Street by Street Autumn 2011

residents involved

streetbystreet

AUTUMN 2011 | www.east-thames.co.uk

East London & Essex residents’ magazine

Care and support

We look at our care and support schemes and how they’re helping residents build confidence and independence.

Story page 12 >

Your neighbourhood Local offers

Repairs & maintenance 04

Retrofit homes

Stop press 09

A swell year on Ocean Estate

...plus all the news from 20

Welcome

Welcome to the Autumn 2011 edition of Streetbystreet. by Paul Bennett, resident and Housing Scrutiny Panel member.

This is the first time I’ve been involved in Streetbystreet and I’d like to encourage other residents to come along to the communications panel meetings and get involved.

This magazine is important because it lets you know what’s happening in your area, and what East Thames is doing to make your area a better place.

I’ve been a resident for 30 years. Before, I might not have looked at this magazine as thoroughly as I should have, but now I feel it is important as a means of getting residents involved. By getting involved we can help East Thames improve.

This issue is all about care and support, and the main article on pages 12-13 will give you lots of information about our care schemes and how they work. I hope you find this issue useful and interesting.

Streetbystreet keeps you informed about local news and community initiatives. If you have a story email marcoms@east-thames.co.uk or call Niki Nixon, communications officer, on 020 8536 8769. The deadline for the next issue is Monday, 10 Oct 2011.

Get in touch with us if you: have a question you’d like answered in Streetbystreet have ideas for a story we could write for our next issue know about an event we could attend to take photos want to share your views about community issues want to give us feedback about anything in this issue want to help shape the next issue by joining our residents communication panel, a small group that meets every three months.

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

Contents 4-5 Your neighbourhood 6-7 Resident involvement 8-9 Repairs &

maintenance 10-11 Housing options 12-13 The hot topic 14 Performance 15 Home safety

16-17 Community

programmes 18 Money matters 19 2012 20-21 Stop press 22 East life 23 Your space 24 Contacts & about us

When you’re finished with Streetbystreet please recycle it.

Cover photo: Staff and residents of Janson and Gurney care scheme in Stratford were visited by local school children for a diversity celebration party.

Streetbystreet is produced by the Marketing and Communications team, East Thames Group, 29-35 West Ham Lane, Stratford E15 4PH Editor: Niki Nixon Cover: EPS Designer: Jen Fraser Photography: EPS, Niki Nixon Tel: 020 8536 8769 Fax: 020 8522 2001 Email: marcoms@ east-thames.co.uk Online: www.east-thames.co.uk

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0800 952 0119

98567

Ask Rochelle Rochelle Blackman, homes choice manager, answers a resident’s question.

Q: How is East Thames tackling overcrowding and how do you decide who lives where?

A: One in four children in London lives in an overcrowded home and this figure is even higher in social housing. On top of this, demand for social housing is rising. So we’re trying to make better use of our properties. It’s no easy task, but we’re doing all we can to address overcrowding and we’ve made some real progress.

We’ve started by working with under occupiers - people who live in a home that’s larger than they need. As families grow up and children move out, parents can be left with empty bedrooms. We can help them move to a smaller home that suits them better, and there are real financial advantages to doing this. Moving to a smaller home will often save you money on council tax, gas and electricity. And, from April 2013 the government is reducing housing benefits for people who have empty bedrooms, we have more information on these changes on page 11.

Once under occupiers move out of the larger homes, these can be used to house families who are living in over crowded

conditions.

We also have a housing options advisor who works with our overcrowded residents to find suitable alternatives. We develop a housing options plan for each household which covers options including possible extensions and loft conversions, mutual exchanges with families in larger homes, moving into private rented accommodation or making better use of the space in your home, all of which we can help with.

Fifteen of London’s largest housing associations are involved which means there are properties across London available for exchange.

”

Residents who do opt to move or exchange are entered into a choice based lettings system. Their housing needs are assessed, they can bid for the property they are interested in and properties will be allocated according to their housing need. Greatest priority is given to under occupiers, residents who are being moved out of their property because it is

being redeveloped or residents who need to move for medical reasons. We can’t consider residents who have rent arrears or whose home is in disrepair and therefore not suitable for re-let.

We are also working in partnership with a number of other organisations to address overcrowding, including other social registered landlords and local authorities, the East London Lettings Company and the East London Partnership.

One project that has been successful is G15 London Moves. Fifteen of London’s largest housing associations are involved which means there are properties across London available for exchange.

Residents who live far from their work place, or who are currently under occupying can apply for an exchange, and since May, three East Thames residents have moved.

Rochelle Blackman Homes choice manager, East Thames Group

Find out more: Visit www.g15londonmoves. org.uk or call us on 020 8522 2260.

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Your neighbourhood

Local offers We have over 13,000 properties spread out over east London and Essex.

We know that each area is different and that your priorities will change depending on where you live. To address this we have developed local offers for a number of areas.

These local offers identify your neighbourhood’s main priorities and concerns, so that we can work with you to improve the area. get involved: You can find your local offer at www.east-thames.co.uk/ local-offers. For a printed copy or more information get in touch with your neighbourhood manager or the resident involvement team on 020 8536 3957 or residentinvolvement team@east-thames. co.uk.

and have their say.

Currently Montbazon residents come together at regular resident committee meetings, which are attended by around 80% of the scheme’s residents.

Decisions that affect all residents are discussed at the committee meetings so that everyone is in agreement.

