Spring 2016
The newsletter for South Staffordshire Housing Association and Care Plus customers
Springtime in South Staffordshire Important information about changes to your services
WELCOME
to the Spring issue of News Extra. As we explained in your annual rent letters that you received in February, the government has decided to cut most social housing rents by 1% annually for the next four years. Despite the fact that the reduction doesn’t apply to sheltered or Extra Care accommodation, this means that our income will fall by as much as £13 million between 2016 and 2020. Because of this reduction in our income we must take difficult decisions about reducing, cutting or charging for some of the services we provide. You can read
more about these decisions and about what we propose to do to protect the services which matter most to you, on pages 4-5 of this newsletter. There is important information too, on Universal Credit, which has gone live now in South Staffordshire. If your benefits change to Universal Credit you need to let us know straight away so that we can work together to ensure that you don’t fall into rent arrears. There is also lots of good news in the following pages – the announcement of our top grading from the Housing & Communities Agency, job opportunities with Care Plus, fantastic apprenticeships with Property Care and news of how we are saving money by bringing more services in-house.
Jan Goode Director of customer services
We’re top-rated! The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is the regulator for social housing providers. It grades organisations based on their financial viability and the way that they are governed. The HCA awards grades 1-4 in each of the two standards of Governance and Viability. In February the latest grades were announced for the Housing Plus Group after an assessment by the HCA. We were awarded the highest possible grades of G1 and V1.
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Debbie Griffiths, group chief executive, said: “This is an excellent result, demonstrating that this is a well governed and managed organisation. I think it is a great reward for all the hard work by our management team and staff. Providing affordable homes and services for local communities remains our priority and we will continue to apply the Fair Landlord principles to get the best possible value from our rental income.”
Debbie Griffiths, group chief executive
We will continue to apply the Fair Landlord principles to get the best possible value from our rental income
SSHA speaks out for older people SSHA has been to Westminster to discuss the impact of housing on the health of older people in rural communities. Assistant director of development, Charlie Riley, addressed the Rural Health Conference chaired by Baroness Byford at the House of Lords. Charlie told the delegates about Pencric, the awardwinning Extra Care facility in Penkridge. “There is continued focus on Pencric as the housing sector looks to address the growing needs of an ageing population in rural locations. Housing has a big impact on healthcare for these people and can often mean that they spend longer in hospital, for example, where it isn’t safe or practical for them to return home,” explained Charlie. “I was pleased to have the opportunity to show what can be achieved working in partnership with local councils to help older people live independently, in their own communities.”
Charlie demonstrated how Pencric has successfully created a model for individually-designed support packages paid with personal budgets. “Pencric is a very positive example of how we can provide self-funding care and support for older people in their own homes. However we also wanted to demonstrate the threat posed to facilities like Pencric, if the government continues with plans to cap housing benefits at the Local Housing Allowance rate, meaning that affected customers renting homes at Pencric would have to find an extra £3000 a year.
Pictured, Edward Dickinson, one of the residents of the awardwinning Pencric extra care scheme retirement living community
“That is hugely damaging to everything that we have achieved at Pencric and could mean that older people in other parts of the UK will not have an opportunity to get more out of their lives by moving into these kinds of supported retirement communities.” Pencric is one of four Extra Care developments managed by SSHA and Care Plus. Residents of the hotel-style buildings live in their own luxury apartments, with care and support on-site and access to facilities including a hairdressing salon, restaurant and gym.
I was pleased to “have the opportunity
Charlie Riley, assistant director of development
to show what can be achieved working in partnership with local councils to help older people live independently, in their own community.
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Your Fair Landlord
What SSHA is doing to make rental income go further In the annual rent letters we sent you in February we said that we would have to make some changes as a result of the government announced reduction in most social housing rents. We promised to tell you more in this issue of News Extra. The government has said that most social housing rents will fall by one per cent in each of the four years between 2016 and 2020. There are some groups of tenants for whom this rent cut will not apply at this time, including residents of our
What we are doing Put simply, we are looking for the best value in everything that we do. We want to be fair, spending our rental income carefully so that as many customers as possible benefit from: • new homes for people in South Staffordshire • home improvements • the opportunity to live independently by moving into purpose-built retirement accommodation with support.
