Your GREAT Neighbourhood Charter Crowhill
Your GREAT Neighbourhood Charter
At New Charter we would like all our neighbourhoods to be great places to live. We would like them to look great, have great services, feel safe and be a place for both work and recreation.
for three years and will be reviewed annually with residents to assess our progress.
It identifies the main issues that affect your neighbourhood and what needs to be done; both by us and our partner organisations to To create great communities we address them. We want to focus all would like everyone to work our efforts on making sure you have together to decide how their local neighbourhood should develop and a great place to live so we will be working just as hard with a range of grow in the future and to improve other organisations on some of the on the services they don’t like and wider issues such as employment maintain those that they do. and crime. To make sure this happens we Remember, you are the experts in have produced a neighbourhood what it’s like to live in your plan for each of New Charter’s 32 newly defined neighbourhoods and neighbourhood and you will be our most important partner of all. this one is yours. The plan will run 02
You are the experts in what it’s like to live in your neighbourhood and you will be our most important partner of all.
GREAT place to live... Crowhill neighbourhood is situated in the Waterloo area of Ashton; also known to local residents as the Moss. It is a consistently high demand area consisting of a mix of properties ranging from one bedroomed flats and bungalows to four bedroomed houses built in the 1950s. It has recently benefited from a selection of new build properties; homes built to “green” energy efficient standards.The neighbourhood is also home to Somerset House; an eleven bedroomed sheltered scheme for people of all ages with varying degrees of learning difficulties.The scheme benefits from 24 hour support provided in partnership with Creative Support and Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. Somerset House is currently in the process of developing a residents group which will be a first of its kind in the country. There are plenty of green spaces which enhance the area and Crowhill is also conveniently placed for Daisy Nook and Park Bridge Country Parks. The area further benefits from a good supply of local shops with large retail supermarkets and stores only minutes away. Ashton town centre,
Ashton Moss Outlet Park, the main bus terminal, train station and new Metrolink station currently under construction; which will link Ashton to Manchester in minutes are also positioned close by. To the south of the neighbourhood there is a large community playing field which is also home to Curzon Ashton Football Club, Richmond Harriers Running Club and a cycle club with its own cycle track offering popular cycle schemes to local people and a supply of adult exercise equipment for public use; Ashton Cricket Club is also situated nearby. The neighbourhood has two local junior schools, Waterloo Primary and Canon Burrows where the majority of the neighbourhood children attend. Links with the schools are good and New Charter work closely with them in promoting health, education and sports events.The neighbourhood also benefits from the Waterloo Children’s Centre which provides a complete service to children and families in the area and the nearby community centre which is also home to Waterloo Bowling Club. A multi-use games pitch and various town services such as Police and councillor surgeries and other essential outreach work are also based here. There is a proactive agenda in relation to nuisance and crime between the Police, New Charter and other partners; the Neighbourhood Beat Manager is a regular face in the area and with the three Support Officers, assists with controlling traffic congestion at the schools, delivering talks to the students on safety issues and holding monthly meetings at the Waterloo Community Centre. 03
Down your street Here is a map and a list of streets included in your neighbourhood to give you an idea of exactly where your plan covers.
Waterloo & Lordsfield
Smallshaw and Broadoak
Hazelhurst
Crowhill Hillgate, Hilton & Ladbroke
Does your neighbourhood have star quality? We have identified a range of indicators that tell us overall how great your neighbourhood is. These indicators are designed to tell us how much support we need to give a neighbourhood and what specific areas seem to be causing the most problems so that we can target services and resources to improve them. 04
We are using a simple rating of 5, 4 or 3 stars; 5 stars being the best rating, so you can see easily how individual sections within your neighbourhood are performing. Each individual indicator we have used has its own star rating which when combined together produce an overall star rating for your neighbourhood.
The indicators range from the time taken to relet houses to employment and education. You can see them all below with an explanation of what the ratings mean for your neighbourhood.