As well as taking decisions, the committee also carries out fundraising, through raffles and tea parties, to raise money to spend on the scheme garden. £500 was recently spent on a pond.

Montbazon Court residents take such pride in their garden that it was awarded first place in last year’s Brentwood in Bloom competition and came in second place this year.

Frank is an active member of the resident’s association at Montbazon Court and a keen

One area with a local offer is older people’s care scheme, Montbazon Court in Brentwood, Essex. Residents at Montbazon Court identified resident involvement as their main priority so we’ll be working with them to make sure they have lots of opportunities to get involved

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marcoms@east-thames.co.uk

gardener. He said: “Everyone gets involved and we all make joint decisions here - nothing is done without a meeting to get the say-so.”

Local offers are now available for:

Waltham Forest Broad Oak

Newham Winsor Park Victoria Street E15 Magpie Close John Street

Barking & Dagenham Barking and Dagenham Foyer

Tower Hamlets Grand Union Place New Union Wharf Phoenix Court

Essex Deans Walk Harlow Foyer Montbazon Court Redbridge Hayward’s Close

Keeping our communal areas clear Leaving personal items - such as pushchairs, bikes, furniture or rubbish - in communal areas and intake/ meter cupboards presents a serious risk to health and safety, both as a fire risk and as a trip hazard. So we’re taking steps to ensure communal areas are always kept clear.

We are taking this action to ensure the safety of all East Thames residents. Our policy on keeping communal areas clear is set in all leases and tenancy agreements. We are also required by law to take

proactive steps to ensure the safety of our residents.

For this reason, from September any items left or stored in communal areas will be removed without notice.

We will store your item for a maximum of 28 days and if you don’t claim it within this time we will dispose of it.

We will be charging an administration fee for any goods you recover. Where we can’t identify the owner of removed items, residents within the block will be charged collectively through the service charges for any removal and storage costs incurred. If it is not the first time that your goods have been removed we may take further action against you for breach of your tenancy which could lead

to your losing your home.

Please make sure you remove any belongings you may have in a communal area or intake cupboard straight away.

Get involved on your estate Our estates are inspected by our neighbourhood managers every month.

We try to get as many residents involved in these inspections as we can. Last year, residents were involved in 56% of all estate inspections but we’d love even more of you to get involved. The inspections will only take a few hours of your time each month, and you’ll get the chance to really improve things on your estate. If you’d like to get involved, get in touch with your neighbourhood manager on 0845 600 0830 or nmenquiries@eastthames.co.uk.

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Resident involvement

Out and about with the Housing Scrutiny Panel In the Summer edition of Streetbystreet we introduced our Housing Scrutiny Panel members from Newham, Waltham Forest and Redbridge. You may have met the Panel members recently on their visits to our estates, foyers and employment projects as part of their induction.

The induction took place so that the Panel members could learn more about East Thames and the services we provide. They visited Grand Union Place, Hammond House, Winsor Park, Barking Foyer and Starting Point, where they spoke to

local residents about the improvements they’d like to see in their community.

Chair of the Housing Scrutiny Panel, Christine Searle, said: “Being together as a group always helps. Getting to see the different types of housing stock and the employment support for the local community was very interesting.”

JOIN THE PANEL We’re currently recruiting Housing Scrutiny Panel members in Havering, Tower Hamlets, Barking and Dagenham and Essex.

If you want to have a say on who will represent your area when it comes to examining our performance and the services we provide, then look out for the voting slips which you’ll be receiving in the next few weeks. We’ll print the results in the next Streetbystreet.

Residents conference date confirmed When: Wednesday

16 November 2011,

in the afternoon Where: West Ham Lane,

Stratford E15 4PH In November we will be holding a resident’s conference. The day will see presentations and discussions on local offers, the Housing Scrutiny Panel and how we plan to deliver our promises over the next year. Members of staff will be on hand to answer your questions and we’ll have lots

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of information on how you can become an active resident.

The day will also include a residents award ceremony where active residents will be rewarded for making a difference in your area. If you know someone who has been active to bring about positive change where you live, then why not nominate them. Send their name and 100 words on how they’ve made a difference to residentinvolvementteam@ east-thames.co.uk or Resident

marcoms@east-thames.co.uk

Involvement Team, East Thames, 29-35 West Ham Lane, London E15 4PH. Spaces for the conference are limited so get in touch with the Resident Involvement Team to reserve your place. get involved: Contact the resident involvement team on 020 8522 3212 or email residentinvolvementteam @east-thames.co.uk.

All a-board!

We’ve recently appointed three residents to the East Homes Board who will be working with other board members to help set our strategic direction.

Philip Fearn is a leaseholder at Vickery’s Wharf in Tower Hamlets and was the

Dominic Jebb first became an East Thames resident back in 2004. At the age of 20 Dominic found himself without a job or a home so he took the decision to move into Focus E15 foyer in Stratford.

Dominic said: “I think the whole programme is fantastic.

If it wasn’t for the foyer programme I wouldn’t be where I am today. The fact that you had the life skills workshops was great. It covered a vast amount of areas, mostly focussed on well being. The best thing about that was meeting with other residents on a regular basis, because being in that situation can feel very isolating.

“Being unemployed and homeless was really difficult.

