YOUR HOME
SUMMERSUMMER EDITION 2020 EDITION
Heart of the Matter
Coronavirus Update
We are doing everything possible to protect the health and safety of our residents and colleagues. Page 4
Reduced repairs and maintenance service
Here’s what you need to know. Page 6
Get career ready
Want to develop yourself during the lockdown and start a new career? Page 16
FIND OUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Ddylai neb deimlo’n ofnus gartre
Os wyt ti neu rywun rwyt ti’n ei ’nabod yn dioddef trais neu gamdriniaeth, mae help ar gael o hyd, ddydd a nos. rheolaeth drwy orfodaeth coercive control
cam-drin domestig domestic abuse
trais rhywiol sexual violence
Home shouldn’t be a place of fear
If you or someone you know is experiencing violence or abuse, help is still available 24/7.
Sgwrsia â ni yn gyfrinachol / Chat to us confidentially 0808 80 10 800
gwybodaeth@llinellgymorthbywhebofn.cymru info@livefearfreehelpline.wales
TECST/TEXT 07860 077333
SGWRSIO BYW llyw.cymru/bywhebofn LIVE CHAT gov.wales/livefearfree
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IN THIS ISSUE...
TO OUR
SUMMER NEWSLETTER Dear All
Welcome to Heart of the Matter. I am Howard Toplis, the new Chief Executive at Tai Calon.
I was very excited to be appointed to this job and I’m looking forward to meeting as many people as possible; people who make their home in a property managed by Tai Calon, people who work for the organisation, and those people who in some other way, support our mission. However, due to lockdown having already started my first day “in the office” was actually at home. That was a strange way for me to start a new job! It was all phone calls, Zoom meetings and emails. So, my walkabouts were by Google Earth, tenant meetings can’t happen, and community group members were, like me, locked down at home. Consequently all those get-togethers will have to wait for safer times. Instead, our focus at Tai Calon has been to ensure that our services were
maintained, ensure people were kept safe, and ensure we do everything we can to support the communities within Blaenau Gwent. This edition of Heart of the Matter covers many topics. They are all of interest but the one that I would particularly highlight is the potential financial impact of COVID-19. Consequently if you have concerns about paying your rent to Tai Calon then please contact us, as we can offer advice and will do our utmost to provide support where we can. Rest assured that Tai Calon will not evict anyone from their home as a result of financial hardship caused by COVID-19. I hope you find this edition of Heart of the Matter of interest, and any feedback is really welcomed.
Howard Chief Executive
Coronavirus Update Customer Service Excellence Award Our services during the COVID-19 pandemic Our commitments to you Foodbank deliveries Sheltered housing during coronavirus Letting homes in lockdown Housing Advice Centre Fly tipping Lifft Team meet Karl Join our Board Get career ready Thanks for helping improve our digital services The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to work for 2020 New compliments, complaints & concerns process Collecting rent and other payments Colouring Competition
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Do you need a different format? If you would like this newsletter in a different format (e.g. large print, audio or braille) or in a different language please contact Sarah Freeman on: Telephone: 01495 294 865 Email: sarah.freeman@ taicalon.org Text: taicalon to 60030, followed by your message. www.taicalon.org | 3
Coronavirus Update We are doing everything possible to protect the health and safety of our residents and colleagues, following the latest advice from Public Health Wales and the NHS. • If you live alone and you have symptoms of coronavirus illness (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms started
• For anyone else in the household who starts displaying symptoms, they need to stay at home for 7 days from when the symptoms appeared • It is likely that people living within a household will infect each other or be infected already. Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community • If you have coronavirus symptoms: • Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital • You do not need to contact 111 to tell them you’re staying at home • Testing for coronavirus is not needed if you’re staying at home • Wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds, each time using soap and water, or use hand sanitiser • If you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home, or your condition gets worse, or your symptoms do not get better after 7 days, then use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service. If you do not have internet access, call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.
