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Working with our Customers - Customer Annual Report 2018-19
TOGETHER WITH TENANTS
It’s important to Rooftop that we create a positive relationship with our tenants and residents. We work hard to achieve this and continually strive to strengthen and improve customer engagement, alongside aiming to provide safe, decent and affordable homes. We think we are doing a pretty good job but realise we can always do better and welcome input from the people that really matter, and that’s you.
Not all Housing Associations have clear mechanisms for building relationships, communicating with customers and being accountable. A lack of consistency between how different associations operate has led to some tenants and residents saying their landlord feels distant and this has resulted in a lack of trust in housing associations in some places. As a sector we’re doing something about it. The National Housing Federation (NHF) has put together a plan called Together with Tenants and Rooftop Housing Group has been an early adopter of the plan and a leading voice in consultations that have happened so far.
As part of this a national Tenant Advisory Panel has been established and one of our customers, Daisy Halford, is a member of the 15 strong team. She is a former Resident Excellence Panel member and has been volunteering with Rooftop for two and a half years where she has been involved in scrutinising many aspects of housing, including repairs and aids and adaptations
The job of Daisy and the Panel is to guide, critique and shape the Together with Tenants project as it develops. She was encouraged to apply with the help of the Rooftop team and Boris Worrall, Group Chief Executive at Rooftop, and Daisy was selected from a large number of candidates following an open application process in May 2019.
The NHF has been working with its members, tenants, residents, tenant representative groups, and others to understand what practical change is needed to improve relationships between landlords and customers and Daisy is now a key part of this. Initially the National Housing Federation created a four-point plan for delivering change across the sector.
The commitments of the revised charter are: RELATIONSHIPS - Better relationships between Housing Associations and their residents COMMUNICATION - Residents will receive clear and accessible information VOICE AND INFLUENCE - Views from residents will be sought and valued by their Housing Associations. ACCOUNTABILITY - Residents will work in partnership with their Housing Associations to hold them to account. QUALITY - Residents can expect good, quality homes from their Housing Association. WHEN THINGS GO WRONG - Residents will receive timely advice and support when things go wrong.
Daisy Halford
Daisy has been a key voice for tenants and a fantastic representative for Rooftop at Together with Tenants events. “I have had the chance to talk about the charter commitments as well as writing an article for Inside Housing on why I think the charter is needed. I have been able to give an update at a Tenants Conference on our first meeting. However, due to recent changes in Government we are still waiting for the outcomes on the Social Housing Green Paper, which I have attended two consultations on.”
The Together with Tenants conferences and consultations have enabled Daisy to make contact with customers of other Housing Associations. “Many housing association residents are excited this plan is going forward and hope that this will give them the peace of mind that they will be taken seriously.”
LEARNING THE ROOFTOP WAY
Over the last 18 months we have changed the ways in which we engage with our customers and as part of this we piloted our first Rooftop Customer Training Academy, a nine week programme of various topics to give customers the opportunity to learn more about Social Housing and Rooftop. The aim was to provide customers with the knowledge, skills and confidence to pursue other engagement opportunities to enable them to have a voice within Rooftop, such as joining our scrutiny panel or even applying to become a board member.
Many Rooftop staff gave presentations to explain the various parts of the business. Boris Worrall, Group Chief Executive, gave an account of Rooftop’s story and governance; John Rockley, Head of Communications, explained how we get messages out to both customers and stakeholders and how the media side works in general; Paresh Laxhman, Head of Development gave an overview of the department, how we find sites, and what happens from Rooftop acquiring a site, to how the building process starts, all the way to housing handover. Lisa Sutton, Neighbourhood Manager, who also oversaw the Academy, gave presentations on the history of social housing and about customer’s rights and responsibilities; members of our Health and Wellbeing team explained about the events, exercise sessions, mental health outreach and domestic abuse services we offer and our Repairs and Assets and Income teams gave presentations on what to do if your property needs a repair, how we manage the repair system, as well as what happens if rent falls into arrears. The sessions were interactive and involved lively question and answer sessions.
