winter 2010 foundation news

8/7/2019 Winter 2010 Foundation News

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FoundaionFor enans and cusomers of Foundation Housing

news

A charitable housing association

Celebra ting 21 years!

In troducing...

Future Jobs Fund

2010, a great y ear

Winter 2010

3

9

13

15



Foundaionnews

We hope you have enjoyed reading the

magazine throughout the year. We aim

to keep you up to date and inormed as

well as give our customers a platorm to

share their stories and successes.

In this edition we discover howFoundation has helped our o its

customers have a great 2010. In our

fnal ‘What Happened Next’ eature we

meet Angela Prince, an inspiring woman

with a story that shows difcult and

challenging situations can be overcome.

We have an update on our Future Jobs

Fund project, as well as our perormance,to keep you in the loop. We also bring you

up to speed on our local oers project,

which is a real chance or you to infuence

our service delivery in your area.

Along with some handy tips to help

keep your fnances in check there’s

something or everyone in our wonderul

winter edition. On behal o all o ushere at Foundation Housing I would like

to wish you a Happy Christmas and a

prosperous New Year.

Nikki Chawda Managing Directr

2

Welcometo the fnal edition

o Foundation newsor 2010.

Customers are reminded that the FHA

ofce will close over Christmas and New Year;

rom midday on Friday, 24 December. We will

reopen at 9am on Tuesday, 4 January, 2011.

In case o emergencies during this time,phone 0116 2549439 (night time) and

0116 2527007 (day time).

ChrismasOpening Hours

In his issue...

3 21 years young

4 Have your say

5 Sae as houses

6 Winter energy saving tips

7 What happened next

8 2010, a great year or me

10 Making ends meet

11 Tackling ASB

12 New year, new resolution

13 Customer question corner

14 Year o the census

15 Competition



Foundation Housing Association

celebrated 21 years as a registered

provider o housing and support

services at a special evening reception in

October o this year.

Sta and colleagues rom East Midlands Housing

Group and stakeholders gathered at Highpoint

or an evening o refection, celebration andacknowledgement o many successul years

working with Leicester’s diverse communities.

The key note speech was delivered by Lara Oyedele,

Chie executive o Odu-Dua Housing Association.

As Chair o ‘BME National’ (the new umbrella body or

Black and Minority Ethnic Housing organisations), she congratulated Foundation on its many years o

achievements. She also provided inspiration and motivation or FHA to keep tackling the inequalities

that still exist in meeting housing need amongst BME communities.

Entertainment on the night was provided by ‘Andrea’s Oriental dancers’. The highlight o the eveningcame rom Angela Prince. Angela, a Foundation customer told the packed room her story and how

Foundation supported her in to independence. Read Angela’s story in ull on page 7.’

www.oundationhousing.org

3

21 ears oun!

Lara Oyedele

Managing Director Nikki Chawda

with Andrea’s Oriental dancers



Foundaionnews

4

S t Ma t the ws

01 /02 /2011 – Starting at 10.00am.

Meet outside the Neighbourhood Centre

Kirb y Fri th04 /02 /2011 – Starting at 10.00am. Meet

beside the basketball court on R yder Road

S t Andre ws

08 /02 / 2011 – Starting at 10.00am.

Meet at beginning o f Ba ysdale Road

Highfelds

11 / 02 / 2011 – Starting at 10.00am. Meet

outside St Peters Court, 4 St Peters Road

E yres Monsell 15 /02 /2010 – Starting at 10.00am.

Meet at beginning o f Ca versham Road

Hamil ton

Cawston Rd Area

18 /02 /2011 – Starting at 10.00am.

Meet at beginning o f Cawston Road

The Maltings Area

18 /02 / 2011 – Starting 10.45am.

Meet at beginning of The Maltings

EsaeWalkabousFollowing our annual inspections in

the summer we sent out special

edition newsletters to all residents

o those estates.

We hope this has helped to keep you inormed

o the process and the outcomes rom those

inspections. Please let us know what you think.

Please come and join us or our rst walkabouts

o 2011. All dates and times are set out opposite.

We lk rward t seeig y there.

Teats are eig ivited t have their

say plas y r paret rgaisati, East

Midlads Hsig Grp, t ji rces with a

ew parter.

Derbyshire-based Three Valleys Housing is due

to join the group by next March. Foundation

Housing Association (FHA) tenants will not

be aected by the change, their tenancy and

services will still be provided to them locally

through FHA.

