Tel: 0300 303 1190
Email: info@ss-ha.org.uk
For all the local news about your community
Web: www.shropshirehousing.org.uk
Issue 76 – Autumn 2012
JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS
IN SHROPSHIRE Refuge 10 Years Page 3
Foyer News Page 4
Jubilee Pics Page 14
Contents 2 Income Officers at Craven Arms/Our Services to You 3 Refuge 10 Year Anniversary/Queen’s Jubilee Pageant 4 Foyer News/Whitefriars Holiday Fun 5 Group News 13 Tass News 14 Jubilee Party Time! 15 Competition Winners 16 Competitions Page
1 GET rent ADVICE FROM US 3 5 7 Do you have any queries about your rent or want advice on how to clear your arrears? Our income officers will be available at The Gateway in Craven Arms to answer any questions you may have. Please contact customer services to make an appointment. See below for the dates they will be available.
How to contact us You can contact us in a number of ways:
PHONE 0300 303 1190 or REPAIRS FREEPHONE 0800 592418 EMAIL enquiries@ssha.org.uk IN WRITING by sending your letter to us at
Mike Young 5th October 4th January
South Shropshire Housing Association, The Gateway, The Auction Yard, Craven Arms, Shropshire SY7 9BW.
IN PERSON by coming along to the reception desk at Craven Arms.
OFFICE OPENING HOURS 9.00am-5.00pm Monday - Friday Access for all
Braille
TRANSLATION AVAILABLE
Traduction disponible
Cyfieithu sydd ar gael
Traduzione disponibile
перевод доступный
OUR SERVICES TO YOU
2 1 1 1 2 4 1 2 3 1 2 2 2 1 3 3 4 2 1 3 33 4 45 45 3 55456656 66 5 6 7 All updates on the local offers will be marked with the appropriate sticker (see below) for the standard it applies to.
This document is also available in:
Audio CD
Mark Timerick 7th December 1st March
Our regulator, The Homes & Communities Agency, has asked all social landlords to produce local offers through seven standards that cover the services we provide. Our current offers are set out in the Tenants Report 2012, provided with this newsletter.
Our normal office opening hours are:
Large Print
Jayne Rawlings 2nd November 1st February
Other Languages
Tłumaczenie dostępne
2 | The Key Autumn 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1190
Tenant Involvement and Empowerment standard
Home standard
Tenancy standard
Neighbourhoods and Communities standard
Value for Money standard
Governance and Financial Viability standard
Rents standard
2 4Refuge 10 Year 6Anniversary The Refuge recently held a 10th anniversary walk and cream tea celebration. Many of the people who have supported the Refuge since it started were at the event. The Refuge has provided a place of safety for 379 women and 430 children, with even more women supported in a variety of ways. The Grow Cook Share team were on hand to provide refreshments and a special cake was made for the occasion.
QUEENS JUBILEE PAGEANT The Grow Cook Share team and volunteers attended the Queen’s Jubilee Pageant held at RAF Cosford on 12th July. They had a lovely day offering cookery demonstrations and even took time out to watch the Queen and floats going by. Christine Perkins is the Community Engagement Worker with South Shropshire Furniture Scheme, and works with Grow Cook Share one day a week. Recently she has been out and about promoting Grow Cook Share to the local communities in Craven Arms and Ludlow. She has been promoting the raised bed kits, free cookery sessions and selling vegetables at both Infant and Junior schools in Ludlow. If you would like to know more about Christine’s involvement in the project or want to know what events are coming up you can contact Christine on 01584 874922 or email chrisp@furniturescheme.co.uk
www.shropshirehousing.org.uk | The Key Autumn 2012 | 3
FOYER NEWS Ludlow Foyer recently entered the Ludlow in Bloom competition. The judges viewed the garden that was previously a bin storage area. Residents helped to build and plant the new garden area.
Residents have also begun a project to replace the faded mural in the Foyer car park. They will be working with a local graffiti artist to design and then paint a new mural in its place.
Whitefriars Holiday Fun The residents of Whitefriars Sheltered Housing Scheme and the surrounding area had fun on their annual holiday to Llandudno. The trip was organised by Sheltered Housing Officer, Julie Fowler. One of the residents was very impressed, she said, ‘After many holidays to Scotland, but now on my own, I decided to go with Julie and the trip from Whitefriars. Oh what a good thing I did, sea, shops, good hotel, nice food and everyone was friendly. What a good job Julie did to make sure we all had a good time.’