I was applying for jobs, but getting turned down due to a

founding Chair of Abbots & Vickery’s Wharf Residents Association. He is currently a director of the Abbots Wharf Management Company and is managing director of Fearn Events & Communications Ltd. Angela Williams is a Newham resident and currently works with the London Borough of Newham as a

street scene enforcement officer.

Dominic Jebb is a Newham resident and previously completed the foyer programme. He is a Customer Relationship Management Executive at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain having previously worked for solicitors Trowers and Hamlins.

lack of confidence more than anything. I knew I needed to do work experience. I had seen my friends jump on work experience opportunities through East Thames and one of them had been given a job through it.”

Dominic went on to do a work experience placement with East Thames’ solicitors Trowers and Hamlins which led to a full-time job. He also moved out of the foyer and into an East Thames flat.

Seven years on and Dominic is now working in business development for a law firm. And he’s just joined the East Homes board.

“It’s about helping people who

are in the same situation as you.

I know I can make other people think about what I went through and the support I needed.”

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Repairs & maintenance

Estate Painting One of the key ways we keep homes looking good is by investing in a regular painting programme.

This year we have a £2.5m programme of works which aims to cover the painting of the outside walls of almost 1,500 rented homes and the communal areas of blocks of flats or converted houses. We are also painting the outside of around 350 leasehold homes and 19 care and support schemes.

For the past few years we have done this in partnership with our repairs and maintenance contractor Axis Europe. The work started in April and we have been able to make good progress with the excellent weather we had back in Spring. We are on track to complete the majority of painting by the end of October.

We have been in touch with all residents whose homes are being painted and Axis Europe will then contact residents with start and finish dates, just

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before work starts.

Resident satisfaction with this year’s programme is above our target of 90%.

Mr Ebenezer, a resident at Cearns House, Newham, said: "I am so pleased with the painting on our estate. I really like the colour chosen.

It makes our homes brighter, cleaner and attractive to look at and that really makes a difference to how I feel about my home. The contractor kept in touch and East Thames checked on the progress throughout the whole process.

I am very happy with the final result."

Quality paint that won’t cost the earth By using high quality paints we hope our paint work will last a little longer. This means we can repaint every seven years, instead of every six.

The savings we make from this can then be reinvested in other ongoing maintenance projects with the added bonus of helping to keep service charges to a minimum.

Also, environmental legislation has meant that from next year all paint must be water-based rather than oil based. So as well as protecting your homes for longer, the paint we use will be good for the environment too.

marcoms@east-thames.co.uk

Estate Improvements Shelduck Close Each year we improve the quality of our estates and neighbourhoods by investing in works that are a high priority for our residents. At Shelduck Close in Stratford, East Thames responded to residents’ concerns over security. Residents felt their existing communal front door and entrance lobby provided poor protection and an opportunity for loitering. Gas meter cupboards were also exposed, and a gas meter had recently been stolen.

We re-designed the porch, bringing the front door forward, thereby protecting the gas meters and preventing strangers loitering in the porch. We also

Shelduck Close entrance - before

added a glazed window to the door which was previously solid so the entrance is now lighter and more inviting. And we fitted a new fob controlled door entry system for added security.

Prices for the works were obtained and shared with residents so that they could make a decision about accepting a higher service charge in return for the extra security and convenient electronic key access - which they all agreed was worth it.

Jimmy Garber, a resident at Shelduck Close said: “I would like to say thanks to Pauline and colleagues at East Thames for supporting the residents of Shelduck Close by providing a new secure entrance to the premises. All the residents feel safer and more protected in their homes, and the door, as well as being professionally built, fits in very pleasantly to the style of the property! Job done I say!”

Shelduck Close entrance - after

Getting our homes fit for the future Three of our older properties in Newham, Tower Hamlets and Redbridge have been given a green makeover as part of a national programme to save energy, cut carbon emissions and reduce residents’ household bills.

Tracy Hillyard’s home was one of the properties to receive the environmentally friendly improvements. This included insulation to the interior and exterior walls, new triple glazed windows, a waste water heat recovery system that transfers the heat from water going down the drain back into the property’s heating system and a skylight in the roof which lets daylight in and opens if the

temperature is too high.

Tracy said: “Each winter my home needed to have the heating on for progressively longer periods of time in order to keep me and my family warm. To be one of the select few up and down the country to have these improvements made is like winning the lottery.

“It is a real eye opener to see what goes into our homes these days. I love my upstairs area. The roof windows let in so much light and when they open up automatically when it gets too hot - it’s amazing.”

There are lots of important environmental reasons to reduce energy use but reducing household bills for residents struggling with rising energy costs is especially important for East Thames.

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Housing options

*** Staircasing Special Offer *** For a limited time only we have a special offer available to shared owners: Until 31 March 2012 shared owners have the chance to apply for £1,500 per household, to put towards staircasing start up costs.

Home Ownership day Due to popular demand, we’ll be holding a second home ownership event on Saturday 17 September for those of you interested in owning a share in your home or even owning it outright.

On the day you’ll receive all the information and advice you need on the different types of home ownership options available to you, PLUS if you’re a shared owner you can find out about our staircasing special offer!!

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What’s on offer?

No administration fee to pay Free valuation (this does need to be paid up front and is then refunded to you on completion) Legal fees paid (not for transfer of ownership, i.e. single to joint) Contribution towards your mortgage arrangement fees and/or stamp duty if there are funds left over *Terms & conditions apply.