Ambleside Avenue
Earnshaw Close
Lakeside Avenue
Borrowdale Crescent
Ennerdale Grove
Loweswater Close
Bowness Road
Furness Avenue
Patterdale Avenue
Buttermere Road
Grasmere Grove
Patterdale Road
Cartmel Close
Howard Street
Penrith Avenue
Coniston Grove
Kendal Avenue
Richmond Street
Crowhill Road
Keswick Avenue
Rydal Grove
Derwent Avenue
Knowle Avenue
Scafell Avenue
Somerset House, Taunton Place Taunton Place Taunton Road Thirlmere Avenue Ullswater Avenue Windermere Crescent
% of current rent arrears
Average number of repairs
The neighbourhood has some areas where rent arrears are a problem which means some households may be experiencing money management issues and could be at risk of losing their homes. It also indicates some households may need additional support.
The average cost of repairs per property is significant and indicates that many properties have issues in terms of maintenance costs and the need to regularly replace components. Property damage is also an issue within the neighbourhood.
Average time to relet a property The time it takes to relet a property across the neighbourhood is generally satisfactory but there is room for improvement. Some properties take longer to let indicating that some properties are not as popular as others and it can also take some time for people to be able to move into their new homes.
Tenancy turnover This shows that on average people who move into the neighbourhood tend to stay in their homes for a relatively long period of time.This indicates that people are happy living in the neighbourhood and it is a place they want to stay.
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% of live antisocial behaviour cases The neighbourhood experiences some antisocial behaviour or neighbour nuisance cases.This indicates that while the majority of New Charter residents treat each other with respect there are some incidents that occur that have a negative impact on people’s ability to feel secure in their homes.
The neighbourhood has significant problems with employment levels compared with similar neighbourhoods in Tameside.This indicates that many people in the neighbourhood are having difficulty accessing the jobs market and a significant number may not be well qualified for the jobs that are available.
Neighbourhood satisfaction
Education and skills
People’s general satisfaction with the neighbourhood as a place to live is good but there are some factors that spoil their experience and affect their enjoyment of the area.
There are some issues with the level of educational attainment and skills in the neighbourhood. This also indicates that it may not be easy to access the training people may need to help them gain employment or develop their existing career prospects.
Crime People in the neighbourhood experience significant levels of crime and vandalism in relation to other neighbourhoods in Tameside.Whilst levels of crime could not be described as high people do not feel as safe and secure as they should living in and walking around some parts of the neighbourhood. Health The neighbourhood has some issues with people’s health and disability levels compared with similar neighbourhoods in Tameside.This could indicate that more people than usual may have mobility problems of one sort or another, need some long term medical support in their homes and perhaps feel quite isolated.
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Employment
Household income The neighbourhood has some problems with family income levels compared with similar neighbourhoods in Tameside.This indicates that some families may suffer the effects of deprivation and have difficulty in making ends meet. Access to services People in the neighbourhood have access to some shops and services from near to their homes.This indicates that it can be difficult to shop for more than essentials or access a good range of advice or support, in or close to the neighbourhood itself.
Neighbourhood overall star rating Overall the neighbourhood is a good place to live but it does experience some problems that affect people’s quality of life on a day to day basis.The main aim for this neighbourhood is to identify the right activities, services and initiatives that will help address the specific issues that stop it being as good a place to live as it could be. 07
Local knowledge: Auditing your neighbourhood While the indicators show us useful trends and point us in the right direction we need more local knowledge to identify some of the specific issues we need to address. To gather this information we have conducted a neighbourhood audit asking the people who live and work here to identify what they think the issues were.
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What our Neighbourhood team told us There are some neighbour nuisance issues in the neighbourhood mainly around noise and inconsiderate behaviour.There are also hotspots in the neighbourhood where youths congregate in communal areas, mainly around the shops and some blocks of flats with related problems of underage drinking, potential drug abuse and vandalism and some specific issues with dogs in flats which is a breach of tenancy conditions. The frequency at which people move in and out of the neighbourhood is low and most properties are easy to let, although there are some problems with the letting of some flats in the neighbourhood which suffer from damp issues. These problems have a disproportionate effect on lettings figures when demand to live in the neighbourhood is actually quite good. The appearance of the neighbourhood is relatively good but it does have some problems which have a negative impact.These mainly relate to a number of smaller corner plots of green space which are overgrown.There is also a larger piece of landlocked land which is overgrown and attracts fly tipping as well as a poorly maintained garage site. More generally there is a problem with the condition and appearance of fencing in a number of parts of the neighbourhood. Parking is a problem in some parts of the neighbourhood mainly due to lack of designated parking areas.