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TAI CALON NEWS SUMMER EDITION 2020
Customer Service Excellence Award We are delighted to be able to announce that Tai Calon has achieved the Government’s Customer Service Excellence award. We are really very proud of our staff for helping us to achieve this, and for the many tenants who were involved in the accreditation visits. The report noted that we had many areas of best practice. • The team at Tai Calon have an excellent understanding of their customers and customer journeys, achieving and exceeding standards, which has led to much greater protection and safety of its tenants and customers. • Tai Calon uses its Service 1st framework that makes it very clear to both staff and customers what they should expect when delivering and receiving an excellent service. • Tai Calon goes to great lengths to protect the privacy of their customers by keeping their information safe and secure.
• Managers recognise the importance of ensuring that they have a well-trained and willing workforce who have the ability to deliver consistently high levels of service to customers. • The management team have worked with staff, customer groups and partners to ensure that they deliver information in a way that meets the varying needs of customers and there continues to be a desire to develop this further. • Tai Calon recognise that they can play an important part in improving the health and well-being of the community. Many initiatives are already in place. • The Tenant Quality Forum has played an important part in ensuring that the voice of customers is heard and that their recommendations and suggestions are taken seriously by the entire team.
Well done to everyone involved!
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Our services during the COVID-19 pandemic We want to reassure you that Tai Calon’s focus is on maintaining essential services and ensuring people are safe and can keep their homes during this emergency situation. Our repairs and maintenance service is operating but is focused only on essential and emergency work. We have limited access to our sheltered housing schemes in order to reduce the risk of spreading any infection amongst our residents. Access for any agencies that are attending to provide personal care for residents is not affected and will continue as normal. Likewise, access for urgent medical reasons or provision of essential supplies will
Emergency, urgent repairs and important safety checks We have put a number of measures in place to ensure we work safely according to the social distancing rules set out by the government, so if we need to carry out work in your home please allow us access. It is essential that you let us know beforehand if you or anyone in your home is unwell so that we can ensure our staff and contractors take appropriate additional safety measures. We will always contact you to check if you have any health issues or concerns before we visit. We are attending emergency repairs within 24 hours, these include: • Burst pipes such as major radiator flooding • Significant leaks to internal water supplies and boilers where the leak cannot be isolated and/or water captured in a bowl, bucket etc. • Making secure after a break-in • Dangerous structures
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also be unaffected. Staff are continuing with welfare calls via the use of the intercom. In relation to supporting people in our wider communities we are limiting personal visits to only those that are necessary. We are providing support to our existing customers where feasible over the telephone and any visits are in line with NHS guidance. Our Community Housing Teams are prioritising anyone vulnerable, including the elderly, first.
• Complete electrical failure • Suspected gas or potential carbon monoxide leaks. If you smell gas call the emergency services on 0800 111 999 If you call about an urgent repair we will give you an appointment for one of our Operatives to attend, these include: • Faulty smoke alarms • Leaks to internal water supplies that can be contained • Complete loss of central heating where no other form of heating • Blocked or leaking foul drain or toilet • Partial loss of water supply • Leaking roofs • Loose or detached banister or handrail • Unsecure external window, door or lock We are also completing external repairs including: • Fence and boundary repairs. • Garden works and external repairs • Roof repairs
TAI CALON NEWS SUMMER EDITION 2020
Safety Checks We want to ensure your home environment remains as safe as possible. Therefore, we will be conducting essential safety checks, including gas and electric checks, in your home in accordance with the latest government guidelines for completing property safety inspections.
How to report a repair? Telephone 0300 303 1717 between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday to report an emergency repair. In an emergency, outside normal working hours, ring 0300 303 1717. It is important that only emergency or urgent repairs are reported at this time, as we will not be carrying out any routine repairs.
We carry out the inspections to keep you and your family safe.