Paul Brockman attended the academy and if his response is anything to go by, it was a hit.
The pilot training academy was launched on 30 April 2019 and it was a great success, with all seven attendees graduating from the course on 9 July at a celebratory lunch, where they were awarded with their certificates. The feedback we have had from the attendees has been very positive and we are planning on rolling the customer academy out next year so watch this space.
SUPPORT AND EMPLOYABILITY ANNUAL REPORT
Older People Service
FACTS AND FIGURES • Extra Care: 460 units • Independent Living schemes: 216 units Number of 2018/2019 New Customers: • Independent Living schemes: 27 • Extra Care Schemes: 96
Our Older Person Schemes (OPS) offer independent living for people aged over 55, with support available 24/7 if and when they need it. We have accommodation in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.
We also provide housing for people with a learning disability and/ or mental health within our Extra Care and Older Persons schemes who are getting older and need the extra support. A lot of Older Persons services don’t do this, but we are integrating our communities and it’s working very well.
In July 2018 Cherry Orchard House in Pershore re-opened with an extension to the original service providing 53 units of accommodation as an Extra Care facility. This started a new relationship with Radis Community Care.
Our newest Extra Care development, Parsons Gardens, opened in January 2019 providing 50 apartments and bungalows, split evenly with 25 shared ownership and 25 units for affordable rent. The provision of care is also with Radis Community Care.
Both Parsons Gardens and Cherry Orchard House contain independently run cafes, helping establish themselves as integral parts of their local communities.
We continue to work with Heritage Care in Redditch and Coleford and Extra Care Charitable Trust in Evesham and Gloucester.
We also have OPS in Evesham, Bredon and Broadway, housing 231 people. All our sites are supported by our Health and Wellbeing team, offering regular health MOT’s and classes, developed
for all ages and abilities. There are social groups and activities that create a real community feel and are a great way to meet new people.
Adult Social Care remains one of Worcestershire County Council’s top priorities and currently more than 40% of the budget is spent on this. Late last year they ran a campaign celebrating 70 years of Adult Social Care, which highlighted the different services and support offered.
In October 2018, Worcestershire County Council welcomed news in the Autumn Budget that an extra £240 million will be invested into Adult Social Care, but stressed more funding was needed to meet the current long-term demand. Nationally, there is growing pressure on social care and Worcestershire is no exception.
Councillor Adrian Hardman, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care at Worcestershire County Council said:
“The extra care schemes are a key part of our plan for developing resources and continuing to support Adult Social Care. They are one of several initiatives we’re introducing to help support residents in Worcestershire live independently and enjoy a greater quality of life for as long as possible.”
Domestic Abuse
FACTS AND FIGURES • The Domestic Abuse Team provided one to one support to 249 victims of Domestic Abuse • Rooftop ran 21 female recovery groups • Rooftop worked in partnership with West Mercia Women’s Aid to develop a Male Domestic Abuse course and delivered the first course from January 2019 • Rooftop have set up 6 safehouses across Worcestershire in the last year • Rooftop and West Mercia set up the first Male Victim Helpline in Worcestershire which went live in September 2018
Rooftop work in partnership with West Mercia Women’s Aid to deliver Domestic abuse support to female and male victims and survivors of Domestic Abuse in Worcestershire. Rooftop provides male and female one to one support, Recovery Groupwork and have 6 safehouses across the county.
The BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) project funded by Worcestershire County Council came to an end at the end of June, but one of its legacies was delivering 5 workshops to professionals that has raised awareness and understanding West Mercia Women’s Aid were successful in a bid for some funding to support the Male Domestic Abuse service and are working with Rooftop who have employed the staff member to deliver this piece of work.
The project will run for 12 months and focus on raising awareness and understanding of Domestic Abuse within Worcester City as well as increasing access and support to victims living in the city.
