ONE ROOF UNDER Nehemiah UCHA Creating Successful Diverse Communities Christmas money saving IN THIS ISSUE Blooming marvelous Eastwood Road street party time Keep in touch Academy success 2 3 6 8 4 The newsletter for customers of Nehemiah OUR NEW WEBSITE We hope that you have had a chance to have a look at our brand new website. Please visit www.nehemiah-ucha.co.uk and let us know what you think. The website was designed using customer feedback from the digital services scrutiny review earlier this year. The scrutiny panel then recommended that we should develop a new customer friendly website. Our new website is now fully tailored to meet the needs of our customers and has the ability for you to change the language, size of the text and listen to the information rather than read it. We have received very positive feedback from staff and customers. Mary Brannac from Wolverhampton said “I think the website is brilliant. The best that I have seen. It is very nicely and plainly laid out and easy for me to read.” You can also now contact us through the website as well as send us a compliment or make a complaint. Soon you will also be able to view your rent account, more details about this will be coming soon. We understand that our customers lead very busy lives. Therefore, we are focused on providing you with more information online to allow you to make a service request or access information at a time that is convenient to you. Communicating with you online also allows us to make savings as a business and fits in with our value for money strategy. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS! FROM THE NEHEMIAH TEAM Winter 2016
Transcript
ONEROOFUNDER
Nehemiah UCHACreating Successful Diverse Communities
Christmas moneysaving
IN THIS ISSUE
Blooming marvelous
Eastwood Road street party time
Keep in touch
Academy success
2
3
6
8
4
The newsletter for customers of Nehemiah
OUR NEW WEBSITE We hope that you have had a chance to have a look at our brand new website.Please visit www.nehemiah-ucha.co.uk and let us know what you think.
The website was designed using customerfeedback from the digital services scrutinyreview earlier this year. The scrutiny panelthen recommended that we should develop a new customer friendly website.
Our new website is now fully tailored to meet the needs of our customers and has the ability for you to change the language, size of the text and listen to the information rather than read it.
We have received very positive feedback from staff and customers. Mary Brannac from Wolverhampton said “I think the website is brilliant. The best that I have seen. It is very nicely and plainly laid out and easy for me to read.”
You can also now contact us through thewebsite as well as send us a compliment or make a complaint. Soon you will also be able to view your rent account, moredetails about this will be coming soon.
We understand that our customers lead very busy lives. Therefore, we are focused on providing you with more information online to allow you to make a service request or access information at a time that is convenient to you. Communicating with youonline also allows us to make savings as abusiness and fits in with our value for moneystrategy.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEWYEAR TO ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS!
FROM THE NEHEMIAH TEAM
Winter 2016
Under One Roof I Winter 2016 I Page 2
SEASONS GREETINGS We hope you have a great holiday period and enjoy reading the Winter issue of Under One Roof. There are some Christmas money saving ideas in this issue. Let us know your money saving tips and we can share them.
Don’t forget this is your newsletter and we want to hear your views on it, what you like about it, what you would like us to improve and what you would like to see more of. Just give me a call, drop me an email or pop into our head office.
We know that Christmas is a time when we all face extra pressure on ourfinances.
Additional burdens and demands can lead to many debt related problems. It is important to remember, however,that your rent payments must be maintained throughout the festive season. While it may be tempting to miss a payment to meet some of the costs of Christmas, the consequences of doing so may be serious. If you are experiencing difficulties meeting your rent payments, please contact your Housing Officer.
Check out our tips on how to makethe most of your Christmas budget:
Work out a budget and stick to it -Avoid getting into debt - whilst it’s greatto see people enjoying their gifts, thinkabout the stress being in the red willcause once the magic of Christmas isover.Plan ahead - Multi-buy offers, likeBoots’ 3-for-2 gifts, can save you lots ofmoney – if you have family or friendswho don’t want a specific present, youcould take advantage of the deals andget a present free.Don't buy the first thing you see -Check prices in different stores andonline before you buy any presents, to make sure you’re getting the bestprice. Check for store voucher codesonline so that you get discounts.Do Secret Santa and save - If you’ve got presents to buy for friends, suggest Secret Santa – that way you can set an affordable budget and only buy one present each.Visit www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/festive-fivers for crafty gift ideas under £5.
