Residents News - Issue 57

Residents News

Tools to navigate the rising cost of living

Dates for your diary

Our Contact Centre will be closed for the end of summer Bank Holiday. If you have an emergency repair during this time, please call our 24/7 Repairs Line on 0800 542 8904.

Contact Centre late opening hours:

28 AUG

Summer Bank Holiday

Get Involved

On the third Wednesday of every month our usual phone lines will open after 10am due to team briefings.

The next day we’ll be opening the lines at 10am will be Wednesday September 20th.

Fancy having your say on influencing community improvements and helping to shape our services?

Join our next Resident Forum on 20th September. Take a look at page 13 for the latest letter from the Resident Forum Chair.

Date doesn’t suit you? Come along for the next meeting on the 19th of October. For more information about registering for this group or other resident voice groups contact: hello@fairhive.co.uk.

If you’re thinking about downsizing, we’re here to help!

We understand downsizing can be stressful but we can help you get the ball rolling. We can help by:

• Supporting you through the housing application process.

•Providing assistance with packing and moving.

•Offering financial incentives.

You will also be able to benefit from our experience of helping other tenants and families move to suitable accommodation.

Those who want to downsize will receive individual support from our Housing Options Officer who will ensure the whole process is as seamless as possible. If you would like further information please contact our Housing Options Officer, Michelle, on 07759 701942 or email michelle.mountney@fairhive.co.uk.

Dear Resident

We are now at the height of summer and although we haven’t yet had the great weathe we would all like, there have been lots of activities taking place to keep everyone amused. Our ‘Summer Fun’ days were a big hit with parents and children alike this year and we’ve had some really pleasing feedback about the activities, which included a horse riding experience, ‘Crafts and Play’, and a Family Day at Thomley. Our Community Engagement Team will be sharing more information about the next ‘October Fun’ event so keep an eye out on social media and on IMPACT, where we share our events calendar.

Following the summer theme, I’d also like to congratulate the winners of our Great Gardens Competition 2023! The entries were all fantastic so thank you so much for taking part – I know that our team really enjoyed running the competition again this year after having a hiatus during the pandemic. We always encourage any residents with an interest in gardening or creating great spaces, so if you’d like some support with tools or supplies to keep your garden or communal space blooming then please get in touch with us.

In June we sent out a Cost of Living Toolkit in response to the on-going economic challenges that many in our communities continue to face. The Toolkit provides information about our Welfare Support and includes a cost tracker and budget sheet; it has also helped to ensure that everyone has access to the resources and signposted services that may be helpful in a variety of situations.

A short message about the toolkit is included on page 5 and I’d like to invite any of you who have feedback or ideas for what to include in future resources to get in touch with us. Looking ahead to when I next write to you in the Winter, we’ll be publishing our Annual Report to Residents which will set out our end of year performance and how we delivered against our targets. We’ll be sharing more information with you in our December copy of Residents News about this report, so you can see how we are performing as an organisation and learn more about what we do as your Social Housing Landlord.

And finally, we are always looking at how we can make our communications more efficient and environmentally sustainable. You may have received the last few issues of Residents News via email or read it on our website. By sending digital copies of our newsletter to you we can save on paper and keep postage costs down. However, we appreciate that not everyone has access to the internet, or you may just find it a lot easier to read a paper copy or a large print version. If you would prefer that we send you future Residents News issues in the post, or you have a special print request (such as yellow paper, large print, audio CD etc), please let us know. You can email the Communications Team at hello@fairhive.co.uk or give our Contact Centre a call on 01296 732600 and tell us how you’d like to receive your copy.

Matthew Applegate Chief Executive

Have you ever considered a career in Administration?

Following the success of the Boost your Potential initiative on offer to residents across January and February eariler this year, we are so pleased to welcome a previous participant and resident on board as our Community Engagement Apprentice.

We are keen to run this free-short course in November for other interested residents teaming up with ‘Building Futures’ again.

Are you a school leaver this year and looking for your next step? Returning to work? Thinking of a career change? Or long-term unemployed, Boost your Potential is a great opportunity to enhance your skills and build confidence*.

