HOME somewhere to feel at home
NICE TO KNOW
NEED TO KNOW
YOUR HOME
COMPETITION
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AUTUMN 2019
NICE TO KNOW Meet the residents Page 06
WELCOME Welcome to your Autumn edition of HOME. You’ve told us you love the new look of HOME and it’s focus on both real residents’ stories as well as key information about our services to you so that’s what we’ve kept with in this edition.
NICE TO KNOW
Stories about Swan customers and events Page 04
YOUR HOME
NEED TO KNOW
Essential info you need to know Page 16
COMPETITION
Win a 32inch HD Ready Panasonic TV PLUS many more prizes on page 28. Updates about your home
Feeling
Page 20
Page 28
lucky?
Somewhere to feel at home
NICE TO KNOW
Summer Conversations Page 12
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NICE TO KNOW
Officially a Housing Hero! Swan’s Chief Executive John Synnuck receives prestigious national award We are delighted to report that Swan’s Chief Executive John was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the prestigious Housing Heroes Award recently. The judges recognised John’s 50 Years of Service to the Housing Sector. It was John who started Swan back in 1994 – at that time we had 2,000 homes. This year, we turn 25 and now own and manage nearly 12,000 homes.
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Recruiting now Care and Support
make a difference! Swan Care and Support Services are based in Essex and provide quality care and support to people living in the community. We offer the following benefits:
For more information contact our friendly recruitment team on 0345 683 8809.
• • • • • • • •
Competitive rates of pay above living wage Mileage allowance Induction and ongoing training Flexible hours Varied work across Essex Mobile phone & uniform Continuous professional development Caring and supportive team approach
£50 for your thoughts... We are always on the lookout for comments from residents suggesting how we can make our services better. Residents’ suggestions help us to improve our business. Your idea may also be useful for us to share with other residents and help us to deliver the services you really want.
So, tell us what you think about how we can: • Improve services. • Offer new services. • Save money or reduce waste. All suggestions are considered by our Resident Consultative Committees. Any we implement will be published in HOME.
We will award £50 in Argos vouchers for any ideas that we can use.
If you have any suggestions or ideas don’t delay - send them to us today! Email: cwood@swan.org.uk or post them to us at FREEPOST ANG10361, Swan Housing Association, Billericay, CM12 9ZZ. Don’t forget to include your name and address.
NICE TO KNOW
Meet the resident: Jacqueline’s story Jacqueline has lived in her Swan home in Ilford for four years. She recently took part in Swan’s Construction Skills programme in partnership with New City College having previously completed a Construction Trades course. “My home is somewhere I go after a long day; I kick off my shoes and relax! It is important to me that my home is decorated to my taste. By decorating my own home I got interested in construction trades. The course covered electrics, plumbing, plastering, carpentry; it both expanded on and consolidated a lot of what I already knew. The course gave me the opportunity to get a CSC card and proper work experience on a building site. Since I completed the course I have been offered a Trainee Painter position with a local company. This gives me the opportunity to work and study and will enable me to work towards my long-term goal of becoming a fully qualified plasterer with plumbing knowledge.”
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“I really enjoy decorating and wanted to expand my skills and knowledge�
For more information on course training contact the Resident Involvement and Community Development teams on 01277 844242 or email involvement@swan.org.uk
NICE TO KNOW
Adventures at Thriftwood! This summer 13 young residents from our Foyers and Supported Housing schemes went on a three-day residential activity break at Thriftwood International Scout Campsite.
r the ready fo re e w ts n e conquer epid resid ld have to u o w y e The 13 intr new th am. e! They k er as a te th e challeng g to and work their fears
It was such their advent https://yout
n see a film of h a success, you ca ube channel ture on Swan’s YouT tu.be/jnexr6lAek8
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So aft er a “ Flouri over t sh” pe hree d p talk ays, t includ they w ried a ing cl ere of range imbin f and of dar g, kay , ing ac aking tivitie and c s ampi ng.
ng key highlighti y n o ward” m re e sc ntaineer a u o m e An award h as “t g a little ents such hts, “Havin ig e achievem h f o r a of trusting ming a fe for overco ing a fear m o rc e v o for the rd” for n award” o rs faith awa e P r e (two d “the Spid bing wall m li c l a others an ic vert instructor! mber on a set by an e fastest cli m ti t s ff the faste seconds o
Photo taken at the celebration event, after the trip.
