Connections summer 2013 south

YOUR QUARTERLY MAGAZINE FROM FAMILY MOSAIC

SUMMER 2013

COMMUNITY THERE TO HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST q see pages 4 and 5

AFFORDABLE HOMES 3

Nationwide campaign

GOING GLOBAL 8

Dan and Blake's travels

SCRUTINY WORKS 12 Tenant panel's message

2

editorial we can...

news round-up

COMMUNITY

Yes to Homes

What is a community? A simple question but not one that’s easy to answer. It means different things to different people.

You could define community as being you and your neighbours.

But it doesn’t have to be where you live. You might feel you have a shared bond or interest with another group of people.

It could be people you are linked to on Facebook or those you meet at a club or church. It could even be the Family Mosaic community!

My main communities are my family and sports interests.

Why is this question important to us? We want our homes to be places that people want to live in.

And since most people say a sense of community makes a place better, we think it’s crucial.

We need contacts and conversation with other people for our own mental and physical wellbeing. A community is a social network so it offers support when you need it.

We are committed to improving your health and wellbeing with our housing so we believe communities are worth investing in.

inside this issue 4. 5

JUDGING THE STARS

COMMUNITY

11 YOUR SERVICES

WHAT A WASTE!

Why waste good food?

Eat well for much less

FRIENDS NETWORK Official launch for befriending network

Magazine's surprise role for our young Youth Academy volunteers

WHAT IS IT?

FINDING WORK

A bird, a plane? You tell us what you think makes a community

PHOTO CREDIT: C0VER AND EDITORIAL BY PAUL SANDERS

6, 7

REGIONAL NEWS

Local news and events

8, 9

YOUTH ACTION

Get our help to set up a childcare business

10 HOME MOVES

HOMESWAPPERS ROADSHOW One way to escape the bedroom tax

GOING GLOBAL

Follow Blake and Dan's incredible adventures with Raleigh International

COUNTRY LIVING Retire to the seaside!

12 SCRUTINY PANEL

WORKING FOR YOU

Tenant panel reports on services under scrutiny

CONTACTING US CONNECTIONS IS YOUR MAGAZINE

Connections is written for you, to tell you about changes to your services and local news. But we want you to contribute ideas, write articles and send in photos of your community. If you’re interested, contact the editor at charlotte. sexton@familymosaic. co.uk or call Charlotte J020 7089 1140.

We try to help bring communities together in many ways. This issue of Connections features some.

My biggest hope is that our community work creates opportunities for you to reach out to other people. A 10-minute chat with a neighbour or helping an elderly or disabled neighbour with their shopping can make all the difference, for them and us.

We do our best to help communities thrive, but the real power is in your hands.

Brendan Sarsfield Chief Executive

EARN £25

NOISE NUISANCE FOCUS GROUP Have you reported a case of noise nuisance or made a formal complaint about it?

Whether your case is ongoing or closed, why not apply to take part in informal discussions with the independent resident scrutiny panel. See page 12 for more details.

RENT DRAW WINNERS The following tenants have won £250 each following our quarterly draw of all tenants who make sure their rent account stays in credit.

South: Ms Quigley, SE15 Essex: Ms Sheppard, RM16 North/west: Mr Griffiths, N20 East: Mr Ashwood, E5

If you would like to get Connections by email, or would rather not get it at all, please tell us!

In this edition of Connections we celebrate community – what it means to you and what it means to us, and how a good and supportive community can make life better, especially when times get tough

HELP US BACK NHF CAMPAIGN FOR MORE AFFORDABLE HOMES Most of us feel part of the community where we live and want to stay close to the support of friends, family and neighbours.

Housing crisis

But the UK has a housing crisis far too few homes are being built and, with waiting lists soaring across the UK, people are being priced out of their communities.

The national organisation for housing associations, the National Housing Federation, is calling for

action on the crisis. The solution, it says, is building lots more homes for low cost rent or subsidised sale.

But that needs more communities to say Yes to Homes.

We are asking you to support the Yes to Homes campaign by writing to or emailing your local councillors, asking that more homes for low income households be built in your neighbourhood.

Councillors are there to give a voice to communities, so they have to listen to you!