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Our commitments to you We recognise this is an uncertain and difficult time for everybody right now. COVID-19 is rapidly changing the world around us, and having a profound impact on people’s jobs, communities and lives. We stand by the communities we serve in these uncertain times, and we want to make a number of commitments to tenants: • We will keep tenants safe and secure in their homes • We are concerned by the rise in domestic abuse and anti-social behaviour and we will work, in partnership with the local authority and other service providers, to support those who are affected • We will give you information, guidance and advice on managing your money and we will ensure that tenants have access to the advice that is appropriate for their situation. This could include: • Signposting, advice and guidance to navigate the welfare system and access Universal Credit and other benefits that people are entitled to
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• Supporting people to access emergency payments to meet their energy costs • Working with local partners to arrange access to services such as food banks who can provide tenants with the essentials they may be struggling to get • Supporting people to access other emergency grants and support that may be available • We will support tenants and find solutions if they have difficulty paying rent. Paying rent is important to ensure we can continue to provide essential services, such as maintaining your homes and keeping them safe • However, we recognise that with the huge impact on people’s jobs and livelihoods, some will experience a sudden or significant loss to their income. We are here to help, and we have staff who will be able to support tenants through this difficult period • Where people experience financial difficulties, we will listen, advise and support them to make suitable arrangements to pay their rent that are affordable and manageable for the long term • We will not evict anyone from their homes as a result of financial hardship caused by COVID-19
Foodbank deliveries
TAI CALON NEWS SUMMER EDITION 2020
We are working closely with our partners and continue to refer tenants to organisations such as Blaenau Gwent Foodbank that are part of the Tussel Trust and other support agencies.
Our teams are working hard to pick up shopping from supermarkets and distribute it to collection centres in Ebbw Vale, Beaufort, Brynmawr, Abertillery, Nantyglo and Tredegar. We are helping with doorstep deliveries throughout Blaenau Gwent and have carried out approximately 8,000 foodbank deliveries to those in need.
toiletries to almost 1,000 people including about 350 children. They have delivered about 8.3 tons of food which has put almost 9,000 meals on the tables of very vulnerable families in crisis.
While talking to people about their rent account, the rents team have also been making referrals to the foodbanks and organising Tai Calon staff to deliver to some tenants who were self isolating due to their health issues.
They have also helped us to pick up collections from supermarkets and transferring stock to keep our home delivery service centres well stocked up amounting in excess of 5 tons of food. To be quite honest without their help and support we would not have been able to run our Home Delivery Service, and we are so grateful for all of the drivers commitment and can do attitude which has helped us to provide an ongoing help and support to our Blaenau Gwent Community, ensuring those families struggling for money for food could put meals on their tables during this unprecedented time of crisis.
Blaenau Gwent Foodbank has been so appreciative of the help during the Covid -19 pandemic. Wayne Evans, Trustee and part of the Foodbank Management and Media Team said “We were very concerned at the beginning of lockdown that our Foodbank clients were still presenting themselves at our Foodbank Distribution Centres and out of concern for the safety of our volunteers we had to close at short notice, as everything was changing so quickly in those early days. Tai Calon stepped in and offered 6 drivers to help us and the service was launched on 31st March.
We give a very big thank you to all of the Tai Calon Drivers and the Management team at Tai Calon who helped us to set up the Delivery Service. Thank you so much everyone we appreciate the huge effort you have invested in us at a time of real need in our community�
All the Tai Calon drivers have really stepped up to the mark and nothing has been too much trouble for them. They have helped approximately 450 families bringing food and
If you or anyone you know is in need of support or assistance please give our team a call on 0300 303 1717 or drop us an email to TalkToUs@taicalon.org www.taicalon.org | 9
Sheltered housing during coronavirus All our six Scheme Co-ordinators are contacting residents daily to ensure they are safe and their needs are being met. Three of our Scheme Co-ordinators are providing reassurance to tenants by making welfare calls. Our other three are actively supporting tenants with shopping, prescription collection and scheme management tasks, such as fire alarm tests, across all our schemes. There is of course the added reassurance of the 24-hour lifeline for each resident should they require assistance. For our residents who have no other support, the Scheme Co-ordinators are collecting prescriptions and doing their essential shopping. Whilst still managing the buildings, the teams are the first point of contact for loved ones and other organisations such as Social Services and Meals On Wheels. The team also gave up their bank holidays to continue to support tenants in our schemes.
Below are what our residents at the schemes say… “Thank you for everything you do for us.” “Thank you for the amazing support you have shown us all.” “You cheer me up when I hear from you each day, it gives me the strength to get through another day.” Mrs Stockdale who is a resident from Six Bells has received help and support from Carl Dance, one of the Scheme Co-ordinators. Mrs Stockdale said “Due to my asthma I am unable to go out and if it wasn’t for Carl I wouldn’t be able to get any food in, he is invaluable.” “I find myself smiling when the phone rings and it’s you.” “You make my day with the telephone calls.” “You’re like a shining light in these dark times.” “Thanks to our Scheme Co-ordinators for keeping regular checks on us.” “Thank you for your calls it makes my day, I miss you and your kind heart.” “Thank you Tai Calon for giving us such amazing Scheme Co-ordinators, this would be hard to get through without their support and kindness.”
