Annual Activities Report 2015-16

Opening Doors – Enhancing Lives

Empowering...

Supporting...

Developing...

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The Pennaf Housing Group Developing … Supporting … Empowering …

With an impressive track record spanning the past 37 years, when Clwyd Alyn Housing Association acquired its first property in the West End of Rhyl, the Pennaf Housing Group structure as it stands today has been designed to enable the organisation to be more responsive to the needs of the communities in which it operates, increase local accountability, facilitate the delivery of a wider range of high quality services to customers, make the most efficient use of available resources and place residents at the centre of our activities.

The strong inter-relationship that exists between the various Group entities is illustrated within the Group’s Business Plan, which clearly demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to continue to:

The Pennaf Housing Group operates across seven local authority areas and as at 31 March 2016 had a housing stock of 5,669 units in management, excluding Homebuy and Do-It-Yourself Home Ownership (DIYHO). With Pennaf Ltd as the parent company, all seven Group entities Pennaf, Clwyd Alyn Housing Association, Tŷ Glas Housing Society, Offa, Tir Tai, PenAlyn and PenElwy - provide complementary services and benefit from the mutual support of each other, whilst at the same time retaining their own unique identity and role.

 Deliver an active Social Housing Grant (SHG) and nonSHG development programme, including for the first time using Tŷ Glas to develop in its own right using an innovative new funding model

 Actively develop community based initiatives and strengthen resident involvement in shaping services

The Group’s agreed Primary Purpose is Opening Doors – Enhancing Lives, which it focuses on achieving through a series of business ‘Priorities’ driven by delivery outcomes for the community. These are categorised under two key ‘Themed Outcomes’:

 Invest in the development of Social Enterprise initiatives, as well as Digital Inclusion opportunities.

 Respond to pressures around the impact of welfare benefit reform on tenants and residents

 We provide homes and services people want and are Key to supporting the delivery of all the above is the implementation of core strategies, and continuing to improve business performance and efficiency.

satisfied with, which primarily centres on residents and the wider community.

 We are financially viable and effectively governed, which relates to the internal infrastructure, together with mechanisms to govern and support the Group.

Underpinning all the work of the Group are its Core Principles, which commit both Staff and Board Members to undertake their duties within a framework of underlying values. These are summarised under the acronym “I CARE”:

    

INTEGRITY honesty and trust in all that we do CARE looking after yourself, others and communities ACCOUNTABLE taking responsibility for our actions RESPECT for yourself and others EQUALITY accepting differences and treating everyone fairly

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A Message from the Chair 2015-16 has been another busy and successful year for the Pennaf Housing Group, thanks to the hard work and dedication of our Staff and Board Members, together with the continued support of our many stakeholder groups. Access to decent housing and associated support services are fundamental requirements for developing and maintaining thriving local communities, and the theme of this year’s Activities’ Report - Developing … Supporting … Empowering … - encapsulates the fundamental aims of the Group’s work in delivering key services to help create a more sustainable future for those who turn to us for help.

This has been my first term in office as Chair of Pennaf, having taken over the reins from my predecessor Mike Hornsby last July. On behalf of the Group Boards, I wish to place on record my thanks to Mike for his commitment, support and contribution during his time in office. I would also like to welcome Owen Watkins, Dr Ian Gardner, Lisa Lovegrove, Aaron Osborne-Taylor and Ruth Collinge, who have all recently joined the Group Boards, bringing with them a wealth of skills and experience across a diverse range of disciplines.

Despite the challenging times that everyone is experiencing within the sector, I am delighted to report that Pennaf is continuing to lead the way in finding innovative solutions to help address the housing crisis we face today. Back in March, Dr Sarah Horrocks, Sara Mogel, Graham Worthington and myself joined forces with over 1,000 people from across Wales on the ‘Homes for Wales’ Rally in Cardiff, which was arranged by Community Housing Cymru (CHC). The event brought together construction experts, residents and housing services providers from across Wales, and the sector is committed to continuing with this campaign to increase housing provision in the future.

A tremendous amount of work has been undertaken over the past couple of years to secure new funding initiatives to enable the Group to make further investment in affordable housing. Thanks to Pennaf’s novel approach, the first such initiative came to fruition in April 2015 with the completion of a £9 million index-linked facility.

The structure created is a first for Wales, providing a mainstream funding alternative and allowing much needed development without the need for high levels of public subsidy. As a result, Tŷ Glas became a Registered Social Landlord in its own right, with the first tranche of 177 properties being acquired using this facility. In addition, excellent progress has been made in securing funding for our existing Planned Development Programme, with the additional boost of the Group having achieved an ‘A3 investment grade’ rating from the international ratings agency Moody’s. We are proud to be the first investment rated housing association in Wales.

The Group was delighted to receive a very positive Regulatory Opinion report from the Welsh Government’s Regulation Team,

which highlights some of the benefits of our outcomes-focused approach to performance management, in line with the Regulatory Framework, together with our approach to business planning, continuous improvement and self-assessment activities: “Pennaf continues to be financially sound … our financial viability judgement is a PASS … with high priority given to stress testing and recovery planning …”

“Governance remains strong … the Board is ambitious and entrepreneurial, with brisk business like pace to activity …. we are trusted to evaluate effectiveness with our robust approach to selfevaluation … we have a firm control environment and the Group embraces a co-regulatory approach”.