Here’s some feedback from a resident who took part in February:

The course will offer six sessions starting November 14th, two a week across a three week span to prepare individuals for interviews moving forward. Course content will include the importance of soft skills and why employers want them, activities on the importance of team working and data protection in an office environment and preparation for interview using mock situations.

To express your interest for this course, scan our QR code to fill out your details. Alternatively, visit: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NDF9W2Q

For more information on this course, email us on hello@fairhive.co.uk.

*Eligibility criteria does apply

“This course was very helpful for me, the atmosphere was very nice with good people, and I learned a lot”.

scan here to register your interest for our next Boost your Potential course

Working with Bucks Skills Hub at their SEND Show 2023

We joined the Confident Futures Skills Show that took place at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium in June this year. This event was a bit of a rebrand for the Bucks Skills Show SEND that we attended last year and it was a brilliant opportunity to meet like-minded organisations and connect with schools! We were talking to students, parents, carers, and teachers about job opportunities and future career paths suited to anyone, including those with special education needs and disabilities. John Wallbank, our Head of People Engagement, presented to attendees and other businesses at the show about becoming a Disability

Confident Employer and what we’re doing as a recognised ‘Leader’ in this field (one of only a few businesses in Buckinghamshire with this accreditation).

The activity on our stand was all about building services or spaces that are missing in our community and it was a total hit with the students. We had budding builders creating moving wind turbines, multi-use community event spaces, and an eco-skate park!

Have you found the Cost of Living Toolkit helpful?

Earlier in the summer, we sent out a Cost of Living Toolkit booklet to all our residents to ensure that everyone had access to useful resources and tips for any time that these might come in handy. We understand that the cost of living increases continue to impact everyone differently. This booklet was designed to signpost towards the welfare support we can offer as well as financial support or advice provided by other organisations.

You can also find more resources and useful information on our website: www.fairhive.co.uk/-cost-of-living-resources or on the sites listed in this toolkit (those who have a smartphone can simply scan the QR codes printed in the toolkit). We appreciate that not everyone has use of the internet or a mobile device, so we hope that you were able to access the information in this toolkit and found it valuable.

We’d like to hear your feedback so we can continue to produce content and resources

that are truly useful for you and your household. Please give us a ring or email the Communications Team at hello@fairhive.co.uk if you have any comments to pass on, or perhaps you’d like to share how you are using your cost saving tracker poster!

Tenant Satisfaction Measures

How satisfied are you with our services?

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has created a new system for assessing how well social housing landlords in England are doing at providing good quality homes and services. This involves a set of Tenant Satisfaction Measures that social housing landlords must report on. As part of this, all landlords will need to collect feedback through tenant surveys and share the results with their residents and the Regulator. Residents will be able to use these measures to understand how we are doing.

What do the tenant satisfaction measures cover?

There are 22 measures in total which fall under five main themes:

• Keeping properties in good repair

• Maintaining building safety

• Effective complaints-handling

• Respectful and helpful tenant engagement

• Responsible neighbourhood management

10 of the 22 measures will be directly measured using data landlords have – for example, how many homes meet the Decent Homes standard set by government, or how many complaints were responded to within the Housing Ombudsman’s Code timescales. The remaining 12 measures will be gathered by surveying our residents by either telephone or via an online link in an email.

Who will contact me?

We have commissioned IFF Research, an independent social and market research agency, to undertake these surveys on our behalf. The number IFF Research will call from is 0203 148 7635, between 9am-8pm Monday – Friday and between 11am-4pm on Saturdays. Online surveys will come from myopinions@iffresearch.com and reminder emails will be sent from myopinions@iffresearch-dm.com. Not all residents will be contacted as IFF will contact a random sample of our residents (enough to make sure the data is reliable). If you have not been contacted but want to tell us what you think, please email contact@fairhive.co.uk.

Is my feedback confidential?

IFF Research can keep your responses completely anonymous and you do not have to answer any questions you don’t want to. IFF won’t include anything in their results that could personally identify an individual. At the end of the survey, the person calling will ask you if you would be happy for us to contact you and you can always say no.

