Issue 19 - Greater Manchester Housing Providers Anti Poverty Newsletter - Winter 2017/18 by Julie Ralph

Winter 2017/18

The povertyissue Welcome to Issue 19 of the Greater Manchester Housing Providers anti-poverty

newsletter, shining a light on the work we do to help reduce poverty and some of the projects and communities we work with. Our cover picture shows the Motiv8 team and some of their clients during an exciting day filming at Manchester Cathedral for Motiv8’s media campaign with Key 103 that ran throughout January. More on page 3. It’s time to tell a new story about UK poverty A recent blog on the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website highlights how an MP’s comments about unemployed people and benefits sparked outrage. The blog piece is part of the Talking About Poverty project which aims to develop a more effective way of communicating about UK poverty, based on new research. 1

On 30th January the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in partnership with Frameworks Institute launched the findings of their two year research project to look at public attitudes to poverty. Their findings sadly confirm that when it comes to poverty in the UK, ‘there is widespread belief that an individual’s success or failure is the sole product of their motivation and choices’ and that ‘the steady diet of stories featuring strivers and scroungers has proved so effective in building support for welfare cuts.’ We need to change that narrative. Find out more here. On the same theme, Stockport Homes are hosting the Independent Food Aid Network for their first public event of 2018. The Value of Stories takes place on Wednesday 7th February 1-4pm. Join them to learn more about the importance of storytelling and the need to hear the voices of people with lived experience of food poverty to influence change. Attendees will also hear more about IFAN’s StoryBank project and how food aid providers can help in making the StoryBank a powerful advocacy and research tool. The event will begin with IFAN’s inaugural AGM. All members and supporters are welcome. Places are still available here. Low paid employment is a recurring theme and we’re starting to see some pieces of work emerge on this. GMHP have established a Social Value Group who have recently collated data from a large number of the GM housing providers and from that we can say that 99% of our staff within GM are paid at least the Living Wage Foundation rate. This is one of a number of social value outcomes that will be measured annually. The full infographic can be found on the back page. Back in November we saw lots of activity linked to National Living Wage Week and the GM Living Wage Campaign held three community events to explore what good employment looks like. This will feed into a piece of work being done by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on a Good Employment Charter. Another project on the same theme is Good Work For All, a Business in the Community project supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which highlights what is meant by ‘Good Work’. Their definition of a ‘good job’ is one that offers security, rights and a fair income. A good job also offers the opportunity for personal development and progression and a supportive and inclusive environment in which all employees can thrive. The website has lots of case studies on what employers are doing to improve the working lives of their workforce. Find out more here. The rest of our newsletter is packed with stories from our GM Housing Providers. As usual you are very welcome to send your feedback or suggestions for the next issue to Julie.Ralph@boltonathome.org.uk

You can find out more about the work of GM Housing Providers by following them on Twitter @GMHousing Or visit the website for the latest news www.gmhousing.co.uk 2

Lights! Camera! Action! New Year – New Motiv8tion! On a beautiful winter day back in November, the Motiv8 team and some of their clients spent an exciting day filming at Manchester Cathedral for Motiv8’s media campaign with Key 103. Did you hear their stories during January?; Thanks to Sean, Tracey, Lee, Eric and Maria for sharing their stories – which are all featured on Motiv8’s new website at www.motiv8mcr.org When Sean, aged 31, was referred to Motiv8 he was homeless and struggling with his mental wellbeing. He said: “I am so grateful to the team at Motiv8. My keyworker felt like a friend. I felt less alone and he was always a reassuring influence telling me ‘you’ll get through this’. I feel much more positive about life now and it was great meeting the other service users and hearing their inspiring stories. I really appreciate being part of the Motiv8 project and their kindness and warm support”. Motiv8 is a programme to help people aged 25 and over in Greater Manchester to improve their lives and chances of getting back into work. It has been set up thanks to £9.7m of funding from the Big Lottery Fund and European Social Fund (2014-2020) as part of the Building Better Opportunities Programme. It provides personalised support to help people overcome barriers and to move towards training, job search and employment opportunities. Since the project launched in January 2017 it has already received more 1,900 referrals. New Charter is leading the project, with support from other Manchester Athena housing providers at Stockport Homes, ForViva, Wythenshawe Community Housing Group, Bolton at Home. The programme also works with a wide-range of specialist partners to access support for education and training, wellbeing, financial programmes and many others to help build confidence, self-esteem and to get people back on the right track. These include Shelter, Home-Start, Migrants Support, LGBT Foundation, Wai Yin Society, Challenge for Change and One Manchester. To find out more about Motiv8 and the eligibility criteria for the programme, please visit their website www.motiv8mcr.org or call 0161 331 2048 or email info@manchesterbbo.co.uk. You can also follow them on Twitter @Motiv8GM. 3