“Our landlord services and satisfaction levels amongst vulnerable customer groups have improved … effective measures are in place to address anti-social behaviour and leaseholder satisfaction is improving steadily … and repairs and maintenance services are getting better.’

As Chairman, I am looking forward to Pennaf further building upon its success and reputation for having a vibrant, forward-thinking attitude to providing good quality, responsive services to meet the needs of its current and future customers. The Group Boards have a clear desire to continue to develop more accommodation to meet the extensive range of needs we cater for, and the need to ensure business resilience given the increased pressures on income, together with maximising ‘value’ from our resources, will continue to be a key focus in the year ahead.

Pennaf really does provide so much more than housing as it continues to make a major contribution to the Welsh economy – helping to secure jobs, providing learning and development opportunities, retaining trade skills and helping to transform communities and living conditions for people across the region. This Report highlights just a few examples of how we have achieved our stated goals for 2015-16, by developing, supporting and empowering our residents, staff, volunteers and local communities.

Dr Angela Holdsworth Chair, Pennaf

Mrs Eurwen H Edwardss Honorary President, Pennaf Housing Group

Dr Sarah Horrocks Chair, Clwyd Alyn Housing Association Mr Dafydd Ifans Chair, Offa

Mrs Judy Owen Chair, Tŷ Glas Housing Society

Mr Jeremy Poole Chair, PenAlyn and PenElwy

Mr Fraser Jones Vice-Chair, Tir Tai

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Development During 2015-16, thanks to a combination of funding streams secured in partnership with our local authority partners, including Social Housing Grant, Housing Finance Grant and Strategic Regeneration Area funding provided by the Welsh Government, together with private finance raised by Pennaf, the Group completed the following schemes:  Llys y Castell, Yowley Road, Ewloe – 8 units

The multi-agency approach to transforming the heart of Rhyl has continued to make good progress, building on the excellent community spirit and sense of pride that already exists in the area - making it a great place to live, work, stay and visit.

comprising 1 and 2 bedroom apartments

 Garden City, Sealand Avenue, (former Snooker Hall), Deeside – 16 units comprising 6 houses and 10 apartments

In partnership with the Welsh Government and Denbighshire County Council, the Group is committed to a £4.5m investment programme in housing regeneration in the area. In addition to work on a number of dispersed properties, over the coming year the Group will provide additional home ownership and rental opportunities around the Gerddi Heulwen green space area, responding to the need for quality housing in the area and helping to create a hub for a vibrant and sustainable community.

 6 & 8 Chestnut View, Oldford Estate, Welshpool – 2 adapted bungalows

 Llys Santes Ann, Wrexham – 23 units comprising 15 houses and 8 apartments

 73-75 Wellington Road, Rhyl (Community Hub) – 4 apartments and office premises

 Bethlehem Chapel, Lawson Road, Colwyn Bay – 3 houses

 11 Lawson Road, Colwyn Bay – 3 apartments

Llys y Castell, Yowley Road, Ewloe

In addition, the first phase of the £5m re-development programme of Chirk Court Care Home in Chirk was completed, comprising 28 ‘en-suite’ bedrooms with communal facilities.

Bethlehem Chapel, Lawson Road, Colwyn Bay

Chirk Court Care Home, Chirk

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Health & Housing 2025 As a Group we recognise that health and housing go hand in hand, and as such we joined members of the local Health Board, other housing associations, charities and Local Authorities across North Wales in a commitment to tackle avoidable health inequalities by 2025.

The Health & Housing Alliance has mapped out a range of long and short-term actions covering health and well-being, older people’s services, mental health and the community, the private sector, adaptations, mental health and homelessness, and digital inclusion. The aim of the group is to create a movement for change across North Wales, with a greater number of organisations taking ownership for helping to end health inequalities by 2025.

Launch of SARTH

Offa – The Lettings Partner We have continued to develop our Social Lettings Agency, along with a management service for private sector landlords across North Wales, operating under the Offa brand. During 201516, Offa entered into its fourth year of an ambitious growth strategy with key achievements including:  Providing and managing 231 private sector

Clwyd Alyn has signed up to the Single Access Route to Housing (SARTH) partnership project between Conwy County Borough Council, Flintshire County Council and five Registered Social Landlords across North Wales, thanks to a Welsh Government initiative designed to streamline and simplify the process of allocating suitable housing.

Operating a single Housing Allocations Policy, the initiative aims to improve the customer experience and generate efficiencies through this integrated approach, enabling applicants to be helped more quickly and effectively.

Centralised information allows the best housing option to be automatically signposted, recognising those applicants with greatest priority thanks to a new housing applications triage and banding process. Over the past year, the Association was able to allocate 70 properties using this initiative.

rented units.  Continuing to work closely with our local

authority partners, Welsh Government and private landlords on a number of regeneration initiatives in Conwy and Denbighshire to deliver £2.8m of much needed affordable accommodation.  Further developing our expertise in managing

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) on behalf of private landlords and assisting local authorities to discharge their statutory obligations under HMO legislation.

