1592 sbs spring 2014

East Thames residents’ magazine

involved

THAMES

Community Champions success See pgs. 8-9

Issue 83 | SPRING 2014

by

street street

residents

See how w e’re workin g to improve o ur repairs & mainten service on ance pgs. 10-11

Learn more about neighbourhood management services on pgs. 4-5 Your usual money matters update on pgs. 6-7scheme Mentoring

huge success! Check out pg. 8

www.east-thames.co.uk www.east-thames.co.uk

www.east-thames.co.uk

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1

Contents & welcome

Contents 2

Contents & welcome

3

East Thames catch up

4-5

East Thames community

6-7

Money matters

8-9

Jobs & training

9

Online buzz

10-11

Your home

12

On the move

13

How we’re doing

14-15

Out & about

16

Contacts

e m o c l e w idents’ f the res o r e b m rich, me ousing Tracy Ald nel and h a p s n o ti ica commun panel scrutiny

Happy new year everyone and welcome to the first Street

by Street of 2014! One of the topics regularly covered in Street by Street is jobs & training (pages 8 & 9). I would like to take this opportunity to share my experience of how East Thames has helped me with training so you can see how its programmes could help you on your route to employment.

Three years ago I was given the opportunity by East Thames to develop new skills and gain confidence through the Community Champions course which I absolutely enjoyed taking part in. One aspect of the programme was working within communities - I developed great people skills, interacting with residents from diverse backgrounds. Each stage of the programme was at a pace that everyone could understand regardless of ability, disability or even language. It also included IT training, which I really needed to develop for my work on the housing scrutiny panel. The trainers were all excellent and they made learning fun. Yes, I did say FUN!

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9

I would encourage anyone looking for new skills and job opportunities to get in touch with the East Thames employment & training team (contact details on page 9). Who knows where it may take you? Also in this edition you will find information on your neighborhood managers, how they can help and how you can contact them. Good luck to you all for the year ahead!

Street by Street keeps you informed about our services and community initiatives. If you have a story, any questions, feedback or want to shape the next issue of the magazine by joining the residents’ communications panel, email marcoms@eastthames.co.uk or call Falon Paris, communications officer on 020 8522 3204. The deadline for the next issue is Fri 25 April 2014.

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Street by Street is produced by the Marketing and Communications team, East Thames Group, 29-35 West Ham Lane, Stratford E15 4PH Editor: Falon Paris Designer: Rably Malik Tel: 020 8522 3204 Email: marcoms@east-thames.co.uk

East Thames catch up

One to One with Sue Withers Community programmes officer, East Thames Welcome to the spring edition of Street by Street, which has a jobs and training section full of information on how East Thames can help you get into work this year.

The course is designed to help you build the skills you need for work, including customer service, team building, IT and important business skills, such as making presentations.

I’ve been running our Community Champions course for over seven years and it’s still going strong. It’s a brilliant programme: over four weeks, you can build your skills and confidence while working on a community project and at the end, you gain a nationally recognised Open College Network qualification.

I’ve seen lots of people make good friends through the course, come out of their comfort zones and achieve fantastic things.

Most aren’t in work when they start, or have left school with few qualifications. They have often lost faith in themselves.

But when they finish the course, they feel ready for work and lots of them then go through our

East Thames Snippets Bite sized updates to keep you in the know

y find

g Archaeolo

val and s of Medie in a m re d We foun r Stratford ings at ou ild am. u b r o d Tu e in Newh it s g in ild u b ws/ Broadway s.co.uk/ne e m a th ts .ea Visit: www ils. ta list for de

Customer E xperience Committee opportunity W

e’re looking for 2 reside nts to join o Customer E ur xperience C o m committee mittee. The oversees cu stomer issu on behalf o es f our main b oard and m a minimum e ets of 4 times a year. Memb receive £3,2 ers 50 www.east-th annually. For info visit ames.co.uk /committee vacancy or contact hen ry.potter@e thames.co.u a s tk or 020 85 22 2024.

other employment and training programmes to find a suitable job.

The course works for people of all ages. We get quite a few 16 year olds, just out of school, but I’ve also worked with a lot of 70-somethings who have learned great IT skills.

If you’d like to take part in a Community Champions course just contact me on sue.withers@ east-thames.co.uk or call 020 8522 2209.

Real London

Lives

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8536 to te r call 020 o t c ta n o co.uk/c 8719.