The MOT home maintenance programme In recent customer surveys you told us that this is one of the most highlyrated parts of our services. It is also a way that we can ensure best value for money AND spend our income fairly to benefit more of our customers. Each year we carry out MOT work on 1200 of our homes, meaning that EVERY home benefits within five years.
We will keep investing in the MOT home improvement programme
Replacement kitchens and bathrooms We know that this work is important to you. It is important to us, too. Last year we fitted 290 new kitchens, installed 200
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Sheltered or Extra Care retirement living communities. Because it involves the majority of our homes, though, that rent reduction means that we have £13million less to spend in the next four years.
That will mean changes to services for ALL our customers. We understand and share your priorities. We are acting quickly to make sure that we can continue to provide affordable housing for those most in need, look after your home and develop new homes so that local communities can thrive.
new bathrooms and provided 45 wet rooms as part of the £10million we spend on home improvements each year. Our Fair Landlord approach is underpinning this investment. With the support of our customers we have stopped doing the kind of repairs which are not part of our responsibilities as a landlord – we are now only able to carry out the repairs mentioned in your tenancy agreement. By concentrating on the repairs which ARE our responsibility and saying ‘no’ to other jobs, we have been able to INCREASE spending on home improvements by £600,000 per year – enough to fit an extra 150 kitchens or 200 new bathrooms.
Despite the cuts to our income our Fair Landlord approach means that we can keep investing in home improvements.
New energy-efficient boilers Customers can save as much as £300 per year on their energy bills when we fit a new, energy-efficient boiler. We know that this makes a big difference to tenants and families, helping to reduce the number of people in fuel poverty.
We will continue our programme of investment in energy-efficient boilers.
Money advice and help into employment Last year we helped 31 customers secure new jobs. Our teams also helped tenants avoid rent arrears and debt by making sure that they were claiming all the benefits they were entitled to. In 2015 the extra benefit income received by our customers as a result, added up to a massive £1million.
We believe in the importance in this kind of support.
Building new homes in local communities We know that there is a housing need in South Staffordshire. Older people want to preserve their independence by moving into smaller homes more suited to their needs. Young families want to stay local and move into their own homes. People want to live where they work and where their families live. Last year we created an additional 109 new homes, representing an investment of £14.8million.
We will keep building in our communities. So that we can keep doing the work which meets your priorities, we have had to identify areas where we can make savings.
Last year we made savings that meant we could invest and extra £600,000 in home improvements or 1,200 MORE MOT home upgrades or 300 MORE energy-saving boilers or 850 MORE
The services we need to change because of the cut to our income
are no longer posting rent statements. We have • We stopped sending out quarterly rent statements. Along
with a big reduction of printing in our own offices, this will save us thousands of pounds in postage every year. You can still request a rent statement if you need one, by emailing enquiries@ssha.co.uk
our freephone number. Customers who • Withdrawing prefer to use mobile telephones said that they did not
use the freephone number because 0800 numbers were not included in their call allowances. Withdrawing the freephone number will save us at least £4000 every year. You can still call us on 01785 312000 or contact us free of charge by emailing enquiries@ssha.co.uk
charges for card payments. Until now, we • Introducing have been absorbing the costs that our banks charge for
taking payments by credit and debit card. That isn’t fair on customers who pay their rent by direct debit, which is more cost effective. In future, we will be passing on some of the costs of card payments. In this way we hope to be able to reduce our outgoings by £20,000 per year – that’s an extra five homes which could benefit from a brand new kitchen or an incredible 500 more MOT home improvements! There will be no extra charge for people who pay their rent by direct debit. the free assisted gardening scheme. Until now • Ending we have provided a free gardening service for customers with particular health problems or disabilities. Although we won’t be able to continue to provide this service free of charge we WILL be able to offer this work as a chargeable service in the near future and we can also advise customers whether they are eligible for additional disability benefits to pay for gardening services. We will continue to maintain communal areas, the gardens around our sheltered and extra care schemes.
The government’s reduction to rents for social housing does not apply to people living in es. sheltered or extra care communiti the to cut Because of the £13million amount we can spend in the next will four years, though, some services ers. tom unavoidably change for all our cus If you live in one of our retirement living communities, look out for a Fair Landlord Roadshow for more information and advice.