We continue to measure

learn from our complaints and compliments

Customer satisfaction is important to us, and we know we don’t always get it right. That is why we are committed to listening to feedback and drawing down on the data from our customer surveys, complaints, and compliments that highlight what we are doing well. Keep an eye out for our regular complaints and compliments column in upcoming issues of Residents News. We will include the feedback from customer satisfaction surveys and how we use it.

2022/23 compared to 2021/22:

Customer

Satisfaction for Complaints:

57% of residents surveyed told us they were satisfied with the handling of their complaint – we want to make sure you are confident and comfortable to talk to us about your complaint and that you feel we will listen to you and treat you with respect.

Please let us know when we don’t get things right, if any contact with us is not as you expect.

At any point you can contact the Ombudsman as well if you have a complaint about Fairhive. Their contact details are: Housing Ombudsman – 0300 111 3000 | www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk

You said:

Poor Service Quality

We’re doing:

• Hiring new employees within the Contact Centre so the waiting times in the queue can be improved.

• We’re monitoring the out of hour’s service so that when the cold weather hits, we’ll be ready to answer calls and attend to your emergencies as quickly as possible.

• Carrying out more post-works inspections to ensure quality standards are met.

• Received assurance that our contractors are on top of the grass cutting and will take appropriate action. We will proactively manage these works going forward.

You said:

Ongoing repairs are concerning, eg. long wait for repairs, repeat calls and visits for the same issue

We’re doing:

• We are using contractors to support our in-house team of Operatives to get up to date with our outstanding repairs. We’ll let you know if a contractor will do the work on our behalf.

• We’re looking into how we can record if we’ve had to go to the same property previously for related repairs to prevent repeat visits for the same issue.

You said: Our communication with you is poor

We’re doing:

• Supplied Operatives who carry out work outside your home with calling cards to deliver to residents to ensure they are aware of when work will be carried out.

• Where we need to return to do follow-up works, order materials or if works need to be carried out by another team, we will let you know whilst on site, and where appropriate, follow it up with a phone call/email/text.

To raise a complaint or leave feedback please visit our website (www.fairhive.co.uk/making-a-complaint) or give us a call.

Events in your Neighborhood

We have been running Plant and Pot events around our local communities. We visited Eskdale Road in Stoke Mandeville and Walton Place in Weston Turville with the Neighbourhood Manager and an Additional Housing Management Advisor. At these events, we provide the pots, compost and a selection of seeds for residents to grow their own herbs and vegetables at home. These events are a great opportunity to find out more about what services we can offer to our residents, ask questions and raise any issues you might be having with your home as well as finding out about volunteering with us and being an involved resident.

It is also an occasion to meet your neighbours and have a hand in a fun, healthy activity!

We’re keen for our residents to take part in their local events as we want to listen to your ideas on how to improve your community and what we can do better. If you would like a Plant and Pot session in your area please email hello@fairhive.co.uk.

Resident Drop In events will start in September where you have the opportunity to meet us in person, we are happy to help with your queries. Please log in regularly to IMPACT www.fairhive.co.uk/impact to find out about our events in your area.

Great Gardens 2023

Thank you to everyone who entered our Great Gardens competition. We’ve had some blooming wonderful winners in previous years, and this year did not disappoint. Residents were able to make the most of a small patch in their communal garden, whilst others had planters full of fruit and veggies.

Not only were the gardens beautifully presented, but the judges were also bowled over by the passion and enthusiasm of the entrants.

Read about our entrants and the winners over on our news page at www.fairhive.co.uk/news.

Our Neighbourhood Managers are having a bit of a shuffle

From Monday 31st July, you may find that you have a new Neighbourhood Manager (NHM), this is due to some changes we’ve made to the areas each NHM covers. Some NHMs responsibility areas have been reduced which means your NHM will save time and mileage when travelling to visit residents as well as being able to inspect schemes and communal areas more regularly.