Find out more: When: 10am-4pm, Saturday September 17 2011 Where: East Thames head office, 29-35 West Ham Lane, Stratford, E15 4PH Spaces are limited so book now!

Contact us on: 0845 600 0830 and ask to speak to the home ownership team or email homeownership@ east-thames.co.uk.

marcoms@east-thames.co.uk

Home ownership options explained For shared owners Staircasing – If you already own a share in your home, you can buy more shares through staircasing.

Resales – If you’re living in an existing part buy, part rent property and want to sell it on, East Thames can sell it for you.

For social housing tenants Right to acquire – If your home was built after 1 April 1997, you might be eligible for a Right to acquire grant, which could help you buy your home outright.

Shared ownership – You could purchase a share in a shared ownership property and pay a subsidised rent on the remaining share.

Shared owner, Ian Killion decided to increase his share in his home in June last year.

He bought the remaining 50% in his property when East Thames ran a staircasing special offer. Ian said: “Property prices were dropping so it seemed like a good opportunity to buy.

And the service I got from East Thames while staircasing was brilliant. Every little query I had, they answered. It was really comforting and a huge help to have someone to help me through the stressful process.”

Ian now owns 100% of his home, something he says is important to him. “I have an asset now, I can improve it if I want to and it gives me more flexibility.”

It’s now easier to downsize your home In April 2013 housing benefit will be reduced for people who under occupy their home. This means that if you have one or more bedrooms which aren’t being used, you could receive less housing benefit.

Although this seems a long way off, we want to make sure that you are aware of the options available to you sooner rather than later.

A new scheme giving London’s social housing residents the mobility to move across the capital is now open to people who want to downsize their home.

Originally the G15 London

moves scheme was just to help our residents in London move closer to where they work.

Since it started in May, over six households have successfully moved through the scheme, including three East Thames households.

The good news is, G15 London moves is now open to London residents looking to downsize their home by one bedroom or more.

Registering with the scheme is easy. If you need to move across London, either to downsize your home, or to be closer to work, there are only a few eligibility criteria that you’ll need to meet before you can join. However, you will need to be a London resident of the G15 - London’s 15 biggest

social landlords, which includes East Thames.

Simply visit www. g15londonmoves.org.uk to register and find out more.

Once you are approved, you’ll be able to bid for other G15 properties across London on a simple system similar to the choice-based lettings system.

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Find out more: If you don’t have internet access or would like to talk to someone about the scheme, please contact us on 020 8522 2260 or email lettingsteam@east-thames. co.uk.

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HOPTIC The hot topic TO

Just the job for our supported residents Care and support services can be a real life line, helping people regain their independence after a short term set back, or providing long term support over a number of years.

EAST THAMES supports more than 1,600 residents at over 80 care and support schemes and a further 180 people with our out-reach floating support service. We provide support for young people, the elderly, those with mental health needs or learning disabilities and women fleeing domestic violence and abuse. The type of support varies depending on each person’s needs, but one thing all our schemes have in common, is our aim to help people achieve personal goals by giving them control over the support they receive.

These goals often centre around employment and training. Getting a new job can have a massive impact on confidence, self esteem and motivation. And it’s often an important milestone on the road to more independent living, so it’s something our care and support schemes really focus on.

Support for people with learning disabilities We provide care, support and accommodation for people with varying levels of learning disability and where appropriate, we help our learning disability residents to get into employment. Only 6.4% of people with learning disabilities have a job, while 65% have reported that they’d like to be in paid work.

Scheme manager, Gary, helps residents at our Portway

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scheme demonstrate their skills using a multimedia CV. The CV contains video references, a testimonial from Gary outlining residents’ skills and abilities, and a video of residents at work to show their skills properly.

Gary said: “The idea of a multi-media CV is really good because the person with the disability can take control. Usually recruitment processes aren’t accessible and this prevents people from moving into employment. One of our residents works part time as a cleaner. She has been an awful lot happier since starting the job. When she comes home from a day at work, she can’t stop smiling.”

marcoms@east-thames.co.uk

Our supported schemes are spread throughout east London and Essex and there’s probably one in your neighbourhood.

They do a great job but they can always use a helping hand, so if you’d like to volunteer, please get in touch, we’d love to get you involved. Equally, if you or anyone you know could benefit from the support services we offer, get in touch. We can talk you through how to access support that could make a real difference.

Call 0845 600 0830.

NB: Some names in this article have been changed to protect the identity of the resident.

HOPTIC TO

Support for people with mental health needs One in four people will experience some kind of mental health problem during their life.

Our mental health schemes support residents to find the confidence and skills to build an independent life and to challenge the stigma that can be a barrier to employment.

Colin recently moved out of one of our mental health schemes in Waltham Forest and now lives independently. Colin’s support worker arranged for him to do work experience at premier league football club Tottenham. Colin said: “I’ve been working at Tottenham one day a week since January. I like sport and I’m currently doing my level two coaching qualification so I’d like to look for coaching jobs.

The work experience has made me more confident and I’m really happy to be teaching kids.”

Floating support We also provide a floating support service for vulnerable adults who don’t live in a care scheme. Our support workers visit residents in their homes to help with day to day activities they might find difficult, such as attending medical appointments, applying for benefits and finding a job.

Vince lived for ten years at one of our mental health schemes

Support for women fleeing domestic violence We have two refuges which provide a safe and confidential address for women fleeing domestic violence. The support we provide helps the women gain confidence and live independently while our training officer works with the refuge residents to help them find and access training and employment opportunities.