NICE TO KNOW
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When an MP came to visit! “We are residents at Heather Court Foyer and when we heard that our local MP was coming to visit to celebrate Heather Court achieving Foyer Accreditation, we were not sure what to expect. However, Julia Lopez MP was actually really nice and very interested in us and our plans for the future. We told her all about how the Foyer works and how we are supported to achieve our goals, which are varied to say the least. The Swan team help us work out exactly what we need to do to ensure we are on the path to the future we want. She was very impressed! “It was such a pleasure to visit the Foyer in Harold Wood, hear about this model of housing support for young people and meet some of the Heather Court residents. The young residents I met shared with me their aspirations – from starting a plumbing business, to becoming a
boxing champion, trainer or musician – and also had a clear sense of what practical steps they needed to take to reach their goals. It was a privilege to be in their company and they have clearly benefited from the passion and dedication of the fantastic team that run Heather Court.” Julia Lopez MP Julia loved what we were all doing so much, she invited us to visit her in the Houses of Parliament! Here we all are outside... Tyrrell said “My trip to the Houses of Parliament was really enjoyable and I learned a lot. Prior to going on the trip, I did not know how parliament was run or what the Prime Minister did. I now have a better understanding of how the country is governed.”
NICE TO KNOW
Summer conversations
Somewhere to feel at home
Throughout July and August our Resident Involvement Team have been visiting various estates where they have been knocking on doors and speaking to people to get a snapshot about how well residents think we are doing and what we need to do more of. At the time of writing this article the team were still conducting these visits, but we felt that it was important to give you an update as to what we are planning to do with the information and to share some of the fabulous photos from the event. When HOME went to print we had visited Exmouth estate in East London, Laindon, Beechwood in Basildon and Oldchurch estate in Romford. We have spoken to over 200 residents and gathered some really useful feedback. We will be using this information to develop an action plan for the business around how we can improve our services. The action plan and our performance against it will be reported in future editions of HOME.
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NICE TO KNOW
Resident recipe
Homemade Spice Mix Does your family enjoy eating Mexican food? Supermarket meal kits can be expensive so why not make up your own spice mix that can be used to flavour tacos, fajitas or burritos. This mix contains no artificial ingredients and works well with chicken, beef, Quorn or vegetables. You can even make up a big batch and store it in an old jam jar so that you have it to hand whenever you want.
You’ll need:
•
An empty jar and some measuring spoons
•
1 tablespoon chilli flakes
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1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
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1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
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1/2 teaspoon paprika
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1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
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1 teaspoon sea salt
•
1 teaspoon black pepper
1. Mix all of the spices together and store them in the jar 2.Fry an onion in a pan and add 2-3 tablespoons of spice mix to your chosen meat or vegetables. 3. Serve with wraps or taco shells and a selection of grated cheese, sour cream, salsa and guacamole.
If you have a simple recipe you’d like to share with us please send it to CommunicationsTeam@Swan.org.uk or post it to us at FREEPOST ANG10361, Swan Housing Association, Billericay, CM12 9ZZ
Win Tickets to Panto
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Stratford East, London - www.stratfordeast.com
Dick Whittington
s totickets available - 4 tickets per prize! 20 To enter* please send us your name and address to: Joanna March, Swan Housing Association FREEPOST ANG10361 Billericay, CM12 9ZZ or email CommunicationsTeam@swan. org.uk *Entries will be drawn on Friday 18 October. Transport not included.