You can give your views on the

proposed partnership by contacting:

The Policy and Inormation Team,

Freepost RSHT-BZJJ-ATEE, East

Midlands Housing Group, Memorial

House, Stenson Road, Whitwick BusinessPark, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 4JP

or by e-mail to policy&[email protected],

or by phone on 01530 276000.

Comments should be made by

January 7, 2011.

Have our sa!on our new partner...




5

The Sae project, or women suering rom Domestic Violence has now been running

or 18 months and has led to many positive outcomes or over 238 women.

Awarded an ‘A’ grade by Leicester City Council

in the summer, the project hosted a Domestic

Violence and Housing Conerence as part o

Domestic Violence Week in November. The week

long campaign raises awareness o domestic

violence and abuse and its impact on the lives o its victims and their amilies.

David Orr, Chie Executive o the National

Housing Federation, gave the key-note address.

He encouraged Domestic Violence services to

be vocal about the essential nature o, and the

positive impact their work has on many people

lives. Speakers included Ann Habens (Leicester

City Council), DS Pete Williams (Leicestershire

Police) and David Brazier (STRIDE Leicester).

One o SAFE’s service users shared her story

telling how the support she received helped her

regain control o her lie.

Meena Kumari manages the Sae Project.

She said: ‘We are really pleased that the

conerence was such a success. The link

between housing and domestic abuse is oten

missed. Increasingly those suering rom

domestic violence are nding themselveshomeless and extremely vulnerable. The scale

and seriousness o this problem oten goes

unrecognised, and women are not always

aware o their rights in these circumstances or

o the support that is available to them. ‘Our

work demonstrates that Housing Providers and

Domestic Violence outreach workers can work

together to deal with

domestic violence and

prevent homelessness.’

as houses

f orWomen

SupportDomestic Violence



Foundaionnews

6

Desroin

he mh,releasin

poenialRig a siess

rm hme is

ecmig icreasiglycmm, it is estimated

that crretly e i r

peple w carry t sme kid

wrk rm hme. Hwever

it appears that peple thik

that there is a laket a

Fdati teats wrkig

rm their hme.

Oten this has been based on a

concern about the kind o businesses

that could be run rom home, such

as vehicle repair and maintenance,

which might cause a nuisance to

neighbours. However, as technology

has become more accessible,

opportunities or other orms o

remote working have become more

common and the nature o homeworking has changed.

I this is something you have been

thinking o doing please don’t assume

that we will turn down your request.

In a difcult economic climate we

certainly would not want to stand

in the way o customers who are

considering running their own

legitimate business rom home. For

more inormation please contact us

on 0116 2544230 and ask to speak

to your Housing Ofcer.

Winer

ener savin ips

One way to help save some money

and energy and the environment this winter

is to ollow up on these simple and easy tips.

In he kichen• boil a kettle with only as much water as you need

• cover pots and pans when cooking – they will boil

a lot quicker

• there’s emerging research that using a microwave

rather than a conventional oven to heat up a small

amount o ood may save you energy

• avoid putting hot ood in the ridge or reezer

• try not to leave your ridge door open, as it takes

energy to cool down again

Washin clohes

• washing clothes at 30 degrees can be just as

eective or a normally soiled load

• run your washing machine or dishwasher with ull loads

• avoid tumble drying – dry clothes outdoors or on indoor

dryers when possible to save money and energy

Heain and ho waer

• turning down your thermostat i it’s set too high will

save around £50 a year on your heating bills

Lihin

• try to remember to switch the lights o every time

you leave a room

• replacing all the remaining traditional

light bulbs in your home with energy

saving light bulbs could save you

around £25 a year




year or me...

9

Safe ProjectThrough our SAFE project many

women have gained saety, their

independence and got their

confdence back.

One such person is Mrs N,

married or 30 years, she suered

domestic violence throughout her

marriage and only came to SAFE

in March 2010. She kept silent

about her abuse as she elt that

she was not going to be believed

and “culturally” she elt that a

woman should stick with her

marriage.

Mrs N was abused physically,

fnancially, emotionally and always

elt that no one would believe

her i she reported the abuse.

SAFE helped her access the right

benefts and support, and to get

an injunction against her husband

ensuring her saety and security.

The service helped her to be able

to access support groups that

speak her language and who have

helped her to see that domestic

violence is not acceptable in any

culture, age or religion.

Mr Smi t h f r om H amil t on This y ear or the fr st time, F oundation has r un a tenant led impr ov ement (TLI) pr og r amme wher e tenants can bid or unds or an impr ov ement to wher e they liv e. A panel o r esidents and sta hav e met twice in 2010 to make r ecommendations as t

o which impr ov ements can g o ahead. Ther e has been plenty o demand, so un or tunately this means we can’t car r y out each r equest this y ear . Howev er her e is one success ul applicants stor y .