Why is it so important to be a Fair Landlord?
ortant to us, we Because customer service is so imp ch were not our used to take on a lot of repairs whi a customer asked us responsibility as a landlord. When tried to help even if we to fix something in their home, we ng that work. weren’t actually responsible for doi got a bigger share of our That meant that some customers majority of customers resources. That wasn’t fair on the benefit from who paid their rent but who didn’t ir home. the to s ent investment in improvem our resources Fairness in the way that we spend income is even more important when our we ly, fair ng ndi is reduced. By spe S. LES can do MORE with
free decorating services. Previously, we have • Ending included a free decorating service when we have fitted a new kitchen or bathroom. In future, you will need to arrange your own decorating. This means that you can complete the room exactly as you like. It also means that we could save more than £90,000 per year. That could mean that we could fit an extra 30 new bathrooms or another 23 new kitchens every year.
new rent levels based on ability to pay. • Introducing In future we will take into account household income and the outgoings of applicants or transferring tenants when we determine the amount by which we will subsidise individual rents.
Doing that will mean that we can continue to provide homes that are affordable for people on the lowest income.
A new service offer Customers told us that they understand why we can’t continue to carry out certain work without charge. You appreciate that we can’t afford to carry out work which isn’t our responsibility as your landlord and which wouldn’t represent a fair use of our resources for the majority of tenants. Many of you said that you would still prefer to pay SSHA to carry out those services, though, for greater convenience and to obtain a quality service from people you trust. So, in an exciting new development, we will be launching a range of extra services that you can buy from SSHA. These services will be delivered by our excellent Property Care team. They are not available yet but we will be launching the new services over the coming weeks and will let you know as soon as they become available. We are currently working on the detailed list but our new chargeable services are likely to include:
• Gardening decoration • Interior and adaptations • Aids sinks and toilets • Unblocking Changing lightbulbs • Replacing lost keys and fuses •
and maintenance. That is the equivalent of 150 MORE new kitchens, or 200 MORE new bathrooms 5 new doors. Despite the cut to our income we will keep investing in home improvements.
Residents move in to new Pattingham homes Residents are settling in to new homes built by SSHA. The small development in Pattingham stands on a rural exception site, meaning that the homes for rent and shared ownership are available only to people with a strong connection to the village. Now known as Dodds Field, the development consists of eight shared-ownership properties and 11 affordable homes to rent. All the rented homes were occupied on completion, with just four sharedownership homes available as News Extra went to print. “This is always the most satisfying time in any project, seeing the completed homes looking wonderful and welcoming the new residents,” said Charlie Riley, assistant director of development at SSHA. “There is an acute shortage of affordable homes in South Staffordshire and we were very pleased to build this development which will help to ensure that this village thrives.” Frank and Margaret Spencer have lived in Pattingham for the last 13 years. Margaret’s health problems made it
Claire Lee
The new home is going to make such a big difference to our lives – Frank Spencer difficult for her to reach the first floor of their home and they have moved into a new bungalow in Dodds Field. “We have been hoping for such a long time. When we heard that we could move into one of the new bungalows we were elated, we couldn’t believe it. For the first few minutes we just looked at each other, not knowing what to say,” said Mr Spencer. With their daughter and grandchildren living in the village, the couple were very keen to stay in Pattingham: “The new home is making such a big difference to our lives and because the other residents are also local, it means that we already know most of the neighbours!” Claire Lee has lived in Pattingham since 1979. Her father also lives in the village and she works locally too, with a job in the Pigot Arms and work as a carer for another village resident. “I love the sense of community and the people here. Whenever I’ve moved away I’ve always wanted to come back. It is home,” she says. For the last five years, home for Claire and her young sons Hugh, 8, and Will, 6, has been a flat above a hair salon in the village.
Margaret and Frank Spencer
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“It has been hard, particularly for the boys. As soon as I heard about the new development I put my name
When I heard we’d got the house, I felt as though we had won the lottery – Claire Lee down and kept hoping that I would get a home to rent. When I got the call to say we’d got the house, it felt as though I had won the lottery. “The house is absolutely beautiful and it is wonderful to have a garden. The boys are reaching an age where they need a bit of freedom and some safe space outside. They love it – I couldn’t get them indoors last night!” Four shared-ownership homes in Pattingham are now available. Shared ownership makes owning your own home an affordable dream, with shares starting at just 25 per cent of the property value. To apply for one of these homes you will need to prove you meet conditions of residency or connection to Pattingham or Patsull. Two-bedroomed semi-detached and end-terraced homes are available for shared ownership with prices starting at £160,000.