There are some property issues in relation to the condition of some roofs, a number of gardens being waterlogged and inadequate refuse stores at some of the blocks of flats. It is felt there is a lack of opportunities to obtain regular feedback from residents across the entire neighbourhood which would really help the Neighbourhood team identify priorities.
There is overall a lack of facilities for community activities and advice services in the neighbourhood as well as a lack of children’s play areas, although there are some youth activities at the Richmond Running Club building.
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What you told us On average the people we spoke to rate the neighbourhood 8 out of 10 as a place to live. So while people are positive about the area there are still some quality of life issues that people think need to be addressed. Some of the best features people identified about living in the neighbourhood were; it is peaceful, quiet with a friendly feeling, good neighbours and close to the town centre with good access to local shops. The issues that people identified in the neighbourhood were; lack of parking and parking problems, the level of dog fouling and litter, youths congregating in some areas and not surprisingly nothing for children and young people to do. People raised specific issues with us about: A lack of a youth club for older children Lack of play facilities for younger children The need for a mum and toddlers group Lack of a mobile library No access to a cash machine Infrequent refuse service Lack of police patrols The need for a local community centre Lack of designated parking areas Lack of pre-tenancy checks from private landlords The need for a doctors surgery with a walk in service
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More broadly people saw lack of access to employment support, adult education and drop in advice services particularly on benefits; as issues which had a direct impact on the neighbourhood. Poor community facilities and community consultation were also widely identified as problems with access to computers identified as an issue by 52% of those customers surveyed.
• Some of the best features people identified about living in the neighbourhood were; it is peaceful, quiet with a friendly feeling, good neighbours and close to the town centre with good access to local shops. 11
What other organisations told us There are some health inequality issues in the neighbourhood compared with the rest of Tameside particularly in terms of higher mortality and disability rates with particular links to coronary health and sedentary lifestyles.There is also a particular issue with underage drinking. Provision of the right kind of services for young families and children is a particular area of focus. Crime is an issue within the neighbourhood particularly in relation to low level antisocial behaviour partly from youths and there have also been some issues with vandalism and occasional vehicle related crime. It is important not to overstate the seriousness and frequency of crime in the neighbourhood. Access to employment, training and poor educational attainment are barriers for residents in the neighbourhood and have a particularly significant effect on young adults; with a number of agencies identifying poor links to employers, training providers and poor preparatory support. A variety of agencies think that young people in the neighbourhood suffer more generally in terms of access to a range of facilities as well as a lack of personal development opportunities. It was also felt that more work in these areas would have a positive effect on youth related antisocial behaviour.
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There is a general lack of play facilities for younger children as well as early years provision and more general support for young families. Household income is an issue for some families with agencies identifying problems with benefit dependency. Agencies thought there could also be problems for residents in terms of loss of income as part of the Government’s welfare reform and an increase in debt issues. There are also thought to be differences in levels of access to advice and support services across the neighbourhood particularly in terms of those who find it more difficult to access the town centre due to the lack of venues for drop in advice sessions.
What we saw together: Graffiti on a number of lamp posts Unkempt area at the side of the footpath from Thirlmere Avenue Poor condition of privet hedging Some caravans in poor condition parked on the drives of private properties which look unsightly People parking on green spaces and damaging communal areas
Many refuse bins on view due to lack of storage. The new communal refuse bin stores have helped significantly Potholes in some roads Poor condition of the fencing at some privately owned properties On street parking can block pavements on some streets
One boarded up privately owned property
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What do we need to do to make this a greater place? The aim of this section is to identify the activities needed to improve the quality of life in the neighbourhood based on what we have established and what you have told us. It’s effectively an action plan which shows what needs to be done in more detail.