So tell us about y our T LI Mr Smith?Well they appr ov ed unding or a ence ar ound my pr oper ty because o pr oblems we wer e exper iencing with people cutting thr oug h our g ar den which was causing a lot o str ess.

How was the whole exper ience?It was excellent, r eally antastic, can’t ault it r eally . Emma Glov er my Housing O fcer was r eally help ul.

How has the impr ov ement made any dif f er ence?Y es ther e’s better pr iv acy and I don’t g et people who keep g o

ing ov er my pr oper ty , so defnitely less str ess ul.

Did FHA keep to their wor d and their appointments?Y es they did, when an appointment was made it was kept, and they kept their wor d.

Is ther e any way in which FHA could impr ov e their ser v ice?

I think just to keep up with that lev el o consistency and not to let it dr op would be the best way o

impr ov ing . I would r ecommend F HA, they hav e g r eat people, they ’r e excellent all r ound and r eally , r eally help ul.

f orWomen

SupportDomestic Violence



Foundaionnews

10

How are we doin?S at the ed 2010 hw are we dig? Well as a rgaisati that

elieves i ctis imprvemet we ctie t make prgress. Please see

yr witer pdate elw.

Ren ArrearsWe are delighted to report that in November Foundation reached its lowest ever levels o

uncollected rent, standing at 4.47%. This is very good news as it means we have succeeded

in reaching our target o 4.5%, some our months early. O course ofcers will continue to

work hard with you, our customers to ensure we get the rent in on time!

Emp homesWe are continuing to get our empty properties ready or new tenants with an average

turnaround time o 7.6 days. Whilst this is higher than our last edition, our perormance inthis area is still amongst the best in the country. Since April 2010 we have let over 22 homes

and this number is increasing as new tenants are moving to their newly built properties in

Humberstone Lane beore Christmas.

Repairs compleion imesOur repairs perormance currently stands at 96.47% which is down rom our lastedition. Satisaction levels with our repairs currently stands at 92% which again islower. We are holding regular monthly meetings with contractors to pick up on anyissues that could be contributing to this so that we can head back towards our

target again.

Please keep lettig s kw what y thik at r service s we ca keep

makig it etter r y!

Makin ends Mee...It is the time o year when it is easy to get into debt or even deeperin to debt. That means it’s important to be aware that there are those

that will take advantage o those that are desperate.

There are companies out there who prey on people in nancial hardship whether it’s a local loan shark,

doorstep lender or rom the high street. You don’t have to all oul o their schemes, as regular readers

will know you can get help rom reputable organisations such as Clockwise Credit Union. You can

contact them on 0116 242 3900 or via www.clockwise-cu.co.uk

With low rates o interest on money borrowed and saving achieved it is a sensible and practical

option. I you would like to check on line the cost o borrowing in your area you can log on to

www.lenderscompared.org.uk. It is a ree to use, independent price comparison website to help yound the best loan or you. They are not there to sell you anything, so no sponsored results or other

adverts appear on this site.




11

A ig thak y

t all cstmers

wh cmpleted the

estiaire that wasiclded i r aal

reprt ‘Yr gide t

hw we’re dig’.

We had just under

400 responses in all and

are now analysing the

results to see what we can

learn about where we need

to improve.

We’ll bring you the results

in the spring edition o

Foundation News.

As one o the many providers o aordable housing and

support services in Leicester we have an important role

to play in making sure our communities are clean and

sae and in helping to tackle anti-social behaviour (asb).

We have very clear policies and procedures to ollow that ensurewe work together with you on the issues that you raise. As with

many o these things we are just one piece o the jigsaw. To resolve

and tackle asb a multi-agency approach is required. This means

working with the police, local residents associations (e.g. Kirby Frith

Residents Association), Leicester City Council, other landlords and

the Leicester anti social behaviour unit (LSABU).

Sta at FHA also regularly attend and take an active part in ‘Joint

Action Group’ meetings (JAGs) across the city. These meetings help

to nd solutions to the issues raised by residents. On a number o

occasions FHA has managed to source unding through the JAGs to

bring estate improvements that help prevent asb.

I you have any concerns about asb in your area please contact

us on 0116 2544230 and ask or your housing ofcer.

tacklin ioeher

Conras o:

GE Wright, Terry Spence,

Naima Ali, Kirsty Becks

and Gill Martin who were

picked out o the hat to

win £100 in supermarket

vouchers.

Happy spending!