For information about the homes, to learn more about shared ownership or to see whether you meet the local connection conditions, call Gail Beddow at SSHA on 01785 312213 or visit www.berrimaneaton.co.uk
For sale by shared ownership High quality homes in the village of Pattingham. The affordable way to home ownership with shares available from 25% of property value. Ready to occupy. 5 Dodds Field
9 Dodds Field
• Two bedrooms • Semi-detached • Newly built • £162,500
• Two bedrooms • Semi-detached • Newly built • £160,000
7 Dodds Field
19 Dodds Field
• Two bedrooms • Semi-detached • Newly built • £162,500
Food for thought from SSHA SSHA employees have continued their support for local food banks. Collection points throughout our offices were filled with contributions of store cupboard essentials for delivery to the Wolverhampton Food Bank and the House of Bread in Stafford. Employees also take part in a year-round programme of fundraising activities to support charities chosen by the Employee of the Year. In 2015 staff raised more than £2,600 for MS Society and SANE by holding dressdown days, bake sales and raffles. In 2016 our Employee of the Year is Property Care’s Paul Green. Paul has chosen Lupus UK and The Foetal Medicine Centre at Birmingham Women’s Hospital as our charity partners. “Supporting our community and improving the lives of people in difficulty is hugely important to all of us who work here,” said Housing Plus policy manager Tony Price, who co-ordinates the food bank appeals. “The generosity of colleagues is overwhelming. There is a huge desire to make a difference.”
• Two bedrooms • End of terrace • Newly built • £162,500
Repairs operative Paul Green has been named Employee of the Year in recognition of the outstanding service he provides to customers. Paul has chosen the charities that we will be supporting in 2016
These homes are offered for sale by shared ownership exclusively to purchasers with a proven residence or connection to Pattingham or Patsull. For further information contact Gail Beddow on 01785 312213.
Keep in touch – All of us change our mobile phone numbers or email addresses occasionally. It can be hard to let everyone know your new contact details. Sometimes we need to contact you about something important. The quickest and most cost-effective way for us to do that is by text or email. Unfortunately, some of the details we have for our customers are out of date – especially for people who have been tenants for a number of years.
just update your contact details for the chance to win £50 in High Street shopping vouchers!
When you call Customer Services now, we will check that we have all the best contact details to reach you. You can also email your current details to us during April, to stand a chance of winning £50 in High Street shopping vouchers. To take part in the draw, simply email enquiries@ssha.co.uk putting CONTACT DETAILS in the subject line of your message. Then tell us:
• Your name • Your address • Your mobile telephone number • Your preferred email address
The senders of all complete emails received between 1-30 April will be entered into the prize draw.
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I love my work and since I started at Care Plus, I’ve been happier than ever
Pictured, Sally Rutty, Care Plus employee
Job opportunities with Care Plus Care Plus provides high quality care and support for people living in their own homes, sheltered accommodation and Extra Care schemes. Like SSHA, Care Plus is part of the Housing Plus Group. Care Plus is currently recruiting more care and support workers to meet the growing need for excellent care across South Staffordshire. It is looking for people with a good understanding of the needs of older residents and knowledge of health and safety issues involved in providing personal care. Care Plus particularly wants to hear from you if you have experience of caring for older people with dementia or mental health problems. A driving licence and access to a car is desirable. As a Charitable Community Benefit Society, profit is not the priority for Care
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Plus, with income invested back into services for older people and training for staff. “That means that we offer some of the best pay for care workers in the country,” says Les Clarke, interim director of care and support. “We believe that happy people make the best carers. It is important to respect the role of carers and to reward their work with decent pay, good working conditions, high quality training and opportunities for career development.” If you are qualified to NVQ level you can expect to earn £8.04 per hour with Care Plus. While you are training towards that qualification Care Plus still pays more than the majority of care providers at £7.50 per hour. Alison Smith-Batten is a housing and wellbeing manager with Care Plus, responsible for 10 members of staff and
90 residents. She began as a carer and was promoted to become a co-ordinator before taking on her current role. “Our work as carers is always satisfying,” she says. “The advantage of working for Care Plus is that you can have a rewarding career, too.” Sally Rutty has worked in care since she left school. Having worked in residential schemes and for agencies, Sally joined Care Plus in 2014. She works in the community, providing care and support in people’s homes. With a young daughter, she finds that evening and weekend work fits round family life: “I love my work and since I started at Care Plus, I’ve been happier than ever,” she says. “They have been as flexible as possible with me and the training is really good. As soon as I started my new job, it seemed as though I fitted in.”
