South West HAILO

The online home of the South West Housing Lobbying and Influencing Group. Changing perceptions of affordable housing.

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Magna helps towards SureStart extension

Plans for an extension to be added to the Sure Start Centre in Maiden Newton, by Maiden Newton Childcare Provision, are a step closer thanks to a £2,500 donation from SWHAILO Member Magna Housing Association.

Maiden Newton currently has three child-care groups in the village, which the Maiden Newton Childcare Provision Committee are responsible for. The three groups are currently run from different buildings.

Sophie Sennett, committee member, said: “The Youth and Community Centre is the current venue for the Maiden Newton Pre-school and Bouncing Beanz After-School groups. However, it was built in 1947 as a temporary structure and it is now in a very poor condition. The Sure Start Centre accommodates the Maiden Newton Toddler Group but it is not currently large enough to house all three groups.”

Following approved planning permission for an extension to the Sure Start Centre, to accommodate all three child-care groups, the Maiden Newton Childcare Provision Committee is working to secure sufficient funding for the building project.

Sophie applied for partial funding from Magna’s community initiative fund (CIF), which allocates £120,000 a year to things which will improve the areas where Magna residents live and £30,000 to charities and organisations which provide services of benefit to residents.

Ken Bodycombe, community investment officer at Magna, said: “Maiden Newton has a lot of young families that benefit from these services. Our CIF forum of residents agreed that it was a good project to support and granted £2,500 towards the extension.”

Sophie said “We’re very grateful for all of the funding we have received so far. We hope to build our extension in summer, and will be inviting everyone along for the official opening.”

If your community has an idea for a project or an area that could be improved, it may qualify for CIF funding.  To find out more and get an application form, contact Ken Bodycombe, community investment officer at Magna, on 01305 216095 or email [email protected]

Pictured:

Seated L-R, Rachel Hewitt, Hannah Simpson, Elys Floiger, Jackie Young, Cherri Dyke, Georgie Easton. Kneeling L-R, Lucy Rourke, Nicola Brotherton, Kate Coombes, Sarah Ridout, Clare May, Debbie Tomlinson.

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Theatre fun for Magna families

A free trip to the theatre gave many Magna families across West Somerset an evening of fun and laughter and gave the housing association a new way of finding out what residents think.

SWHAILO Member, Magna West Somerset Housing Association (MWS) invited their residents with young families to apply for free tickets to enjoy the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, at the Regal Theatre in Minehead.

The tickets were funded by MWS’ community improvements group, who originally intended to give away 50 tickets, but increased it to 76 due to the high demand from residents across Minehead, Carhampton, Williton, Watchet, Dunster and Luxborough.

Before the show, Magna staff took the opportunity to ask their residents what their top three priorities were for Magna to focus on in 2015/16. This was a new way of capturing feedback for Magna, which proved successful, and the results will be considered in future plans.

Mr Bullock, a Magna resident from Alcombe, attended the show and said: “I was very pleased to be given the free tickets to take my family to see the show. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening.”

“Before the show, Magna asked us what we thought their priorities should be. I thought this was a great way to ask us for feedback. If they had sent out a survey in the post, I probably wouldn’t have answered it.”

“The evening also provided an opportunity to get together with other residents, and I met some new people near where I live that I wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

Neil Bliss, community involvement officer, said: "It was a fantastic evening, the families enjoyed a free trip out and we gathered valuable feedback. We saw some new faces that haven’t attended our events before, so it was great to get views from different people. Due to its success, we are looking to do a similar event in the summer.”

#resident involvement #magna housing #communities

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Malmesbury Community Hub

Malmesbury Community Hub, run by SWHAILO member GreenSquare and Malmesbury Town Council, was declared officially recently at an event for local residents, members of the Town Council and GreenSquare staff and board members involved with the project. 

The Hub will provide a base for local services, including GreenSquare, the police, and the Citizens Advice Bureau, to use as a place to meet residents, hold advice sessions, and run courses. It will enable people to access community groups and find out about jobs and services available in their local area.  

The old school room was recently renovated by 16 members of staff from GreenSquare, who volunteered their time to redecorate, fit a new kitchen, put in new electrics and convert the store room in to an office, in preparation for the launch of the Hub. 