Adactus Housing Group Holiday Fun and Food Volunteer Zoe is a 34 year old full time, single mum of 5 living in Miles Platting , Manchester. She has been a customer of Adactus Housing for over 15 years. Over the past 3 years, Zoe has attended the Holiday Fun & Food events held at The Church of the Apostles in Miles Platting with her 2 youngest children Kelsey and KJ. During the event in summer 2017 it was noticed that Zoe had demonstrated a keen interest in helping to run the group sessions with us. We invited Zoe along to planning meetings for the next HFF event – Halloween (October 2018). Zoe attended the meeting held with us and the church and provided fantastic ideas, feedback and observations that helped shaped and plan the sessions for the next HFF event. Zoe volunteered to help deliver the Halloween event over a 4 day period. She attended with her two children, arriving early each day to help set and prepare the room and leaving later each day to help tidy and clean up afterwards. At the end of each session evaluation activities were provided to gain feedback from the group, which will help improve future programmes. Zoe again contributed and offered good ideas and observations about the day. As a result of her hard work, commitment and dedication to the Holiday Fun & Food in Miles Platting, Adactus offered AQA certificates to recognise, celebrate and congratulate Zoe on her achievements in volunteering, planning and working within and on behalf of her community. AQA – Unit Award Scheme is a unique record of achievement scheme. It offers everyone the opportunity to have their achievements and efforts formally recognised. Regardless of what the achievement is, how old the learner, how long it takes or how small the learning step might be. Zoe said “I can’t believe I’m doing something that’s just for me. I have never done anything like this before. I left school without any GCSE’s and soon became a mum. The children take up all my time and I’m always busy with them. I’m so thankful to Adactus to let me volunteer and be a part of the Holiday Fun & Food – I’m there anyway with the kids, coz they love it!” Zoe is now looking into volunteering with other groups within her local community. This has been brought forward as a requirement of one of the AQA award units that she is currently completing. She has advised that this is the beginning of a new chapter for her and who knows what she can achieve in the future.

Deanery High School It was great to take part at The Deanery High School & Sixth Form College‘s Career Fair on Monday 16 October aimed at secondary school pupils and sixth form college students. The Careers Fair was hosted at the school on Frog Lane in Wigan between 9am and 3pm. The aim of the day was to help school pupils and college students meet local employers, chat about all the different options available to them and opportunities for the future. As a long established local employer, Adactus was able to promote the housing sector and highlight all the additional work that goes into the communities.

Kelly and Conor from Adactus’s Breathe team were available on our stall to meet the youngsters and advise on the various career opportunities available within the Group along with information on apprenticeships, training and work experience placements. Our stall proved very popular and was visited by almost 1,300 students – all with varying views on the world of social housing and what the various jobs entailed. Lindsay Ogden, Enterprise and Funding Manager from Adactus said ‘We support events such as these in our local communities, as we want to ensure that every young person receives the correct information to enable them to plan for their future and achieve success.’

Bolton at Home Working Wardrobe “I’ll wear my best tracksuit to the interview,” I heard one of our customers saying. We come across this a lot at Bolton at Home. It’s not that our customers aren’t job-ready, it’s just that they’re not interview-ready. For this customer, getting some decent clothes for his interview and creating that vital first impression was a real barrier to him getting off benefits and back into employment. So we’ve hatched a plan. I’ve joined our Employment and Enterprise Team specifically to set up the Working Wardrobe in the town centre where interviewees can get kitted out for free. It’s taken some planning but we’re now about to sign the lease on our new shop unit and it’s all getting very exciting. It’ll work like this. The Working Wardrobe shop will stock ‘gently worn’ suits, appropriate interview attire, shoes and accessories all donated by local businesses. After being referred our clients will make a one-to-one appointment at our shop where they’ll be given a full interview outfit plus shoes and whatever accessories they need. Crucially they’ll also be given advice and support on what to expect at the interview. Once they’re successful they’ll come back to me for any additional clothing they need plus they’ll get access to our in work support officer. That way we can make the often difficult transition from benefits into employment as smooth as possible. This is all part of Bolton at Homes’ commitment to supporting local people into work. As a social landlord with 18,000 properties we see our job as much more than putting a roof over people’s heads. Through our network of UCAN centres – neighbourhood advice centres – we are already supporting hundreds of local people with job searching, confidence-boosting and CV writing. The Working Wardrobe will take them to the next step. We’ll help them get the look, so they get the job.

And yes, we did help that customer get a suit for his interview and yes, he did get the job. So we know it works! For more information contact dawn.juson@boltonathome.org.uk

First Choice Homes Oldham Stronger Communities keeping people safe and warm over winter The Stronger Communities team offered advice and support at 12 ‘Winter Warmer’ events over Christmas 2017 to help create strong independent communities. The team delivered these sessions at First Choice Homes Oldham community centres across the town, bringing residents together to discuss ways to make the most of their current fuel usage. The team handed out 124 ‘Winter Warmer Packs’ provided by Sure Maintenance to those that needed them. The packs included useful items from basic food stuffs to flasks and knitwear to help customers stay warm. Our Stronger Communities team work with customers to help deliver community activities in their neighbourhoods in which they are supported to do things for themselves. For example, at the events they offered advice on switching energy providers to get the best deals. They also asked customers to consider the links between healthy eating and exercise with keeping warm. The 12 days of activities also encouraged the use of local community centres and groups to reduce social isolation and provided information on activities that First Choice Homes Oldham deliver in partnership with other organisations. Warm Homes and Healthy Foods Event The Warm Homes Oldham Project has already helped over 4000 people out of fuel poverty since 2012 primarily in the private housing sector. This project is co-funded by Oldham Council, NHS Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group and Oldham Housing Investment Partnership, made up of eight local housing associations. First Choice Homes Oldham will be further supporting Oldham Council to help residents take advantage of the Warm Homes Scheme and learn how to make energy improvements in their homes in an event due to take place in February. Customers who attend will be able to get samples of energy efficient lights bulbs, standby energy saving devices, radiator foils, draught excluders and timer switches, along with help to identify A-rated products and advice on cold weather payments. The event will also give people a chance to sign up for NHS health checks to be provided in the following weeks to help prevent diabetes, heart and kidney disease, strokes and dementia. Cooking demonstrations will also be provided to share advice on how to eat healthily on a budget.