Vacancies for Care and Support Workers Do you work in care? Are you looking for rewarding work with recognition of your status as a care professional?
Join the Care Plus team.
• Good rates of pay • Free uniform • High quality training • 30 days holiday including bank holidays • Contributory pension scheme • Career development opportunities in a growing organisation Carers are based at Extra Care centres across South Staffordshire, providing high quality care for residents of the schemes and in the local community. We are dedicated to helping older people remain in their own homes, with the support they need to live active, independent lives.
In a recent assessment undertaken by the Care Quality Commission, Care Plus has been graded Good in all five inspection areas. If you want to help make every day amazing for older people and develop your own career, get in touch with us today.
For more information call 01785 312293 or email careplusEnquiries@housing-plus.co.uk Acton Court, Acton Gate, Staffordshire ST18 9AP • www.facebook.com/makeeverydayamazing
If you would like to join the Care Plus team, call 01785 312293 or email careplusEnquiries@ housing-plus.co.uk for information about current vacancies.
For news about employment opportunities with Care Plus, along with first-hand experiences of carers, customers and families, follow our Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/ makeeverydayamazing
Pictured, Alison Smith-Batten, a housing and wellbeing manager with Care Plus
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Electrical team switched-on for value One of the ways that SSHA delivers more value for money is by providing services to you ourselves, instead of employing contractors. We can make rental income go further and do more for customers by creating in-house teams. An example of that is our fast-growing electrical team. By carrying out our own electrical work and safety checks, we will save approximately £100,000 each year and can also make sure that we deliver a better service to customers with improved safety assurance. The team is bringing even more savings by introducing energyefficient lighting in schemes and communal areas.
Now our electrical team is expanding, creating fantastic local opportunities for three apprentices. Manager Darren Wetwood showcased the career openings during National Apprenticeship Week, in March. “We are really pleased to be able to offer this kind of career support to people in the local community,” he said. “Our apprentices will receive training towards a nationally recognised qualification, with training provided by Stafford College, valuable practical experience and fantastic opportunities here at Property Care. “The apprenticeships represent outstanding opportunities for people
The apprenticeships represent outstanding opportunities for people sharing our values and who are conscientious, friendly and willing to learn. sharing our values and who are conscientious, friendly and willing to learn.” The new apprentices are expected to start work in the summer. We will be introducing you to the apprentices and bringing you news of their progress in future issues of News Extra.
We value your
comments
New email address customerfeedback@ssha.co.uk
Happy birthday Edna! Happy 100th birthday to Edna Lawton. Helping Edna celebrate her century were members of her family, friends and neighbours at Pinfold House, our sheltered housing community at Cheslyn Hay. All the good wishes of everyone at SSHA and Care Plus go to this very special birthday lady. 10
We have introduced another way for you to get in touch with us. It is a new feedback email address which you can use to let us know about things we are doing well and things we could do better – as well as sharing your ideas for ways that we could improve. This address isn’t intended for complaints. If you have a complaint, you need to send it to complaints@ssha.co.uk in the normal way, to ensure that it is dealt with in accordance with our customer commitments.
Your views are important to us and can help us provide an even better service. Please make a note of this email address and share your feedback with us.
Anti-social behaviour:
don’t suffer in silence Anti-social behaviour (ASB) in your neighbourhood can have a real impact on your daily life. If you are experiencing ASB, we can help. A change in the law has given local police and social landlords like SSHA more powers to take action against our tenants or their visitors who cause ASB in their homes. Before we take action, we will always try to encourage people to resolve low-level issues themselves. We work with communities and with partners including Staffordshire Police to keep neighbourhoods safe and help them prevent ASB.