You can find out who your Neighbourhood Manager is in the table below or check our website for up to date contact information: www.fairhive.co.uk/my-neighbourhood-manager

Neighbourhood Manager Areas

LINDA: Buckingham, Tingewick, Gawcott, Hillesden, Chackmore, Preston Blissett, Waddesdon, Maids Moreton, Grendon Underwood, Marsh Gibbon, Chetwode, Adstock, Hardwick, Oving, Quainton, Twyford, Westbury, Water Stratford, Whitchurch, Granborough, North Marston, Edgecott

JIM: Quarrendon, Mill Way, Oxford Road, Goldswain End, Chappell Close, Whaddon Chase, Hartwell End, Brenda’s Way, Palmer Avenue, Gatehouse Road, Cromwell Avenue, 144150 Fowler Road, Russell Avenue, Churchill Avenue

JANE:

Kingsbrook, Bierton, Watermead, Weedon, Buckland, Cheddington, Cublington, Dagnall, Pistone, Drayton Beauchamp, Edlesborough, Dunton, Ivinghoe, Marsworth, Invinghoe Aston, Ledburn, Leighton Buzzard, Northall, Rowsham, Slapton, Wing, Wingrave, Oakfield Road Estate, Conway Close, Cambourne Avenue, Britannia House

LIDIA: Beachampton, Drayton Parslow, Great Brickhill, Great Horwood, Stewkley, Soulbury, Mursley, Little Horwood, Steeple Claydon, Newton Longville, Stoke Hammond, Milton Keynes, Nash, Whaddon, Padbury, Leckhampstead, Akeley, East Claydon, Thornborough, Swanbourne

HEATHER: Stoke Mandeville, Harvey Road, Simpson Place, Barnard Crescent, Great Western Street, Elmhurst

LUKE: Wycliffe End, Walton Court, Hampden Gardens

ALEX: Winslow, Rossiter House, Turweston, Westbury, Biddlesden, Dadford

WALTER: Southcourt (excluding Russell Avenue and Churchill Avenue)

DAWN: Aston Clinton, Wendover, Weston Turville, Tring, Halton, BHA Properties

CHARLENE: Stone, Prebendal Farm, Haddenham, Long

Crendon, Oakley, Brill, Ickford, Worminghall, Shabbington, Westcott, Ludgershall, Cuddington, Dinton, Ashendon

Summer of FUN

With the summer holidays in full swing, we’ve been able to provide a series of exciting events specially curated for our younger residents and families. From a family day at Thomley and our Gallop and Groom session at the stables, to craft workshops, all our events this year have been a hit!

Our Summer Fun events are an opportunity to take part in free activities during the summer holidays that are run by our Community Engagement Team. These events are perfect for children on their holidays, as these sessions are suited to different age ranges.

Don’t forget to sign up to IMPACT www.fairhive.co.uk/impact where we will be advertising further activities and opportunities

Scan here to sign up to IMPACT

Make the most of our Grants

Did you know, as one of our residents, you can access our Springboard Grants, which gives you up to £300 towards activities to support your health and wellbeing, education, training or employment opportunities? Our residents have previously used this money to help them enrol on courses, pay for kids’ clubs, and secure gym memberships.

One of our residents received a Springboard grant to help pay for her daughter to continue Hippotherapy.

“Cerys has benefited from Hippotherapy (physio on horseback) due to having low muscle tone and hyper-mobility as part of her having Down Syndrome. Riding helps her to gain strength in her core muscles and stability. It was key to her walking a few years ago. Regular riding helps to

We want to hear your thoughts about our website design

In May, we unveiled our new website design, an extension of the work we did during our re-brand when we became Fairhive. We have been working with residents and employees to ensure we meet the needs of those who use the website the most.

Since the redesign, we have created a contact us directory so that residents can contact the relevant teams rather than calling the Call Centre. We hope this will help improve communication between residents and employees as well as helping to address queries quicker.

We will also be utilising IMPACT, our residents portal more often. IMPACT now has an events calendar that will tell you when resident events

springboard grant means she will benefit for a little bit longer from a therapy that she enjoys.”

If you’d be interested in finding out more about the grants we have on offer, please visit www.fairhive.co.uk/thrive or contact our Grants Officer by emailing tcfgrant@fairhive.co.uk.

are happening such as Resident’s Forum, Estate Walkabouts and family activities.

