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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
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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
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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
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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...
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www.oundationhousing.org
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
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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
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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
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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.
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www.oundationhousing.org
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
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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).
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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
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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
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www.oundationhousing.org
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.
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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.