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h the e work wit w t a th w o pair Did you kn ondon to L t s a E f o h young University dents wit tu s y g lo ng? So psycho of counselli d e e n ed in residents have receiv ts n e id s re r .eastfar 33 foye ere: www h re o m d n2014/ help. Rea /news/ja k u . o c . s -fastthame ip-provides h rs e n rt a university-p ng-young-residents selli track-coun

www.east-thames.co.uk

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East Thames community

Your neighbourhood manager: here to help East Thames has a team of neighbourhood managers who offer a wide range of services to help you maintain your tenancy.

They also ensure that all our estates, communal areas and properties are kept in good order.

Here are some of the things they do: • Visit new tenants when they first move in • Inspect estates to monitor the cleaning and ground maintenance services • Identify and report repairs to communal areas • Respond to reports of anti-social behaviour • Consult with residents about estate improvements • Organise community activities/events • Deal with complaints

• Ensure that residents are meeting the conditions of their tenancy • Provide support for vulnerable residents • Work closely with local authorities and safer neighbourhood teams to respond to issues affecting the local area • Help residents form residents associations or consultation forums You can find out who your manager is at www. east-thames.co.uk/neighbourhood-management, by emailing NMEnquiries@east-thames.co.uk or by calling 0845 600 0830.

If there is something they are unable to help you with, they will be able to direct you to someone who can.

How we helped in Plaistow Don’t forget that our neighbourhood managers and our anti-social behaviour (ASB) team can help if you have concerns about other residents’ behaviour in your neighbourhood.

In October 2013, a resident in Plaistow contacted the anti-social behaviour (ASB) team to report that a flat owned by East Thames was being sublet and used to grow cannabis. The next day the neighbourhood manager and an officer from our ASB team visited the resident that had complained and a week later we were able to serve a Notice to Quit to the resident who was subletting.

This was followed by a court hearing, where an officer from the ASB team and the resident who made the initial complaint presented evidence to the judge on the disturbance caused.

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The judge gave us immediate permission to evict the resident who had been subletting.

We are now refurbishing the flat so it can be re-let to a family from Newham Council’s waiting list.

Subletting an East Thames home has been a criminal offence since October 2013. To end your tenancy or to report a property you believe may be sublet please call 0845 600 0830 or email sublet@eastthames.co.uk.

East Thames community

Quality recycled furniture available new furniture re-use shop will We’re happy to announce that our e Estate in Canning Town. open this spring at Cranberry Lan rbished furniture to East Thames Reclaim at the Lane will sell refu and it will be run by staff and residents and the local community volunteers.

You will be able to: iture • Donate unwanted items of furn prices low at e • Come in and buy furnitur and meet new people. lls ski • Volunteer with us to gain new s residents or people in receipt of We offer a discount for East Thame low. benefits and our delivery costs are tre,

nberry Lane Community Cen Where: Reclaim at the Lane, Cra .

122-162 Cranberry Lane, E16 4PE Wednesdays and Thursdays.

When: 10am to 4pm, Tuesdays, re info.

Contact: call 020 7055 0965 for mo

Crosschecking data As part of our efforts to combat fraud such as subletting, we will soon be asking credit reference agencies to cross-check some of our data against theirs.

This will mean sending selected information to the agencies which could include your full name, address, date of birth, tenancy start date and tenant reference number.

If there are any inconsistencies in the information, which suggest that a resident is subletting or has obtained their home with false information, we will investigate.

Once we have made these checks the credit reference agency will destroy the data and it will not be provided to any other organisation.

You can read the full notice to our residents (also known as a Fair Processing Notice) which explains why we are doing this at www.east-thames.co.uk/crosschecking-data If you’d prefer for us not to share your details with the credit agency please email john.lonergan@eastthames.co.uk or call 020 8536 3953.

www.east-thames.co.uk

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Money matters

Rent and service charge review

New method to pay rent

This month most residents will receive a detailed letter with information about their rent for 2014/15 and their estimated service charges for the coming year. Any changes to your rent and/or service charges come into effect from the first week of April 2014.

We want to make paying your rent as quick and easy as possible. In addition to the ways already available for you to make payments, you now have the option to pay using the AllPay payment app which is available to download from the Apple App store, Windows Phone store or Google Play. It enables you to pay rent from your Apple, Windows or Android smartphone. The AllPay payment app: • Securely stores payment reference numbers, bank details and payment amounts • Allows users to pay anytime, anywhere and offers AllPay Cashless customers a quick and easy way to top up their accounts • Is free to download

Along with the notice you’ll also receive a detailed frequently asked questions sheet which sets out how we calculate rent and service charges, an explanation for any service charges which you pay, and information about how to pay these charges. If you have any questions about the rent and service charge review email: rents&servicecharges@east-thames.co.uk or call 0845 600 0830.