What is ASB? Examples of behaviour that we would consider ASB could include: Harrassment Threats of violence or actual violence Threats of criminal damage or actual damage Condition of property causing a hazard to health Littering or fly-tipping on land or property belonging to SSHA Dog fouling on land or property belonging to SSHA Graffiti on land or property belonging to SSHA Foul and abusive language Noise nuisance
• • • • • • • • •
• Drug use or related activity loud music consistently or • Playing regular parties
Sometimes we receive reports about behaviour that is not ASB. That doesn’t mean that we don’t understand that the behaviour is upsetting to you, simply that it doesn’t meet the legal definition of ASB. Examples include: the behaviour is not • Where unreasonable such as
– DIY during the day, unless this is excessive or for prolonged periods – Children playing football in the street – Babies crying – Audible television volume during the day, unless this is excessive or for prolonged periods
we don’t have powers to • Where deal with the issue If you report a problem which would not be categorised as ASB we will signpost you towards other sources of help or offer advice which may include mediation or support from other agencies.
The Community Trigger Introduced in 2014, the Community Trigger is a new measure designed to give victims and communities a say in the way ASB is dealt with. You can use the Community Trigger to request a case review.
In Staffordshire you can make an application for a Community Trigger if:
have reported three separate • You incidents of ASB in the past six months to the police, council or SSHA
last report was within • The one month of the day of the application.
How to apply for an ASB Community Trigger In Staffordshire the single point of contact for the Community Trigger is Staffordshire Police. Contact with Staffordshire Police can be made by the following methods; Telephone 101 – explain that you wish to apply for a Community Trigger – your call will be put through to the control room and an operator will take the details of the complaint on a Community Trigger incident. By email or letter to Staffordshire Police or in person to any member of Staffordshire Police who are on duty Email – go to www.staffordshire. police.uk/ (Go to the ‘Contact Us’ section) Or write to; Staffordshire Police Headquarters PO Box 3167 Stafford ST16 9JZ
Service Review Partners The latest project undertaken by Service Review Partners is a project to understand how we can reduce the amount of rental income we spend clearing vacant properties
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Universal Credit is here Universal Credit is the new benefit that supports people who are on a low income or out of work and helps to ensure that you are better off in work than on benefits. Universal Credit replaces the following benefits
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance • Income-related Employment & Support Allowance
• Income Support • Working Tax Credit • Child Tax Credit • Housing Benefit
When can you expect to start receiving Universal Credit? All Jobcentres are now working with Universal Credit. In South Staffordshire this is currently applied to new, single claimants. Between May 2016 and December 2017 all other benefit claimants will be moved onto Universal Credit.
What do you need to do? Please inform us straight away if you are moving onto Universal Credit. The important difference with this benefit is that you will receive a single payment which includes your housing costs. If you have previously been receiving housing benefit, YOU will now be responsible for paying your rent directly to SSHA. To avoid getting into rent arrears you must contact us immediately. You may need a copy of your tenancy agreement and confirmation of your rent for your claim.
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Your Claimant Commitment When you claim Universal Credit you will need to accept your Claimant Commitment setting out what you have agreed to do to prepare and look for work, or to increase your earnings if you are already in work. It will be based on personal circumstances and will be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. You can prepare for Universal Credit by doing things such as:
• Finding out where you can access the internet
• Improving your internet skills • Opening a bank account if you don’t already have one
• Jobsearching
Direct Debit – the easy way to pay your rent
The easiest way for you to pay your rent is by direct debit
• No more telephone calls to pay each month
• Peace of mind that your
rent is paid on time, with the minimum of fuss
• Avoids possible additional
charges for card payments
If you don’t yet have a bank account and are unsure how to open one, our Advice & Support team will be happy to help you.