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Letting homes in lockdown
TAI CALON NEWS SUMMER EDITION 2020
In line with Welsh Government regulations, we have continued to improve empty homes and let them to anyone in housing need, with a focus on dealing effectively with homelessness. During the lockdown period, our Lettings Team were contacted by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council Homeless team to see if we could help a vulnerable individual. The person was in acute need of housing and was suffering from very complex issues and in dire need of help. We conducted the pre-tenancy interview and financial assessment over the telephone prior to an offer being made. A property was quickly found and they were housed within days of the pre-tenancy interview. Whilst charity shops and our other partners are also under lockdown sourcing furniture was difficult. However, with the help of our Voids Team we were able to donate some basic items as well as some furniture to help make them feel comfortable in their new home. Their support worker told us “They are settled in well and enjoying their new home”.
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Housing Advice Centre In light of the current situation Blaenau Gwent Council have had to close the Housing Advice Centre. If you need any housing assistance, please contact the following numbers:
Housing Register • 07971493453 • 07971314701
Homelessness • 07970176467 • 07870528250 • 07854368590 • 01495 311556 Emergency out of hours (5pm - 9am)
Cwmcrachen Site • 07971493453 (Repairs) • 07854367028 (Housing management)
Disability Facilities Grants • 07846103921 • 07581533438
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TAI CALON NEWS SUMMER EDITION 2020
Fly tipping Tai Calon have been working in partnership with Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council tackling the increased amount of fly tipping during the Corona Virus. Our Clean & Green team have been clearing areas across communities to make them beautiful again. Unfortunately, in some places the team have had to return a couple of times as more y tipping has appeared. If you see anyone y tipping in your area you can report it by contacting Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council through their online (Report It) function on their website or by calling them on 01495311556.
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Lifft Team Meet Karl Our support worker introduces you to Karl, these are her words.
If you or someone you know could benefit from some help, please contact the Lifft team on 0300 303 1717
Meet Karl… Karl lives on his own in sheltered housing, he moved in when he was made homeless after having a nervous breakdown when his grandad passed away. It was clear Karl would need support wherever he lived and sheltered housing was ideal for Karl to have his independence and also have some support. I was asked to support Karl as he was not successful with his Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claim. We helped appeal the PIP decision and won Karl’s court appeal which then put Karl in a good place financially. We referred him to GDAS to get some support for his alcoholism. We spoke about why he wanted to give up drinking and he said he wanted to make his grandad, who had passed away, proud and getting his driving licence meant a lot as cars and motor bikes were the one thing him and his grandad had in common. We printed photos of Karl with his grandad with some of the cars they had and hung them in Karl’s flat to remind him why he was 14 | www.taicalon.org
given up the alcohol. Karl loved this and told all his family about it. It took almost a year of support to help Karl cut back safely on alcohol to eventually giving up all together. It was another year of some ups and downs of applying for his driving licence and eventually he had the good news he would be given his licence and would have yearly medicals, Karl received his licence in February this year. Karl says he couldn’t have done it without support. Rachel Rees from our Lifft Service said… “This service continues to make a huge impact to all corners of people’s lives enriching both their physical & mental wellbeing. Our team of support workers give people the time they need, listen to them and work with them to best understand their needs, helping people to achieve their goals. The team really care, this is not just a job, they thrive on helping people and supporting people in a way that best suits that person.”