For more information about AllPay app or to see all the other ways you can pay your rent visit: www.east-thames.co.uk/pay-your-rent.

Benefit sanctions Did you know that if you claim job seeker’s allowance, Jobcentre Plus can sanction you (suspend or stop your payments) if you fail to complete a required action such as attend appointments, complete a required job search or attend a work programme? During a sanction period your housing benefit may also be suspended.

If you’re worried about a sanction you’ve received, we can help you request a reconsideration or help with any other housing benefit related issues you may have. Get in touch with our welfare benefit advisers using the contact details on page 7.

Paying the difference If your housing benefit no longer covers the full cost of your rent, you can pay the difference over the phone with a credit or debit card, by direct debit or using a swipe card. Simply call us on 0845 600 0830.

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Money matters

Beware of loan sharks Have you or anyone you know: • Been offered a cash loan without paperwork?

• Been threatened when you couldn’t pay?

• Had your benefit or bank card taken from you?

• Had a loan which keeps growing even though you are making payments?

If you can answer yes to the above you may have been bitten by a loan shark. For confidential help and advice contact the Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) by calling the 24/7 confidential hotline on 0300 555 2222 (local call rate, including inclusive minutes from mobiles) or email: reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk.

We can help - contact us

our welfare k/benefits. Alternatively, speak to o.u s.c me -tha ast w.e ww t visi , For info on welfare benefits can talk to us about setting up 3 and Arlene on 020 8536 8797. You 880 6 853 020 on Uyi s iser adv you’re entitled to. You benefit king sure you’re getting the benefits ma and ney mo r you ing nag ma t, a bank accoun ts@east-thames.co.uk. can also email us on welfare.benefi

Changes to discretionary housing payments If you currently receive discretionary housing payment (DHP), your payment period is likely to end on 31 March 2014. For more details please check your award letter from your local authority. If eligible, you can reapply for payments to continue beyond this date. Check your local authority website for details on how to apply or if you need assistance you can speak to our welfare benefit advisers using the contact details above.

Housing be nefits payment re minder

Do you claim housing be nefit or inte claim hous nd to ing benefit?

If fo you do not r whatever have all the reason documents to support required your claim, you can sti an applicati ll submit on and req uest that th benefit offic e housing e give you more time any outstan to provide ding docum ents. This w your claim ill ensure can start to be process delay or ca e d ncellation. without

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Jobs & training

Community Champions graduates tell their stories In February we held a special event to celebrate the graduation ceremony for our latest Community Champions course in Barking.

The graduates gave a presentation on what they’d learned from the course and discussed their experiences and plans for the future. They then received their certificates from East Thames’ chief executive, June Barnes.

Rebecca, 17, says she has gained lots of confidence and is now applying for jobs in retail or administration. Her friend Josie, also 17, now hopes to do an art and design course.

Ian, 19, says: “My local employment adviser recommended I take part because I lacked selfconfidence and it’s really helped.

I’m now going to look for jobs in construction or carpentry – I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t taken part in the course.”

You can find more information about Community Champions on page 3. If you’d like to take part in the course email sue.withers@ east-thames.co.uk or call 020 8522 2209.

“

I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t taken part in the course

Ian, Community Champions graduate

”

Imran, 21, is going to take part in East Thames’ Construct Your Career course: “I’ve learned so many new skills and because of my interests East Thames recommended the construction course to me.”

r o f e m m a r g o r p Finding the right free East Thames offers a number of

courses to help you find a job or

benefit from training.

e ring programme giving you valuabl nto me ss ine bus and nce erie exp ROUTES TO WORK is a work get full time work. on-the-job experience to help you a job. The you improve your chances of getting p hel to ns sio ses up gro y ndl frie WORKWISE is a series of a job. sessions include help to search for t will improve your mme centred around projects tha gra pro ing eer unt vol a is NS PIO work situations.

COMMUNITY CHAM skills and increases confidence in new rn lea you ps hel e mm gra pro local area. The , matching skills and vides support to Newham residents pro ich wh tre cen in p dro a is B WORKPLACE HU irations with local vacancies. job aspsbs www.east-thames.co.uk 8

Online buzz

A new job for Koyes Koyes is 32 and lives in Ilford. He took part in our Routes to Work programme.

