M 6 AY

Early May bank holiday

27 MAY Spring bank holiday

Mark your calendar for the following dates:

April

Newton Longville & surrounding areas

May

Stokenchurch/Wycombe area

July

Stoke Mandeville/Aston Clinton

September

Aylesbury

Stay tuned for specific dates on our events calendar on the website. If you want more information about one of the above resident drop-ins, please email the team on hello@fairhive.co.uk.

Dear Resident

As I’m writing this message, we are looking forward to warmer and sunnier days and I hope you and your loved ones are keen to get stuck into all that Spring has to offer. With lots of new growth and buds outside at this time of year, I always think it a great opportunity to take on a new challenge or activity, so we’ve been talking to our Community Engagement Team and Resident Volunteers about all the opportunities we have for you to get involved in as a Fairhive resident. You can read more about upcoming events on page 2 and hear from members of our Resident Forum on page 8.

If you follow us on social media or check in on our website regularly you will also find updates about the agencies we collaborate with to provide support and run activities in our communities. We have the Community Hub in Aylesbury and we’ve also been working more this year with Buckinghamshire Adult Learning to promote the great work they do. Stay tuned to find out more about events in our Independent Living Schemes and I’d encourage anyone who’s interested in learning more about resident training or volunteering opportunities to get in touch with our Community Engagement Team via contact@fairhive.co.uk.

We also offer financial support for residents from our Springboard Grants which can be used to enable you or your family to join sports clubs, learn a new skill or invest in your wellbeing. As part of our Thriving Communities Fund, these grants are available to any Fairhive resident and you can find out more about who to contact and how to apply on page 5.

If you claim Universal Credit and need any support with your application or updating your account to reflect changes that come into place on 1st April 2024, please get in touch with our Universal Credit Officer, Tracy, who is here to help. You can find her contact details and read more about some of the changes that will affect those on Universal Credit on page 4 and there is more information on our website that may be of use: www.fairhive.co.uk/universal-credit

Finally, as we move into the last year of our Bigger, Better, Bolder and Beyond Corporate Strategy, the Board and all the Fairhive team will be reviewing what we have achieved so far. We’ve come through a global pandemic, rebranded from ‘The Trust’ to Fairhive and joined forces with Buckinghamshire Housing Association - but our main focus is always on improving the services we provide and making sure that your voice is heard and acted upon across the business. We will soon start working on developing a new Corporate Strategy for 2025 and beyond, and we will be seeking your views on what we should be focussing on for the years ahead. We will share more details with you soon about how you can get involved.

I look forward to what the team and I will be sharing with you in the summer,

Matthew Applegate Chief Executive

New milestone on site in Aylesbury!

We’ve recently marked an important milestone in our latest affordable property development, in the heart of the South Court Estate, with a brick laying ceremony. The event, attended by Buckinghamshire Council, Homes England and scheme representatives, highlighted our commitment to addressing the stark difference between the demand and supply of affordable homes.

Matthew Applegate, our Chief Executive, thanked those who attended and added “We’re so pleased to be able to provide homes for social rent, with grant funding from Homes England, as this aligns with our key objective to deliver affordable housing to those in need.”

All homes in this development, comprising twenty flats and four houses, are designated for affordable rental. We anticipate welcoming residents to their new homes in spring 2025.

2024-2025 The ‘long rent year’ and your Universal Credit payments

From April 1st 2024 to March 31st 2025, there will be a 53 week rent year. It is important to know that, if you claim Universal Credit (UC), it will only pay towards rent for 52 weeks of the year as usual. Therefore, Universal Credit claimants will need to plan ahead as there will be a week of rent that will not be covered by Universal Credit.

We advise that additional contributions are paid on your rent to cover this extra

week in the year, this will help prevent rent arrears. If you have any questions about this difference for your rent payments in the financial year 2024-2025, please get in touch with our Universal Credit Officer, Tracy, by emailing, tracy.glover@fairhive.co.uk, or call 07543500458.

Scan the QR code to visit our UC webpage for more information: www.fairhive.co.uk/universal-credit

Could you benefit from our Springboard Grants?