Eva Partridge, Neighbourhood Manager at GreenSquare, said: “Working with our partners at Malmesbury Town Council, we’re delighted to be able to launch the Malmesbury Community Hub, which we hope will benefit the whole community. It is fantastic that the Hub will be able to offer a range of key community support services for the town and I have no doubt that it will quickly become a focus point for assistance and advice.”

GreenSquare will have staff on hand at the Hub on Tuesdays and Thursdays, who will be available to help GreenSquare residents with housing and rent queries, and provide support and advice, with a view to running activities such as cookery classes and IT sessions for residents in the future.

Cllr Julie Exton said: “I am delighted that the Malmesbury Hub is now open. We hope it will evolve into what is required by the community, we already have a great partnership with GreenSquare and other agencies and hope to have more come along and join this exciting new project. A big thanks to all that has helped make this possible.”

For more information, please visit www.malmesburyhub.org.uk. 

(Photo: Professional Images for GreenSquare)

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Turning young lives around

At Curo we know that finding work that pays the bills can be tough. It’s not always easy to know where to turn for help – especially if life’s dealt you a few blows. That’s where Alan found himself a few years ago. Alan had a troubled start to life, leaving home when he was still at school.

Alan found a home and a friend at SWHAILO Member Curo’s Pathways project. “When I moved to Pathways I wasn’t doing anything constructive with my time,” recalls Alan. “Now I’m in a stable and secure environment I feel a lot better about myself. The things I’ve achieved here are tremendous. I’ve started at City of Bath College, studying catering and hospitality, and am really enjoying it.

“Curo has changed things for me for the better. I know what I want to achieve in life and, thanks to the help I’ve received, I know how to meet my goals.”

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Bee Online campaign creates a buzz

One SW HAILO member, Westward Housing Group is creating a buzz for its customers through a campaign aimed at getting them to enjoy the benefits of going online.

The ‘Bee Online’ campaign has taken on 20 staff and 30 tenants to train thousands of tenants on how to use the internet over the next year.

After a survey showed just 51% of the customers of the housing group felt they were confident to regularly use the internet, Westward is now targeting free training at its most socially excluded tenants.

As part of Digital Champions Network for Housing, Westward is tackling the problem through the Bee Online campaign to get more customres taking advantage of the joys of cheaper shopping, energy and banking deals online, the ability to access benefits and forms on the gov.uk site, use the Westward log-in account, enjoy hobbies, and talk to family and friends on Skype and Facebook.

Over two years Westward will recruit a further 50 champions who will each train two people a month on how to use the internet to reach 3,600 people in total.

Universal credit and a move towards online payment of rent have meant that encouraging tenants to go online is more important than ever.

“Universal credit when it comes in will affect many of our customers and they need to register online. We also need them to pay their rent to us online and they can manage their account, read benefit updates and contact us directly,” said Terry Leech – the coordinator of the Bee Online campaign (pictured).

Champions train through a set of online courses and then go out and share their knowledge in a very hands-on way through ‘show and tell’ informal learning. No-one need be a technological whizz and courses are just half an hour to easy to understand and absorb. Westward customers can contact Terry Leech to train to become champions or to have a free half hour course visit at a nearby community centre, café or library. To get more information or book in with one of the champions contact: [email protected] or call 0300 100 1011.

The government has identified that a third of those in social housing are not online – the exact group which are most at risk of being financially and socially disadvantaged by this.

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Joint working with Jobcentre Plus

The latest success story from Westward Property Services’ (WPS) joint-working with Jobcentre Plus has resulted in a permanent role for one of our volunteers Jack Slater after only a month.

Westward Housing Group’s work operatives, WPS, have been actively working with Jobcentre Plus to offer voluntary work placements for the unemployed as well as local colleges and volunteers are regularly accepted.

Jack, 20, has been appointed as a contract coordinator after impressing WPS during four weeks of voluntary unpaid work experience with south west based Westward. He then passed a rigorous application and interview process.

He had been unable to work for two years due to caring for his mother after an accident, but was ready to look for work experience through Jobcentre Plus following extra support from members of his family.

Jack, who has qualifications in physics, further maths and chemistry, said he was initially pleased to gain some long-term work experience from WPS after some initial short-term roles with a number of local businesses.