“Routes to Work tries to assess everyone,” he explains, “so they worked out I was shy and not very confident about myself and worked to help me build those skills.”

Soon, the Routes to Work team asked him if he’d like to apply for a two-week IT placement at law firm Trowers and Hamlins, one of East Thames’ partners.

He was interviewed for the position and offered the placement. “I was so excited. Their office is really nice and I really wanted to work in IT so it was a good opportunity.

The staff were really helpful and friendly.”

Koyes finished his placement in 2012.

Several months later, Trowers and Hamlins got in touch to say that a position had come up in their IT department and asked if he would like to apply. He got the job and now works as an IS support analyst, helping staff across the business when they have IT issues.

“I’m still learning new things and every moment is enjoyable. I always look forward to coming to work. When I came to East Thames for help looking for a job, it totally blew me away. I would definitely recommend Routes to Work.”

online buzz

What’s g online happenin

Facebook page - join in!

Why not join in the conversation online and get regular updates on what’s happening across your communities? If you visit the Facebook page today, you’ll find photos of the latest Community Champions graduation, video case studies, energy saving tips and more!

Watch a video about Trowers and Hamlins work placements at www.eastthames.co.uk/rubina-andchristopher

you FIND OUT MORE : visit www.east-thame s.co.uk/ employment-train ing or talk to our emplo yment and training team tod ay about the service that’s righ t for you.

Call 020 8522 22 21 or email ete@east-thame s.co.uk

To talk to us and share your views visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EastThames

The word on Twitter

Reclaim at the Lane furniture reuse project team thanks residents and staff for donations.

Reclaim at the Lane: “Thanks staff & residents who donated at our Giving Day yesterday. We have lots of stock & can’t wait to For all the get selling.” latest news and information visit: www.east-thames.co.uk

www.east-thames.co.uk

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Your home

Improving the

repairs service It is now ten months since East Thames’ partnership with Interserve began. We had expected some teething problems as the partnership found its feet, but unfortunately the service is not yet where we want it to be and some of you are not receiving the high quality service that we promised and that you expect.

All of us at East Thames and our partners at Interserve are committed to getting the service back on track as quickly as possible. We want to: • answer your phone calls faster • provide you with consistently high quality customer service over the phone • keep you informed of the progress of your repair • keep the repairs appointments we have agreed with you • fix your repairs in line with agreed timescales • get your repair right first time wherever possible • put things right if they do go wrong by dealing with your complaints in a timely manner

We have already taken a number of proactive steps.

We have doubled the size of the contact centre team and have given our call handlers improved customer service training. We have arranged easier access to parts with our suppliers and given our operatives credit cards so they can buy the parts they need to carry out your repair. We have also brought in new managers to better lead our teams and asked all operatives to call our residents when they are on their way. Finally, we are looking into changing our phone number to an 03 number which would make it cheaper for our residents to make calls from their mobiles.

And we’re listening.

Listening to you and your neighbours so we can work out what parts of the service are working well – such as estate services and cleaning – and what still needs improvement – such as the responsive repairs service. In January and February, Interserve director, Phil Bryne and I visited Gibson Court in Harlow and Grand Union Place in Tower Hamlets to discuss the experiences of residents there. We will continue to work with these residents to gauge satisfaction levels with the service. If you would like to get in touch to give us your feedback on the service, please contact Interserve’s customer engagement manager, Lucas Barton, at customer.engagementteam@ interservefm.com, marking your email for the attention of Lucas Barton.

The good news is that things are getting better.

We are hopeful that your next experience of the repairs service will be more positive.

I want to thank you for the feedback you have provided so far and for your continued patience as we get the partnership working as it should.

Olu Olanrewaju, Director of Communities and Neighbourhoods

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%

Estate inspections (% silver or gold)

100

100 80

60 75.17%

67.78%

80.09%

80 60 69.87%

40

40

20

20

0

Apr - June

Jul - Sept

Oct - Dec

% Satisfied with work % %% carried out on the property

100 100 100 80 80 80 73.79% 80.09% 60 75.17% 67.00% 69.87% 60 67.22% 60 67.43% 67.78% 69.01% 40 40 40 20 20 20 000

Apr - Jun Apr Apr--Jun June

Jul - Sept Jul Jul- -Sept Sept

Oct - Dec Oct Oct- -Dec Dec

Repair was completed on Mins % first day of appointment %

100 10 100 808 80

606 69.87% 67.43% 60 404 40 202 20 000

Mins

Your home

%

03.45

Apr Jun Apr---Jun Jun Apr

73.79% 67.00% 69.01% 67.22% 06.12

Apr - Jun

Oct Dec Oct---Dec Dec Oct

Average Call Waiting Time

10

69.01%

Jul - Sept

Oct - Dec

Mins

%

10 100 8 80

6 69.87% 67.22% 69.01% 60 Olu Olanrewaj 06.12 u, East Tham es Director of and Neighbo Communities urhoods and 4Perfo 40 Phil Bryne

rmance Direct , Interserve N ational or, met with re Court in Harlo sidents from w in January.