ForViva Tenancy Sustainability Service Our new Tenancy Sustainment Service helps customers to get the most from their tenancy by supporting them with issues such as facing eviction for rent arrears, in debt and fuel poverty, previously homeless and in their first tenancy or not accessing services or benefits which may be available to them. The service works to prevent homelessness and alleviate poverty. Wendy, a ForViva customer, was referred to the Tenancy Sustainment Service for support by our Neighbourhood department. She had a number of issues including debts, hoarding, no gas supply connected and no bank account. Wendy had lived in her home for some years and had developed hoarding behaviours. When she was referred to the service she had agreed to allow social services to assist with a full clear-out. She felt that removal of her belongings had made her feel depressed and as if she was no longer “home”. Wendy’s property was very cold as she had not been using her gas for around two years as she said she could not afford to pay off the arrears on the meter. She had never paid any water rates since moving in and she was feeling the pinch after being transferred from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment at a lower rate. With support from the TSS, Wendy’s quality of life improved in a short period of time. Her gas supplier agreed to write off the debt on her gas meter so that we could restore her heating and hot water. Her water supplier agreed to write off all previous debt and place Wendy on their support tariff, saving her £300 per year. Wendy worked with her care team to keep her property clean and tidy, and once the heating was back on felt it was “home” once more. With support to obtain the documents she needed to open a bank account, Wendy attended an appointment at the bank on her own and successfully got a current account set up. She also decided to clear her council tax account for the year as she found she had enough money to do this. Wendy has continued to sustain her tenancy and has improved her budgeting and bill management skills since the support ended. Snack & Chat Snack & Chat is aimed at customers in Cadishead, Salford, to socialise over a free monthly lunch where guest speakers are in attendance to discuss nominated topics. The lunches are planned and delivered by Cadishead Tenants and Residents Association volunteers who want to prevent loneliness and isolation. The aim of the project is to; “Support a reduction in preventable deaths and increased life expectancy.” Cadishead Tenants and Residents Association volunteer their time to deliver the lunches and are supported by ForViva through marketing to raise awareness of the lunches and to 8

arrange guest speakers. We work in partnership with the Hamilton Davies Trust (funding), Salford Health Improvement Team and Friends of Chat Moss (for guest speakers). The local Tesco superstore also donates food towards the events. Customers attending the events have been aged between 57 and 94 and they have all expressed the positivity which the project has brought to them, such as; not feeling isolated due to living alone, being able to talk to someone about recent bereavements, feeling socially included, dealing with medical issues which they might never have gone to see a doctor about, and learning about where and how to save money on bills.

Here are some of the comments from customers who have attended the sessions: “The talking is good for the mind” “Coming here makes me move, gives me a reason to get dressed, a reason to get up and break the cycle of staying at home.” “The talks are interesting and being used to keep healthy, find new things to do and access other services. Motivated to stay active.” This initiative helps prevent health deterioration and the consequences of loneliness including the likelihood of mortality, the onset of disability, the risk of cognitive decline, the likelihood of developing clinical dementia and increased use of health services and care. 9

Generation Westwood Generation Westwood is a project being delivered on one of our neighbourhoods which has a high unemployment rate. The initiative delivers employability training to enable customers to gain the skills needed to get into work. Many of the participants are unemployed (often long term) and lack qualifications and work experience. ForViva worked in partnership with the Generation Foundation (now Kickstart), who are funded to deliver this project, along with Westwood Park Primary School, which hosted and helped to deliver the training provided by Salford College. ForViva provided a proportion of the funding and successfully applied for a grant from the People’s Health Trust on behalf of Westwood and Alder Park Tenants and Residents Association who requested this intervention to get more people from the local community into work. Here’s Linda’s story! Linda, a parent of two boys, had experience in health and social care but was desperate to take qualifications to get a career in childcare. Aged 37, and with no GCSE or O Level qualifications, she assumed it was too late to take this path. Linda completed training in CV Writing, Paediatric First Aid, Food Hygiene, English and Maths, and Supporting Teaching and Learning. She also volunteered two days a week in the school to gain more experience of working with children. Linda is now working full time at a nursery and is furthering her education by studying for a play worker course. Linda said “The programme gave me the confidence and skills I needed to take the jump of retraining and having a career looking after children. I absolutely love my job and I would not have been able to take this new direction without Generation Westwood.” The project has been a great success with a variety of outcomes:     

17 adults improved their employability by completing an academic course – with some completing more than one Three achieved the Level 2 Supporting Teaching and Learning Qualification 12 achieved a 12 week mathematics course – Level 1 functional skills Ten achieved a 12 week literacy course – Level 1 functional skills Unemployment is reduced Two participants used their qualifications to gain part time employment in retail.

Great Places Food Poverty We have been working across all of our anchor neighbourhoods looking at different Food Club / Food Cooperative models which we may be able to support. Below is one example of empowering constituted resident groups to facilitate their own projects long term. Romney Voices is an active residents group we support on a Great Places scheme. They have organised many successful community events and fund raisers but are very keen to also focus on more sustainable projects to benefit local residents such as addressing the issue of food poverty and food waste. One of the challenges they faced was that they did not have any funding or transport to access low cost food from the nearest supplier which they could then pass on to the community. With our support they were able to work with FareShare who agreed to provide some free food trays to enable Romney Voices to kick-start the project. Great Places then paid another community group to transport, sort the food trays and deliver them to Romney Voices from FareShare over a 5 week period. We also approached the local church, who agreed to provide their hall for free once a week so that residents could collect their food trays they had purchased in advance from the residents’ group. The food trays were sold for £5 each but usually had a shop value of over £20. They were very popular and each week all 10 trays were generally reserved in advance. The couple of trays that weren’t sold were donated to the local food bank. Romney Voices has saved the proceeds of the food sales to reinvest into the project long term. They are arranging to become full members of FareShare, hire a van for weekly collections, extend the sale of the trays to the wider neighbourhood and are working with the church to develop their community café, so that residents will also have an opportunity cook and eat with the produce they have bought. This project has also helped the residents’ group to become more confident in their roles, enabled them to raise their profile in the community (and with other stakeholders) and given them an opportunity to expand into other activities such as the planned cooking workshops.