Donate a service - Instead of buyingfriends and family physical gifts, offer to do something for them instead with aChristmas cheque. It could be anythingfrom babysitting to washing their car andit’ll only cost you your time.Not seeing family until after Christmas?- If their present isn’t limited edition andyou can wait, buy it once Christmas is over – it’ll probably be discounted.
We hope that these tips helpyou. However, if you needfurther help your housingofficer can refer you toBirmingham Settlement for free confidential moneyadvice. Please contact us on 0121 358 0966 for further information.
RITA SAMUELSCUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT OFFICER
CHRISTMAS
HOLIDAYS –
OFFICE CLOSURE AND
EMERGENCY REPAIRS
Our office will close o
n
Friday 23rd December
2016 at 12 noon
and re-open for busin
ess on
Tuesday 3rd January
2017 at 9am.
If you need to report a
n emergency
repair during this tim
e, please
call our repairs centre
on
0800 849 1400 from a
landline or 03030 30 1
000
from a mobile.
Under One Roof I Winter 2016 I Page 3
BLOOMING MARVELOUS We are launching the garden patch fund for the second year following thesuccess of last year’s fund. Customers at Woodside House applied to thefund last year and were able to purchase some flowers for the communalgarden and it certainly made a difference.
The garden patch fund is a small pot ofmoney of £600 available to customers living in our sheltered schemes. Everyyear customers can bid for an amount of money up to £50 to use to purchasegardening supplies for use in the communal garden area.
How do I apply?Applications forms are available in your scheme, on the website or by contacting Nehemiah UCHA head officeon 0121 358 0966.
Once your form is completed you caneither hand it in to your scheme manager or post it to Nehemiah UCHAhead office.
You will then be contacted by the customer engagement officer to confirmthat your application has been received.The opening date for applications will be1st November and all applications needto be received by 31st January (applications received after this date will not be accepted and customers willhave to reapply in November).
The charity staged its annual World’sBiggest Coffee Morning event onSeptember 30th, and residents atWoodside House, Shard End and FatherJoe Taaffe House, Digbeth together withstaff at our head office, were amongthose who had their kettles boiling onMacmillan’s behalf.
A host of beautifully baked cakes werealso on offer as residents at both schemesinvited their neighbours to enjoy the event.
So what happens next? Your application will be assessed by the Customer Engagement Officer andSupported Housing Officer. You will thenbe contacted and informed if you havebeen successful.
RESIDENTS RAISE AMUG TO MACMILLANAT FUNDRAISINGCOFFEE MORNINGRESIDENTS living at two of Nehemiah’ssheltered housing schemes and staff atour head office have raised £706.77 forMacmillan Cancer Support.
"THE MONEY HELPS, AND THE GARDEN
LOOKS BETTER FOR IT"
"WE REALLY ENJOYED DOING THE GARDEN PLANT POTS."
Nehemiah’s Housing Operations ManagerPamela Farquharson said: “There was a really enjoyable atmosphere at bothevents and we were all delighted to discover such a fantastic amount hadbeen raised."
To learn more about the support offered by Macmillan, and its ‘World’sBiggest Coffee Morning', visitwww.macmillan.org.uk
Under One Roof I Winter 2016 I Page 4
YOU SAID WE DIDWe have had a summer of walkaboutsand we hope you enjoyed meetingyour Housing Officer.
We take your feedback seriously. In thepast 12 months, tenants in your areahave reported the following issues whichwe have acted on.
As a result of a walkabout inWolverhampton we were able to resolvean issue of fly tipping by working in partnership with the local authority. Also in Wolverhampton, we were able toadvise our customers about the correctprocess for disposing of bulky items.