Neighbourhood and community management
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What?
Why?
When?
Target low level nuisance activity and youth congregation with increased staff presence enhanced by CCTV surveillance in doorways and shared areas in identified flats.
To reduce the incidence of antisocial behaviour (ASB) in the neighbourhood and reduce property turnover in affected areas.
December 2013
Work with the Police and the Community Safety team on target hardening, surveillance of youth related nuisance in communal areas and develop a more general policing plan targeting more drug abuse, vehicle crime, vandalism and underage drinking.
To reduce levels of vandalism and increase feelings of security for customers who feel vulnerable to crime. Development of a long term crime prevention strategy will ensure a consistent policing approach.
December 2013
With input from the existing group develop a neighbourhood wide Home Watch group supported by New Charter.
Increasing the level of surveillance in the neighbourhood will increase the feeling of security and empowerment against crime.
June 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Work with New Charter’s Regeneration, CleanCare and Green Charter teams, Community Payback and the local community to transform enclosed and overgrown open spaces into wild flower meadows or other identified initiatives.
To improve neighbourhood appearance and provide interesting spaces for families and children to explore.
March 2015
Review the current facilities and activities for young people withTameside Metropolitan Borough Council (TMBC) and assess the need for additional general community facilities, activities and services.
To identify whether a broader range of services are needed to improve the quality of life of young people and that of the community more generally.
July 2014
Undertake an audit to identify potential community venues and look at the feasibility of providing more space for community activities.
To ensure the neighbourhood has sufficient venues to host community activities and drop in services.
March 2014
Work in partnership with TMBCYouth Services and New Charter’sYouth team to develop more diversionary activities with young people.
To reduce the level of antisocial behaviour from youths by providing positive activities and by linking youths with other services.
August 2013
CleanCare to increase the targeting of litter and removal of graffiti in identified areas.
To improve the appearance of specific areas experiencing problems with litter and graffiti.
November 2013
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What?
Why?
When?
Undertake a joint review of childcare and early years provision with TMBC teams.
To improve the quality of children’s support services in the neighbourhood and increase households ability to work full or part-time.
September 2014
Work with partners to increase signposting of customers to health advice and services. In addition work with the Primary Care Trust to look at the provision of health visitor services to young families. Increasing links to mental health services is also important as is education in schools regarding underage drinking.
To improve the health of resident’s in the neighbourhood and the support they receive.
June 2014
Establish a strategy to consistently signpost and refer customers and their families to training, employment and income advice services.Work with New Charter Great Opportunities programme and other partners to develop training options for young people in particular.
To increase customer opportunity of gaining employment and maximising income.
September 2013
Undertake a review of the provision of cash points with local shops and banks.
To identify ways to improve access to cash locally.
October 2014
Work with TMBC with regards to maintenance issues around roads and grass verges.
To improve the appearance of the neighbourhood.
November 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Increase the activities ofTMBC environmental patrollers targeting dog fouling.
To reduce the level of dog fouling in the neighbourhood.
June 2013
Green Charter and CleanCare teams to work together with TMBC where relevant on green, open and communal spaces.
To improve the appearance of unused green spaces in the neighbourhood and develop complementary working with TMBC.
June 2014
Work with relevant organisations and stakeholders on the initiatives identified in their plans that will help the neighbourhood.
To improve services and maximise the input into the neighbourhood from other service providers.
March 2014
Focus additional resources on overgrown shrubs and hedges.
To improve the appearance of the streets and reduce the inconvenience posed by overgrown shrubs and hedges in some areas.
July 2013
Work with TMBC to provide alley gating to identified streets.
To reduce the level of youth congregation, noise and disturbance and improve security in affected areas.
March 2015
Work with TMBC and private landlords on increased pre-tenancy checks in private rented property.
To reduce the level of antisocial behaviour in the area and improve community stability.