Budgeting Awareness Event Members of staff from the Community Development and Financial Inclusion Team wanted to carry out a joint approach to try to reach the community to raise awareness of what support and services are available to them and how to access the services like Food Banks, Credit Unions and Furniture Recycling Providers. Our aim was to reach out to people who might really need this support but either don’t know it exists, how to get the help or are too proud to ask. We decided to get several agencies in one room to advertise their service, make it easier to access the support and to offer people the opportunity to speak to these services in a confidential, informal ‘drop in’ environment. We offered immediate relief to customers by providing them with a food bag which included ingredients to make leek and potato soup, a recipe card and a male / female bag containing toiletries. The sessions were delivered by partner agencies and lead by Great Places Staff. The sessions overall were a success. The location of the drop ins worked well, we delivered these at a Primary School and Community Hub which are based locally. The timings of the sessions seemed to work well as we were attending a breakfast club at the primary school where parents were around for morning drop offs. The sessions were also attended by Great Places Environment Team who had energy saving advice and free goodies to keep participants warm and safe this winter.

Loan Shark Awareness – Projects Funded by the IMLT from Proceeds of Crime Across Great Places we have been delivering different projects to raise awareness around the dangers of Loan Sharks. We have secured different pots of funding from the Illegal Money Lending Team, proceeds of crime funds and come up with some very intuitive ideas to raise awareness; from designing and creating colourful mosaics, creating recycled aluminium plaques to mount on schemes 12

and Reception areas, to a Sand Sculptured Shark and Murals and a Film Production to be screened at a local cinema.

Social Value Projects We have been busy utilising our contractors to deliver workshops for us as part of their social value offer. Recently our recruitment providers delivered â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Employability Workshopsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and our Investment Programme Contractors delivered several CSCS Workshops and paid for the online certification, just two examples of many projects we are facilitating.

How we're powering customers up for digital Universal Credit With the roll-out of Universal Credit digital in the Manchester regions, we've been running digital sessions to help our customers get to grips with the new system, alongside one to one support provided by our dedicated Financial Inclusion Officers. Our Northmoor Community Centre being one of many venues, also raising awareness of all the other great facilities the Centre has to offer the Community. 13

Irwell Valley HA Charity begins at home Christmas is traditionally a time for giving. A time when many of us think about those who are less fortunate than ourselves. During the season of goodwill colleagues from Irwell Valley spread festive cheer to some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities across our region. They collected coats and warm clothes to support BRASS (befriending refugees and asylum seekers) in Bolton, as well as clothes and toiletries for Bolton’s Young Persons night shelter. Colleagues wrapped presents for shoppers in Bolton to raise money for Fort Alice, supporting those affected by domestic abuse. They donned their festive sweaters for ‘Save the Children’ and supported Key103’s Cash for Kids, Mission Christmas, donating gifts for disadvantaged children across Greater Manchester to help make their Christmas morning special. The members of the fantasy football league also played their part, raising hundreds of pounds for local charity RECLAIM over the year. But it wasn’t just donations, colleagues provided practical help too. Salford Women’s Aid were ‘made up’ when Irwell Valley colleagues transformed a playroom, dining room and garden with a stunning makeover. The centre that provides refuge for women and their children escaping domestic abuse relies on donations to keep this desperately needed support going - and it’s a real struggle. One of the residents said, ‘It feels happy. My favourite place is the dining area where all the women and families sit and chat together around the kitchen table. I feel valued and more confident to rebuild my life.’

Irwell Valley were delighted to have made such a positive difference. During 2018 they will be offering practical support to other community projects and initiatives across Greater Manchester. If you know someone who could use their support, please contact rachel.mccue@irwellvalleyha.co.uk.

New Charter Aksa Homes (part of the New Charter Group) works with Greggs Foundation to serve up healthy school breakfasts Aksa Homes has teamed up with national bakery Greggs, to run a new healthy breakfast club at Lyndhurst Primary School in Oldham, with the official launch taking place on 17th January 2018. Aksa Homes has funded the club with the Greggs Foundation to give disadvantaged children as young as four the best start to their day. The morning sessions will run every day for two years at Lyndhurst Primary School. Greggs will donate fresh bread daily from a local store and the funding will also help to buy cereal, fruit, toasters and crockery for the clubs. The school is in an area where Aksa Homes has invested heavily in the community to support families and, through the club, it hopes to reduce the number of children who turn up for school without having breakfast. The Greggs Foundation has over 450 breakfast clubs in disadvantaged areas across the country to help people in hardship. Aksa Homes works with families in Oldham, health agencies and schools to tackle child poverty as early as possible. A breakfast club will provide children with a nutritious start to the day giving them the energy to engage and enjoy their learning.