RAFT
FACTS AND FIGURES
• RAFT supported 33 young people • RAFT provides support to young people between the age of 18-21 to help them access accommodation and sustain a tenancy
Rooftop is part of Worcestershire’s Young People Consortium with The Basement Project and Redditch Nightstop, and we support young people in the Worcester, Malvern and Wychavon area who are homeless, facing homelessness or have other issues or concerns.
Our vision is to “Enable the Young people we work with to leave our services with a legacy of skills, knowledge, experiences, emotional and social resilience and contacts (supportive networks) that enable them to continue to grow and mature into independent young adults”.
We work to achieve positive outcomes for young people, through an accredited group work programme called Lifewise and providing ongoing tailored one to one support.
We currently support young people with a variety of different issues, such as managing tenancies, Budgeting and debts, getting into employment and education and continuing to support them to move away from dependence and onto independence.
Many of the young people we work with have had a traumatic start in life, and need extra support to help find and move into their own accommodation, sustain a tenancy, learn the skills to live independently, develop their confidence and need support designed to meet their unique needs to help them to get into training, education or employment. For some, their early experiences have left them with real fears about accepting help and keeping appointments which can often have a negative impact on claiming benefits, particularly since the introduction of Universal Credit. For others, the idea of living on their own is exciting, but the reality of managing their bills, paying council tax, and running a home can be daunting.
For those without a regular routine can find life chaotic and that their capacity to maintain a stable home amid the chaos is very challenging. Our team needs to work out a way to connect with the young people that offers positive support, in a patient and consistent way to build compassionate and understanding relationships that are not afraid to challenge where required.
However supportive we are, the first priority is to help the young people into a safe and stable home in order to help them to feel secure, and to help them to understand how to maintain their tenancy. Our team are skilled at problem solving, and in assisting young people to learn to navigate what can sometimes be a bewildering and scary adult world of managing money, dealing with officialdom and understanding letters and correspondence.
Health and Wellbeing
FACTS AND FIGURES
• In 2018 -2019 we welcomed 283 new customers to the service
The Health & Wellbeing Service aims to address social isolation by bringing people together around activities that improve health and wellbeing. We work with customers, partner agencies and volunteers to help facilitate activities, both in Rooftop specialist accommodation but also in the community. Many of our programmes are managed by their members.
Through the sterling work of our Volunteer Coordinator, we involve all sections of the community in our projects, from younger to older people, including staff and our customers. Our Outreach Worker provides a six-week support service for people who may be dealing with emotional or mental health issues.
Some of the highlights for the six-strong health and wellbeing team for this year include:
• Grant funding from £500 from Active Gloucester in partnership with Sports England to set up a project at the Chinese Resource Centre;
• Working with local schools to provide Intergenerational programmes, bringing older and younger people together; • Partnership working with Worcester University who provide placements from trainee occupational therapist and physiotherapists to work with customers at Cherry Orchard House and Parsons Gardens; • Providing health MOTs to older people; • Delivering over 5,000 hours of health and wellbeing activities in the first six months of this year; • Working with partner agencies and Rooftop colleagues to develop activities at Carpenter House, a groundbreaking service that integrates housing and support for people with mental health problems and learning disabilities into mainstream housing; • Working with Rooftop colleagues to enable the reopening of the café at Cherry Orchard House in Pershore; • Providing sessions of walking football, which has been particularly successful in engaging older men. It has been so successful that we no run two sessions per week. Although the group is predominantly male, we take an inclusive approach and encourage all our customers to get involved.
Young People Service
FACTS AND FIGURES
• The Young Peoples service have held over 80 activities in each service promoting independent life skills • 42 Young people have been referred into the services for supported accommodation • 3 customers have moved on from supported housing to University
Rooftop’s Young People Service offer support for young people aged between 16 and 25 years, providing specialist housing, support and advice, as well as opportunities for development and learning, with the aim of enabling young people to lead an independent life.