TAI CALON NEWS SUMMER EDITION 2020
Join our Board Have you ever thought Tai Calon could improve its services? Have you ever had a good idea that would help other tenants? Have you ever wondered who makes the decisions on where Tai Calon spends its money? Would you like to develop new skills and make a great career move? If you have answered yes to any of the above questions, and you are a tenant, then Tai Calon and your community needs you. We are looking for extremely enthusiastic and motivated individuals to join our Board. We’re offering: • £5,000 per year salary (please note this may affect any state benefits you get) • training and support to grow as a Board Member • the chance to give something back to your community
Find out more… On our website: www.taicalon.org/about/board-members On email: Martyn Price, martyn.price@taicalon.org or Emma Assender, emma.assender@taicalon.org On the phone: Martyn, tel: 01495 294708 or Emma mob: 07766 163933 The closing date for applications is Tuesday 30 June 2020 Shortlisting will take place by Friday 3 July 2020 Shortlisted applicants will need to be assessed against our skills requirements and take part in a short telephone call with our CEO, Howard Toplis, who will explain about the role. Candidates will be selected by tenant vote in August 2020.
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Get career ready Want to develop yourself during the lockdown and start a new career? YES!
looking for work now, and advice for employers to help recruit.
If you need any advice or you would like to discuss your career options, please drop Darren Foote our Employment & Enterprise Coach an email on darren.foote@taicalon.org and he will be happy to help you with any questions.
The National Careers Service has released a Skills Toolkit that is made up of free online courses, tools and resources to help you improve your digital and numeracy skills.
COVID-19 has had a huge impact on many parts of the labour market, with some sectors reducing in size and others expanding rapidly. To help job seekers find work in new areas and employers tap into new labour markets, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) launched new job help and employer help websites. These offer information for people 16 | www.taicalon.org
www.jobhelp.dwp.gov.uk www.employerhelp.dwp.gov.uk/
There are courses that will give you an introduction to getting confident online to more advanced digital skills for use in the workplace. These are all short courses that can be completed at home, in your own time, at your own pace. https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/find-acourse/the-skills-toolkit
TAI CALON NEWS SUMMER EDITION 2020
Here are some FREE online resources to help you get career ready in a post lockdown world.
BBC Skillswise A collection of free videos and downloadable worksheets to help adult learners improve their reading, writing and numeracy skills: www.bbc.co.uk/teach/skillswise
Digital Communities Wales Online webinars, digital access learning, how 2 use tablets, phones and other digital devices: www.digitalcommunities.gov.wales/
Digital Unite Perfect for supporting others with digital skills or improving your own knowledge: www.digitalunite.com/technology-guides
Oxford Home Study Centre (OHSC) OHSC is proud to offer access to some of the UK’s finest 100% free courses online with certificates. With not a penny to pay, no strings attached and no entry requirements whatsoever, anyone interested in further education has the incredible chance to study at home: www.oxfordhomestudy.com/free-onlinecourses-with-certificates
Open University - Open Learn Use Open Learn to explore subjects and study free courses; Free courses for multiple career paths. Just need to set up a user account: www.open.edu/openlearn/
Learn My Way Learn My Way is a website of free online courses, built by Good Things Foundation to help people develop their digital skills. From improving your health, finding a job and managing money online Learn My Way helps people improve their lives through digital: www.learnmyway.com/
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Thanks
for helping improve our digital services Tai Calon is going digital, and later this year we will be launching Housing Online. This is our online portal where you will be able to book a repair and view your rent statement from your phone or laptop. As part of getting it right, we ran a trial exercise earlier this year where some of you logged on to a test site, tried the service out and gave us some great feedback. We’d like to say thanks to all of the tenants who took part. The results showed that most people found it easy to register for the site and found it easy to use. They said they would recommend it to their neighbour. We are working through the feedback to make more improvements before launching it for everyone to use.
Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to phone us, Housing Online will be an extra service and we won’t be switching anything else off.
89% of people found it easy to register 88% Found it easy to use 91% Liked the appearance
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TAI CALON NEWS SUMMER EDITION 2020
The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to work for 2020 Tai Calon is delighted to confirm that, at the first time of applying, we have been listed in the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work For (in the not for profit category).