S.W.A.T. returns to tackle Universal Credit Tameside Housing association New Charter Homes has re-launched S.W.A.T., its Specialist Welfare Advice Team in order to help its tenants cope with the roll-out of ‘full service’ Universal Credit. The controversial benefit was launched amongst new benefit claimants in Tameside in 2013 but on 7th March the ‘full digital service’ will be rolled out across the region, meaning that anyone currently claiming any of the six benefits it replaces who has a change of circumstances will be asked to claim Universal Credit. New Charter has already seen nearly 85% of its tenants who are currently claiming Universal Credit either fall into rent arrears or have their existing arrears increase dramatically. To combat this, the association has put together a squad of specially trained advisors whose mission it is to help, advise and inform those who may be affected by the switch to Universal Credit. There are around 6,000 households in New Charter’s neighbourhoods that have been identified as potentially moving to Universal Credit after 7th March 2018. Between now and March, S.W.A.T. will be carrying out a triage process to identify those tenants who need general advice and guidance and those who need more intensive support in readiness for the move to UC. The team will visit neighbourhoods speaking directly to New Charter tenants and helping them with all manner of queries linked to UC, from advice on getting online and setting up email addresses (which are needed for the application process) to budgeting to prepare for change. Andy Birtles, S.W.A.T. team leader said: ‘We’ve already seen how Universal Credit has affected many of our tenants, causing some to fall into arrears and debt, we have asked current UC claimants what it’s been like for them which has helped us to identify the main

problems that people are facing. These included the 7 day initial waiting period (which thankfully has now been removed), the stress of getting into debt whilst waiting for the first payment and the fact that Universal Credit is paid monthly in arrears directly to the tenant, including the housing element for the payment of rent. With the right help and advice, these issues can be avoided and our team is looking forward to getting out there and doing what we can.” A previous incarnation of S.W.A.T. existed from 2012 to 2014, when the so-called “Bedroom Tax” was introduced. The project saw the team visit the majority of New Charter households who were going to be affected by the bedroom tax (2,200 in total) to raise awareness and give advice. They were able to address tenants’ debts totalling £79,000. For their work, the team won the 24 Housing Welfare Wise award in 2013. The team can be contacted by phone on 0161 331 2010 or by email at swat@newcharter.co.uk. Court enforcement business seizes opportunity through local start up partnership SUSSED IT Start Up Support and Social Enterprise Development in Tameside (SUSSED IT) is a local partnership between New Charter Homes and Inspire Consultant (Dukinfield) Limited. SUSSED IT has been established for the past year, supporting local people to set up and run their own businesses, and has helped them grow from strength to strength through continued support. The innovative partnership has supported 40 individuals since January 2017. One such business is Court Enforcement Solutions Ltd, who were shortlisted at this year’s Pride of Tameside Business Awards after being encouraged by the team at SUSSED IT to enter. Based in New Charter Homes, and aimed at helping people who are looking to set up their own businesses, the partnership provides on-to-one support and advice from the initial business idea right through to marketing and funding. Court Enforcement Solutions Ltd, a court certificated enforcement Agent Company specialising in civil enforcement. Their areas of expertise cover everything from CCJs to horse removal and abandoned vehicle recovery. SUSSED IT helped greatly by providing the business with publicity advice and ways to expand which they hadn’t previously thought of. They also offered suggestions on a business plan and model that would keep them on track to expansion. The team at SUSSED IT also suggested the company enter into the Pride of Tameside Business Awards 2018 and shortlisted for Professional Services Business of the Year and New Business award.

Set up in 2016 by Craig Poynton and Gareth Haggerty, who are both ex-army servicemen who worked together before going their separate ways. Gareth went on to have 11 years working in the enforcement agent industry and Craig has a close protection background working on government contracts for the British Embassy, as well as large gas and oil corporations like BP and Exxon Mobil. Craig had to achieve his qualification as a Certificated Enforcement Agent which was followed by intense training from Gareth over 3-4 months to gain as much experience as possible. They both developed further by learning from other industry experts and gaining as much knowledge and learning as they could. In the early days they built a website for exposure and ensured they were covered legally in their operations with viable company insurance. They had a lot of barriers to overcome such as taking a wage cut, and finding time to build the business around family time which sometimes had to be sacrificed. As the business began to grow they recruited further Enforcement Agents, enabling them to work for larger companies and subcontract work to Enforcement Agents whilst they build their own client base. Now they are growing faster than expected and looking into systems to manage the work flow gained from just one national company. The focus for the future is on expansion as they are looking to recruit their own High Court Enforcement Officer as well as bid for council contracts. On 17th January 2018 a re-launch of the service took take place at New Charter Homes. Guest speakers included Mr Wayne Coyle the winner of Pride of Tameside Business Awards 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year award, Judi Kelly from Inspire Consultant (Dukinfield) Limited and Janine Richardson from the Business Growth Hub. They were all available to provide advice and guidance on the evening for anyone considering starting up a business, selfemployment including social enterprise in 2018. Court Enforcement Services training new employees

Onward Homes Residents in Halliwell Bolton, can take advantage of further IT sessions to help them get to grips with the digital world Backed by National Lottery Funding, Housing association Onward has loaned a number of laptops funded by the programme Awards For All to local community centres involved in the “it’s in your hands project”. The 6 week project completed in 2017 with over 50 users taking part in the project, however on final feedback we learnt that the project was over time helping them to build confidence, develop skills, and overcome initial fears of getting back into employment and so agreed with community centres we were working with to loan the laptops to them so they could continue this support. Some have been learning how to create a CV and sending this out to potential employers, others have found the course has helped them with their search for work with the tutors support. As an organisation we support the health and wellbeing of our tenants and work towards the 5 ways of wellbeing model which is backed by the NHS. This project aims to address 'Connecting' as it will provide the link between the tenants who have set up email accounts and also support them in making digital connections with friends and family. It also supports 'Learning' a second way to wellbeing by helping them develop new skills. Onward community investment officer, Shanine Meadowcroft said: “With many services moving online, including Universal Credit, it’s really important residents have the skills, knowledge and confidence to use the internet. “These sessions are just one way Contour is helping tenants get one-to-one support in their neighbourhood, and it’s a great opportunity for local residents to come along and learn new skills” Our aim is to continue to provide the learning centres with ongoing support and the use of the laptops for the wider community to loan.