AnnualRepor o

enans

EMH Up D At E

Con tac ts for ASB

Ar son T a sk For ce –

0 1 16 2 2 9 2 1 1 9Cr ime and Di sor der R educ tion Par tner shi p – 0 1 16 2 5 2 8 5 6 7

Dome s tic Violence In tegr a ted R e s pon se Pr o jec t ( DVI R P) – 0 1 16 2 5 5 0004

L e sbian , Gay and

Bi- Se xual H el pline –

0 1 16 2 5 4 7 4 2 1

L eice s ter and

L eice s ter shir e R acial

Eq uali ty Council – 0 1 16 2 9 9 9800

L eice s ter shir e Cr ime s to p per s – 0800 5 5 5 1 1 1

S AFE dome s tic violence su p por t f or women 0800 0 2 233 5 3

Vic tim Su p por t – 0 1 16 2 5 3 0 10 1



Foundaionnews

12

Unbelievably it is nearly the end o 2010. Well at every end there is always a

new beginning, so how about a New Years resolution?

Whilst money owed to Foundation by its tenants hit an all time low this year, we are determined to

bring all o the rent in and on time! We depend on our rental income to keep maintaining and improving

your home so it’s in everyone’s interest!

New ear, new resoluion?

Was ou can do his:

• CASH at the ofce (open 9am-5pm Monday – Friday, closed rom 2pm Wednesday)

• CHEquE at the ofce

• DIRECT DEbITS

• PAYPoInT – using cash and your rent payment card

• CALLPAY – pay by card over the ofce phone

•PoST oFFICE – using cash, cheque or card and your rent payment card

•onLInE – use your swipe card and a debit card to pay online. Just log on to

www.allpaymets.et and fll in your swipe card number, then ollow the

instructions on the screen.

•VIA TExT – frst o all register on the www.allpaymets.et text website, providing

your credit/debit card details and payment details. You will then automatically receive a

Text Password or each credit/debit card. Once registered, you will be able to text rom

anywhere you want. You will also have access to your payment history so you can checkwhether payments have been accepted.

I you have not got your rent payment card and would like one, please contact us and we will get one

sent out to you.

Direct debits are an easy way to take the pressure away o remembering to pay your rent so don’t be

shy give us call and we will gladly set it up or you.

Make it yr new Years Reslti t pay yr ret. Paying your rent is a priority payment. Not

paying can result in you losing your home and being liable or court costs. This would render youhomeless (and there is no duty on Housing Associations or the City Council to re-house you in

those circumstances).




13

o crse the mst cmm ctact

that may r cstmers have with

s is i relati t repairs. Whe y

call s y wat t kw hw lg a

repair will take, s the esti is:

Which jobs arecompleed when?

When you contact us we assess the nature o

the job, taking residents circumstances into

consideration. We then categorise the repair in

to one o three dierent types o job. These areset out below:

RouTInE 28 caledar days

uRGEnT 7 caledar days

EMERGEnCY 24 hrs

Clearly we have to ensure that the most serious

and urgent jobs are completed rst which is

why they are separated in this way. There is a

ull list in section 6 o your tenant’s handbook,but here are one or two examples:

ROUtINE

• Tap cannot be turned o (dripping):

within 28 days

• Repairs to kitchen ttings: within 28 days

• Easing doors and windows: within 28 days

URgENt

•

Minor electrical aults: within 7 days• Blocked gutters: within 7 days

• Extractor an inside bathroom/kitchen:

within 7 days

EMERgENCy

• Burst pipes/constant leak: within 24 hours

• Toilet not fushing: within 24 hours (when

there is no other toilet in your property)

• Total loss o heating or water heating:

within 24 hours (between 31st October and 1st May)

Inroducin...Fr the fnal part

ur ‘intrducing’ series

we meet Harpreet

Takhar, Supprted

Husing ofcer at the

Female Hstel.From joining FHA in January I could

never have imagined the impact the

hostel has on homeless women. I have

seen many vulnerable women come and

live in the hostel that lack confdence

and sel esteem; with many having had

troubled backgrounds.

With support rom the Female Hostel

they have all let as dierent women,all into their own independent

accommodation and most o these

women have gained employment.

What makes my role as a Supported

Housing Ofcer more worthwhile is when

they thank me or supporting them,

encouraging them, believing in them and

giving them a chance to turn their lives

around. I enjoy my job tremendously and

count it a privilege to be able to help theamazing women that live in our hostel.

CusomerQuesionCorner



Foundaionnews

14

2011 he ear

of he censusWhat is the census?