This is a measure of staff satisfaction with the organisation and includes how Tai Calon supports wider community issues such as youth unemployment, poverty and the impact of climate change. Getting this recognition follows the recent award of the Government’s Customer Service Excellence award. Both are recognition of a caring organisation focused on both the needs of our customers and our staff. We will use both as a means to continuously improve our services year on year. www.taicalon.org | 19
New compliments, complaints & concerns process As a result of your feedback about our complaints process being too long, we have updated our Compliments, Complaints & Concerns policy and made the process to resolve issues quicker. We view complaints as an opportunity to learn how to improve our services. We will ensure that mistakes are corrected as soon as possible and we will make improvements to our service by learning from feedback. Tai Calon Community Housing is committed to delivering a customer focused service and to
dealing with any concerns or complaints you may have about our service. We want to know if our customers are not happy with any aspect of our work or that of our contractors, or think we have failed to do something that should have been done. hav This is how we will deal with your complaints:
In nformally If p possible we believe it’s best to deal with things stra aight away rather than try to sort them out late er. If you have a concern, raise it with the perrson you’re dealing with. Staff will try to resolve the problem quickly in an informal way and d should resolve the complaint within five working days. If the member of staff can’t help, the ey will explain why and you can then ask for a form mal investigation.
Formally F We e will formally acknowledge your complaint in writting or via another suitable format within 2w working days of receipt. We will deal with your com mplaint in an open and honest way and we will ma ake sure that your dealings with us in the future 20 | www.taicalon.org
TAI CALON NEWS SUMMER EDITION 2020
do not suffer just because you have expressed a concern or made a complaint. If there is a simple solution to your complaint, we may ask you if you’re happy to accept this. For example, where you have asked for a service and we see straight away that you should have had it; we will offer to provide the service rather than investigate.
Writing: Tai Calon Community Housing, Solis One, Griffin Lane, Rising Sun Industrial Estate, Blaina NP13 3JW. In Person: Make an appointment with the Customer Service Supervisor
We aim to resolve complaints as quickly as possible and will provide a full explanation and response within 20 working days of receipt. If the complaint is more complex or serious, it may take longer to investigate. If this is the case we will contact you to explain why it is taking longer to investigate and how long it will take. We will give regular updates on progress. If we do not succeed in resolving your complaint, you may complain to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales. The Ombudsman is independent of all government bodies and can look into your complaint.
Compliments Compliments help us to know when we’ve done things well, if we hear these good things then we can make sure we keep doing them and use these lessons in some of our other services. Most importantly they can really help make someone’s day. We’d love to hear your feedback about the new process.
You can pass on your compliments, complaints or concerns through the following ways: Phone: 0300 303 1717
To find out more information about how we deal with Compliments, Complaints & Concerns please visit our website: www.taicalon.org/complaint/
E-mail: talktous@taicalon.org
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Collecting rent and other payments It is important that you continue to pay your rent, so we can continue to provide essential services. We recognise that the current situation has caused a lot of uncertainty and we have made additional staff available to provide advice and assistance so please let us know if you have any concerns about your income or paying your rent. We’ve put together some frequently asked questions below but if you need further advice and support, including help to make claims for the benefits you may be entitled to, contact us as soon as possible by telephone on 0300 303 1717 or via email: talktous@taicalon.org
Do I still need to pay rent? It is important that you continue to pay your rent. We know that this is a difficult time for everyone, and we are here to support you. All we ask is that you keep in touch with us if you have any problems paying your rent. We are not offering any rent holidays but we will not take any eviction action if you are unable to pay your rent as a direct result of the impact of Coronavirus. It is, however, important that you get in touch with us as soon as possible if you are struggling to pay your rent or need help to claim any benefits so we can help you avoid any arrears building up on your account. We have a number of experienced staff who can provide help and advice.
How to pay your rent There are a number of ways you can pay your rent… Online via Allpay: You can pay your rent via the Allpay website: https://pay.allpay.net/taicalon/ Make sure you have your Allpay swipe card to hand when you pay. 22 | www.taicalon.org
Direct Debit: Contact us for more information by ringing 0300 303 1717, Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm, or by texting the word “rent” followed by your name to 60030. Telephone: By telephone using a debit or credit card. Please ring 0300 303 1717, Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm Post Office: Use your Tai Calon payment card and pay by cash or debit card. PayZone: Pay by cash using your Tai Calon payment card. Some payments can take up to 5 working days to show on your account. Find your local Payzone retailer here: www.payzone.co.uk/consumers/
My income has reduced, what should I do? If your household income has reduced and you are struggling to afford your rent, we recommend that you make a claim for benefits to include housing costs, which can help towards your rent. The Government has put in place additional measures to ensure that claims are paid without delay, and some people who may not have been entitled to benefits before, may now be entitled to receive money. If you are entitled to Universal Credit, you can request an advance payment to give you access to funds straight away, but please note advances are very similar to a loan, and you should consider that any payments your receive will be reduced each month to repay this. If you have to wait for your benefits to be paid to you and arrears build up on your account, we will come to an agreement for this to be repaid at an affordable rate once things have settled down and you are able to clear any rent arrears. Please speak to one of the Housing team who will be able to help you set up this repayment arrangement. You can contact them by selecting the ‘rent information’ tab on our contact us form www.taicalon.org/contact-us/ or by calling them on 0300 303 1717.