Anne lives at the refuge with her 15 month old daughter and was recently put forward for

East Thames’ three day training course, Routes to Work. Anne said: “The training course was a fantastic opportunity for me.

They helped me with my CV and interview techniques and now they’re trying to organise a two week work placement in retail for me. Getting a job is really important to me because I want to be able to give my daughter a better life and a secure future. And it would really boost my confidence too.”

in Walthamstow but moved into an East Thames flat earlier this year. He continues to receive support through East Thames floating support officer Emma, who helped Vince come off disability benefits and enrol in the Construct your Career course.

Vince said: “I am very happy with the way I have been looked after. Emma helped me to achieve 100% attendance and the two Construct your Career

tutors also helped me stick it out no matter how hard it got.”

Emma said: “I noticed how much Vince’s confidence has increased over the course resulting in him taking on activities he would never have done before. This shows how successful this course is at not only equipping trainees with the skills they need but building their confidence to fulfil their ambitions too.”

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%

Performance

Quarterly performance: April - June 2011 

We’ve met or exceeded our target



We’re really close to meeting our target



We’ve missed our target and need to improve in this area

THE CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARD WE WANT TO PROVIDE…

 

96.5% of complaints are responded to on time.

35.3% of our residents are satisfied with our complaints process. This is very low so we’ll work with residents who have recently made a complaint, to gather feedback and improve the process.

THE REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE SERVICE WE WANT TO PROVIDE…







of our homes have a valid gas certificate. { 100% 100% of our homes meet the Decent Homes standard.

95.6% of repairs are completed on time. Our target is 97%.

76.3% of residents are satisfied with our repairs services.

COLLECTION OF RENT SERVICE WE WANT TO PROVIDE…



Our rent arrears are at 4.3%.

THE ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR SERVICE WE WANT TO PROVIDE…



98.9% of reported antisocial behaviour cases have been dealt with within timescales.

Find out more about our performance at www.east-thames.co.uk/our-performance

Spotlight on care and support: This quarter we take a look at how well our care and support schemes are doing.

 

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95.7% repairs completed for care and support residents within timescales.

87.2% of all care and support residents moving on successfully according to their individual support plans.

marcoms@east-thames.co.uk

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Home safety

Faulty fridge freezers Asbestos surveys Beko has announced that around 500,000 of its fridge freezers are potentially faulty and could cause a fire. The fault can occur if the defrost timer fails and overheats. Fires involving fridge freezers can develop very quickly and produce a lot of toxic smoke.

If you have a Beko fridge freezer check the serial number, found inside the fridge compartment (see diagram), to find out which year the appliance was manufactured. If your model’s serial number begins with 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 or 06, you should contact Beko immediately on free phone 0800 009 4837 between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday.

Find out more: visit www.beko.co.uk.

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Over the next few months our contractor, ACE PSI, will be out and about across East Thames estates, carrying out asbestos surveys.

For many years asbestos was used as a building material, but was banned in 1999 after it was found to be dangerous when damaged or disturbed. We’re carrying out asbestos surveys because asbestos can still be found in some homes that were built before 1999.

Asbestos consultants, ACE PSI, will inspect the communal areas of our older buildings such as entrance lobbies, service cupboards and loft spaces, to identify and record any asbestos present and

Above: ceiling tiles, an example of possible asbestos danger.

recommend next steps for East Thames to take.

We’ll be letting residents know individually if your home or block is due to be inspected and we’ll let you know the results once our inspections are complete. All surveyors will carry identification with them and you should always check identification before letting someone into your home.

We know that the thought of asbestos can be worrying, but it is only dangerous if disturbed or damaged. For this reason, please contact us before carrying out any DIY or alterations to your home, other than redecoration.

If you have any queries about the asbestos surveys, please contact your neighbourhood manager, or the East Thames asbestos team on 020 8522 2464 or asbestos@east-thames. co.uk.

Find out more about asbestos and fire safety at www.eastthames.co.uk/safety.

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Image courtesy of Beko

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Community programmes

Getting you into work We offer a range of employment and training services helping you to develop new skills or find a job that suits your needs.

Finding the right programme for you Construct your Career is a course giving you a taste of all the onsite construction trades, such as carpentry and plumbing.

Routes to Work is a work experience and business mentoring programme giving you valuable on-thejob experience to help you get full time work.

Workwise is a series of short courses to help you improve your chances of getting a job along with supported job searches and job brokerage.

Community Champions is a volunteering programme centred around projects that will improve your local area.

The programme helps you learn new skills and increases confidence in work situations.

Employment hub is a drop in centre which provides support to Newham residents, matching skills and job aspirations with local vacancies.

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A successful route to work Divya came to the UK with an excellent educational background but found it a real struggle to find a job. Without any experience in an office environment to build on, her confidence in securing work, even voluntary work, was very low.

Divya enrolled on East Thames’ Routes to Work course following a friend’s recommendation. Through the course she completed a number of placements at East Thames which helped her secure a three month temporary contract with our maintenance team. Due to her hard work and enthusiasm the contract has been extended for another three months.

Divya said: “The Routes to Work experience has been fantastic. It has provided the platform and exposure I needed

marcoms@east-thames.co.uk

to experience what it is like to work in an office environment which was a tremendous boost for my confidence and great for my CV. “I can honestly say the Routes to Work course has been a real lifeline for me. The progress I have made in just one year from no job prospects to a series of successful placements is very satisfying. And when the team tell me I am doing a good job I am sure I will get a full time job very soon.”