To add your support to Yes to Homes visit www.yestohomes.co.uk

GET SNAPPING THIS SUMMER!





I

Take a photo for us of your community and we’ll give £20 of Amazon vouchers for the best picture. The best three will be printed in the next edition of Connections.

Send your pics to Connections editor charlotte.sexton@ familymosaic.co.uk or post them to Albion House, 20 Queen Elizabeth St, SE1 2RJ Deadline: 15 August 2013

REPORTING REPAIRS… MAKING IT EASIER

SAVE MONEY ON RENT USING ALLPAY MOBILE

From late summer all your calls about repairs will be handled by our customer care line instead of our contractor call centres.

This month we are giving a test run to a new mobile service run by allpay, that adds a 10% loyalty reward to your rent account every time you top-up your allpay mobile.

You won’t have to do anything differently but should find it becomes easier and more efficient.

To report a repair, just dial J0300 123 3456 as usual, followed by option 1. After that, choose option 1 if you're in London, option 2 for Essex.

We also hope you are finding our extended customer care line opening hours helpful.

Call us between 6pm and 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm Saturdays and you should find you spend a lot less time waiting in a queue.

Register for your SIM online and it will be posted to you direct.

You will first need to get a payment reference for your rent account from us to register.

For details or to register visit www. allpaymobile.net or call J020 7108 6263.

f Member benefits include: ●● allpay Mobile members can pay all their rewards into one rent account ●● free calls to allpay Mobile users ●● no need to change mobile or number ●● savings on calls, texts, internet use.

3

all about community Community is a word used a lot these days, by politicians, the media, advertisers, and by us. Communities come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they’re hard to define.

Sometimes it takes difficult times for communities to come together. The 2011 riots are a good example. Communities can be a powerful force for change. Each one of us has an individual voice, but together we have a collective voice and that’s stronger.

4

HEALTH TIPS

Hackney's over-50s are fast off the starting block when it comes to learning about healthy living. Over 40 turned up to a special event for health checks and exercise tips. And we got useful info that will help us to tailor the support we give to all of you wanting a healthier way of living. Our health and wellbeing team is targeting older tenants in parts of London in the first stage of a bigger drive to help boost your health.

FRIENDS NETWORK GETS APRIL LAUNCH Offering your hand in friendship costs nothing and where better to find friends than your local community?

Our volunteer befriending network, set up to tackle loneliness, got its official launch in April.

Smiles all round

It was a great afternoon, with volunteers, customers and staff finding plenty to smile about, and even dance!

Hackney’s Bells Project already enjoys Monday coffee mornings through our befriending network. One resident said: ‘We love getting together once a week to play Bingo and to have a chat. Everybody always enjoys it.’

The befriending programme now covers London and East Sussex. If we find it’s working well for those of you there, we’ll also start it up in other areas.

Find out more or apply to become a volunteer by calling volunteer programme coordinator Toni Rushton on J020 7089 1096 F 07795 644 259 or email toni.rushton@familymosaic.co.uk

It’s people that are there when you need them most. After a stroke I was in hospital for nearly four months. I couldn’t walk or talk. If Christine, Ian and my other good neighbours hadn’t visited me in hospital and encouraged me to do things, I would not be back home and getting on with my life. I can’t thank them enough.’

It brings people together from different cultures.

It is sharing ideas. It’s about creating a better place to live in. Community and making people feel included is important to me, which is why I help out at the Bells Older People’s Project.

Mary, north London

Community is all about people - bringing them together from different estates, cultures and backgrounds into one group that can work together and share a passion. My job is helping people achieve things in their neighbourhood.

It puts a smile on my face seeing people motivated to get out of the house for trips and to learn new skills.

Aurelia, Family Mosaic apprentice

5

Tobi Wilson, social inclusion projects officer

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY? It takes more than one pair of hands to raise a child. With our project, green-fingered parents and youngsters living in flats are enjoying a shared garden and growing vegetables.

We didn’t really know each other before but now we spend a lot of time together, both in and out of the garden, which is great.

Nicole Odi, community champion

It’s a social group of any size that shares common values. It allows us to help and respect each other.

We’re free to socialise, feeling secure and safe.

John, volunteer

My first project was a Jubilee street party, funded

by Family Mosaic. It really brought people together.