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Resident Involvement & Community Engagement Activities During 2015-16, the Group was able to take forward its ‘Resident Involvement & Community Development Strategy’, which focused on:

 Improving communities where our residents live.  Helping to build the confidence, knowledge and skills of residents.  Improving our communication with residents.

A total of £48,000 was secured in external grants to enable Clwyd Alyn and other local groups to undertake initiatives that benefitted our residents and/or local communities. In addition, a Social Return on Investment exercise has demonstrated that over £58,000 in extra financial value was generated as a result of promoting our community development work.

Customer Service: Raising Service Standards  Our Quality Partners worked on a number of audits, including the way Clwyd Alyn communicates with residents, making recommendations on how service delivery could be improved. They also embarked on an audit of the way we provide the full range of service charges to residents.

 A number of Resident Volunteers received training to enable them to phone residents who had reported a repair to ask how satisfied they were with the service received.

 Residents and staff worked together on a number of Service Panels to consider new policies and procedures, including a new Domestic Abuse Policy, a Hate/Mate Crime Policy and in response to internal audit recommendations, have helped to develop a proposed new cleaning specification for communal areas.

Influencing the Way We Work  Our resident-led Service Improvement Committee approved a range of Policies designed to improve resident services. They also initiated a debate on further developing their role, specifically embracing a greater emphasis on the scrutiny of performance and budgets.

 A Focus Group comprising residents and officers ensured that residents’ views were fed into the Business Planning process for 2016/17.

With a total of 119 community projects organised over the year, here’s a few examples of the positive impact the projects have had on our services and local communities:

Improving Communication Our focus has been on enabling better access to services, preventing loneliness and isolation, building skills and employability, helping residents to save money, and claiming benefits, such as Universal Credit, online.

 The Group’s Digital Inclusion Strategy was implemented and the Residents’ Portal launched, giving residents 24/7 access to key services. The Portal now has 524 registered users able to access their rent accounts or report items such as repairs or anti-social behaviour issues.

 Clwyd Alyn signed up to a national ‘Digital Inclusion Charter’, which includes six pledges aimed at helping organisations support digitally excluded people enjoy the benefits of the internet.

 The theme of the Residents’ Conference was ‘Digital Inclusion’, giving the opportunity to educate, motivate and encourage more individuals to use the internet, social media and networking, and understand the many benefits of being on-line, including financial comparison sites.

 Digital Communities Wales facilitated a ‘Digital Champion’ Awareness training session for Housing Officers to help residents with Universal Credit applications.

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Improving Quality of Life

Bringing Generations Together

Community activities designed to improve fitness levels, encourage local residents to exercise more and benefit from physical and mental health and wellbeing, prevent isolation, build social networks and improve personal safety:

 Residents from Pentre Mawr had the opportunity to meet Llandrillo College Health & Social Care students to discuss issues that affect them and help the students become more aware of the needs of older people.

 Pupils from Ysgol Esgob Morgan in St Asaph took part

 Weekly ‘street games’ youth work sessions at Y Gorlan

in a community planting project at Llys Esgob Morgan with the support of Ground Control.

in Rhyl, organised jointly between Denbighshire County Council and Communities First, served to encourage young people to get active and consider future careers in sport.

 Hafan Gwydir Extra Care scheme in Llanrwst ran a ‘paired reading project’ with pupils from Ysgol Bro Gwydir. This was mutually beneficial as reading was done on technology such as iPads and one resident commented “We’ve never used an iPad before, but the children were very patient in showing us how to use it and we helped them with their reading”.

 Summer camp for young people living on the Halkyn Road Estate, Flint in partnership with Flintshire County Council resulted in the following positive feedback from a young participant : “It’s been epic … I’ve especially enjoyed meeting people I wouldn’t normally have the chance to play with and trying out brilliant sports I’ve never tried before such as tennis, gymnastics and ‘body-zorbing’ .. I’ve really enjoyed the days and am looking forward to getting my certificate”.

 Weekly Tai Chi sessions organised at Llys Erw have helped to build social networks, prevent isolation and enhance mental and physical health and well-being.

 A multi-agency Halloween Party in Holway, Holywell brought families together to have fun and keep children safe, providing a supervised alternative to ‘Trick or Treating’. Local police officers attended to share crime prevention advice and discuss any community safety concerns in the area.

Recognising Resident Achievements A number of Clwyd Alyn staff and residents were shortlisted and/or won awards, as part of the Flintshire Volunteer Awards, recognising the contribution made to their local communities and serving to instill a sense of pride and inspire others. Our collaborative ‘Conwy Together’ BIG Community Voice project also won a national TPAS Cymru Award in the ‘Tenant Participation’ category.

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Financial Inclusion A significant proportion of Clwyd Alyn’s residents, especially those living on low incomes, find themselves financially excluded and the Association has continued to proactively respond to the welfare benefit reform implications.