If you would like to enrol on the Routes to Work course, come along to our registration day on Wednesday 31 August or Monday 17 October. Drop in to our offices at West Ham Lane between 9.30am and 12noon.

Find out more about Routes to Work or any of our other employment and training programmes at www.east-thames.co.uk/ employment-training or talk to our employment and training team today about the service that’s right for you. Call 020 8522 2221 or email ete@east-thames. co.uk.

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Open for business Are you a budding entrepreneur or a small business in Newham in need of support? Then why not come along to explore a new startup business support facility and community café at Eastlea Community School.

The new Eastlea Enterprise Café is holding an open morning on Saturday 17 September for Newham residents interested in starting their own business. Come along and find out about the support, training, networking and office spaces on offer. You can also check out the café facility run by local business, Nutrition for Life Café, which features a business lounge with internet access and meeting areas.

The school will also benefit from a new hospitality and

catering suite with a commercial grade kitchen, teaching area and small restaurant for hospitality and catering students. This facility will later be open for adult classes in nutrition and healthy eating.

Eastlea Community School received £705,000 grant funding from the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC) and East Thames has provided advice and support based on our experience of running our Starting Point facility in Barking and adult training and employment programmes.

Chris Gibson, vice-principal at Eastlea, said: “I encourage the community to come down to our open day and find out more about the fantastic facilities we offer. There’ll be something for everybody with the café serving up some delicious nutritional food that

all the family can enjoy.”

Claudette Tavares, East Thames community programmes manager, said: “Support for small and start-up businesses is essential to help communities grow and enable local people to deliver local services. We’re happy to lend our vast experience in this area to Eastlea and look forward to seeing the facility develop into a home-grown success.”

OPEN DAY WHEN: 10am- 2pm, Saturday 17 September 2011 WHERE: Eastlea Community School Enterprise Café, Pretoria Road, Canning Town E16 4NP

Find out more: Phone Eastlea School on 020 7540 0400.

www.east-thames.co.uk

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£

Money matters

Struggling with debt?

Claiming housing benefit

When money gets tight, it can be tempting to turn to credit cards, loans and high cost finance. Some people will even use a loan shark, often without even realising it.

Loan sharks tend to offer cash loans without paperwork. The problem is that these loans often keep growing even though you’re making repayments and in extreme cases they may threaten you if you can’t pay, or take your benefits or bank card away from you.

If you’ve had this experience, report it to the Illegal Money Lending Team on 0300 555 2222 or reportaloanshark@ stoploansharks.gov.uk. You can also text “loan shark” plus your message to 60003 or visit www.direct.gov.uk/ stoploansharks.

For confidential help, advice and counselling on debt, free of charge, contact the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) on 0800 138 1111 or visit https://debtremedy.

Or contact cccs.co.uk. our welfare benefit and debt advisors.

In order to assess housing benefit claims, your local council needs a lot of information about you and your circumstances so that they can process your request properly.

It’s really important that you provide this information as soon as possible, so that your housing benefits are paid to you without delay. If for any reason you can’t provide the information that your local council needs, you will need to visit your local Housing Service Centre straight away to let them know why you can’t provide the information and when you will be able to get it to them. If you need help with any aspect of you housing benefit claim, please contact our welfare benefit and debt advisors.

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Increased energy prices For many East Thames residents, gas and / or electricity costs are included in your service charge. Each year we contact our energy suppliers to find out how much gas and electricity will cost throughout the year, so that we can include an accurate estimate in your monthly service charges.

This year however, there has been a huge spike in energy costs due to the Middle East uprisings and the Japanese earthquake. The cost of gas has gone up by 70% and the cost of electricity has increased by 20%.

This is a lot more than we had expected when we calculated the service charges for 2011/12.

We will need to make up the difference, so the increased cost of this year’s energy will be reflected in higher service charges next year.

If you have any questions regarding the cost of service charges, please contact Steve Judson on 020 8536 3956 or steven.judson@eastthames.co.uk.

marcoms@east-thames.co.uk

If you have any concerns about debt, welfare benefits, or any of the topics covered here, please contact our welfare benefit and debt advisers, Jo Mitchell and Uyi Abosede on 020 8536 8797 or 020 8536 8803 or email welfarebenefits@east-thames. co.uk.

2012

Olympics countdown... just one year to go The 2012 London Olympic Games are just one year away! As you can imagine, we’re gearing up in preparation for the Games because we’ll be involved in a number of ways – not just building homes, but getting our residents involved too.

New homes Triathlon Homes, the joint venture between East Thames, Southern Housing and First Base, will own 1,379 homes on the Athletes Village. During the Games, these homes will house athletes, but once the athletes move out, we will be back on site to make final changes and give the properties a lick of paint.

By late 2013 the homes will be ready for people to move in.

There’ll be a mixture of tenures and home types to ensure a vibrant community with housing opportunities for a range of people, particularly those from the local area.

Visit www.triathlonhomes. for info. com/contact_us

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in the finals The East Living FC (ELFC) football team are off to a flying start. They won six out of seven games to make it to the Positive Mental Attitude World Mental Health tournament which takes place in October. We’ll update you in the next Streetbystreet on how they got on.