In Handsworth, customers made usaware of an Anti-Social Behaviour
(ASB) issue and we are now working inpartnership with the local authority ASBteam to resolve this matter.
Your opportunity to get involved
We will be announcing new walkaboutdates in the New Year so keep an eye outfor news about when your Housing Officerwill be visiting your neighbourhood. Youcan help make a difference in your areaby coming along to the walkabouts andtelling us about any concerns that youmight have.
For those of you who cannot attend walkabouts we would still like to hear fromyou. Please contact your Housing Officerand we will act on your concerns.
EASTWOOD ROAD STREET PARTY TIMEIt was party time in one Nehemiah neighbourhood this summer, as dozens of residents came together for an afternoon offun. Eastwood Road resident Chantell Faure organised a street party for her neighbours in July of this year and due to itsgreat success, they organised another event in August.
the Active Streets and Park Lives initiatives and the Balsall Heath FireStation and local Police CommunitySupport Officers. Everyone came together and offered us help with food,sports equipment and prizes.
We had everything from sporting activitiesand a candy floss machine to face
painting and party food.”
Chantell and her dedicated committeeUnity Streets pulled out all the stopsorganising two events for local residentsto enjoy this summer and she said morelocal communities should do the same.“It brings everyone together and it is great fun for both the children and adults.We are aiming to do a summer party inthe local park next year and we are goingto form an official fundraising team andapply for fundingfrom the Big LotteryFund and ActiveCitizens.”
Chantell is nowworking on getting charity shoeboxes ready to send to refugeesfrom Syria and isplanning events for next year.
Chantell said: “ We wanted to bring everyone together. The area can bevibrant, but it can also be a place whereyou don’t necessarily get to know yourneighbours. The aim was to give neighbours a chance to meet each otherto help foster a sense of community. Now,there is a real sense of neighbourlinessand community here. We had great support from the local shopkeepers,
Under One Roof I Winter 2016 I Page 5
CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTHNehemiah’s retirement scheme inAston, Plummer House, celebratedBlack History Month with a ‘Roots andCulture Time’ evening.
Scheme Manager Beverley Ramhi said:“The evening was at total success,enjoyed by residents, family and carers at Plummer House. Everyone was entertained by Entrepreneur JacquelineJames. She sang, danced, played cultural music including Reggae andCalypso and she also read poetry. We also had entertainment from Mr and Mrs Morris from the local church,who played a guitar and sang AmazingGrace in reggae style. The evening finished with a raffle, which was won by four residents at Plummer House.”
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY Equality and Diversity are importantaspects of the work that we do. We want to ensure that we can respond tothe wide diversity within the communitiesin which we operate, and ensure that we fully reflect this in our policies and procedures and through the day-to-daydelivery of services.
In order for us to do this and tailor ourservices to fit the needs of our customerswe need to ask you a few questions andwe would be grateful if you can help usby providing information on your age, sex, ethnic origin, religion and sexuality.We will only ask you for the informationonce and all information will be heldsecurely.
Under One Roof I Winter 2016 I Page 6
KEEP IN TOUCHWe know that many of our customers change their mobile phone numbers or email addresses occasionallyand it can be hard to let everyone know your new contact details.
We like to keep your contact informationup to date as this makes it easier to keepin touch with you. Sometimes we need tocontact you about something important.The quickest and most cost-effective wayfor us to do that is by text or email. Unfortunately, some of the details that wehave for our customers are out of date –especially for people who have been customers for several years. When you call us now, we will check that we have all the best contact detailsto reach you. You can also email yourcurrent details to us. Simply email [email protected] puttingContact Details in the subject line of your message. Then tell us:
Have you ever lost your keys?Have you ever been affected by fire, theft or flood?Have you ever had to pay for a rechargeable repair?If you have ever been affected by any ofthe above, you will know that the cost canbe very high.However, customers that take out HomeContents Insurance arranged by Aondon’t need to worry because their insurance covers the cost of all of theabove as standard.Cover can be arranged from as little as£2.171 per month* for £6,000 standardcover.There is also no excess to pay in theevent of claim and payments can bemade either fortnightly or monthly.