I now run French lessons at a local library.

Our community has residents from different backgrounds. It’s good to bring these cultures together to share experiences. We can help each other and I like to share my language skills.

Chiho Sharp, community champion

It means support for the less able by the more able and treating everybody with dignity.

David, volunteer

If you want to get your neighbourhood improved, our community champions project can help. Give Tobi a call on J020 3544 9427 F 07852 259 629 or email tobi.wilson@familymosaic.co.uk

It's all about helping people.

I wanted to use my experience as a counsellor to help women with their relationships, personal development and employment skills. Working on my project makes me feel empowered and I want every woman to feel the same.

Dawn Miller, community champion

It’s a place where you all look out for each other and each other’s children.

You may look different and speak different languages, but you stick together through difficult times.

Volunteer befriender Georgia

Being part of one gives you a wonderful feeling of belonging to something that is always growing. You get involved in something useful, learn new things, and meet new and interesting people.

A ‘community champion’ has a rare gift for bringing others together, to be part of a better life in a friendly, caring society.

Pierre, north London

local news

from south London

GETTING TOUGH ON

TENANCY FRAUD 6

Together with Lambeth Council, we are coming down hard on cases of tenancy fraud in our homes. We are typically finding that some tenants have moved out but, instead of handing back the keys to us, are subletting their home to someone else.

This is wrong. It stops those who most need a home from getting one. If we find a home which is sublet we will take legal

action to recover the property.

Tenants who sublet a property can also be prosecuted.

Lambeth effort

Our efforts to tackle tenancy fraud are being helped by government funding, making it possible for us to work closely with Lambeth Council. Right now we are working with Lambeth Council to identify high-risk properties.

P

eckham’s Queens Road is a shining example of a strong community led by an enthusiastic group of people determined to make good things happen in their neighbourhood.

Our Greening Communities team first met the group at a consultation meeting back in September last year. We went on to help them design and set up a community garden and get official recognition – under the name Parents4kids.

Community Champion Nicole, who chairs the group, says: ‘It was hard at first to get the project up and running and to get people to contribute, but we are all strong minded people so I think we will now go from strength to strength.’

If you suspect that tenancy fraud is happening in a property near you, call our customer care line on q0300 123 3456, press option 2, or call the Lambeth Fraud Hotline q020 7926 1111.

PARKSIDE Cllr Situ does the honours

The garden wasn’t there just to look pretty. Parents4kids wanted to grow food. So that meant first making sure young and older tenants had the right skills.

Learning curve

They went on cooking and gardening workshops organised by the Greening Communities team, and picked up tips on a trip to Brogdale Farm in Kent, home of the national fruit collection.

Parents4Kidz have also taken their community building role seriously. With a little help from us they have organised trips to the theatre, gone bowling and in May

celebrated the latest additions to the community garden a pergola and seated area.

Local councillor Michael Situ turned up to present members of the group with certificates for all their hard work.

‘It was a pleasure to attend the Queens Road Community Garden,’ he wrote to us after the event.

‘Initiatives like this which are led by residents go a long way to improving the environment and building social cohesion within our community.

‘I want to thank all residents who took part and Family Mosaic for facilitating the project.’

ICING QUEEN

7

Tenant Staci Ellis made this extraordinary cake for the event, complete with tiny carrots and cabbages.

Her talents didn’t go unnoticed and we’re now helping her set up her own cake decorating business.

d

Home-grown, healthy foo

abraxb

with cake

If you haven’t yet got your pack, call our customer care line on q0300 123 3456 and ask for a brochure. Or register on the Hertz On Demand website, www.hertzondemand.co.uk, or call its customer care centre on q020 7365 4198 quoting promotion code 1259 to make sure you get free membership.

Family Mosaic would like it made clear that Mosaic, a company now at the centre of allegations over failing care standards, is not part of our organisation and operates in a totally different part of the UK.

GARDENING’S THE GLUE FOR THIS COMMUNITY!

The icing on the cake: amazing garden themed cake made by Queens Road resident Staci Ellis.

CAR CLUB

Our Parkside development sees the launch this month of its own car club, with partners Hertz on Demand. A car club is a convenient and cost effective way to use a car in London. All Parkside residents should now have information packs sent by post or given out at the launch event.