“Working at WPS helped me regain my confidence in the work place so that when this opportunity came up for employment I felt ready to apply. Getting a permanent job so soon was more than I could have hoped for and I am looking forward to working with a great local employer,” said Jack.

Volunteers can be long-term unemployed or those with little or no experience of work. Candidates can be with WPS for up to eight weeks gaining experience by working out and about with our tradesmen or in our Bideford office.

Sahara Stockwell, Employer Adviser at Bideford Jobcentre, said: “Work experience is a great way for people to get a feel for working in a particular job and to prove themselves to a prospective employer. We are delighted that Jack took full advantage of the opportunity.”

WPS Senior Contracts Coordinator Patricia Shaw said they were initially unsure how Jack would cope working in an office which can be very hectic.

She said: “Jack very quickly helped us with filing, data analysis and reporting and proved to be a whiz with computers and numbers. He then did some further analysis work for our IT Manager on our gas appointment booking system and was always willing and happy to do what was asked of him.

“In the interview he was self-assured, relating his experience to how he could fulfil the needs of the role. He has settled in brilliantly and has proven to be organised, process driven and calm.”

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Entrepreneurs of the future

The number of people in work has risen to 30.43* million, the highest since records began in 1971, and that this rise has been helped by an increase in self-employment.

Recognising the opportunities that exist for people to set up their own business and become self-employed, SWHAILO member, Yarlington, ran a two week course in Yeovil, giving residents the chance to ignite the smallest idea they may have and turn it into a business.

Mark Gittos, Lead trainer at The Pop Up Business School who ran the two week course said ‘We tailored each session to the needs of those that come along. The sessions were very relaxed, we had fun, discussed various ideas and pointed people in the right direction for starting their own business – by showing them they can do it for free and need very little to plant that initial seed.’

By the end of the week, residents attending the course had built their own business websites, learned how to market themselves, utilised twitter and Facebook for business purposes and begun turning their dreams into a reality. As a result one of the group secured his first booking via his new webpage for a fencing business he is establishing. 

Yarlington resident, Kate Gallwey, who had attended the sessions said ‘What we were taught is awesome stuff. It’s giving everyone a chance to let the spark inside of them burst into an idea and the great thing is it’s for everyone - whether you have an idea or not, are young or old, skilled or unskilled. It has inspired me to develop my goals and ambitions, change my way of thinking and strive for big things.’

Karen Davy, Yarlington’s Community Initiative’s Manager who arranged the course concluded, ‘There have been some excellent business ideas coming from group members so far including utilising artistic talents to cake creations, landscaping and innovative eco-friendly projects. At our sessions we gave people the chance to turn the world on its head, adapt and change and choose what they wanted to do. The flexibility of the sessions meant that people could drop in and out throughout the week if unable to stay for all of it.’

*Source: ONS May 2014 

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Mowing your own

Residents at Curo’s Writhlington Court have been presented with a £2,190 start-up grant for gardening equipment to help them try their hand at carrying out their own garden maintenance service.

The funding has been supplied as part of the Tenant Central programme, a government initiative to help social housing tenants get more involved with their landlord and local communities.

Michael Traylor (pictured front-centre) is chair of Writhlington Court Residents’ Group: “We heard about this scheme through Curo and quickly realised we had a fantastic opportunity to do our own gardening – and effectively get paid for it by having our service charge reduced accordingly.

"On top of that, Curo helped us apply for a start-up grant through the scheme to buy all the equipment we need to get the job done.”

If the group is successful in delivering the service they could enter into a Cashback Agreement to deliver the service long-term. Any savings made can be kept by the group to invest back into their community.

Curo provides cleaning services to 484 buildings (around 2,500 of our 12,000 homes) and we're responsible for maintaining around 580,000 square metres of grass and 6,100 trees.

Curo Resident Involvement Manager John Voysey has led the work at Curo. John said: “Local people know their neighbourhood better than anyone, so we jumped at this opportunity to give our customers more control over their surroundings. Where residents want to take on work like gardening or cleaning, we’re really happy to help make this possible.

“Buying equipment like mowers or professional cleaning kit can put groups off, so these start-up grants of up to £3,000 really make a difference. What’s great is the scheme puts residents in control. They can choose exactly when and how often things get done, rather than having to wait for the next scheduled cleaning or grounds maintenance visit.”