Gibson Th e residents ga their experienc ve feedback es of the repa on irs service so and Phil’s plan far and heard s for improvem Olu ent.

03.45

2 20 0 0

Apr Apr -- Jun Jun

02.32

Jul Jul -- Sept Sept

Oct Oct -- Dec Dec

Mins

10 8 6 4 2

02.32 Jul Sept Jul---Sept Sept Jul

0

67.22%

0

06.12 03.45 Apr - Jun

02.32 Jul - Sept

Oct - Dec

in Interserve workman, Brian Archer, played santa a with ents resid es Tham December, surprising East er.

Christmas hamp

8 6 4 2 0

06.12 03.45 Apr - Jun

02.32 Jul - Sept

Oct - Dec

The good news is that we’ve made great progress on call wait times. At time of going to press, the average call wait time was less than one minute.

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On the move

Sheltered housing Did you know that East Thames offers a range of supported housing for people aged 60 and over, or for those aged over 55 who have a medical need? Our support can be tailored to your individual needs to help you stay independent for longer.

To find out more about moving to supported housing, get in touch with our lettings team using the details on page 13 or visit: www.east-thames.co.uk/care-and-support

Homes at East Village There are currently 2 and 3 bedroom homes available in East Village (the former 2012 Olympics athletes village) for intermediate rent. This is where the rent charged is approximately 20% lower than what you would expect to pay for a similar home in a similar area from a private landlord. The new homes are spacious and energy efficient and East Village offers residents a range of parks, retail, sports facilities and transport options. To be considered for an intermediate rent home, you need to be registered with Triathlon Homes who will check your eligibility via a very simple process. Visit: www.triathlonhomes.com/the-homes/to-rent/ or call 0203 714 2160.

Hot properties New Havering development, Kings Park

Last chance to live at So Stepney

A stylish selection of 1 and 2 bedroom apartments and 3 bedroom houses in a picturesque setting in Harold Wood, Havering.

Register your interest at: www. east-thames.co.uk/property/ kings-park or contact the East Thames sales team. Homes are available from ÂŁ53,250 for a 30% share. Homes will also be available at Kings Park for rent. Contact our lettings team for more information.

Contact details are on page 13.

For the best in urban living consider So Stepney, a collection of stylish and affordable 3 bedroom apartments in Stepney Green. Designed with both style and substance, homes are available from ÂŁ116,250 for a 30% share on shared ownership or ÂŁ286,875 for a 75% share on shared equity.

Register here: www.eastthames.co.uk/property/so-stepney or give us a call using the contact details opposite.

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Co

Vis orco

C

E (

How we’re doing

Quarterly performance Oct - Dec 2013

Repairs and maintenance

(*this does not incude repairs performance)

91% of telephone calls into our customer contact centre were dealt with on the first enquiry.

Target: 80% Result: 91% Breakdown: 28,748 out of 31,772 calls.

P

91% of calls to the customer contact centre were answered within 20 seconds.

Target: 90% Result: 91% Breakdown: 29,056 out of 31,772 calls.

P

Target: 80% Result: 69% Breakdown: 216 out of 313 residents surveyed.

74% of repairs were completed on the first visit

X

Target: 82% Result: 74% Breakdown: 228 out of 309 residents surveyed.

!

See page 10 about what we’re doing to improve the repairs service.

Community programmes Between October and December, we delivered 267 employment and training sessions Target: Yearly target is 150 Result: 267 Breakdown: with a total of 741 delievered so far this year, we have exceeded our yearly target.

P

ails

ontact det

ys.co.uk/bu . e m a th ts a hames sit: www.e www.eastt r o e m o h -rent-ag-home. o.uk/movin m) 0 (9am-5p 3 8 0 0 0 6 Call: 0845 es.co.uk east-tham @ s ie rt e p eastEmail: pro ingsteam@ tt le r o ) s le gs) (for sa k (for lettin .u o .c s e m tha

We’ve met our target

~

We’re close to meeting our target

X

69% of customers were satisfied with repairs work once complete.