We will keep the needs of our residents and website users as the key focus when making changes to the look and feel, as well as the functionality, of our website over the upcoming months. Our main aim for the project is to create a simple but efficient website tool that is accessible to all, user-friendly, and gives you access to the services, digital support, and information you need to help manage your home and tenancy.

We would love to hear your thoughts about our new design and features, so if you have any feedback on the website, please let us know by filling in our website feedback form at www.fairhive.co.uk/website-feedback or contacting hello@fairhive.co.uk.

Meet the team

Vicky Wadkins

Vicky is one of our Independent Living Scheme Coordinators.

What does a typical working day look like for you?

My role as a Scheme Coordinator is very varied and no two days are the same. When we are on a scheme you never know what is going to happen next. One minute you could be completing weekly health and safety checks, the next we could be helping a resident who has fallen in the corridor. We work with a range of residents who are over 55, they may be elderly and frail or younger with mental health or alcohol issues. We work with residents who have low level rent arrears, may have issues surrounding anti-social behaviour or they might need a referral to other services. We also conduct property viewings and tenancy sign ups, work with contractors, cleaners and grounds maintenance. Basically, we are the first person the residents turn to if they have any issues, queries or concerns.

What do you enjoy the most about your role?

I enjoy the variety and being able to get out and about. I feel like I’m making a difference to people’s lives.

What (or who) inspired you to follow your current career?

I had a change in career in my early 30’s and wanted to give something back into the community. I started working for Paradigm in their contact centre and quickly moved into Paradigms Sheltered Housing team. I joined Fairhive, previously the Vale of Aylebury Housing Trust, in 2011 part time following the birth of my first child.

What do you do in your spare time?

When I’m not working I can be found at home with my children, or walking my dog.

What wouldn’t most people know about you?

Most people don’t know that I have done a skydive and bungee jump!

Samantha Rowett

Samantha is one of our Neighbourhood Team Leaders and is part of the Neighbourhood Management Team.

What does a typical working day look like for you?

Every working day is different – I manage 4 Neighbourhood Managers and a Lead AntiSocial Behaviour (ASB) Case Manager so tend to get involved in a variety of different issues and cases. Some days I’ll be travelling to Aylesbury, meeting up with the team or catching up with colleagues – other days I may be out supporting the team on visits or more often than not if there is some high level ASB I will support the team with that. In the last couple of weeks I have attended Court for a breach of Injunction, visited some ASB complainants with a team member and spent time working with my co Neighbourhood Team Lead, Andrea, on patch changes for the team.

What do you enjoy the most about your role?

I enjoy the variety of my role – every day really is different and you never know what to expect. One of the best parts of it is the great team I work with – everyone wants to achieve the same goals and ultimately help and support people. I couldn’t do half of what I do without the support of my team and colleagues.

What do you do in your spare time?

When I’m not working I can be found at home spending time with my family and more often than not training or competing in Agility with one of my three dogs. Dogs are a huge passion of mine, I have two rescue dogs, a Spaniel, crossbreed and a very chilled out chocolate Labrador!

A letter from your Resident Forum

Welcome to the first Resident Forum update!

Since the rebrand to Fairhive in April 2022, there have been many changes within the business as well as with housing associations around the country.

This is an exciting time for Fairhive as we are reviewing and restructuring the way resident engagement works as a whole for an overall better experience for everyone. We’re always welcoming more volunteers to join our groups and activities can range from filling in satisfaction cards and surveys to attending regular meetings to raise ideas and opinions. It all depends on how much you can give and on your interests.

The Resident Forum meets monthly at Fairfax House, Aylesbury, but there is also the option to join the meetings online.

The Forum is the main hub unit and we have regular items on our agenda ranging from Tenant Satisfaction Measures, which includes repairs and complaints; and Task and Finish which looks at areas in the business that need improving. We then give our feedback and input to take the business forward.

In addition, we have groups that review any upcoming policies on a three-yearly basis to stay aligned with current government legislation, Together with Tenants Charter, the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and the Housing Ombudsman. These reviews can be carried out via email for you to comment individually or as a focus group to have an open discussion with the group.