The ELFC team consists of 12

players who are all in mental health supported accommodation. Team captain Jonathan Atkins said: ‘‘Playing football is a great way for me to keep fit and have fun with the others, it takes my mind off of things and I love it when I score, it gives me a rush. We always welcome new players.’’

If you are in supported housing and see yourself as the next David Beckham ask your support worker about joining the team.

Dance football wows young residents Younger residents from the Kingswood Park Estate in Epping showed us what they were made of at a sporting event aimed at reducing antisocial behaviour and promoting a fun friendly environment on the estate.

The younger residents all took part in a fun game of dance football and some five a side games. Neighbourhood manager, Ali Karolia said:

“Getting the kids involved in sport and making them aware of the importance of keeping fit and directing their energy at something productive was a great idea. It was their suggestion because they want to see change and they’ve all turned up and made today a great event.’’

If you are inspired by the Olympics, why not start your own basketball team or five a side football tournament?

Contact your neighbourhood manager or support worker, or visit www.mylondon2012. com/inspireprogramme

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www.east-thames.co.uk

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!

Stop press

A swell year on the Ocean Estate We’ve been celebrating the first year of regeneration on Stepney’s Ocean Estate with a fun packed community day.

Over 400 local residents came along to find out more about the estate’s transformation and to watch the young residents compete in the annual Ocean football tournament.

During the event residents received an update on the building and landscaping works as well as local community programmes.

Residents were able to see how the green spaces around their homes will look once work is complete, find out more about employment and training opportunities and future home

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sales on the estate, and watch a film documenting the impact of the regeneration so far.

The younger generation were also out in force and spent the day checking out the art workshop, storytelling and getting their faces painted.

Under 14s were encouraged to sign up to the Ocean cup football tournament run by Ocean resident and local youth worker Masadur.

Masadur said: “The day went really well and it was a great way to get the community together. We had a really good turn out for the football tournament.

marcoms@east-thames.co.uk

It’s important that as a community we hold events like these once in a while to keep everyone up to speed with what’s going on.”

Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman said: “The regeneration of the Ocean Estate will bring life changing improvements to hundreds of Tower Hamlets families.

“Tackling overcrowding and increasing access to affordable housing are two of my key priorities. That is why I’m pleased to see residents on the Ocean Estate coming together to celebrate the improvements taking place.”

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transformingtheocean.co.uk

Local children kick start the summer holidays with fun day The Sunrise Children’s Centre in Epping Forest held a fun day for children with special education needs and their families in early August.

Over 30 children under five enjoyed fun activities such as singing and dancing sessions organised by Sunrise Children’s Centre staff and specialist educational support groups Accurro and SENCAN.

!

East Thames launches Single Equality Scheme

The Sunrise Children’s Centre provides tailored activities and drop-in sessions for local families whose children are aged under five and have learning support needs. The weekly sessions are designed to develop the children’s language, listening and memory skills, and enhance their imagination.

They also give families the opportunity to interact with each other.

Local resident Karen Bermange said: “The sunrise centre is excellent, especially during the school holidays when we need something to do. It’s good for Issac to meet other children and for me to meet other mums who also have children with special needs – It’s a great service.”

To see the range of weekly activities taking place at the Sunrise Children’s Centre go to: http://www.east-thames. co.uk/sunrise.

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Understanding the needs of our residents is important as it helps us provide a quality service which is fair and free from discrimination. Our new 2011-14 Single Equality Scheme and Action Plan sets out how we will meet our commitment to equality and diversity and has been developed in consultation with residents and customers.

The action plan outlines our key priorities and the activities we will be carrying out in the next few years to ensure equality and diversity at East Thames.

To read the 2011-14 Single Equality Scheme and Action Plan go to: www.east-thames. and click on co.uk corporate publications on the right hand side.

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How you can help If you feel that we are not meeting your equality or diversity needs in any way, or if you have feedback on how we could improve the way our services are provided, we want to hear from you. Contact us on 0845 600 0830.

A day out at the seaside The coffee morning group at Gibson Court in Essex have been busy! Back in April the group raised £600 for local charities through a Royal Wedding fun day. Money was raised by holding a car boot sale, face painting and food stalls. Donations went to Harlow Hospice, a local horse sanctuary and several other local charities.

And in July, the group enjoyed a seaside day trip to Clacton-on-Sea. The group applied for a £300 community chest fund which was used to pay for a fish and chip lunch and a minibus and driver to get them there and back.

www.east-thames.co.uk

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East life

What’s on, when, and where! Your guide to FREE events in east London and Essex.

Coffee morning at Gibson court Join residents at Gibson Court for a coffee, a biscuit and a chat.

Where: Gibson Court (22-48), Bishopsfield, Harlow, CM18 6FF When: 9am – 12noon, Tuesdays More info: contact neighbourhood manager Ali Karolia on 020 8522 2000 or ali.karolia@east-thames.co.uk Landlopers. Or I love Stepney and Stepney loves me John Bunker, a Grand Union Place resident, will be exhibiting at West Ham Lane’s East Gallery. John has a real passion for community art and creates pieces from a mix of materials such as collage and painting.

Where: East Gallery, 29-35 West Ham Lane, Stratford, E15 4PH When: 29 August - 21 October More info: www.east-thames. co.uk/gallery

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Eastlea Enterprise Café opening Come and celebrate the opening of Eastlea School’s community café and business support facility.