As one of our residents you can access our Springboard Grants which offer up to £300 towards activities to support your health and wellbeing, education, training or employment opportunities. Our residents have used this money to help them enrol on courses, book kids’ clubs, and pay for gym memberships.

One of our residents received a Springboard Grant to help pay for their daughter’s swimming lessons.

“My daughter will be starting swimming lessons thanks to the Springboard Grant supporting us. She will be starting swimming at school soon and she would be very behind but with the

grant helping us she now will be able to catch-up.

The Springboard Grant is a fantastic way of supporting residents in a time where help is needed. So once again thank you very much for all your support that you have given us. It’s been very much appreciated.”

If you’d be interested in finding out more about the grants we have on offer, please visit www.fairhive.co.uk/thrive or contact our Grants Officer by emailing tcfgrant@fairhive.co.uk.

Our new complaints process

If a service we provided hasn’t gone as planned, please tell us about it to allow us to investigate what’s happened, fix the problem for you and learn from it so that we can prevent it from happening in the future.

What you can expect when you make a complaint:

• Our team will talk to you about what happened, take the details of what went wrong and ask what you are expecting as an outcome – if they can resolve the issue for you there and then, they will do so.

• The team member will check and confirm what your preferred method of contact is, e.g. should we contact you by phone call or email.

• They will log your complaint at Stage One of our process and your complaint will be assigned to the relevant service manager who will contact you. They’ll let you know what will happen next and send you a formal acknowledgement.

• An investigation will be completed to understand what went wrong and how the problem can be fixed. In some instances, a solution will be simple, but at other times it may take a bit longer to find out what happened and come to the right solution for you. Our employees or contractors acting on our behalf may need to visit your home to assess the problem.

• The manager will contact you again at the end of their investigation and discuss the solution with you. They will also tell you whether they’ve upheld your complaint or not and agree with you how best to fix the issue.

• The Complaints Team will follow this up in a letter to you.

• This will conclude Stage One of your complaint. If you’re not happy with the outcome you can request to escalate to Stage Two of our process and another manager will review your complaint.

You can find a full copy of the process on our website, or contact us to request a copy.

How you can make a complaint:

• By calling us on 01296 732600

• Via the website www.fairhive.co.uk/complaints

• By e-mailing complaintsgeneral@fairhive.co.uk

• On My HomeHub

• Making an appointment to speak to us in person

Housing Ombudsman:

At any point you can contact the Ombudsman if you have a complaint about Fairhive. They will provide you with guidance about what you should expect from us during your complaint. If we have concluded Stage Two of our process, they will be able to review how we’ve handled your complaint.

Their contact details are:

Phone: 0300 111 3000

www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk

You may have received a call from IFF during the course of the year asking you questions in relation to the Tenant Satisfaction Measures. In the next magazine issue, we will publish highlights of the results and how we compare to others in the sector.

Dementia awareness training with residents

The idea to run dementia awareness training came after the success of an employee workshop run by the Alzheimer’s Society. It was mentioned at our Resident Forum to showcase what topics have been discussed as part of our employee Inclusion Networks, promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the workplace. Following the presentation, the Forum members expressed an interest in extending similar activities to residents. A dedicated session was organised by our Community Engagement Team, which was open to all residents and promoted at drop-ins, on the events calendar on our website, and on social media.

The training provided residents with insights into the daily challenges faced by those living with dementia. The session focused on strategies to support individuals with dementia in the community, leaving attendees with five

Rachel, our speaker from the Alzheimer’s Society, shared her expertise and handed out Dementia Friends badges to participants, symbolising their commitment to understanding and supporting those affected by dementia.

One participant added, “I found the session very informative and I learnt some useful skills to help become more aware”.

We were so pleased to extend our first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion sessions to residents and we’ll be looking for more opportunities to run similar sessions in the future. Find out more by following us on social media or checking the events calendar on our website (under the ‘Residents Area’ section).

Hear from our Resident Forum members

We caught up with our Involved Residents, who volunteer their time on the Resident Forum, to share their experience about what it is like being part of the Forum and what the purpose of our volunteer groups are.

What does the Resident Forum do?

“We work together in partnership with Fairhive to make a difference to all residents. This involves looking at the latest key performance figures so we can ask questions about the results. We invite Fairhive employees to attend our meetings to give updates on various areas of the business and we are also informed on the latest Housing news country wide as well as any government changes.