Join the Contents Insurance Schemetoday by contacting Nehemiah for anapplication packCall: 0121 358 0966Or visit the website www.nehemiah-ucha.co.uk and fill inthe “contact us” form to request anapplication pack
1 Price includes insurance premium tax at the appropriate rate
* Lower sums insured are available for over 60’s.
Your name Your address Your mobile telephone numberYour preferred email address
TENANTS HOME CONTENTS INSURANCE SCHEME
Under One Roof I Winter 2016 I Page 7
UNIVERSAL CREDITPREPARING FOR YOUR INTERVIEW
What is a work search interview?
In each issue of Under One Roof we like to keep you up to date with changes to the benefits system and answer someof the questions many of you are asking us.
A few days after you submit your claimfor Universal Credit, you’ll be invited to an interview with your work coach at your local Jobcentre. They will use theinterview to check your details and talkyou through how Universal Credit worksand what will happen next. They’ll then discuss your employmentoptions with you and help you createyour claimant commitment to improveyour work situation. If you're in a couple, you'll do separateinterviews. If you miss your interview, your UniversalCredit claim will be cancelled and you’llhave to start again.The Citizens Advice Bureau has a stepby step guide on how to prepare for theinterview and this can be found herewww.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/interview/prepare-for-your-interview/Please remember the interview isn’t aninterrogation and you’re not on trial - it’s a two-way conversation between you andyour work coach.
VOLUNTARY RIGHT TO BUY Some of our customers have contactedus about the government’s VoluntaryRight To Buy Scheme and asked ifNehemiah will be taking part. The government is in the process of making decisions about how the schemewill work in practice and is currently piloting the scheme with some housingassociations in Merseyside and London.Once the scheme is finalised by the government, Nehemiah will be in a position to provide more information tocustomers. In the meantime, you can
find out more information about thescheme by visitinghttps://righttobuy.gov.uk/
We recognise that moving on and owning your own home is a great aspiration for many of our customers.Please remember that there are alsoother low cost home ownership optionsthat you can also consider such as Help to Buy. You can find more information about this at www.helptobuymidlands.co.uk
1-3 Beacon Court, Birmingham Road, Great Barr, Birmingham B43 6NN
Nehemiah UCHA is registered with the Registrarof Friendly Societies 25952R.Homes & Communities Agency No.: L3833
Designed by Stephen Price Design Ltd - 01952 275 250
Under One Roof I Winter 2016 I Page 8
Nehemiah UCHAA C A D E M Y
Nehemiah UCHACreating Successful Diverse Communities
ACADEMY SUCCESSMany of you may have met Rakpinder and Simone fromNehemiah. Rakpinder is a HousingOfficer and Simone is a HousingTrainee with us but did you know thattheir careers in housing started withthe help of the Nehemiah Academy?They are not the only ones to receivethe Academy’s help, in the last yearthe Academy has also helped threestudents with work placements andwe have also offered 3 traineeships.
The Academy also offers grants to helppeople with study costs through theEducational Support Programme.Sharon McKellar, a customer ofNehemiah, was one such person to receive a grant which helped her purchase a laptop. Sharon said: “Thank you for your support in helpingme achieve my goal. The recent grant I received to purchase a laptop has benefitted me greatly as I am now able to work more efficiently in completing my diploma. The grant has also removed the worry of financial constraintsand I can focus on the course without distraction.”
We want to help more people in 2017 soif you are looking for a work placement,or want to apply to our EducationalSupport Programme, please get in touch. Detailed Information on the NehemiahAcademy can be found on our websitewww.nehemiah-ucha.co.uk or by contacting Janet Dubidat on 0121 358 8024 or [email protected]