There are also sub groups that focus on a theme ranging from complaints, new developments, grounds maintenance and block cleaning. These groups usually meet once every three months. Volunteering at Fairhive can be interesting and rewarding, giving you a sense of purpose as you help make our homes and communities better. It’s also a way to interact and make friends whilst doing something worthwhile. In addition to the social side, you can add the experience to your CV.

So, if you feel you wish to be part of this team of volunteers going forward why not get in touch. You can email us at hello@fairhive.co.uk.

Steve and Tony Resident Forum Members

Join our Change of Seasons Drawing Competition!

With the change in season, what better way to celebrate than through creativity? Whether you’re a professional artist or just someone who loves to draw, this competition is the perfect opportunity to showcase your skills and imagination!

How to Enter

This competition is open to any resident and all ages:

1. Create a beautiful and captivating drawing in the space provided or on an A4 piece of paper.

2. Send in your drawing, with your name, age and address to The Communications Team, Fairfax House, 69 Buckingham Street, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP20 2NJ.

If you don’t want to part with your wonderful drawing, take a clear picture and send it to us at hello@fairhive.co.uk with your full name and address.

Judging and Prizes

Our panel of judges will carefully evaluate each entry based on creativity, technique, and interpretation of the theme (Changing Seasons). The top entries will be selected for the following prizes:

Under 12s: £20 Shopping Vouchers for new craft supplies.

Over 12s: £20 Shopping Vouchers for new craft supplies.

The winners will also be featured in our Winter issue of Residents News. Good luck, and happy drawing!

Competition Rules

All entries must be received by 29th September 2023. By submitting your entry, you grant us permission to use your artwork for promotional purposes on social media, our website or in Residents News. Those under 16 will need their parent or guardians permission to enter this competition.

WIN! PRIZE £50 VOUCHER

Time for our Summer time puzzle! Can you find the list of words hidden in the grid? Return it with your name and address to Summer time puzzle, c/o The Communications Team, Fairfax House, 69 Buckingham Street, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP20 2NJ. The closing date for the entry draw is 29th September 2023 and the winner will receive a £50 shopping voucher and have their name published in the next edition of Residents News!

We are pleased to announce the winner of our Residents’ News Spring Issue Puzzle was Christine Steer. Congratulations and we hope you like your prize. Well done to our winner, Linda Herbert, for our Spring competition, Spot The Difference. Congratulations and we hope you enjoy the prize.

Become a Leading Edge panel member

Employee recognition has always been important to us; it empowers employees to celebrate successes, creating an environment focused on achievement and accomplishment. Recognition plays a critical role in shaping our customer experience. Employees who feel connected to our values are typically more invested in their role and have higher professionalism and care when interacting with residents.

That’s why we’ve launched our own recognition programme, Leading Edge, but we can’t do it on our own, we need your help!

Join the panel

We already have two involved residents onboard and have one more space available for you to join the panel.

The Leading Edge Panel consists of eight members: five employees and three volunteer residents.

The panel will review nominations quarterly, selecting three winners each quarter. In addition, the panel will select two winners for our two annual awards; the Resident Choice Award and Good Samaritan Award. If you’re interested in joining the panel, email us at hello@fairhive.co.uk outlining why you think you’d be great.

Make your nomination

If you don’t want to be part of the panel, don’t worry you can still get involved by nominating your employee of the year in the Resident Choice Award or the Good Samaritan Award. Make your nominations anytime throughout the year (now to March 2024) by sending your nomination to hello@fairhive.co.uk. State the employee’s name, which award you’re nominating them for and an outline of why you think they deserve to win. Annual winners will be announced on our website, with the winner’s agreement.

Award name Behaviours

Resident Choice Various e.g. Good communicator; takes ownership; represents us in a positive way, works well using time and resources efficiently; works well with others; listens to residents; improves services etc.

Good Samaritan

• Thinking of others ahead of yourself

• A life-saving event

• Compassionate, genuinely wants to help others

Fairhive is able to produce this document in other languages and formats. If you need these services, or those of an interpreter, please contact us.