HUNDREDs flock to Oldham family fun day in celebration of diversity. The ‘Flavours of Hollinwood’ food festival took place in November. The special event was hosted by the Oasis Academy, and aimed to celebrate culture. Those attending got to sample traditional food dishes prepared by residents, and local businesses were also in 20

attendance to showcase their produce for sale. Meanwhile, young people got to try their hand at making delicious fruit kebabs, face-painting and planting. While live entertainment was provided courtesy of Jubacana, a local youth percussion band. Contour Homes tenant, Victoria Jackson, aged 33 from Hollinwood, said: ’I have really enjoyed the festival today; it’s been nice to share cookery skills with neighbours from different cultures. As part of the project I attended a 6 week cookery course where I completed my Food Hygiene Level 2 certificate. It’s been great!’ The National Lottery funded project was led by the Oasis Hub Oldham, in partnership with Contour Homes, Regenda and Oldham Council. Stephanie Hill, Community Investment Officer for Contour Homes, said: ‘It has been great to see local people and partners working together to make the festival a success. At Contour Homes it’s really important to us to support and promote cohesive communities and this project, led by Oasis Hub Oldham, has really achieved this.’

Regenda Hampers at Christmas Staff at our St Chad’s Office in Oldham donated food and toys for our annual hamper campaign. Nine hampers and 16 gifts were distributed by our staff to our most vulnerable people/families within the Greater Manchester and Cheshire areas. Regenda Staff volunteered to help the foodbank at Tesco, Oldham on Thursday 30th November 2017. The foodbank advised that they had over 50 crates filled before 1.00pm. The staff said “we had all kinds of different items, and it was lovely to see the customer’s faces when they were donating”

Lots of feedback was received on the day. One member of the public said “well done, keep up the good work”. A big well done to all the staff involved, it’s great to give something back! The Growing Hub Limehurst The Growing Hub has been set up to encourage local residents to grow their own fruit and veg, both in a community setting, and in their own green space. It is situated in a small gated area just off Lower Lime Road, OL8 3NP. It is entirely run by volunteers from the surrounding area. Limehurst sits on the edge of the edge of the countryside within Oldham Borough and lies between a number of green rolling hills surrounding Greater Manchester. Limehurst is part of the Hollinwood ward in the South West of Oldham. We aim to provide informal training, practical help and advice about growing all kinds of produce as well as a safe welcoming place to learn with friends old and new. The project was set up in 2016 by local resident Kay Astley. Since then, she has networked with other community groups such as the Failsworth Growing Hub and Oldham Food 22

Network, and has been instrumental in the setting up of OL8, a resident-led action group supported by OL1, Regenda, Petrus, and other partners. This demonstrates that the project has a broad base of support, and a wider understanding of what the community wants and needs. The desire to have a shared growing space in the areas has been fed back from regular meetings with these partners and volunteers. The project will provide health and quality of life benefits to people and communities who use the green space, reducing social isolation while providing gentle education around healthy eating habits. We want to work together with all residents, embracing our diversity. We will be re-designing the garden within the green space, making the space more accessible for community members and local schools. We have decided to focus on a sea container as a much needed space for our group which will also enable us to have an off grid 12 volt solar panel system installed and a water capture system and water butts to enable us to water our crops. We offer residents a home growing starter kit, which will include all of the tools needed to grow vegetables, fruit and herbs. We will encourage the whole family and engage with local schools to get active and involved by delivering fun food and plant growing competitions e.g. tallest sunflower competition for school children. We will work to increase community participation in food growing, cooking and eating by establishing a local network of growers, 'eaters' and enjoyers and sellers of local Limehurst produce. Fiona Turner, a Community Facilitator for the project employed through Petrus, has managed to secure ÂŁ16,000 of funding from Awards for All, Action for Oldham and Tesco. Also local district council teams have supported with a recent small grant of ÂŁ1000 for a small tool shed. Fiona supports the group with developing their vision and engaging the community and partners with plans for the site. The project also has the complete support of Regenda housing, whose land the growing hub is on. Through consultation with residents and voluntary groups within the local area, the overall aim is to provide the community with a green open space garden that produces fruit, veg and herbs that can be shared and also to deliver cook and eat sessions to all members of the community and local schools using the produce that has been grown. We eventually want to make the project sustainable by selling produce at reduced rates to all local residents. Fiona will support the group to host school visits and even more community open days and continue to build the capacity of the group to fulfil their sharing and wellbeing for the neighbourhood. This will increase resilience to food poverty and social isolation. The groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision is to enable residents to have confidence to grow their own at home in their gardens and be supported through this sharing skills hub approach. 23

Salix Homes Salix Homes helps elderly tenants stay warm and well Salix Homes has been ensuring its elderly residents stay well this winter. The Salford housing association’s Neighbourhood Teams have carried out home visits and delivered winter welfare packs to more than 150 of its older residents as part of its annual Keep Warm, Keep Well scheme. Now in its ninth year, the initiative supports people aged over 70 to ensure they are all set for the winter months, their heating is working, and they know how to access support if they need it. During the visits, officers give advice on how to stay warm and healthy during cold periods, what to do if they trip or fall and ensure they are claiming the benefits they’re entitled to. Residents are also given winter welfare packs containing a hot water bottle, blanket, gloves, socks, hat, thermal mug and a temperature gauge. Pensioner Dorothy Law, aged 74, lives alone at her home in Charlestown and was thrilled with her winter welfare pack. She said: “I live on my own and don’t really have any family so it was a wonderful surprise to get a visit and my welfare pack. Everything in it will be really useful to me and the socks will keep my toes warm in bed.” Mick Walsh, neighbourhood manager at Salix Homes, said: “The cold, winter months can be a very difficult and worrying time for some older people, some of whom don’t have any family and may be feeling lonely and isolated. “A lot of older people can go for days and weeks without seeing anyone else, so it’s vitally important that they know that help and support is out there if they need it. “So far this winter we've visited more than 150 of our elderly and most vulnerable residents to offer help and advice and ensure they don’t feel alone this winter.” Watch a video of the campaign here.