The demand for money and debt advice has continued to increase, with the Resident Services Team’s Welfare Benefits & Debt Advice Officer receiving 180 referrals during the past year and dealing with a total debt of some £200,000. The Association’s Court Pre-Action Protocols set out the requirement to support tenants to help them maintain their tenancies and thanks to the help and advice received with benefit claims and better money management, tenants have benefitted from over £70,000 in benefit take-up.

The Welfare Rights Officer’s remit is mainly to support Care and Support tenants to maximise their incomes and assist with staff training on welfare issues. In the past year, 163 residents/prospective tenants have been supported with benefit take-up gains of some £769,500 thanks to this pivotal service.

Making a Difference through Supported Living During 2015-16, the Group benefitted from over £3m of funding from local authorities via the Welsh Government Supporting People funding stream enabling the provision of much needed housing support for a variety of service users, including homeless persons, those fleeing physical and mental abuse, mothers and toddlers, people with learning disabilities or mental illness, rough sleepers etc.

Anyone can become homeless and may need support during their lifetime. As such, they have the right to be housed, supported, given an opportunity to develop their skills and be treated fairly. Clwyd Alyn’s Supported Living projects provide safe and supported housing, in which people can develop their ability to manage accommodation and meet their individual needs. During the past year, a total of 1,938 service users have benefitted from this service, with our experienced and qualified staff helping to change the course of individuals’ lives and equip them with the life skills and confidence they need to achieve their future goals and aspirations.

Erw Groes Family Centre Thanks to a successful partnership initiative with Flintshire County Council and the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, our Erw Groes Family Centre in Holywell secured a £140,243 grant from the BIG Lottery People & Places Fund.

The funding will create a unique hub of professional on-site support, with a specialist part-time Health Worker, Domestic Abuse Project Worker and a professional Counsellor enabling residents to access health and counselling services on site.

Many of the clients at Erw Groes have complex, specialist support needs and as well as being able to access this support on site, the project aims to empower residents, giving them confidence to access similar services as they move on and build new lives in the future. There will also be a lasting benefit for the future as it will provide training for three of the current Erw Groes Team, enabling them to deliver the ‘Pre-school BASIC Parenting Programme’ as advocated by Flintshire’s Parenting Co-ordinator.

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Old Courthouse Café

ODEL – Opening Doors – Enhancing Lives – Enterprise & Training

Following the completion of an extensive renovation and restoration programme, the former 17th century Old Courthouse on Church Street in Flint re-opened its doors in September 2015 as a modern café and community hub. This popular local attraction has now become a firm favourite with the local community, and operates as a social enterprise, creating learning, training and employment opportunities for Clwyd Alyn’s residents and service users.

There are also plans to set up a volunteering and barista learning centre in the near future.

‘ODEL’ – Clwyd Alyn’s learning, training and social enterprise initiative – has continued to focus on the Association’s Supported Living projects for young people who have previously experienced homelessness. ODEL aims to provide life skills training to residents, helping to build confidence and self-esteem, and develop the necessary skills needed for independent living. It also incorporates national accreditation from Agored Cymru, the all-Wales life-long learning organisation, who oversee training credits and qualifications.

In January of this year, a £48,200 Heritage Lottery Fund grant was secured to create a community heritage hub within the building. The development is a partnership initiative supported by the Flint Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) – a partnership funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, CADW, Flint Town Council and Flintshire County Council, and the funding boost also included a £7,000 contribution from the Local Authority.

During the past year, the ODEL Learning & Training Programme has delivered 311 certificates for accredited units completed across 12 different topics to both residents in Supported Living and clients referred through contracts with the Department of Work & Pensions. Topics delivered included overcoming barriers to work, preparation for interview, applying for a job, work related education qualifications, knowing myself, confidence building, preparing for tenancy, and traditions and customs of Wales.

In addition, a further 238 sessions were delivered on digital inclusion.

The grant will be used to train staff in the historical aspects of the site and they will then work with pupils from Ysgol Gwynedd to create a timeline of the history of the town.

Volunteers of all ages will be recruited to help with this vital work, making sure that the Old Courthouse becomes a central hub, celebrating the whole area. Telling the story of the Old Courthouse is something that will involve people across the generations, with the grant also enabling a drama specialist and community support officer to work on the initiative.

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Care Homes The Group operates 3 care homes and a nursing home: Merton Place in Colwyn Bay; Llys Marchan in Ruthin; Plas Bod Llwyd in Newbridge near Wrexham; and Chirk Court in Chirk.

During the year, all our care homes were subject to unannounced inspections by the Care & Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW). Very fair and balanced reports were produced offering positive comments about the standard of care provided and the way we manage services to very vulnerable client groups, with no issues of noncompliance reported. We take great pride in the way staff at our homes provide person-centred care and are pleased to receive the positive feedback from the Care Regulator.