You can also get independent, impartial and free debt advice available from: • Citizen’s Advice service offer free, impartial and confidential debt advice www.citizensadvice.org.uk/wales or call them on 03444 77 20 20. The Advicelink is available 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. It’s usually busiest at the beginning and end of the day. It›s not available on public holidays. • Step Change have a team of debt experts that help 650,000 people a year to deal with their debt problems. www.stepchange.org or call them Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to 4pm on 0800 138 1111 • The National Debtline have given free, impartial and confidential debt advice for over 25 years. They are an independent charity, dedicated to providing free debt advice by phone and online to people across the UK. For more information visit www.nationaldebtline.org. You can also call them Monday to Friday: 9am - 8pm or Saturday: 9:30am -1pm on 0808 808 4000.
What will happen to my rent account? Your rent will continue to be added each week, but we can reassure you that there will be no interest or additional charges added to your account. If you are financially impacted by coronavirus your rent officer will work with you to make a plan to help maximise your income and maintain your rent payments. We know that this is a difficult time for everyone, and we are proud to be here to support you through it, all we ask is that you keep in touch and work with us too. We will not take any eviction action during the period of lockdown or if your rent arrears are a direct result of you being financially impacted by Coronavirus.
I’m not sure what I am entitled to, can you help me? The good news for social housing renters is that the Government has introduced additional support for you, which means that you may now be entitled to claim for your rent to be ‘paid’ whilst your income is affected. Please visit www.entitledto.co.uk to check if you are eligible for help with paying your rent We have increased the number of people who can offer you benefits advice, and our Rent
Officers and Money Solution workers are here to help you make a claim. You can contact our Money Advice or Housing Teams via our contact us form www.taicalon.org/contact-us/ or by calling them on 0300 303 1717. Alternatively, you can get help and advice from… • Turn2Us - Benefits advice and benefits calculators and to search for available grants. Visit they website: www.turn2us.org.uk/getsupport/Benefits-and-Coronavirus • Money Advice Service - They offer help with day to day expenses and debt advice. Visit www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk or call them for free on 0800 138 7777 Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays, closed. • Step Change - Debt advice, up to date benefits advice and benefits calculators. For help and advice visit the Step Change website www.stepchange.org or call them Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to 4pm on 0800 138 1111.
I’m already under a payment agreement or court order for my rent. What do I do? If your income has not been affected by the measures put in place during the COVID-19 outbreak, you will need to carry on paying as you normally do. If your income is affected, and you are now unable to meet these payments, please contact your Rent Officer straight away to discuss your account. We will assess your current agreement or court order and will work with you to make and affordable plan until the lockdown measures are relaxed and you are able to bring your payments up to date. Please via our contact us form www.taicalon.org/contact-us/ or by calling them on 0300 303 1717.
I usually pay my rent at the local shop / Post Office but I can’t go there now. What should I do? Please use one of the other payment options listed above or contact us if you have problems using one of these.
I usually call your offices to pay my rent using my debit card. What should I do? We are still able to take payments by phone but you may find it easier to use one of the other payment options listed above.
www.taicalon.org | 23
COLOURING
COMPETITION
Competition deadline 17th July 2020
Resource Reg. No. 2110
Name:
Age:
Address:
Please return to this address: Damian Vizard, Tai Calon Community Housing, Solis One, Rising Sun Industrial Estate, Blaina, Blaenau Gwent, NP13 3JW
0300 303 1717
talktous@taicalon.org
www.taicalon.org