We provide temporary housing for young people across Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. This can provide a vital respite for a young person who is homeless, in need of guidance and security, or even escaping an abusive situation.
Over the year;
• Lydney Gateway customers (LGW) received funding and volunteering support from Marks and Spencer’s and in collaboration with Rooftop’s Health and Wellbeing Team have begun constructing a new garden area that they can nurture and enjoy. Guinness Trust, who own the building at LGW, will also be participating with the gardening. • The Frampton Road service will be holding their open day on the 06.07.19 with many external partnerships attending. There will be activities delivered with Rooftop Health and Wellbeing. • Money Advice hold a monthly drop session in each service for our customers and will respond immediately to customers who are in financial crisis.
Building Better Opportunities (BBO)
FACTS AND FIGURES
• 178 people were given “Jobs & Training Support” in 2018-2019. • 28 came onto BBO3 during that time. • 21 went onto BBO2 • 15 onto BBO1DM • 9 onto BBO1 • 73 onto BBO in total
The Big Lottery Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK. It puts people in the lead to improve their lives and communities, often through small local projects. Building Better Opportunities (BBO) is a National Lottery and European Social Fund project designed to tackle poverty and promote social inclusion throughout Worcestershire.
Rooftop’s BBO Job Coaches have been helping participants and residents into or closer to work, education or training a variety of ways which are tailored to their individual needs. Job seekers are helped to create the basic tools needed for job searching; CV, cover letter, online accounts and interview preparation as well as more specific support such as at interviews or jobs fairs, or help getting into voluntary work to build skills and confidence. Whatever is needed to remove barriers. The help we provide takes a much more holistic approach than just looking at participants’ job applications. Much work has been done to make it as easy and quick as possible to get participants the support they need. Referrals have been made to external organisations, including West Mercia Women’s Aid, Help for Heroes, The Royal British Legion and Swanswell. Internal referrals have also been made to support people with their mental health, and to help improve diet and benefits.
In the past year organisations have been sourced and relationships built, helping participants to access computer courses. A positive relationship with Evesham Adventure Playground has helped participants widen the perimeter for their job searching and access roles which would otherwise have been unavailable to them.
CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT ANNUAL REPORT
NEIGHBOURHOODS AND INCOME ANNUAL REPORT
FACTS AND FIGURES:
NEIGHBOURHOODS
49 community events carried out in 2018/19 35 Neighbourhood Inspections Average re-let time for empty properties:- 11.3 days Number of lettings 428
INCOME
1624 customers supported (target 400) Customer income 2.2 million (target 1m) Additional income from grants £220k
Over the last year we have changed the way that we are engaging with our customers. The Neighbourhood Officers have smaller patches with a target to carry out four community events per annum in their areas. This has enabled more community-based engagement, which in turn has improved Customer satisfaction levels. We have increased the number on our resident scrutiny panel from four members to six to enable them more capacity when carrying out reviews. We have launched a pilot Customer Training Academy, which is a nine week programme of topics to help customers understand more about Rooftop and social housing in general. We hope that this will give customers the knowledge and confidence to have a voice within Rooftop whether that be thorough our volunteering programme, joining our scrutiny panel or even applying to be on our Board. You may have noticed increased activity on our social media platforms as we try to reach out to a wider audience. Our Chief Executive, Boris Worrall has held Facebook live Q&A sessions after every Board meeting and our Income Manager, Tiffini Harvey has held some on Universal Credit. If you are interested in being involved or would like more information, please contact your Neighbourhood Officer.
We are an early adopter of the National Housing Federation’s Together with Tenant’s charter. This reinforces the fact that we are committed to having the customer voice heard. We have been involved with events attended by staff and customers of Rooftop to feedback on the plan and influence some key decisions about what should be included.