PenCartref Following the decision to merge the Wrexham Care & Repair Agency with Flintshire Care & Repair, the Group set up a new independent service trading as PenCartref in April 2015. Offering an advice, repairs, maintenance and adaptations service to people across Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire and the Shropshire and Chester borders, PenCartref’s first year of trading has been a great success, reporting:

Transforming Chirk Court In response to the increased demand for residential care services to support those living with dementia, Clwyd Alyn has been undertaking a £5million re-development programme at Chirk Court Care Home in Chirk. Thanks to this partnership initiative with Wrexham County Borough Council, the home has been re-developed in a two-phase approach to provide a state-of-the-art 66 bed care home, providing a centre of excellence for older people with a range of care needs, including specialist dementia care.

The design is based on the University of Sterling Design Principles and Standards of Excellent Dementia Care Delivery.

This approach ensures residents are able to move and interact freely around four individual ‘households’, with bedrooms and communal areas appropriately laid out and clearly signposted to minimise disruption and disorientation, promoting independence and reducing anxiety for residents. All staff are trained professionally and qualified appropriate to their respective roles, including specialist training in caring for people living with dementia.

We were delighted to enlist the help of pupils from the nearby Ysgol y Waen, who helped us decide on Myddleton, Dyffryn, Ceiriog, Berwick and Castell as appropriate names for each of the accommodation ‘households’ within the home. The children were very imaginative and showed a real appreciation of local history and heritage in their choice of names.

 An increase of 33% in referrals for the Small Repairs Service (private business)

 £97,000 generated in new income from works undertaken for private clients, which was 10.23% higher than the target set at the start of the year

 94% of clients stated they would recommend the service to others.

Manager, Yvonne Jones comments “Clients can arrange small handy-man type services for one-off repairs or project management support for larger adaptation works. With more than 10 years’ experience in property maintenance and technical services, the Team can help with painting and decorating, joinery and plumbing jobs, technical services, engaging approved contractors and overseeing larger projects”.

Lesley Griffiths AM, Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty, visited PenCartref before Christmas last year, where she chatted with staff and clients who had benefitted from the service, commenting “Even just knowing where to go for help when you need it can make a big difference. Knowing the workmen you are inviting into your home are dependable and trustworthy can make a daunting task much less stressful.”

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Meeting Customer Expectations & Satisfaction The staff team at PenAlyn have had another extremely busy year providing reactive and planned maintenance services to our residents. This has helped us to improve service delivery, increase customer satisfaction, reduce maintenance costs and realise efficiencies through rationalisation of asset management and maintenance functions.

Achievements over the past year have included:

     

£8.3 million budget delivered 257 Kitchens, 208 bathrooms and 160 boilers replaced.

20,000 works orders completed 6,050 maintenance inspections undertaken 1,154 stock condition surveys completed 2 apprentices employed, 5 workplace students supported and 4 mature work placements supported through partnership agencies

 Average cost of responsive repairs was £107 in 2015/16, compared with £133 in previous years and an All-Wales average of £145

 93% of housing stock was compliant with Welsh Housing Quality Standards (WHQS) at 31 March 2016

 Overall satisfaction with Maintenance service remained consistently high at around 97% for the standard of repairs and conduct of contractors.

The PenAlyn Team recognise the importance of keeping residents informed and seeking feedback on how services are delivered. Resident consultation events are organised as part of their commitment to an on-going programme of refurbishment work in line with the Welsh Housing Quality Standards, where information is provided on the annual refurbishment programme to install new kitchens and bathrooms in their homes. One resident in Rhyl had an extra surprise when her new kitchen was fitted as she was presented with a hamper of goodies to celebrate a special milestone – she was the 1,500th resident to have her home improved by the PenAlyn Team.

PenAlyn has also established a strong partnership link with Crest Co-operative, a social enterprise initiative based in Llandudno Junction. A power tools recycling project has proved a great success, together with enlisting Crest’s services to clear out Clwyd Alyn properties between letting periods.

Jonah Wilton and Tyler Evans from Ysgol Eirias, along with Liam Lewis from Ysgol Bryn Elian, gave the PenAlyn Team a ‘thumbs-up’ when they spent a week gaining work experience with the Plumbing & Heating Engineers. They were able to meet residents, learn about customer care and get a taste of working alongside the skilled trade and office staff, giving them the opportunity to help build life skills and providing a real insight into different career options for the future.

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Independent Living Extra Care Housing

Raise the Roof – Corporate Charity Challenge

The Group has continued with its commitment to provide extra care housing schemes, offering residents an independent lifestyle, with support on hand and access to health and social care services. To date, the Group has developed 5 such schemes in Wrexham, Shotton, Llanrwst, Rhyl and Llandudno, having established successful partnership arrangements between the Welsh Government and respective Local Authorities, enabling a total of 497 residents to be re-housed in extra care accommodation since 2009.

The Group’s commitment to ‘making a difference’ is reflected in our Raise the Roof Charity Challenge in aid of Cancer Research UK. Over the past year, an amazing £9,136.07 has been raised thanks to the support and enthusiasm of our staff, who took on a variety of challenges from cake baking, taking on the Conwy Park Run, triathlons, car boot sales and garden parties, to taking part in the annual ‘Turn Tesco Pink’ event.

This brings the overall total of monies raised to date to £18,149.81 and our aim is to continue to raise much needed funds to help support the great work Cancer Research UK does to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, and save more lives.