Do you know that faulty electrical goods are the cause of many fires? Sometimes ‘white goods’ such as fridges, cookers and tumble dryers are recalled by the manufacturer because of safety concerns but it isn’t always easy to find this information. Many people are unaware that they have unsafe and recalled electrical items in their homes. Electrical Safety keep a comprehensive and searchable register of recalled products that includes traditional ‘white goods’ and also other electrical items from e-cigs to kettles and charging devices to showers. You can help to prevent fires by checking to see if your appliances have been recalled online at https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org. uk/product-recalls/
Keeping you safe electrical recalls
NEED TO KNOW
Meet the staff I am Andrea O’Callaghan, Swan’s Customer Services Director. I’m passionate about improving Swan’s services to you. As Swan turns 25, we’ve listened to your feedback and focussed on improving some key areas of our service. If you are a new tenant and this is your first HOME magazine – welcome. You will have already met our new specialist “Onboarding Team” who have helped you through all the stages of becoming a Swan resident. You can meet the team and find out more about the Onboarding team on the opposite page. We are constantly working to improve our repairs service as we know your home is so important to you. Find out more in the Your Home section which starts on page 20. We know it’s important that you have your say on our services. We will soon be having our annual STAR survey and we’ve launched our new Count Me In platform to make it even easier for you to get involved. With this edition we’ve also included our Annual Report, so you can see clearly how Swan is performing.
Andrea O’Callaghan Customer Services Director
It’s time for
STAR! Make sure you have your say in the annual resident STAR survey. This is a fully independent survey carried out by telephone on our behalf. We use the results from this survey to track and monitor our performance. If you receive a call, please do take the time to answer the questions. It won’t take long and is the perfect opportunity to have your say. We really do listen to the feedback we receive.
Somewhere to feel at home
Get onboard! You said, we did! Our new Onboarding Team are making it easier for new residents to feel at home. Our surveys told us that new Swan residents loved their new Swan home, but felt that the process of getting into it was not as easy as it should be... “At the time of signing up the officer couldn’t answer any of my questions.” Miss W., Colchester “I am satisfied with my new home – I love it, but I am waiting for someone to get back to me about my heating. I only want a phone call to update me.” Mr L., Basildon Only 67% of new tenants were satisfied by their experience of moving into a Swan home. After listening to your feedback, we decided to do things differently and introduced our specially trained “Onboarding Team” for new tenants. What’s special about the Onboarding Team? Kelly, Danielle, Sophie, Victoria and Vicky from the Onboarding Team are trained to be a single point of contact for all new tenants. So, instead of talking to different teams at Swan about setting up your rent account, repairs and generally settling in, new residents can speak to the Onboarding Team and, usually, a named officer who is there to support them. The early results are fantastic:
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67%
Satisfaction with the lettings experience from new tenants before the “Onboarding Team”
100% Satisfaction with lettings experience since introducing the “Onboarding Team”
NEED TO KNOW
Transport for London
Recruitment drive! Over 200 people recently came along to a summer recruitment event in Tower Hamlets. Swan is leading a construction recruitment drive in partnership with TfL, Greater London Authority, London Borough of Tower Hamlets and ten other
social housing landlords. TfL have plans to deliver 10,000 new homes across London and estimate that they need over 7,000 people to help deliver them. Swan is working in partnership to
ensure our residents over 18 have access to these amazing opportunities which include traditional construction trades, administration, project managers and quantity surveyors. Training and support will be provided for successful applicants!
If you would like to know how you can be a part of this recruitment drive please contact the Resident Involvement and Community Development Team on 01277 844242 or email involvement@swan.org.uk
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YOUR HOME
What do we fix for you? We know from our operatives who carry out repairs that residents don’t always realise what we repair and what items are your responsibility to repair as residents. We’ve produced an easy new card to explain exactly who does what! Axis operatives will leave this card with you so you know exactly what to call us about and what to do yourself. We have plenty of online videos to help with minor repairs. Go to our YouTube channel to find out more.
Find out more visit www.youtube.com/ SwanHousingGroup
What’s the story with heating repairs? Some residents have found it difficult to book their heating repairs. At Swan we’re constantly trying to improve things for our residents. In May, Axis implemented some new appointment scheduling software. Unfortunately, there were some initial problems e.g. the software assigned carpenters to plumbing jobs and plumbers to decorating jobs! This was sorted out quickly, however, with operatives assigned to the wrong jobs there were an unacceptable number of appointments missed or cancelled. The issue is now fixed and Axis will pay compensation for missed appointments in the usual way. Axis have found it difficult to recruit qualified heating engineers – there is a national shortage so, if you are thinking about a career change this might be something to consider! (Did you know many heating engineers will earn up to £40K per annum?).