A Board member attends the meetings on a rotational basis to get an insight into the work the Resident Forum does and to listen to our views.”

When do you hold meetings?

“We meet once a month except for August and December but you can involve yourself in other groups if the Resident Forum is not for you.”

Do you enjoy volunteering for the Resident Forum?

“I enjoy working with the other volunteers to bring residents’ views and issues to the attention of the relevant teams at Fairhive. I like scrutinising their policies and helping to change, and introduce new policies where they are required.

We are the residents’ voice and I like being involved as I get satisfaction knowing that my involvement may help Fairhive to improve on certain areas if needed.

Volunteering gives me a better insight into how Fairhive is performing. We get the opportunity to speak to department heads and give resident feedback. You can also be sure your concerns will be heard and replied to.

It’s a great way to meet other members of the group and make new friends.”

What can you learn through volunteering at Fairhive?

“I’ve learnt so much from volunteering here! A lot goes on behind the scenes that us as residents, don’t know, so volunteering gives an insight into how Fairhive is performing compared with other housing providers not only in the area it operates, but in other areas of the country.

Volunteering means I now understand how and why certain decisions are made. There are also plenty of training opportunities and learning about The Housing Ombudsman.

How will my input impact all the other Fairhive residents?

“We have the opportunity to interact with staff and bring residents’ issues and concerns to the table. This doesn’t mean that we’re here to raise our personal issues at meetings. Instead we are working to benefit the wider community.

By attending meetings, the actual input we all give can help ensure that Fairhive operates to benefit the residents and also complies with current social housing regulations.”

If you would like to know more about becoming a Resident Volunteer, call the Contact Centre or send an e-mail to the Community Engagement Team at hello@fairhive.co.uk.

Why not attend one of the Resident Drop-ins or training sessions and you can meet some of our Resident Forum members in person!

We look forward to welcoming you to volunteering and working together.

From the Resident Forum Members

New defibrillators rolled out across 15 Independent Living Schemes, thanks to our partners

We are delighted to announce that we have recently installed defibrillators at 15 of our Independent Living Schemes as part of our commitment to creating safe and thriving communities. This initiative was made possible through a collaboration with The British Heart Foundation and Travis Perkins. Defibrillators play a vital role in improving emergency response capabilities within the community. When faced with sudden cardiac emergencies, a defibrillator can be a crucial tool. By using a device promptly, it can significantly increase the chances of survival by restoring the heart’s normal rhythm. In fact, if a defibrillator is used within the first minute of a collapse, the survival rate can increase by up to 90%. By having these devices accessible, we aim to provide immediate assistance in critical situations. Designed to be easy to use, with clear instructions the defibrillators are accessible for all, even without medical training.

Cardiac arrests do not discriminate, no matter of age, gender, or physical fitness these can happen to anyone, anytime. We believe that through proactive measures and fostering community involvement, we can create an environment that promotes safety but also a sense of unity and care for one another.

Don’t forget you can find out where your closest defibrillator is by checking The British Heart Foundation website www.defibfinder.uk

Home Contents Insurance

We often overlook the importance of protecting our possessions until an unexpected event occurs. Floods, burglaries, or accidents can happen when we least expect them, leaving us vulnerable to financial loss. No matter how cautious we are, there’s a risk of our possessions being damaged, or stolen.

That’s why it’s essential to understand what a home contents insurance policy covers. Fortunately, there are numerous comparison sites on the internet that offer free quotations, helping you to make an informed decision about the right policy for your needs.

While home contents insurance is not mandatory, it can offer peace of mind knowing that your possessions are protected. As a landlord, it’s important to note that contents insurance is not included in a standard tenancy agreement. Therefore, it’s the responsibility of residents to secure insurance coverage for their belongings.

Thistle Tenant Risks and Great Lakes Insurance UK Limited offer the My Home Contents

insurance. You can reach out to our Welfare team for an application pack by calling 01296 732600 or emailing welfare@fairhive.co.uk.

Additionally, you can contact Thistle Tenant Risks directly at 0345 450 7288 or visit www.thistlemyhome.co.uk to request a call back or access information online.