Southway Housing Trust Employment support is now a key priority Helping tenants into work and preparing them to become work ready has become a key priority for Southway over the last year and partnerships have been established with agencies such as Skills for Employment (now the Growth Company) and Motiv8 to refer tenants to. The agencies require clients to be claiming benefits but many who approach us for help are either in work but not getting the hours they need to survive, or are on short term contracts, so are in and out of work. We are therefore finding most tenants being referred to us for support donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t meet the criteria to be signposted elsewhere so we are having to provide advice and employment support ourselves. Many tenants looking for work were telling us they wanted something that dealt with the public and also wanted something local with flexible hours. With dozens of fine dining bistros and bars now open in the Southway area there is always demand for waiting on and bar staff and the flexible hours can be particularly attractive for those having to work around children or other responsibilities. To take advantage of these local employment opportunities we designed a comprehensive 6 week â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;waiting onâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; course called Serving 4 Success, working in partnership with Manchester College who deliver the training. The course, which runs two and a half days a week, provides trainees with the knowledge and skills required to work in the trade with topics including, dealing with customers, setting tables, serving food and wine and mixing classic cocktails. It also includes placements negotiated with some of the best restaurants in the area. Those who complete the course gain a City and Guilds qualification and a Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate and also get an interview with a restaurant.

We also work with Smartworks in Stockport, a charity that helps women with confidence building and handling interviews. They provide a smart outfit to those with an interview lined up and if they get the job they get another outfit to help start their work wardrobe. The job centre has been very supportive of the course and can provide Matalan vouchers for any men or women who need clothes for interviews. Restaurants are always looking for staff and there are lots of other employment opportunities open to those who complete the course. For those looking for occasional employment there is regular event work, including weddings and festivals, available through agencies. Those interested in hotel work can sign up for a more comprehensive Hospitality course run by Manchester College. Five of the students so far have managed to get into work since completing the course and more are expected to get jobs in the near future. Southway Solutions loans 2017 has seen our Solutions loan scheme go from strength to strength with 671 tenants having now borrowed in total. £22,000 has been earned in interest which goes into a development fund to be used on projects that help promote the Credit Union and its services. This year £15,000 of the fund was used to employ a Post Graduate media student for a year to improve the credit union’s website and their social media presence. The police credit union ‘CopperPot’, who have successfully employed media students in the past, have acted as advisors to help make the most of the opportunity. We are in discussions with the credit union to develop a loan product to support new UC claimants unable to get an advance to keep them going while waiting for their first payment. Our digital support workers are running weekly Universal Credit drop in sessions at local venues to show potential UC claimants how to apply on line. Welfare Rights staff are also available to provide benefit advice and to signpost to other staff for support with employment and banking.

Stockport Homes Wonderful Things During October half term 2017, Stockport Homes worked in partnership with Rossendale-based social enterprise ‘Wonderful Things’ and All Saints Primary School to deliver five full days of innovative holiday activities. In line with Stockport Homes’ Inclusive Growth Strategy, the aim was to inspire thirty children, feed into their social and academic attainment, and provide affordable childcare for working parents. All Saints was approached as its catchment is the deprived neighbourhood of Lancashire Hill. Most who attended had emotional or behavioural needs, including several on the autistic spectrum and several involved with social care. All the places were filled for the week, and the children chose the activities which were drama/acting, baking, music, super heroes and ‘All around the world’. Stockport Homes funded the cost of Wonderful Things organisation and facilitation. The school met the cost of a Teaching Assistant being present every day, Stockport Tesco Community Champion donated packed lunches and parents/carers were charged a token £2 per day for each child. The results of the pilot were overwhelmingly positive. 100% of parents agreed the club had a positive impact on their finances during the holidays, on organising childcare and on combining work with childcare. 100% stated Wonderful Things had a positive impact on their children’s happiness, selfconfidence, feelings about school, trying new activities and interacting with adults/new people. The majority stated it had a positive impact on their child’s behaviour. The children most enjoyed trying new things, getting out of the house and making new friends.

Anecdotal feedback includes: “When the room went quiet on bake off day, I wandered in to find out why and discovered the volunteers (children) had started a game with the younger children whilst the staff were clearing up, and everyone was engrossed. It was a game they had learnt on Theatre day.” Staff member “My children were asking to go to bed early so they could get up early and be ready in time for the holiday club!” Parent “I have never seen [Child X] smiling or interacting with others at school. The change in him was amazing.” Teacher “Child Y’s parents have never set foot in school for anything. Dad came into the school for the first time to see what his children were doing and interacted with staff. This is HUGE for that family and is something the school can now build on.” Teacher Bids for external funding are now underway to cover future provision for the rest of the academic year at All Saints. The same cohort of children will be invited for consistency and to better allow evaluation. If sufficient funding is secured, the project will then be rolled out to other Stockport primary schools with deprived catchments. For further information contact tanya.king@stockporthomes.org , Social Inclusion Manager Stockport Homes’ tailored training for the new Light Cinema Team The new Light Cinema at the Redrock development in Stockport has benefited from a tailored training programme designed and delivered by Stockport Homes Group in partnership with Stockport Council. Stockport Homes has been proud to be involved with the new cinema, and in particular, getting great staff ready for work. Potential employees attended a week-long assessment and learning course to help prepare for interviews, in the newly opened HQ, Cornerstone. The Light Cinema approached Stockport Homes to assist with recruiting new workers for their Redrock site. Jamie Pitt, General Manager for the Light Cinema said: “The initial stages, course planning and delivery of the pre-employment training was nothing short of fabulous.” Robin Burman, Chair of Stockport Homes’ Board, said: “Our employment team have worked closely with Light Cinema to understand what they were looking for in their new employees. By working closely with a local company, we were able to design a tailored programme for 28