4 | The Key Autumn 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1190
Group News
STAR survey – Tell us what you think about our services Every 2 years Shropshire Housing Group, along with many other landlords across the county, asks all tenants what you think of the services we provide. Surveys will be going out to all our tenants in September and October, to give you a chance to tell us what you think. Most surveys will be in paper form, however we have listened to what you said about the best way to contact you, and some surveys may be carried out by telephone or other methods. In order to ensure you can freely say what you think, the surveys will be carried out by an external organisation. However, they will clearly state that they are doing this on our behalf, so that you can be reassured that the call is genuine. If you do have any concerns, please contact Customer Services. We hope that you will take the time to answer & return the survey as this will help us to improve our services. Some examples of what we have done after the last survey are that we have improved the support we offer in anti-social behaviour cases and introduced the ability to communicate with tenants by text.
Group News Autumn 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1190
1 2 3 4 Tenant Census 5 6 7
We are constantly updating our records to ensure our information is accurate and to help us plan the best services. If you have not yet completed a Resident Census form we may contact you to make sure the information we hold about you is up-to-date. Alternatively please email us at census@shropshirehousing.org.uk (giving your name, address & contact number) or call us on 0300 303 1190 and we will call you back to take your details. The form is also available on our website. This information has recently helped us to contact tenants who may be affected by the Government’s welfare reforms, and to explain to them how we can help. We have also identified everyone who may need an adaptation in their property, and have added these to our list of adaptations needed.
Live 4Less is a free progra mme for ten on how to sa ants ve money, in cluding bud saving mon g eting, ey on bills, food and tra ve l. It also outlin es how to in crease your and lower y income our outgoin gs, how to d debt proble e a l with ms and mu ch more. Please conta ct us to boo k your place programme on the or to tell us th at you would a session to like be run in yo ur area.
Pointing you
financial Advantages of having a bank account: Convenience
Safety
Many employers insist on paying wages into a bank account. You can have all your welfare benefits paid into a bank account which means that you do not have to make time to go to a Post Office to cash a cheque.
Money left in a home or in your bag or wallet can be stolen or lost. Money in a bank account is insured against loss so even if your bank goes bankrupt, your money is still safe.
Flexibility
Bill Paying
Instead of carrying all of your money with you, you can use a debit card to buy things or withdraw a small amount of money from cash machines.
Many bank accounts allow account holders to make regular bill payments. This saves you time and often means you can buy services at a much cheaper rate.
Basic Bank Accounts Some people may find it difficult to open a regular bank account, especially if they have a poor credit history. A “basic” bank account is a good option.
With a basic bank account you:
When choosing a basic bank account check:
S Can pay in cheques for free
S You can use cash machines near where you live or work for free (ask the bank or building society if you aren’t sure)
S Can take money out at cash machines S Can pay bills by Direct Debit or standing order (which usually means the services are cheaper) S Are usually free UNLESS you don’t have enough funds in the account when a direct debit is drawn when you will receive a charge - which can be up to £20 a time S Don’t get a cheque book S Don’t get an overdraft.
Group News Autumn 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1190
S There is a branch of the bank/building society nearby where you can pay in money and check your account S You can pay money in or get money out at a Post Office® branch, if this is important for you S You will get the services you need like a debit card, Direct Debits or standing orders.
u in the right
direction Advantages of having a bank account: Shropshire Housing Group does a lot of work with Just Credit Union. They offer a basic bank account. They have community branches at:
Ludlow
Wem:
Mondays & Thursdays office hours: South Shropshire Voluntary Action, Corve Street Thursdays 10.00 – 11.30: Rockspring Community Centre, Sandpits Estate
Meres and Mosses Housing Association, Talbot House Tuesdays – by appointment
Craven Arms: South Shropshire Housing Association, The Gateway Tuesdays 14.00 – 16.00
Market Drayton: Community Information Centre Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 9.30 – 1pm & 1.30 – 3.0.pm; Saturdays 9.30 – 1pm
You can also contact them on 01743 252 325 or go to: www.justcreditunion.org
HOUSING BENEFIT CHANGES From April 2013 a limit will be put on the amount of benefit people aged 16 to 64 can get. This is called a benefit cap. At the same time, the Government will reduce the amount of housing benefit paid out to households who are living in properties that are too large for their needs. We have already written to most of the households affected by these changes and will be working with Shropshire Council's benefits team to offer support and advice. If you think that you will be affected by these changes, please call us on 0300 303 1190 or email SHGenquiries@shropshirehousing.org.uk so that we can support you and find out what choices you have.