South Staffs Work Clubs are here to help you South Staffs Work Clubs are a partnership between South Staffordshire Council, SSHA, DWP, Job Centre Plus and other local providers to provide the following services and support in preparation for the introduction of Universal Credit: IT access Career coaching Guidance and mentoring for employment, training and education Help to identify transferable skills Advice on business start-up CV writing Interview techniques Confidence building Career change Developing new skills You can also get advice on all the following from your local Work Club:
Benefits Debt Budgeting Volunteering College courses Housing issues For more information about local Work Clubs call Jenny Kirkby on 01785 312141
Service Review Partners Looking for a way to develop new skills to help you get a new job? Consider joining our Service Review Part ners . Call Customer Services for info
Where to find your local Work Club Work Club
Location
Times
Frequency
Wombourne
Wombourne Library WV5 9EZ
10am-12pm
Weekly on a Tuesday
Penkridge
Community Fire Station, Boscomoor Lane, Penkridge
2.15pm-4pm
Fortnightly on a Tuesday
10am-12pm
Weekly on a Thursday
Codsall Library / Bilbrook & Codsall Codsall Council Offices WV8 1PX Perton
Perton Library WV6 7QU
2.15pm-4pm
1st and 3rd Thursday of the month
Featherstone
Featherstone and Hilton Community Centre WV10 7TR
10am-12pm
Weekly on a Friday
Great Wyrley
Harrisons Sports & Social Club WS6 6EU
2pm-4pm
Fortnightly on a Friday
Huntington
The Barns Hotel WS12 4PB
9.30am-11.30am
Fortnightly on a Monday
Spring Fair Saturday 30th April 11am-3pm
At Hilton Green, Hilton, South Staffordshire WV11 2BD Come along for a free family fun day, with traditional games, activities, stalls and BBQ
Interested in having a free stall at this event? If so, please contact Rebecca Banks on 07525 120117 or email forestofmercia@mail.com Hilton Green is just off junction 11 of the M6, close to Hilton services
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Retirement living accommodation
Pinfold House resident Elizabeth Devon
now available If you or a member of your family is finding it a bit difficult to manage at home, it can be worrying for the whole family.
Some of our properties come with additional help at hand and have been specifically designed with the needs of older people in mind, including low heating and maintenance costs. They could offer the perfect solution for people who value their own independence but are getting to the point where they are starting to feel that they may need a little extra help now and again. SSHA offers studio apartments, flats and bungalows in 13 locations across South Staffordshire. These are homes in a safe setting, where communal facilities make it easy to meet with friends and make some new ones. “The thing that people most often tell us when they move into one of these apartments, is that they feel a sense of freedom,” explained explained Les Clarke, interim director of care and support. “They don’t have to worry about looking after a larger house or trying to keep on top of the garden. Sometimes people have found it difficult to get around because of reduced mobility and their lives really open up when they move somewhere designed for their needs. They feel safe living somewhere with a sense of community and it is a big relief for their families, too.”
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Developments like Waterfield House in the High Street of Wombourne or Coven Court in the centre of Coven, are well-placed for local shops and bus routes, helping to ensure that residents can still play an active role in the life of their neighbourhood.
I love living here. I feel so safe and I have no worries. When I go out, I look forward to coming home.
Oak House resident Gordon Wilkes
Elizabeth Devon, Pinfold House Accommodation is currently available to rent in our retirement living communities throughout South Staffordshire. Applications are welcome from people aged 55+.
For more information about accommodation available, contact Liz Newell by emailing liz.newell@housing-plus.co.uk or call 01785 312292
Pinfold House resident Jean Morgan
Is it DAMP or have you got CONDENSATION? Each year we are contacted by concerned residents, who are worried that there is a damp problem in their home. It is actually very rare to find damp. More usually, the issue is condensation. The good news is that condensation is relatively easy to solve yourself.
So, how can you tell whether your home has damp or condensation? If you have run the checks shown opposite and found that you have condensation, there are some easy-fix things that you can do. Put simply, it is all about maintaining an even temperature, keeping air circulating and removing sources of additional moisture like steam or evaporation from clothes drying.
• Keep your home warm, to avoid
cold surfaces. Condensation is worse in buildings which are constantly heating and cooling. The temperature in your home should be between 18-24 degrees centigrade. Using your
Is the problem on north-facing walls, in the corner of a room, in cupboards, behind furniture or under work surfaces?
This is usually the result of condensation, where there is little air movement
Can you see water droplets on windows or water pooling on window sills?
This is condensation
Can you see mould looking like black spots along the edges of your skirting or ceilings?
This is condensation
thermostat to prevent the temperature dropping below 15 degrees centigrade can prevent condensation forming.
• Keep lids on saucepans when cooking, to reduce steam in the kitchen.