their benefit. We also have a great understand of the surrounding area, especially to new companies not familiar with Stockport. We are thrilled that 13 people will be working with the Light Cinema as a result.” Jamie added: “It’s been a real pleasure to work with the Stockport Homes team who work incredibly hard and with so much passion to help others into employment. I can’t recommend the process highly enough, which has provided the Light Cinema with an excellent workforce.” Stockport Homes employment and training teams work hard to find tailored solutions for individuals that may have experienced long periods of time away from the workplace and need support to return to work. The Light Cinema was an excellent opportunity to bridge the disadvantage that some customers experience when looking to access new work opportunities. All participants attended an interview at the end of the week. For more information about employment and training support with the Stockport Homes Group please contact Helen Alderson Employment Projects Manager on 07875 990118 or helen.alderson@stockporthomes.org Your Local Pantry: Growing our Network Your Local Pantry is a network of community food clubs established by Stockport Homes. For a small fee (currently £2.50 in Stockport), local residents can do a weekly shop – choosing at least 10 items of groceries from a wide range of fresh, chilled, frozen and ambient goods. Pantries offer more than just food; they act as community hubs, helping to reduce social isolation and act as a gateway to other sources of advice and support. The Pantry model has grown throughout Greater Manchester; at least six other providers have set up similar projects across the region. To support this growth we have an established Greater Manchester Food Network. Through the network members are able to showcase their projects and share learning; this has helped in terms of generating new ideas, overcoming obstacles and increasing the number of people we can all support.

Topics we cover include: Sourcing new suppliers Considerations of running a food business External funding Promotions and activities If you are running a similar project and would like to get involved in the network, or would like information and advice about setting up a Pantry in your area please contact Your Local Pantry at Stockport Homes by emailing pantry@stockporthomes.org 29

Wythenshawe Community Housing Group Wythenshawe Youth Forum – Summer of Change The Wythenshawe Youth Forum is a group of young people who want to make a difference on the things that matter to them. All summer, they have been helping to raise money for the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham’s homelessness fund through their ‘Summer of Change’ Programme. The Group have volunteered at numerous local events including the Wythenshawe Games, Community Centre fun days and have also taken part in a number of different campaigns including making a documentary and presenting to the Children’s Board at Manchester City Council. To support their fantastic work, Wythenshawe Community Housing Group held a special dress down day on 22nd September, to raise money for the campaign with all donations going towards ending rough sleeping in Manchester and the total amount raised was an amazing £518. Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said: “It is fantastic to see young people working to tackle homelessness in Greater Manchester. They have recognised the issue we are facing and have come together to help and it is heart-warming. They have led by example and I would urge the public of Greater Manchester to ask themselves what small things they can do to help.” Group Chief Executive, Nigel Wilson said, “The Youth Forum has worked so hard on the ‘Summer of Change’ and we were proud to support them. We are delighted that the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham has joined us today to accept the monies raised for

this worthy cause. The Youth Forum’s documentary on homelessness really does spotlight this growing issue nationwide. Lord Mayor supports Wythenshawe Food Poverty campaign Over 50 people from local businesses attended the Food Poverty Campaign event with the Lord Mayor Eddy Newman on the 8th of December at Unit-E, Wythenshawe. Unit-E opened in 2016, which is now the main food distribution point servicing seven much needed food banks in Wythenshawe, as supply and demand continues to grow. Many local businesses, residents and families contributed food and cash to support people living in food poverty in Wythenshawe. Food donations increased, from three to six tonnes over this period at Unit-E, proving to be a vital resource for the local community. An impressive £4,085.00 cash donations were received and an additional 87 food parcels which provided and supported 128 adults and 177 children. In total 1361.30kgs of food was distributed 1361.30kgs along with an additional, 91 children’s Christmas sacks containing a toy and selection box. The Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Eddy Newman said, “It was a honour to be part of this food campaign, bringing much needed sustenance to the local Wythenshawe Community. Unit-E continues to grow from strength to strength and has become a vital resource for many”. Jacque Allen, Executive Director of Housing said, “Wythenshawe’s sense of community and pride never ceases to impress me, it was very moving to see some many local people get on board and support this amazing campaign.

Poverty Speaks Volumes â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Poverty Speaks Volumesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; funded by Young Manchester and the Webb Memorial Trust, is a project aimed at strengthening the voice and influence of young people in Manchester. It equips young people in developing effective policies that improves their lives on low income as well as build strong leadership skills to drive social political change at both a community and city wide level. 4CT (youth organisation) delivered the project and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group managed the contract on behalf of Young Manchester. Young people from across Manchester worked for six months on the programme in which time they attended a residential, visited the Houses of Parliament and met their local MP. The group created a song which showcased their experiences of poverty which they performed at the Greater Manchester Poverty Action seminar where the audience included the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.

The young people involved have used this project as an opportunity to become more involved in their community and have plans over the coming months to get involved in social action activities and to grow their relationship with the Manchester Youth Council so they can continue to have their say on issues impacting on their area. The group have produced a video which can be viewed here.