A census is a count o the population. We have

had one in the UK every ten years to nd out

more about who we are as a nation. We ask

everyone to tell us a bit about themselves to help

census users decide how best to plan, und and

deliver the everyday services we all need – like

housing, education, healthcare and transport.

The Oce or National Statistics (ONS) carry out

a census on 27 March 2011.

Why do we need a census?

A lot’s changed over the last ten years. But what

– exactly? How many more people live in England

and Wales compared with ten years ago? What

kind o people are they? And what services do

they need in their area? One way to fnd out is to

count them.

We have to fnd out how people’s lives and needs

have changed, so that government and local

authorities plan the kind o services you and

everyone else needs. Everyone needs to take part.

In March 2011 you’ll get a census questionnaire

in the post asking or inormation about your

household and the people living or staying

there on census day. You can complete your

questionnaire online or on paper. You can answer

most questions simply by ticking a box. I there

isn’t a box that applies to you, you can type or

write your answer in the space provided.

Here at FHA we want to encourage you to

compete the census, as oten black and minority

groups will be underrepresented. This means i

you don’t complete it when population needs are

analysed the needs o BME groups will not get

taken in to account. So make sure you count by

completing the Census when it arrives.Fr mre inrmatin g t:

http://2011.census.gv.uk/en/index.php

Reglar Fdati news readers will

kw that we are wrkig twards

develpig tailred services acrss the

dieret areas the city.

Our One Group Customer Council was keen

that we carry out interviews door to door as

much as possible. You will be glad to hear

that sta rom all departments have been

out and about asking tenants what they think

about the service we provide.

Unortunately the recent extreme weather

has meant that we have not been able to

get round to every home as we had hoped.

Thereore some tenants will have received thequestionnaire in the post whilst others will

have had telephone interviews.

Once we have all the questionnaires in and

analysed we will write to every tenant with a

drat local oer or their area based on their

responses. In January we will run a series o

area based meetings to agree the oers with

you in your area so watch this space.

Thank you to everyone who have answeredquestionnaires, i you haven’t yet returned

yours or you have comments about our

service then please give us a call to make

sure your opinions are included.

Fr mre irmati lcal ers call

Ty brks 0116 2587814 t fd t

hw y ca get ivlved.

LOCALOFFERS

@FHA makinglocal serviceswork




15

Fuure Jobs

Fund updaeWith the frst phase o the Future Jobs

Fund completed and phase 2 drawing to

a close in the New Year, we thought it

was time to bring you up to date with

how the programme has been running.

As you will remember, Foundation Housing has been running the Future Jobs Fund across the EastMidlands Housing Group (EMHG) o companies. The Future Jobs Fund has supported the creation o jobs

or long term unemployed 18-24 year olds acing signifcant disadvantage in the labour market.

In total we have had 14 employees working at ofces across the region. They have been getting on really

well, learning lots and making a positive contribution to their teams. They have recently completed a days

training in Coalville to improve their CV writing and interview skills. Additionally they now have access to a

website resource to help them develop these skills urther to see them in to permanent employment.

At Foundation two o our Future Jobs Fund employees have ound themselves new jobs which is antastic

news. Dimple rom phase 1 is working as a Customer Service Advisor at our Conduit Street ofce and

Tanya rom phase 2 has secured a post working in the NHS. We are really proud o their achievementsand wish them well in their new roles.

the good news is ha i doesn’

sop here...

Foundation has been chosen to deliver a nal phase

o Future Jobs Fund as we have just signed a new

contract with an organisation called 3SC to employ

another 11 young people in 2011.

Conraulaions o...

Maryam o Bonsall Street who

won the autumn word search

competition and to Miss Sheridan

rom Havelock Street who kept

her rent up to date. They both

won £25.00 worth o high streetshopping vouchers.

Keep your account up

to date or the January clear rent account

competition and have

a go at fnding all

the sneaky Santa’s

hidden throughout the

newsletter. We will pull

out the winners o both

competitions on the 31st

o January 2011.



Foundaionnews www.oundationhousing.org

Con tac t Us...

I y wld like irmati i ather lagage, large prit, braille

r aditape, please ctact the Assciati 0116 2544230

Foundation Housing Association

For more inormation about Foundation News, or suggestions or

improving it, please contact us. You can:

Wrie o: Foundation Housing Association

8 Faraday Court, 40 Conduit Street,

Leicester LE2 0JN

telephone: 0116 2544230

Email: [email protected]: www.oundationhousing.org

Our ofce hours are

9am to 5pm Monday,

Tuesday, Thursday andFriday and 9am to 2pm

on Wednesdays.

winter 2010 foundation news

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