Customer satisfaction feedback received from our residents has indicated that having healthy and nutritious food available, nice accommodation, more control over their daily living, the ability to make new friends and socialise, together with feeling safe and secure have all helped to improve their quality of life:

 89% reported feeling safe and secure  93% reported they would recommend Clwyd Alyn as a landlord

 92% reported that Clwyd Alyn listened to their views

 90% reported that Clwyd Alyn acted on their views Over the past year, plans have also been progressed to provide 3 more schemes in Wrexham, Flint and Llangefni, with the Flint and Llangefni schemes offering the added benefits of supporting people living with dementia.

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Our People Make a Difference Making Pennaf a Great Place to Work Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and the Welsh Language The Group currently employs more than 650 staff across North and Mid Wales. Providing a first-class service to customers is at the heart of our work and Pennaf recognises the importance of continuing to attract, invest in and retain the very best staff in order to achieve this. With high standards of leadership, management practices and employee engagement applied across the organisation, credit goes to each and every member of staff working at every level throughout the organisation for their contribution in making Pennaf a great place to work.

Learning and Development The fourth year of our ‘Grow Your Own’ Training and Employment Strategy has resulted in 44 apprenticeships, traineeships, volunteering, school and college work experience placements being undertaken, helping to build the skills, confidence and experience of people from our local communities.

Our on-going commitment to invest in staff learning and development, coupled with our continued focus on Customer Service Excellence, has helped us ensure that residents receive the highest standards of professional, knowledgeable and response service from our highly skilled staff.

Our leaders and managers have also been looking at opportunities to develop high performing teams, which was supported by the introduction of a new Institute of Leadership & Management development programme. The Group has also continued with its commitment to the sponsored education programme, which all serves to help maintain high levels of skills and expertise across the workplace.

We were delighted when Amy Teodorescu, Project Worker at the Erw Groes Family Centre in Holywell, was named ‘Learner of the Year’ when she achieved a ‘Certificate in Housing Practice’ from Coleg Cambria. The course is designed specifically for staff working in the housing sector and is approved by the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Pennaf is committed to eliminating discrimination and ensuring equality of opportunity for all individuals or groups it employs or to whom it delivers a service. The Group has a dedicated Committee with responsibility for developing equality, diversity, inclusion and the Welsh Language across the organisation.

Every effort is made to ensure equality and diversity amongst our key stakeholders, including staff, Board Members, shareholders, contractors, suppliers, and our tenants and residents. Our commitment to accepting differences and treating everyone fairly is reflected within Pennaf’s Core Principles and in the future, Equality Impact Assessments will be required on all new projects, policies and strategies to determine the impact on protected characteristics of relevant stakeholders.

Pennaf also respects the need to deliver its services equally in both Welsh and English. The Group’s Welsh Language Scheme is reviewed and up-dated regularly and includes an Action Plan designed to increase our capacity to deliver fully bilingual services. We are also mindful of the importance of implementing the proposed Welsh Language Standards for the sector and have already produced an Action Plan to improve aspects of service delivery prior to the formal introduction of the Standards through the legislative process.

Awards Success Alison Pring, Warden at Pentre Mawr Sheltered Housing Scheme in Abergele, received the High Sheriff of Clwyd’s Commendation for ‘Outstanding Service to the Community’. Mr David Meredith-Jones paid tribute not only to her inspirational support at Pentre Mawr, but also Alison’s involvement with the wider community, building links with local schools and as a volunteer with the Friends of Pentre Mawr Park.

Samantha Thomas, Senior Care Practitioner at Plas Bod Llwyd Care Home in Newbridge near Wrexham won silver in the ‘Residential Care Practitioner’ category of the 2015 Wales Care Awards. The award recognised her ‘commitment and impeccable attitude, helping to provide individual, personcentred care for every resident at the home’.

Judith Richards, Manager at Plas Bod Llwyd Care Home, scooped a joint silver award for Leadership and Management (Residential Services) in the 2015 Wales Care Awards, recognising her work in promoting resident-focused activities and establishing an ‘open door policy’ so that residents’ families are welcome to visit at any time and stay as long as they like.

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Boards of Management as at 31 March 2016

Pennaf Housing Group Mrs Eurwen H Edwards Honorary President

Ultimate responsibility for the management of the Pennaf Housing Group and its members rests with the respective Boards of Management, which are made up of Members elected annually. Members of the Board have a wealth of skills and experience gained over many years, and offer their services and expertise to the Group on an entirely voluntary basis.