• Try not to dry clothes on radiators or racks
indoors. If you have to do this, use the bathroom. Open a window to allow air to circulate and close the door to that room.
• When you are cooking or bathing, use an extractor fan or open a window and keep the door closed. Keep the extractor fan on or window open
Housing Plus Group shortlisted for top national award Customer Focus is one of the core values at SSHA, being even more important in difficult times when resources are stretched. We were really pleased, then, to be recognised as a top employer for a project which aims to recruit and retain the very best people to deliver our services. The Housing Plus Group, of which SSHA is a part, has been singled out as a top employer alongside organisations such as Santander, Starbucks, Ricoh and Sony Music Entertainment. The Group was recognised in the Distinction in Employee Engagement category of the HR Distinction Awards, where the expert panel of judges said that their entry stood out amongst hundreds of other nominations received.
Housing Plus Group was praised for the range of low or no-cost initiatives it had taken to achieve its goal of becoming an employer of choice in the local area. Examples highlighted by the judges included the introduction of a staff awards presentation event recognising people who went the extra mile for customer service. The company successfully obtained sponsorship for this celebration, to ensure that it wasn’t a cost to the business. The awards event even had a fundraising element, with hundreds of pounds raised for our corporate charities. Also helping the Group get ahead was the launch of the Great Place to Work team, which arranges a calendar of lowcost social activities designed to bring some fun into the workplace.
Is there a clearly defined damp stain?
This might be penetrating damp or a water leak – you need to report this to us
Can you see a ‘tidemark’ on ground floor rooms, extending to around 900-1000mm above the floor surface? This is uncommon and sounds like rising damp – you need to report this to us
for about 20 minutes after you have finished, with the door closed.
• Leave trickle vents (the small, slotted openings in your window frames) open. The vents are designed to provide constant ventilation to help reduce water vapour.
• Leave a gap between your wall and
the back of free-standing furniture like wardrobes and cupboards.
• When condensation appears, wipe
it away. Ventilate moisture and wipe away condensation.
“We were delighted to hear that we had been chosen as a finalist in the national awards and I’m very proud that a local company is recognised as a leading employer together with so many household names,” said Sandra Berns, head of people at the Housing Plus Group. “There is a great deal of satisfaction for all of us working in this sector but we wanted to create something special here, transforming our induction process, improving development opportunities for staff and making sure that this is a fantastic place to work. We are able to attract the very best people to work here and we know that happy employees provide the best possible service for our customers.”
Pictured, Sandra Berns, head of people at the Housing Plus Group
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Help us make rental income go further – reduce printing costs As part of our efforts to do more with our rental income, we are working with customers to make savings which don’t reduce our services. For example, a huge 1,000 people have told us that they are happy to receive communications such as News Extra, by email. If that includes you, a BIG THANKS. If you haven’t yet told us that you would be happy to receive information by email instead of print, please drop us a line at communications@ssha.co.uk We are trying to use email or SMS messaging wherever possible instead of writing to or telephoning customers. This is quicker and more cost-effective. So that we can use these methods more often, we need you to update your contact details – turn to page 7 for news of how you could win a shopping voucher worth £50 when you update your details by email during April. We have also reduced the need for advertising by launching a new Facebook page giving information about job vacancies in Care Plus and including direct links to an online application. You can read more about Care Plus vacancies on page 9 and get the latest news at www.facebook.com/makeeverydayamazing Please help us do more to protect the services that matter most to you, by helping us reduce the amount that we spend on printing and postage.
Useful telephone numbers:
How are we doing? We regularly contact all of our tenants and invite them to take part in our tenant surveys. Surveys are an important opportunity for our customers to comment on our housing service and help us to understand what matters most, to you. How are Next month we will be carrying out a satisfaction survey. Responses to the survey will support our drive to provide the fairest possible services to customers at a time when cuts to our income mean unavoidable changes.
We want to know how satisfied you are with your home and with the services you receive from SSHA. Do you think that your rent provides value for money? Are you happy with the way that we respond to your queries and deal with repairs and maintenance? Please take a few moments to complete the survey in April and let us have your views.
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Acton Court, Acton Gate, Staffordshire ST18 9AP Customer Services t: 01785 312000 e: enquiries@ssha.co.uk www.ssha.co.uk