www.shropshirehousing.org.uk | Group News Autumn 2012
Solid fuel servicing Shropshire Housing Group are required under the Health and Safety laws to ensure all types of heating systems in its properties are safe to use. Records have to be kept to show we have completed annual servicing and safety checks. We will carry out a full annual service of your appliance and carry out a smoke test on your flue, if required. Further tests may be carried out and repair works done to ensure your appliance and flue is working properly. As part of the servicing programme we have introduced 6 monthly chimney sweeping. This work is completely free to our tenants, however access is needed to the property and the appliance will need to be out of use for the work to be carried out. An appointment will be made with you at your convenience to give you time to ensure your appliance is not being used.
2 1 4 3 6 5 7
Group News Autumn 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1190
Electric Van Trial TRL recently trialled an electric van for a week. Although the operatives were very positive about driving it, the van didn’t have the range it needs to cover Shropshire. SHG is committed to looking for greener and more economical ways of working and will keep searching for greener alternatives.
A new central heating system had been installed at an elderly tenant’s home and although the tenant was very pleased with the new heating system there were a couple of issues. The water cylinder had been removed from their airing cupboard and this had left the tenant with nowhere to dry washing. We arranged for a small radiator to be installed within the airing cupboard to enable the cupboard to be used for drying clothes.
behind was in need of redecoration. It is our policy to issue tenants with decoration vouchers. But, in this instance we agreed to carry out the necessary redecoration as the tenant had no family members who could carry out the work. We also agreed colours of paint with the tenant. If you have a complaint, please contact us on 0300 303 1190, email complaints@shropshirehousing.org.uk or fill in the online form on our website.
The second issue was that as the new radiators were slightly smaller than the ones that had been removed, the area
Shared Ownership Staircasing After buying your shared ownership property you can choose to increase the share you own. This is known as staircasing. The advantages are that you will pay less rent, and own an increased share in your property.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
The maximum amount that you can staircase up to is shown in your lease. Shares can be purchased in steps of between 10% and 25% per instalment. It is possible to buy 2 steps at the same time.
For more information please contact Maggie Davis, Sales Co-ordinator on 0300 303 1190 or email propertysales@shrosphirehousing.org.uk www.shropshirehousing.org.uk | Group News Autumn 2012
Shropshire Housing Group regularly reviews its performance on a lot of different things, including repairs response times, gas servicing completions, rent arrears, and how long a property is empty for. This time we are sharing with you Aids and Adaptations performance.
MA JOR ADAPTATIONS MINOR ADAPTATIONS SSHA MA JOR ADAPTATIONS MMHA MA JOR ADAPTATIONS MINOR ADAPTATIONS MINOR ADAPTATIONS SSHA SSHA MA JOR ADAPTATIONS MMHA MMHA MINOR ADAPTATIONS This work costs less than ÂŁ500 to complete. We have set a target that minor adaptations will take less than 21 days to complete.
This work costs more than ÂŁ500 to complete. We have set a target that major adaptations will take less than 180 days to complete. We also look at how satisfied tenants were with the work done.
Below are the performance figures for aids and adaptations for April 2011- March 2012.
Number completed
Number completed in time
% completed in time
Minor Adaptations
34
29
85.3%
Major Adaptations
35
25
71.4%
Number completed
Number completed in time
% completed in time
Minor Adaptations
34
29
85.3%
Major Adaptations
35
25
71.4%
SSHA 2 1 MMHA 4 3 6 5 7
We are working hard with our partners to ensure we reduce the number of days it takes to complete aids and adaptations work, in order to meet our target.
98% of those who received an adaptation last year were satisfied with the quality of the work. 100% said it had improved their quality of life.