X Customer service standards

P

We’ve missed our target

Development and property Between October and December we finished work on 192 new homes.

Target: Yearly target is 462 Result: 192 Breakdown: with a total of 405 properties completed so far, we are on target to deliver 462 homes this financial year. Homes so far have been completed in boroughs including Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

P

Antisocial behaviour handling

~

37% of residents were satisfied with the way their ASB complaint was handled.

Target: No target set Result: 37% Breakdown: 16 out of 43 residents surveyed.

Note: All figures have been rounded to nearest whole number.

www.east-thames.co.uk

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Out & about

WALTHAM FOREST Residents enjoy new refurbished space at Moyers Lodge mental health scheme.

HARLOW Residents from Gibson Court tenants’ association raise a toast at our resident involvement thank you event.

NEWHAM Residents and staff from our Newham mental health schemes came together for the festive season.

Redbridge Redbridge Foyer residents enjoy learning new skills at a media skills workshop.

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HAVERING Councillor Steven Kelly executive, June Barnes Court, a new scheme f

Tower Hamlets Ocean Estate residents meet with neighbourhood managers and catch up with fellow residents at a ‘meet and greet’ event.

Newha Survey p complet

y & East Thames chief s officially open Dreywood for over 55s.

Out & about

BARKING & DAGENHAM Barking Foyer residents take the limelight as the foyer celebrates its 5th birthday.

ewham and Tower Hamlets prize winners Keith (left) and Mark (right) collect their ÂŁ50 vouchers for ting our quarterly satisfaction survey.

Want to see your community, scheme or estate represented? Send your photos to marcoms@eastthames.co.uk. You could be featured in the next issue!

For further details on these stories visit the news section of our website on www.eastthames.co.uk/news

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Contacts East Thames

Local Councils:

Address: 29-35 West Ham Lane, Stratford, London E15 4PH (open Mon-Fri, 8.30am-6pm)

Barking & Dagenham: E: 3000direct@lbbd.gov.uk T: 020 8215 3000 W: www.lbbd.gov.uk

Newham: T: 020 8430 2000 W: www.newham.gov.uk

Customer contact centre: Customer Contact Centre: 0845 600 0830 020 8522 2000 (lower rate from mobiles) (Mon-Fri 8.30am-8.30pm)

Essex: W: www.essex.gov.uk

includes links to all

district councils

Redbridge: E: customer.cc@ redbridge.gov.uk T: 020 8554 5000 W: www.redbridge.gov.uk

Email: info@east-thames.co.uk Repairs email: EastThames.Repairs@ interserve.com Web: www.east-thames.co.uk

Harlow: E: contact@harlow.gov.uk T: 01279 446655 W: www.harlow.gov.uk Havering: E: info@havering.gov.uk T: 01708 434343 W: www.havering.gov.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/EastThames

Tower Hamlets: E: generalenquiries@ towerhamlets.gov.uk T: 020 7364 5020 W: www.towerhamlets.gov.uk Waltham Forest: E: wfdirect@walthamforest.gov.uk T: 020 8496 3000 W: www.walthamforest.gov.uk

about us East Thames is a registered social landlord and social regeneration charity with over 30 years experience of providing affordable homes.

Our mission is to make a positive and lasting contribution to the neighbourhoods in which we work which we do through different parts of our business.

We manage and/ or own more than 13,500 affordable homes.

We give people a chance to succeed through community programmes that include: employment and training, art and culture, sustainable living, and health and wellbeing.

We provide support and accommodation in over 80 schemes for people with a wide range of needs, including: older people, younger people at risk of becoming homeless, people with a learning disability or mental health needs, and women escaping violence.

FIRST STEPS Homes Show

For free translation of this magazine for East Thames residents, call:

Spring 2014

You’re invited to visit the East Thames stand at the FIRST STEPS Homes Show 2014, an event for first time buyers in London. The show is FREE to attend and you can: • Meet providers of affordable home ownership, including East Thames and Triathlon Homes • Register your interest in our properties • Learn about the home buying process Date: Saturday 12th April Time: 10am - 5pm Location: Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, SW1P 3EE Register here: www.sharetobuy.com/firststeps/homesshow

www.east-thames.co.uk

THAMES THAMES THAMES

0800 952 0119

251874