Pennaf Limited

Clwyd Alyn Housing Association Limited

Tŷ Glas Housing Society Limited

Dr A Holdsworth - Chair Mr Peter Lewis - Vice-Chair Mr Mike Hornsby Dr Sarah Horrocks Mr Dafydd Ifans Mr Stephen Porter Mrs Judy Owen Mr Graham Worthington

Dr Sarah Horrocks - Chair Mr Dafydd Ifans - Vice-Chair Mrs Eirwen Godden Mrs Judy Owen Mr Harold Martin Mrs Sara Mogel Mr Peter Lewis Mr Stephen Porter

Mrs Judy A Owen - Chair Mr Paul Robinson - Vice-Chair Mrs Sara Mogel Mr Fraser Jones Mr Dafydd Ifans Dr Sarah Horrocks

Tir Tai Limited

Offa Limited

PenAlyn Limited

PenElwy Limited

Mr Fraser Jones - Vice-Chair Mr Peter Lewis Dr Sarah Horrocks Mr Dafydd Ifans

Mr Dafydd Ifans - Chair Mr Stephen Porter - Vice-Chair Dr Sarah Horrocks Mr Peter Lewis

Mr Jeremy Poole - Chair Mr Mike Soffe - Vice-Chair Mr Mike Hornsby Mr Trevor Henderson Mr Paul Robinson Mr David Lewis

Mr Jeremy Poole - Chair Mr Mike Soffe - Vice-Chair Mr Trevor Henderson Mr David Lewis

01745 538300

St Asaph Office Registered Office for Pennaf, Clwyd Alyn, Tŷ Glas, Offa, Tir Tai, PenAlyn and PenElwy 72 Ffordd William Morgan St Asaph Business Park St Asaph Denbighshire LL17 0JD

01978 714180

PenCartref Rhosddu Industrial Estate, Rhosddu, Wrexham LL11 4YL

www.pennafgroup.co.uk

Like us: facebook.com/PennafHGroup

Follow us: @PennafHGroup

Clwyd Alyn and Tŷ Glas are charitable Industrial and Provident Societies

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Pennaf Housing Group ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2015 – 16 These are based on the Pennaf Housing Group Accounts as audited by the Auditors.

SUMMARY OF INCOME £ BALANCE SHEET

Assets Rents 21,657,224 Housing Stock Service Charges etc 11,178,202 Other Fixed Assets Interest Receivable 43,604 Fixed Asset Investments Other 3,390,244 Stock Total 36,269,274 Debtors

Cash and Investments

Current Liabilities Total

31 March 2016 £ 333,954,938 3,383,459 2,549,779 94,680 3,028,543 9,943,975 (11,387,459) 341,567,915

31 March 2015 £ 321,992,835 3,688,664 2,619,079 58,434 3,887,697 5,071,623 (10,303,247) 327,015,085

SUMMARY OF £ BALANCE SHEET 31 March 2016 31 March 2015 EXPENDITURE Financed by: £

£ Interest Payable 5,969,486 Loans & Creditors 329,989,398 316,948,833 Management 4,184,688 Restricted Reserves 145 953 Service Charges 13,497,567 General Reserves 11,578,372 10,065,299 Maintenance 6,291,850 Total 341,567,915 327,015,085 Other 4,812,548 Total 34,756,139

Please note that these are the Group figures incorporating the combined Income & Expenditure Accounts and Balance Sheets for Pennaf, Clwyd Alyn, Tŷ Glas, Offa, Tir Tai, PenAlyn and PenElwy.

To obtain a detailed understanding of each Group member’s financial position, the full Financial Statements should be studied. Copies of the Financial Statements are available on request from the Company Secretary.

The Welsh Government’s Financial Viability Judgement as at 31 March 2016, which is designed to provide the Registered Social Landlord (RSL), its tenants, service users and other stakeholders with an understanding of the RSL’s financial viability, has awarded Pennaf a ‘Pass’, concluding that the Group has adequate resources to meet its current and forecasted future business and financial commitments.

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Perfformiad - Ffeithiau a Ffigurau Dyma grynodeb o berfformiad y Grŵp yn ystod 2015-16:

CYFARTALEDD WYTHNOSAU GYMERWYD I AIL-OSOD TAI GWAG AVERAGE WEEKS TAKEN TO RE-LET VACANT PROPERTIES

386 NIFER Y TAI ANGHENION CYFFREDINOL OSODWYD NO OF GENERAL NEEDS PROPERTIES LET

35.9 CYFARTALEDD DYDDIAU AIL-OSOD TAI ANGHENSION CYFFREDINOL AVERAGE RE-LET DAYS FOR GENERAL NEEDS HOUSING

£3,387,278

£517,888

£646,368

Wedi ei gynllunio Planned

Cylchaidd Cyclical

Gwariant ar Gynnal a Chadw Maintenance Spending

O ddydd-i-ddydd Day-to-day

£76.31

£81.46 Fflat 2 wely 2 bed flat

Fflat 1 gwely 1 bed flat

£91.71 Fflat 3 gwely 3 bed flat

£87.53 Tŷ 2 wely 2 bed house

3.24

£80.61

£95.81 Tŷ 3 gwely 3 bed house

1,000

NIFER Y CARTREFI OSODWYD NO OF PROPERTIES LET

Tŷ 1 gwely 1 bed house

£115.86 Tŷ 4 gwely 4 bed house

792

249

32

80

123

60

96

377

68

Cyfartaledd Rhenti Wythnosol ar gyfer Tai Anghenion Cyffredinol a Chysgodol Average Weekly Rents for General Needs and Sheltered Housing