January 2015
Develop guidelines for storage of caravans in the area for all residents linked to enforcement action if guidelines are breached.
To improve neighbourhood appearance by reducing the number of caravans of poor appearance and those parked in view in the neighbourhood.
May 2013
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Tenancy
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What?
Why?
When?
Increase tenancy and neighbourhood enforcement on activities that affect quality of life e.g. noise nuisance, garden maintenance and pet ownership.
To improve the quality of life for the majority of our residents as well as identifying and reducing unacceptable conduct.
July 2013
Set up a gardening tool hire service and a gardening club for all residents in the area.
To increase access to advice and equipment to maintain gardens.
July 2013
Continue to deliver the Key toYour Door programme for customers under 35 in terms of ensuring their readiness for a tenancy and to identify any support required.
To reduce the potential for lifestyle clashes and unsuccessful conduct of tenancy.
January 2013
Visit older and vulnerable customers annually to assess any support or adaptations needs.
To maintain the quality of life and independent living for older customers.
September 2013
Make targeted calls and visits to customers in rent arrears to address the arrears and signpost to appropriate advice services.
To reduce arrears in the neighbourhood and therefore reduce the number of customers whose home is at risk due to debt issues.
April 2013
Signpost and refer customers who may benefit from the help of New Charter’s Welfare Benefits Advice team.
To reduce the number of evictions for non-payment of rent and provide more help and advice on managing finances.
January 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Hold regular housing surgeries within the neighbourhood.
To make it easier and quicker for customers to access services and ensure neighbourhood issues are dealt with promptly.
October 2013
Neighbourhood team to carry out quarterly neighbourhood inspections (open to residents).
To provide regular monitoring of street level appearance and visible issues.
March 2013
Target customers who may be affected by welfare reform and provide advice and support.
To increase awareness of potential issues and help reduce debt and/or financial problems caused by welfare reform.
March 2013
We aim to... To reduce arrears in the neighbourhood and therefore reduce the number of customers whose home is at risk due to debt issues.
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Home
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What?
Why?
When?
Develop an improvement programme for refuse bin storage at identified blocks of flats.
To improve the area appearance and residents quality of life.
October 2014
Implement the improvement programme to improve overgrown garage sites.
To enhance the appearance of the neighbourhood, reduce fly tipping and improve parking availability.
May 2013
Undertake a review of local play facilities provision in consultation with residents.
To ensure children have well placed safe places to play.
October 2013
Review the feasibility of providing more communal refuse bin storage to houses.
To reduce the number of refuse bins left on the streets and improve the appearance of the neighbourhood.
October 2014
Review the need for a further improvement programme and assess if any further work is needed on fencing or boundaries in the neighbourhood with an additional emphasis on the condition of gates and fence doors.
To improve neighbourhood appearance and Identify any additional work needed.
March 2014
Explore the feasibility of developing the open land to the south of the neighbourhood into a football pitch or play area working with Tameside Sports Trust.
To reduce low level nuisance from children’s games in the street and improve sports facilities for children.
March 2014
Review the damp issues in identified flats and develop a programme to address these issues.
To improve the condition of the properties, increase customer’s quality of life and reduce turnover.
March 2015
What?
Why?
When?
Explore the feasibility of converting the flats situated above the shops into a community facility.
To provide a local community meeting place and activity centre for residents.
September 2014
Review the parking availability for customers in identified streets working closely with TMBC.This may include converting some green areas into parking.
To identify any additional parking spaces and potential the options where additional provision is required.
March 2014
Review the number of repairs issues in the neighbourhood.
To identify if there are any underlying issues in term of buildings, components, design or usage that need to be addressed.
April 2013
Improve roofs of identified properties.
To improve property condition and quality of life for New Charter customers.
December 2014
Review possible options for improving condition of waterlogged gardens.
To allow residents to more fully utilise and more easily maintain their gardens.
October 2013
To ensure children have well placed safe places to play. 21
Involvement and empowerment
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What?
Why?
When?
Develop a regular tenants and residents forum.