THE NEIGHBOURS WHO DIG TOGETHER STICK TOGETHER

Child-friendly: garden gets a smile of approval from Queens Road’s youngest

YOUTH FORUM IS JUDGE AND JURY TO STARS

finding work

GOING GLOBAL ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME

Our Youth Academy's youth forum earlier this year formed part of a judging panel for a competition run by Inside Housing, the UK's leading magazine on housing matters

DO YOU HAVE A PASSION FOR WORKING WITH CHILDREN?

Youth forum members teamed up with our football academy to help judge the magazine's Rising Stars competition.

Two of our young people set off for the adventure of a lifetime with Raleigh International in February, leaving Essex for two very different locations. Dan Brenland travelled to Borneo while Blake Thomas headed south to Tanzania. Time to catch up with the boys!

Dan and Blake recently returned home after 10-weeks overseas with Raleigh International.

A chance to see the rainforest and try scuba diving had ticked Dan's box, while Blake was keen to see the east African wildlife.

Now back in Essex they are looking for work that will hopefully use their new experience and skills.

Both say they would very much

Proper grilling

Those competing for the top prize had to persuade our panel that they had the best ideas for promoting a career in housing to school leavers.

Our panel took the job seriously, asking tough questions on their presentations and ideas. Nadir Abdullah, 16, questioned one

recommend Raleigh International to other young people wanting adventure, and with a genuine desire to help others.

presenter's focus on social media.

Not everyone can afford to have internet access, he pointed out.

Our judging panel were themselves judged highly, with the finalists they quizzed saying the questions asked had got them thinking and raised new issues.

Inside Housing approached our Youth Academy to help judge their Rising Stars finalists after our academy won the Tenant Participation Advisory Service national award for Excellence in Youth Involvement last year.

Mission objectives

But their journeys also had purpose. Adventure was one aim.

Numbers two and three were learning about community and the environment. And before so much as packing a hankie, they had to raise funds for their adventures.

In Borneo, Dan helped build a kindergarten for the children of one village, while Blake helped build brick stoves to make cooking easier for people in Tanzania.

The first shock for both had been the extreme heat getting off the plane. They also noticed cultural differences to life in the UK. For Blake what stood out was school discipline and how people looked after their animals. He also noticed that, even with very few resources, people seemed happy.

'As we walked past people's houses they would come out with food for us,' Blake said. ‘It really made me appreciate what I have and I was just really happy that I could help the community by building something sustainable.'

Both boys were overwhelmed by the welcome they were given by the communities they visited.

PHOTO CREDIT : JONATHAN GOLDBERG

8

youth action

Olawale, right, and editor Stuart

Miriam prepares her questions

CASH HELP TO KEEP THE KIDS BUSY Do you have a child aged 5 to 15?

You could be in with a chance of up to £200 to help keep your children happy and busy this summer

Happy days: Blake, above, brickmaking in Tanzania and Dan in Borneo

Our Youth Academy is offering a one-off grant of up to £200 for one child (max £400 per household) to help cover the cost of holiday activities. You can choose the activity. It could be sports or a trip to the theatre, for example. We can't pay for every child so you'll get priority if you work or are in education or training.

We will want feedback so you will be asked to take part in a phone survey in September. And whoever runs the activity has to sign up to our scheme.

To apply email reg. amoah@familymosaic. co.uk or call/ text F 07931 551 647 giving your full name, address and postcode, a number to call you on and/or your email address

If you'd like to start your own childcare business, we want to support you. Maybe you want to run a crèche, be a childminder or offer day care? If you don't have experience or a qualification, don’t let it put you off. We can help you to get relevant training for working with children and managing your own business.

UNEMPLOYED OR LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB? WE CAN HELP! In just 12 months up to March 2013 we helped 301 people find a job! This year we have even more staff and resources to help you find the right type of work.

We can offer you: ●● motivational one-to-one coaching linked to realistic employment targets ●● guidance and support to create and complete a CV, cover letters and job application forms ●● work placements, work shadowing and mock interviews ●● access to free accredited and non-accredited training ●● apprenticeship opportunities ●● in work support.