Anghenion Cyffredinol (yn cynnwys Tai Cysgodol) General Needs (including Sheltered Housing) Rhenti Cyfryngol Intermediate Rents Rhan Berchnogaeth Shared Ownership DIYSO DIYSO DIYHO DIYHO Cymorth Prynu Home Buy Cynllun Daliadaeth ar gyfer Pobl Hŷn Leasehold Scheme for the Elderly Cytundebau Rheoli Management Agreements Gofal Ychwanegol Extra Care Gofal a Chefnogaeth Care & Support

3,792

Unedau o Stoc Units of Housing Stock

100% GOSODWYD TAI NEWYDD AR UNWAITH WEDI’U TROSGLWYDDO O DDATBLYGU I REOLAETH NEW PROPERTIES LET IMMEDIATELY ON HANDOVER FROM DEVELOPMENT TO MANAGEMENT

2.14% EIDDO GWAG: % CYFANSWM INCWM RHENTI GOLLWYD I GYMHARU A CHYFANSWM RHENTI GELLID EU CASGLU VOIDS: % TOTAL RENT INCOME LOST COMPARED WITH TOTAL RENT COLLECTABLE

Ôl-ddyledion Gros ar gyfer y Grŵp Gross Arrears for the Group 2015 / 2016

2.23% - £563,041

Mae hyn yn dangos gwelliant o 0.31% o flwyddyn i flwyddyn, gan arbed cyfanswm o £82,817 i’r Grŵp

2014 / 2015

2.54% - £645,858

This represents a 0.31% year-onyear improvement, saving the Group a total of £82,817

Ôl-ddyledion Gros Tai Anghenion Cyffredinol Gross Arrears for General Needs Housing 2015 / 2016

2.29% - £354,749

Mae hyn yn dangos gwelliant o 0.38% o flwyddyn i flwyddyn, gan arbed cyfanswm o £66,642 i’r Grŵp

2014 / 2015

2.67% - £421,391

This represents a 0.38% year on year improvement, saving the Group a total of £66,642

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Performance - Facts & Figures Here is a summary of the Group’s performance during 2015-16:

Atgyweiriadau / Repairs £620.00 GWARIANT Y GYMDEITHAS YR UNED AR GYFARTALEDD AR REOLAETH TAI AVERAGE HOUSING MANAGEMENT EXPENDITURE PER UNIT

£107

£1,261.00 GWARIANT CYFARTALOG AR GYNNAL A CHADW YR UNED AVERAGE MAINTENANCE EXPENDITURE PER UNIT

Atgyweiriadau

Repairs

Rhif y Diwrnodau y Cwblhawyd o Fewn No. of Days Completed Within

Nod Cyflawni’r Gwaith mewn Diwrnodau Target No. of Days for Completion of Work

Argyfwng

Emergency

0.72

1

Brys

Urgent

5.73

5

Heb-frys

Non-urgent

23.74

28

COST ATGYWEIRIADAU O DDYDD I DDYDD AR GYFARTALEDD AVERAGE COST OF DAY TO DAY REPAIRS

185 ADDASIADAU WEDI EU GWNEUD GAN PENALYN A GAN DDEFNYDDIO GRANTIAU MÂN ADDASIADAU ADAPTATIONS UNDERTAKEN BY PENALYN AND USING PHYSICAL ADAPTATIONS GRANTS

Bodlonrwydd gyda’n Gwasanaethau Satisfaction with Our Services 214 CANMOLIAETH A DDERBYNIWYD COMPLIMENTS RECEIVED

208 CWYNION A DDERBYNIWYD COMPLAINTS RECEIVED

16.67%

YN WEDDOL FODLON FAIRLY SATISIFIED

83.33% BODLON IAWN VERY SATISFIED

LEFEL BODLONRWYDD AR GARTREFI WEDI EU HADEILADU O’R NEWYDD SATISFACTION LEVELS WITH NEW BUILD HOMES

82% % PRESWYLWYR YN TEIMLO BOD CLWYD ALYN YN GWRANDO AC YN GWEITHREDU AR EU BARN % RESIDENTS FEEL CLWYD ALYN LISTENS AND ACTS ON THEIR VIEWS

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91% % PRESWYLWYR SYDD YN WELL GANDDYNT GAEL CLWYD ALYN YN LANDLORD % RESIDENTS WHO PREFER CLWYD ALYN AS A LANDLORD

386 RHIF YR ACHOSION O YMDDYGIAD GWRTH-GYMDEITHASOL (YGG) DDERBYNIWYD NO OF ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR (ASB) CASES RECEIVED

43 GWELLIANNAU WEITHREDWYD O GANLYNIAD I’R CWYNION A DDERBYNIWYD IMPROVEMENTS IMPLEMENTED AS A RESULT OF THE COMPLAINTS RECEIVED

88% % PRESWYLWYR YN FODLON AR EU HARDAL A’U CYMUNED % RESIDENTS HAPPY WITH THEIR NEIGHBOURHOOD AND COMMUNITY

89% % BODLONRWYDD GYDA YMATEB CLWYD ALYN I’R ACHOSION O YGG % SATISFACTION WITH THE WAY CLWYD ALYN HANDLED THE ASB CASES

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