Our Resident Excellence Panel is stronger than ever and continues to thoroughly review services that Rooftop provide, and makes recommendations for what we can do to improve. Staff will then either implement these recommendations or will explain why it is not possible. Last year the Resident Excellence Panel focused on continuity in customer enquiries, Cost Sharing Vehicle (CSV), empty homes (void) standard and mutual exchange. They are currently working on a review of tenancy sustainability and how we keep customers in their homes.
Last year our Neighbourhood Officers, Health and Wellbeing and Support and Employability teams arranged and attended a number of successful events.
To name a few:
Litter picks across several estates; Customers have been involved in these to improve the overall look of their community and give them a sense of pride. These have been done in conjunction with Wychavon District Council, promoting partnership working.
During Loan Shark week in October 2018, 550 postcards were delivered by mailshot and 300 postcards were delivered by hand, which were made available in four European languages. There were also three press articles in Evesham Journal, one radio interview on BBC Hereford & Worcester, five partner agencies involved, two first school visits reaching 647 children and their families, two training sessions delivered and four days of public engagement at three supermarkets in areas of higher risk.
The Santa and live reindeer event in Hampton in December was a great success with over 120 attendees. A volunteer dressed up as an elf and provided the musical entertainment. An involved customer supported the event by allowing use of her house for storing items and for the distribution of mince pies. We received positive feedback that it was great to see Rooftop putting on such a fantastic event. This event will be repeated in 2019.
There was a Community Safety event at the Community Hall in Fairfield on 13 January. The Neighbourhood Officer attended with the local town councillor and three officers from the West Mercia Policing Safer Neighbourhood Team. This was a great success and was attended by 50 customers. It was a question and answer session about anti-social behaviour, crime and how to keep your property safe.
WORK OF ROOFTOP’S RESIDENT EXCELLENCE PANEL
The Resident Excellence Panel is a group of residents set up to scrutinise Rooftop services to its residents, to make recommendations for improvement and to act as a source of assurance.
The Panel works from a list of services that are considered in need of a review. This list is prepared in consultation with residents to ensure we are looking at areas that matter to you. We aim to review between two and four service areas each year. When a topic is under review, it is looked at in the following ways:
• Considering existing policies and procedures • Interview with the relevant senior officer • Interview with relevant officers delivering the service to residents • Interview relevant partners Rooftop works with such as Wychavon if the review involved lettings • Shadowing staff • Engaging customers via surveys including social media
When the review has been carried out, recommendations are made for changes to the service area. The last two services reviewed were aids and adaptations, and mutual exchanges. An example of changes made includes the mutual exchange service when a number of residents voiced concerns that people often backed out of an exchange at the last minute, resulting in great disappointment, and sometimes incurring expense that could not be recovered. So the panel recommended a deposit system whereby from April this year, you have to pay a deposit of £50 before an exchange will be considered.
The thinking is that people will now think twice before proposing an exchange, resulting in less exchanges being cancelled at the last minute. The deposit is refunded when the exchange goes ahead. However, if someone drops out, their £50 is not returned, but it goes to the community fund which funds community initiatives decided on by residents.
What Services Do You Want Reviewed?
The Panel now needs to agree the service areas it wants to look at in the next few years, and we want as many residents as possible to make suggestions. Some of the services currently suggested include the following:
• Service charges • Energy efficiency and green issues more generally • Getting repairs right first time
Now is the time to say what is important to you and in need of review so please contact Lisa Sutton, Neighbourhood Manager, with details of the service you would select and why.
Membership of the Panel
The Panel currently has five members, a mixture of customers. There is a need to find one or two new people to join the group.
Benefits of joining the Panel include:
• The ability to improve Rooftop services to its residents • The opportunity to find out more about Rooftop and housing • Personal development • Access to tablet and broadband
If you are interested in being a member of the Resident Excellence Panel and would like to know more, please contact Lisa Sutton, Neighbourhood Manager at lisa.sutton@rooftopgroup.org