If you are interested in working with children or want help finding a job call the employment team on J020 7089 1345 or email employmentteam@ familymosaic.co.uk

9

home moves

10

your services

FIRST HOMESWAP ROADSHOW TARGETS BEDROOM TAX FEARS

SHORT SUPPLY OF AVAILABLE HOMES: SO WHO COMES FIRST IN THE QUEUE?

You want to move home, but worry about long waiting lists or being hit by the bedroom tax? Why not find a homeswap with someone else in the same position?

We don't have an endless supply of homes so, when one comes up for letting, we work out carefully who needs that type of home most.

We give people on our transfer list a band (A, B or C) matching their level of need. In April we began putting labels on property adverts to show which bands will get priority for each home.

We have also given ourselves a target of letting 160 Family Mosaic homes that come up for letting to people who are already our tenants, and need to move.

These are our targets: Band A: 65% of the 160 homes

We recently held our first homeswapping event for Islington and Hackney tenants who've been hit by the bedroom tax.

Team effort

Together with Southern Housing Group and Circle 33, we offered practical help and advice on finding a suitable swap.

There were more than 60 homes advertised at the event, with some suitable for tenants looking for a smaller home to avoid having to pay the bedroom tax.

We may hold events like this in other boroughs so, wherever you live, if you are overcrowded or are now having to pay the bedroom tax, please contact us.

To find out more about homeswap roadshows and the different ways to move home, email us at Londonhousingoptions@ familymosaic.co.uk or call J0300 123 3456 Rthen option 2.

WHERE ELSE TO FIND A HOUSE MOVE...

e www.homeswappers.co.uk e www.housingmoves.co.uk

Do you dream of escaping city life?

You can find out more about Seaside & Country Homes, and apply, online at www.housingmoves.org

Band B: 25% of the 160 homes Band C: 10% of the 160 homes

On our website you'll find twice yearly updates showing how well we are meeting these targets.

The Seaside & Country Homes (S&CH) scheme offers council and housing association tenants living in London a chance to move to a new home, in the country or by the sea.

If by moving you'll be giving up a large London home, you'll get priority for a S&CH home.

S&CH works with housing associations in Cornwall, Shropshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire.

They own about 3,200 bungalows and flats.

If you are offered a place that you want to move into, you will have to sign a new tenancy agreement with the housing association that owns it. Your new responsibilities may include looking after gardens and grounds, as well as the inside of the property.

Bear this in mind before accepting an offer.

CALL THE CUSTOMER CARE LINE

JUST DIAL ✆ 0300 123 3456 » THEN PRESS 2 OPEN 8AM-8PM ● MONDAY TO FRIDAY AND SATURDAY MORNING 9AM-1PM

&

SAVE FOOD SAVE MONEY

The charity Love Food Hate Waste claims that we're throwing away more than 7 million tonnes of food and beverages each year. And most of it was still good enough to eat or drink Love Food Hate Waste says a lot of food is being wasted because of confusion over best before and use by dates.

According to the government's Food Standards Agency, the best before date refers to taste, texture and appearance. It is there to remind shops that they should start getting in fresh stock.

What it isn't is a signal to us that we should throw it in the bin.

YOU SAID... it isn't clear what

we mean by a fire hazard in a communal area

WE LISTENED and... added to

sign up packs for new residents a fire evacuation and safety guide and communal disposal procedure.

We hope it's now clear what can cause a fire hazard indoors.

YOU SAID... before we force

entry in the case of an emergency, you wanted more notice

WE LISTENED and… we will only

What to look for

Look out for the use by date because that is more important.

The use by date is calculated by food manufacturers and lets us know when any harmful bacteria might start to grow. But it doesn't always mean eat by. And by freezing some products you can extend their life.

YOU SAID AND WE LISTENED: SHAPING UP OUR SERVICES

Risky: eggs past their best The only thing you shouldn't eat after the best before date is eggs because there is a risk that they will contain salmonella.

Some organisations are trying to cut food waste by selling products online that are coming up to – or even past – their best before date.

Both these companies deliver straight to your front door.

APPROVED FOOD R www.approvedfood.co.uk

Sells short dated and leftover stock and says it could cut more than 70% off your grocery shop. It sells lots of major brands. Anything with branding taken off is normally from one of the big supermarkets.