Where: Eastlea Community School, Pretoria Road, Canning Town, E16 4NP When: Saturday 17 September 2011 10am- 2pm More info: contact Eastlea School on 020 7540 0400

marcoms@east-thames.co.uk

Housing Options Day Come along to our Home Ownership day and receive all the information and advice you need to get on the property ladder!

Where: 29 – 35 West Ham Lane, E15 4PH When: 10am-4pm, Saturday 17 September More info: Contact the home ownership team on 0845 600 0830 or homeownership@ east-thames.co.uk Residents conference A chance to thank active residents and discuss local offers, the Housing Scrutiny Panel, and our plans for next year. Book now as spaces are limited!

Where: 29-35 West Ham Lane, Stratford, E15 4PH When: afternoon, Wednesday 16 November More info: Contact the resident involvement team on 020 8522 3212 or residentinvolvement team@east-thames.co.uk

Your space

Below: Artwork completed during the recent Express & De-stress art workshops run by Focus E15 resident Rasheed Bashura.

Quick pics

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1. Recent graduates of the Construct Your Career training programme.

2. French Secretary of State for Youth and Community Life, Mrs Jeannette Bougrab visits Focus E15.

3. East Thames’ over 55s celebrate summer.

4. Fardesha Begum with residents artwork at scheme Wakeling Court.

5. Stress busting tips from fitness expert Dr Dilip.

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www.east-thames.co.uk

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( Contacts

HOMES

HOMES

HOMES

LIVING

LIVING

LIVING

Emergencies:

Health:

Local Councils:

Gas & Electric Supplies National Grid (includes Transco): T: 0845 605 6677 W: www.nationalgrid.com/uk

Emergency Services: 999 NHS Direct: T: 0845 4647 W: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

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

If you smell gas call: 0800 111 999 Water Supplies Essex & Suffolk Water Customers: T: 0845 782 0999 W: www.eswater.co.uk Thames Water Customers: T: 0845 9200 800 W: www.thameswater.co.uk Domestic Violence National Helpline: T: 0808 2000 247 W: www.nationaldomestic

violencehelpline.org.uk

Other:

For further information check out your estate noticeboard.

Citizens Advice Bureau W: www.citizensadvice.org.uk Department for Education: T: 0808 100 8000 W: www.education.gov.uk National Centre for Independent Living (for the disabled): T: 020 7587 1663 W: www.ncil.org.uk

Essex: W: www.essex.gov.uk

includes links to all

district councils 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

Newham: T: 020 8430 2000 W: www.newham.gov.uk Redbridge: E: customer.cc@

redbridge.gov.uk T: 020 8554 5000 W: www.redbridge.gov.uk 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

THAMES

THAMES

About us

THAMES

THAMES THAMES

www.east-thames.co.uk

East Thames is a registered social landlord and social regeneration charity, with more LIVING POTENTIAL HOMES than 30 years experience of providing affordable homes. We are the largest housing association operating solely in east London and Essex and are among London’s top 15.

Our mission is ‘to make a EDITION positive and lasting contribution to the neighbourhoods in which we work’.

We develop high qualityLIVING housing, as well as offering a broad range of HOMES POTENTIAL services in care and support, employment and training and community cohesion.

LIVING HOMES

POTENTIAL LIVING

POTENTIAL HOMES

East Homes owns and/or manages more than 13,500 homes and is the largest multi-tenure landlord operating across east London and Essex. We are a resident focused organisation LIVING POTENTIAL LIVING providing low cost rental accommodation and affordable home ownership products.

LIVING

POTENTIAL

POTENTIAL

East Living is POTENTIAL a registered provider of support and accommodation for people with a range of needs including: young and older people, those with disabilities such as mental HOMES FOUNDATION health problems or learning disabilities, women fleeing violence or abuse, and other vulnerable groups. Our wide range of over 80 care and support schemes, including floating support service, are spread throughout east London and Essex and regulated POTENTIAL LIVING FOUNDATION by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

POTENTIAL

POTENTIAL

East Potential is a charity working to give people a chance to succeed. It offers programmes aimed at improving quality of life for people across east London and Essex FOUNDATION – including training and employment opportunities, arts and culture programmes, and sustainable living initiatives. It operates seven children’s centres and provides support, training and accommodation for more than 600 young people through its foyers.

FOUNDATION

HOMES

LIVING

HOMES

LIVING

HOMES HOMES

THAMES

LIVING

POTENTIAL

HOME

POTENTIAL

LIVIN

POTENTIAL

POTEN

LIVING 29-35 West Ham Lane, Address:

Stratford, London E15 4PH POTENTIAL (open Mon-Fri, 8.30am-6pm)

Customer Contact Centre: FOUNDATION 0845 600 0830

(Mon-Fri 8.30am-8.30pm FOUNDATION and Sat 8.30am-12.30pm)

info@east-thames.co.uk Minicom: 020 8522 2006 Fax: 020 8522 2001

Neighbourhood Managers:

nmenquiries@east-homes.co.uk Repairs requests: 0845 600 0830

repairs@east-homes.co.uk

Internet: www.east-thames.co.uk

Calls may be recorded and monitored for training and/or quality purposes. All address and contact details correct at the date of publication.

Streetbystreet is printed on 9livesOffset which is a 100% recycled paper, chlorine free, NAPM certified and FSC certified. It’s born again paper!

FOUN

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