Please do let us know if you have any feedback on the service by emailing customerfeedback@swan.org.uk or calling 0300 303 2500.
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Time to check your central heating Before it gets cold Swan and Axis recommend that you follow these steps to test your central heating: Make sure all 1 the radiator valves are turned on and are set to maximum. Turn up the 2 thermostat to maximum
3
Turn on the central heating
After 15 4 minutes check every single radiator to see if it is warm – if they are all warm then everything is working properly!
If one or two radiators remain cold then it is likely that some air has entered the heating system and your radiators need to be ‘bled’ to release the air. You can find a video that shows you how to do this on Swan’s YouTube Channel here - www.youtube. com/watch?v=WpvlgjuN9NQ If you’ve followed these steps and you are still having problems with your central heating please call Axis on 0800 783 2768.
YOUR HOME
Helping with ASB in Tower Hamlets Parkguard pilot to tackle ASB hotspots We want our residents to feel safe on our estates so we have joined forces with two of our partner Housing Associations in Tower Hamlets to commission a pilot security patrol service. Parkguard Ltd will run patrols on our estates in Tower Hamlets focussing on different areas every week. Swan’s Neighbourhood Team will regularly meet with Parkguard to make sure their patrols visit the areas where residents have concerns about anti-social behaviour (ASB).
If you have any concerns about ASB in your area please report it to the Police on 101 or speak to your Neighbourhood Officer on 0300 303 2500.
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Welfare Benefits
We’re here to help! Do you need help getting back to work? Are you affected by the benefit cap? Do you need help completing your benefit application? Has your Housing Benefit reduced?
yes
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to any of these questions?
If your answer is yes to any of these questions and you would like an appointment, please contact our Welfare Benefits Team. We can ensure that you get the correct benefit that you are entitled to. To find out more, please contact our Welfare Benefits Team on 0300 303 2500.
Are you affected by changes to your benefits? Are you paying additional bedroom tax? Do you need help with Universal Credit? Have you had a change in your circumstances? Do you want free confidential advice about your circumstances? Welfare Benefits Team
YOUR HOME
How did we do? April 2019 - June 2019
71% Satisfied with repairs service (Target 76%)
You said: Leaks take too long to find with delays causing damage to homes and communal areas We did: Axis now have a co-ordinator to overview complex repairs to ensure a timely completion.
80%
82%
Satisfied with overall service (Target 85%)
Satisfied with quality of home (Target 85%)
68
100%
83%
We received 68 Stage 1 complaints in this period
Stage 1 complaints responded to within 6 working days (Target 98%)
People satisfied with the complaints procedure (Target 86%)
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You said: Dripping taps are wasteful We did: We will now attend and replace tap washers for you
97%
93.8%
Repairs completed at first visit (Target 96.5%)
People satisfied with their last repair (Target 93.5%)
100%
18.9 days 2.15%
Properties with a valid Landlord Gas Safety Record (Target 100%)
Average number of days taken to re-let an empty home (Target 15)
Current arrears as a % of rent due (general needs) (Target 2.6%)
80%
97.6%
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People satisfied with how their ASB report was dealt with (Target 80%)
Repair appointments made and kept (Target 98.5%)
We have had 23 compliments during this period
YOUR SPACE
What have the RCCs been up to? I’m Stella and I am the Chair of the London RCC (I also Chair the Forest Gate Panel meeting, which meets bi-monthly on a Monday evening). At the RCC meetings we review and approve (or reject) Swan policies, strategies, community grants and estate improvements.
Involvement and Communities Strategy, the Hate Crime & ASB Policy, the Tenancy Policy and the Rent Setting Policy. We have approved three community grants, two in Bow and one in Poplar and have approved four estate improvement grants within East London.
Since the last update we have approved the Count Me In:
We have been able to give our views on the National Housing
Federation ‘Together with Tenants’ initiative and were also recently consulted on Swan’s new Annual Report format, having the opportunity to vote for our favourite design.