FOOD BARGAINS Rwww.foodbargains.co.uk

Specialises in full date, clearance, short dated and out of date food and drink, at what it says are the lowest prices on the internet.

force immediate access without your consent if there is a very serious threat to someone's safety or property. We'll first make every possible attempt to contact you, using details on our tenancy file. We will change the lock and tell you where to pick up the keys.

YOU SAID.. it was unclear what

Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act says about consulting leaseholders on major repairs

WE LISTENED and... have given

housing staff detailed training on leasehold. We also now have a leasehold specialist in our housing management teams.

YOU SAID... you weren’t sure how

a starter tenancy became 'assured' after the 12-month probation

WE LISTENED and… make sure

starter tenancies are now recorded, reviewed at 10 months and we tell you if your tenancy is going to be converted or probation extended.

11

MESSAGE FROM THE INDEPENDENT RESIDENT SCRUTINY PANEL

SCRUTINY WORKING FOR YOU

12

We have identified a number of areas of Family Mosaic’s service that we plan to study in-depth over the year.

Among them are the way staff handle our complaints about noise nuisance and, more broadly, their procedure for responding to and investigating complaints.

If you have reported noise nuisance or made a formal noise nuisance complaint, even if it has been dealt with or your case is closed, we’d like to hear from you. If you'd be happy for us to interview you or want to take part in an informal discussion group let us know.

FIRST REPORT TO THE BOARD LEADS TO RAPID IMPROVEMENTS Our first full report, following our scrutiny of the customer care line, was accepted by Family Mosaic's board late in 2012.

We are monitoring Family Mosaic’s progress in putting into practice the recommendations.

Call centre: longer opening hours

We have already seen one improvement resulting from our report to the board, with the customer care line opening hours extended by 16 hours a week.

The customer care line is now staying open until 8pm on weekdays and now also offers a weekend service.

We have held monthly general meetings this year during which we reviewed, updated and agreed new terms of reference and a code of conduct. We have discussed recruiting new panel members and communications with Family Mosaic.

PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY COUNTRYWIDE PUBLICATIONS ON PAPER FROM SUSTAINABLE SOURCES ✆ 01502 725 832 SUBEDITED & DESIGNED BY the thompsons ✆ 01732 750 433

JOIN US TO HELP IMPROVE FAMILY MOSAIC SERVICES We will be recruiting new members over the coming months. If you’re keen to improve Family Mosaic’s services by helping us to scrutinise and inspect its work, we’d like to hear from you!

We meet about twice a month.

Membership is voluntary and unpaid although your travel, the cost of registered child care and any broadband expenses you incur are paid.

Staying in touch with us General needs housing or leasehold enquiries: Customer care line q0300 123 3456, option CustomerCareLine@ familymosaic.co.uk Open from 8am to 8pm weekdays 9am to 12pm Saturday mornings Report repairs 24 hours a day online at www.familymosaic.co.uk or q0300 123 3456, option If you live in London press 1 If you live in Essex press 2 Head office Albion House, 20 Queen Elizabeth St, SE1 2RJ q020 7089 1000 www.familymosaic.co.uk Essex office Pembroke House, Northlands Pavement, Pitsea SS13 3DU q01268 498 500 Care and support London q020 7089 1000 Essex q01268 498 500 Welfare rights officers To speak to a welfare rights officer call the customer care line on q0300 123 3456, option or call the adviser for your area: north and west London q020 7089 1323 south and east London q020 7089 1187 Hackney and Essex q01268 498 563 Employment team (formerly Pathways2work) q020 7089 1345

APPRENTICESHIPS! JOB OPPORTUNITIES! CONSTRUCTION

All London boroughs, 16-24 year olds

HOSPITALITY

All London boroughs, all ages!

SECURITY JOBS

All London boroughs, all ages

If you 'd like to be considered for the scrutiny panel or to volunteer to take part in a noise nuisance focus group, please email your details to resident.scrutiny@familymosaic.co.uk or call us direct on q020 3544 9409.

BUSINESS AND ADMINISTRATION All ages!

Contact us urgently q 020 7089 1252 employment team@familymosaic.co.uk