To obtain detailed feedback from residents specifically on service and wider neighbourhood issues.
April 2013
Ask interested customers to be street representatives whose role will be to report any issues they or other residents are concerned about in their street or the wider neighbourhood.The Neighbourhood team will contact the street representatives once a quarter to check progress and provide support.
This will provide a way for customers to report any issues to staff and to have them addressed promptly. This will also help improve the day to day service.
April 2013
Develop customer inspections on key customer identified issues.
Encourages customer led monitoring of issues by getting the ‘customer eye’ view.
May 2013
Develop a focus group or coffee morning with older residents.
To identify specific issues that affect older people in the neighbourhood and develop social networks for older residents.
May 2013
Hold regular youth focus groups and forums.
To help to identify and develop better youth services and support.
August 2013
Set up a neighbourhood facebook page.
To encourage a different type of dialogue between residents with each other and with New Charter staff. This will help with regards to reporting, supporting and discussion.
May 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Work with parents to develop their own youth club, youth forum and activities group. New Charter teams to support alongside TMBC Volunteering Services.
To improve youth provision and assist families to help their children. Also to increase community spirit, improve intergenerational contact and the community’s ability to accomplish their ideas.
January 2014
Consider the feasibility of setting up a community cafe or activity centre run by community volunteers with New Charter support initially and support from TMBC Volunteering Services.
To improve provision for young and older residents, generating access to facilities that support community activities, building community networks and developing the community’s ability to work on projects with others.
May 2014
Hold weekend community information events or fun days 4 times a year and hold seasonal activities at Easter and Halloween building on existing partnerships.
To improve the neighbourhood appearance and increase community spirit, building positive relationships with neighbours and increasing the community’s knowledge of what services and opportunities are available.
April 2013
We aim to... To improve provision for young and older residents, generating access to facilities that support community activities, building community networks and developing the community’s ability to work on projects with others. 23
What next? Great progress we hope!! Work has already begun in your neighbourhood on the various actions outlined in your Great Neighbourhood Charter as well as in our other 31 New Charter neighbourhoods. We would like the Great Neighbourhood Charters to mark the start of a new phase of activity aimed at ensuring that all our neighbourhoods are the great places that we all want and know they can be. We will be reviewing the Charter frequently this year and we will keep you updated on the progress, you will have the opportunity to be involved in this so please watch out for advertised activities or requests for feedback. However there is no need to wait until then‌ if after reading this you have any questions comments or suggestions or if you would like to get more involved in helping us identify what we could achieve in your neighbourhood please contact us and give us your thoughts. You can do this by ringing 0161 331 2000 or contacting us via your preferred method, we can also arrange for someone to call and visit you in your home if you would prefer, we would really like to hear from you.
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Neighbourhood Fact File Here are some facts and figures about the people and properties that make up your neighbourhood which we thought you may find interesting.
Number of properties owned by New Charter =
501
Properties by type Houses
336
Bungalows
30
Flats
135
Black Minority Ethnic
5.8%
Under 16
22.9%
55+
23.1% 18 - 25
16.6%
Number of residents =
1021 25
Final Thoughts We hope that over the next three years through the actions outlined in your Great Neighbourhood Charter we will really make a visible difference to your neighbourhood, making it more attractive for those living or thinking of living in it and improve resident’s quality of life. We think the key to success will be to continue to work together with you to achieve this.
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Contact us Main switchboard: 0161 331 2000 Emergency housing & repairs calls: 0800 027 0828 If you need an emergency repair during the following times: - Before 8am and after 6pm Monday to Friday - During weekends and Bank Holidays Antisocial behaviour helpline: 0800 027 0522 (24 hours a day)
@ contact@newcharter.co.uk www.newcharter.co.uk newchartergroup
Home and Community Hubs 2 Henrietta Street, Ashton 9 Albert Street, Denton 12 Clarendon Street, Hyde 63 Grosvenor Street, Stalybridge
Head office:
New Charter, Cavendish 249, Cavendish Street, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7AT
@newchartergroup
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Resource Housing Reg. No. 2111