Group News Autumn 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1190
Are your contents insured? What would happen if the contents of your home were lost or damaged by fire or flood? Would you be able to afford to replace them? It is your responsibility to insure the contents of your home. The My Home Contents Insurance Scheme is designed for tenants in housing association homes. They have affordable premiums and a pay as you go option. Benefits Include: • Instant cover available over the telephone • Affordable premiums • Cash payments available in addition to traditional payment methods • No minimum security requirements to the property • No excess (you don’t have to pay the first part of the claim) • Excellent claims service For more information contact us on
0845 337 2463
1 2 Minor Adaptations3 4 5 6 7 We are committed to making life easier for our tenants and want you to live independently in your home for as long as you wish. We offer minor adaptations to your home so that your quality of life can be improved. Minor adaptations are works that do not exceed £500. For example: • Internal/external grab rails • Lever taps • Half steps
This type of work will be completed through our responsive repairs service, usually within 21 working days. To request an adaptation or to find out more, please contact us. www.shropshirehousing.org.uk | Group News Autumn 2012
Homeswapper is the new way to look for mutual exchanges. It is a free service for our tenants. Tenants can look at properties from all over the country and see details of where that person would like to move to. They can also post their home to the website and check if anyone is willing to swap with them. Go to www.homeswapper.co.uk to login and find out more. Please note a swap can only take place after permission has been given by us. Tenants are responsible for telling their landlords about the mutual exchange and need to complete an application form. A mutual exchange is completed within 42 days of receiving the completed forms.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Some of our tenants have already completed their mutual exchange. They said; ‘Thank you we got the move we wanted’. Mr D. ‘Great swap more room for our new addition’. Ms N
www.homeswapper.co.uk
Introducing the new Allpay app. This is free to download and available from the App Store and Google Play.
Register your debit card and payment card to make quick and easy payments
Group News Autumn 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1190
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Tel: 01588 676285 email: Tass@ss-ha.org.uk www.tasscommittee.org
BECOME PART OF THE TASS COMMITTEE We have representatives in the following areas:
Tom Cox Three Crosses & Clee Hill
Joan Grant (chair) Bishops Castle & Clun
Dean & Celia Robbins Lydbury North & Eyton
Danny Liston (vice chair) Lydham, More & Wentnor
Phillip & Diana Dasey Bucknell & Leintwardine
Graham Gordon (treasurer) Burford
Rosemary Liston Lydham & More
Michelle Walker (secretary) Ludlow Sandpits
David Fisher Tenbury Wells
Tom Lewis Ludlow Sandpits
We are currently looking for tenants to join the Tass Committee from Craven Arms, Church Stretton and Cleobury Mortimer. For more information please call the Tass Resource Centre.
Marcia Darcy Ludlow Jody Goode Ludlow Rocks Green Colin Harrison Worthen & Brockton Tom Christian Wotherton & Chirbury
TASS EVENTS We hold a car boot sale every 3rd Saturday in the month. This year they have gone very well and will start again in March 2013. We are holding our annual open day on Friday 7th December at The Gateway, Craven Arms 10.30-2.30. Come along and see what we do. Refreshments will be available, with a raffle with proceeds going to charity.
www.shropshirehousing.org.uk | The Key Autumn 2012 | 13
Jubilee Party Time! Grange Road Bishops Cast le had a part a specially m y tea with ade cake.
000 y and raised ÂŁ1 Hill had a fun da ee Cl s se os Cr Three nce. nds Air Ambula in aid of Midla
Millmead, Craven Arms had a barbeque and eve ryone dressed in red, white and blue. They also played boc cia outside afterwards. Shelter ed Housing Officer, Mandy Watton would like to tha nk the friends and tenant s that helped out to make it a lovely day.
14 | The Key Autumn 2012 | Tel: 0300 303 1109
e. Jubilee in styl celebrated the ow dl cal Joint Lu , Lo rs e ia Whitefr tion from th na do 50 £2 a ceived stry from The scheme re nation of a tape do e th d joyed an ee Committ . Residents en ch fetched £180 hi w s e great ew m th so t at Janet M ho belted ou w de Hy el ch ith Ra a sing along w d a hog roast. ey also enjoye Th . cs si as cl british
COMPETITION WINNERS LEFT: The winner of last time’s Olympic word jumble was Mrs Brown from Church Stretton who won a £30 Love to Shop voucher RIGHT: The winner of last time’s find the Olympic torches competition was Morgan Saville from Bishops Castle who won a £30 Love to Shop voucher
www.shropshirehousing.org.uk | The Key Autumn 2012 | 15
A DUL T S CO M PE T I T ION SHARP EYE This time’s competition requires a sharp eye. The picture to the left appears in one of our articles, all you have to do is tell us what page it appears on, and send your entry to us for a chance to win a £30 Love to Shop voucher. Answer: Name Address
Postcode Telephone No
KID S CO M PE T I T ION SPOT THE DIFFERENCES Spot the 7 differences in the two pictures TO THE RIGHT and send us your answer to win a £30 Love to Shop voucher Answer: Name Parent/Guardian Name
Address
Postcode Telephone No Send all entries to:
Vicki Coleman, Communications Officer, The Gateway, The Auction Yard, Craven Arms SY7 9BW Closing date for all competitions: Monday
15th October 61993: 07/2012