Stella Damm Chair, London RCC
VACANCIES Swan’s work is overseen by an independent Board. The Operations Committee is a sub-committee of Swan’s Board. The Committee’s role is to oversee the delivery of housing and support services to customers. If you would like to contribute to Swan’s work we would like to hear from you. You will have: • An interest in how Swan works • The skills to review information on how Swan delivers its services • Excellent communication skills • The ability to work with Board and Committee members
The Operations Committee meets five times a year in either Stratford or Poplar. Members of the Committee will be paid £5,375 a year. The closing date for making an application is Monday 14 October 2019.
For an information pack with further details on how to apply please contact Caroline Richardson, Head of Resident Involvement and Community Development on 01277 844242 or by email: involvement@ swan.org.uk
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Scrutiny Panel update The Scrutiny Panel have now chosen their next subject to review. This will be recharges. We are starting to work on this review and hope to have it completed in the winter. An update will be given in the next edition of HOME. We are always keen to have new members on our Scrutiny Panel, it doesn’t matter what your knowledge or experience is as we can help with it all. Please contact Carla Wood on cwood@swan. org.uk or 01277 844242 for more information.
If you have any story you wish to share with the HOME readers please get in touch Email: CommunicationsTeam@swan.org.uk with your story, name and address.
COMPETITION
Swan Rewards 1. 2x £50 Argos vouchers
Our way of saying thank you Here is your chance to win some fabulous prizes as part of the Swan Reward Scheme. Please check that you qualify to enter by visiting www.swan.org. uk and then just choose which of these great prizes you would like to win. The closing date for entries is Friday 18 October. If you qualify to enter, just fill out the form below with the answers circled and post to: Swan Housing Association, FREEPOST ANG10361, Billericay, CM12 9ZZ with your name and address or email us at improvement@swan.org.uk quoting ‘Swan Reward Scheme competition’ with your answers, name and address.
Please circle your answers 1. £50 Argos voucher
A
B
C
2. Hoover Whirlwind Evo Vacuum
A
B
C
3. 32inch Panasonic HD Ready TV
A
B
C
4. £100 B&Q decoration voucher
A
B
C
5. De’Longhi Microwave
A
B
C
Address
Phone number
A. Count Me Out B. Count on Us C. Count Me In
2. Hoover Whirlwind Evo Upright Vacuum How many centimetres are there in 1 metre? A. 50 B. 100 C. 500
Images are for illustrative purposes only and prizes may vary.
Full name
What is Swan’s new Resident Involvement Strategy called?
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3. 32inch Panasonic HD Ready TV Which superhero gets changed in a phone box? A. Superman B. Batman C. Spiderman
4. ÂŁ100 B&Q decoration voucher How many days are there in October? A. 26 B. 29 C. 31
5. De’Longhi Microwave In the fairy tale of Cinderella, what time does Cinderella have to return home from the ball?
A. 11pm B. Midnight C. 1am
COMPETITION
Can you find all the planets of the Solar System? Find all 8 and you could win a ÂŁ25 Argos voucher. The two runners up will win a ÂŁ10 Argos voucher
When you have found all of the planets, send a picture of this page including your name, age and address to jmarch@swan.org.uk Entries will be drawn on Friday 18 October. This competition is only open to Swan residents aged 16 or under.
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somewhere to feel at home
Swan HA Pilgrim House Billericay Essex CM12 9XY
NU living Tramway House 3 Tramway Avenue Stratford E15 4PN
London Regional Office Blackwall Reach 9 Webber Path London E14 0FZ
Tel: 0800 819 9390
Our main offices are open Monday - Thursday 9.00am - 5.15pm Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm Tel: 0300 303 2500 swan.org.uk @swanhousing Repairs: 0800 783 2768 or 020 3597 2067 from a mobile (24 hrs a day)
In your language Please call 0300 303 2500 if you would like someone to explain any of these articles to you.
Hera Management Services Limited Tramway House 3 Tramway Avenue Stratford E15 4PN
nuliving.co.uk
Tel: 0345 683 8812
@nulivinghomes
heramanagementservices.co.uk @heramanagement