Take the necessary steps to secure insurance coverage for your belongings and ensure that you’re prepared for any eventuality.

Guidance for XL Bully breed owners

The UK Government has confirmed that the XL Bully breed has been added to the list of dogs which are banned in England and Wales. As of 1st February 2024, it is now illegal to own an XL Bully unless your dog has a valid Certificate of Exemption. You can apply for this certificate on the Government website. As a Fairhive resident, if you own an XL Bully we expect you to comply with all legal requirements and will ask for proof of this as part of our Pet Permission policy which is currently being updated.

We know this may be concerning and upsetting for owners and we’ve outlined some guidance on our website about your legal obligations and the impact this has on your tenancy.

Scan the QR code to visit the webpage: www.fairhive.co.uk/guidance-on-xl-bullies

Meet the team

Charlene Samuels

Charlene Samuels is one of our Neighbourhood Managers

What does a typical working day look like for you?

A typical day starts with me checking and completing my work tray. My days vary as I could be doing routine tenancy visits such as the new tenant visits that take place at 8 weeks and 8 months, or I could be performing occupancy checks. I also have low level ASB casework and Neighbourhood Manager casework to complete which usually involves vulnerable residents for a variety of tenancy matters or concerns.

What do you enjoy the most about your role?

I enjoy meeting with and talking to residents as well as working with other teams across the organisation to help our residents thrive in their homes.

When I’m not working I can be found…

Spending time with my favourite peoplemy friends, family and cat!

My motto is...

‘Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn’.

Evi Akmoutsou

Evi Akmoutsou is one of our Independent Living Scheme Co-ordinators

What does a typical working day look like for you?

There is no typical working day for me; every day is different and that is why I love my role! I complete the Health & Safety weekly checks of our schemes but outside of that, I may spend one day visiting residents, the next completing paperwork and another day organising events for our schemes.

What do you enjoy the most about your role?

What I enjoy most about my role is helping residents as well as having the opportunity to get to know them and build relationships.

What three words best describe you?

The three words that best describe me are empathetic, cheerful and perfectionist (which is not always a good thing as I tend to be my own worst critic!).

What wouldn’t most people know about you?

Most people wouldn’t know that I love singing and in the past I have been the lead singer of a couple of bands in Greece.

Our Great Gardens competition will be back in 2024!

Great Gardens recognises the residents who keep their gardens looking fantastic and it will be back by popular demand this summer. Our Great Gardens competition allows us to celebrate the residents who keep their gardens looking exceptional!

We’ve had some blooming wonderful winners in previous years, with all kinds of gardens and planting arrangements. Some making the most of a small patch in their communal garden, others with planters full of fruit and veggies. Whether you’re a seasoned expert or just starting out with gardening, we’d love to see your entries. The top contenders will be in with the chance to win great prizes.

ye out

on our social media Keep an e channels and the e over the upcoming months websit e details for mor o enter. on how t

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Can you spot the five differences between these images?

Send this page with your name and address to Spot the Difference, c/o The Communications Team, Fairfax House, 69 Buckingham Street, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP20 2NJ. The closing date for the entry draw is 22nd April 2024 and the winner will receive a £20 shopping voucher and have their name published in our next edition.

Have you experienced outstanding service from our team?

Get involved with our Leading Edge Awards!

Our employee recognition programme involves both residents and colleagues to help us identify those going above and beyond for our residents.

Our panel, including five employees and three resident volunteers, reviews nominations quarterly and annually for the following awards:

• Residents’ Choice Award

• Good Samaritan Award

Award name Behaviour examples

Residents’ Choice A good communicator; takes ownership; represents us in a positive way, works well using time and resources efficiently; works well with others; listens to residents; improves services etc.

Good Samaritan

• Thinking of others ahead of themselves

• A life-saving event

• Compassionate, genuinely wants to help others

Nominate a member of the Fairhive team for either award by 29th March 2024 for this year’s competition. Later nominations will still be counted but will go towards the next round that starts April 2024.

Email hello@fairhive.co.uk with the employee’s name, award, and why they deserve it. Winners will be announced on our website, with their agreement.

Fairhive is able to produce this document in other languages and formats. If you need these services, or those of an interpreter, please contact us.