This initiative is available to groups of residents who live in homes managed by social landlords anywhere in England. Anyone interested in applying for a starter grant can find out more by contacting the Tenant Central Team on 0800 035 6351 or at [email protected] Alternatively visit www.tenantcentral.org.uk.

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Commercial venture boosts housing association

The first properties at a housing development near Liskeard, Cornwall, have been sold for new developer Horizon Homes, in a venture which will see profits going to help fund affordable homes in the south west.

New homeowner, Amanda Soady, said she was attracted by the location and is happy with the quality of the build and high standards throughout. In fact she bought the home without having seen it and then was so delighted it brought her to tears of joy.

The open market sale homes were developed by Horizon Homes, the commercial business managed by Westward Housing Group.

This innovative solution will see profits from the open market sales cross-subsidise the cost of the affordable homes. It is part of Westward’s commitment to meet the Government’s challenge of developing alternative streams of funding.

The nine new properties of two and three bedrooms at The Glebe, in the village of St Cleer, three miles north of Liskeard, are for sale through Bradleys estate agents. They have been built to Horizon Homes’ high standard in partnership with Bibio Ltd.

Amanda Soady said: “I rate Horizon Homes very highly and would be happy to recommend them as they are friendly to deal with and very accommodating to my requests.”

“I love the views from the house. It is near Liskeard but away from tourist areas. I’m impressed with the quality of the build, everything is made to a high standard.

“There are two parking spaces which is a rarity. My favourite features are the French windows and the specific details – self-closing drawers, I love them!”

Diarmad Perry, Commercial Manager of Horizon Homes, said this was the first of the company’s developments and they were committed to building homes with high environmental, quality and space standards. The government’s Help to Buy scheme is available on all the houses in the development.

He said: “We are delighted to have completed on our first open market sales. Our contracting partner Bibio have delivered an excellent product which we can be proud to have as the benchmark for future growth.”

The homes feature the latest environmentally friendly central heating system of air source heat pumps linked to underfloor heating on the ground floor; and each include bespoke bathroom and kitchen designs.

Horizon Homes next development is in the scenic South Hams, consisting of 60 properties to be built over two years.

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Training for Life

SWHAILO Member Curo, introduces one of their youngest colleagues: 17-year-old Blake, currently working with our Voids team, helping to get empty homes ready for new residents to move in.

Blake joined us through a new partnership we’ve started with the City of Bath College. We teamed up to give young people in our communities the chance to gain valuable life-skills preparing them for the world of work. Blake, who is also a Curo customer, has already spent time with our Rapid Response Team and our Multi-Trades service before moving to his latest role.

“I really love working with Curo,” says Blake. “I enjoy being out and about and have learnt many new skills like strimming, garden maintenance, house clearance, laying floors and foundations, fixing garage doors, changing locks and stock-checking. It was also great to represent Curo at my college’s Skills Fair where I could demonstrate these skills to other students.”

Blake is one of a trio of trainees who have now come to the end of their 15-week traineeship programmes. Blake and his colleagues, Grant and Sam, have now experienced working in IT, with our trades teams and in our stores department. Grant and Blake have both chosen to continue with us, gaining further work experience and building up their skills portfolio.

“At Curo we have a commitment to provide help for people needing work and being able to offer three young people the opportunity of improving their life skills is just part of what we are about,” explains Jo Bellotti, Curo’s Community Initiatives Coordinator. “Our partnership with the City of Bath College continues to grow and we are also making positive links with many other training and skills providers across the areas we serve.”

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New housing unveiled in Andover

SWHAILO member Aster Group tells us about the unveiling of a new affordable housing development in Andover.

A brand-new housing development featuring 25 new affordable homes has been unveiled in Andover.

Mayor of Test Valley, Councillor Jan Lovell, joined representatives from Aster Group’s development business, Aster Homes, at a specially-arranged opening ceremony to cut the ribbon and declare the homes officially complete.

They were accompanied by a group of young people from The Junction, a local information, advice, training and guidance centre. The group provided some music as a thank-you after Aster Homes made a donation to the centre while working on the new homes.

The £2.1 million development – a mixture of houses and flats at Well Court and St Ann’s Terrace in Suffolk Road – has been delivered by Aster Homes, in partnership with Mansell Homes, a Balfour Beatty brand, Test Valley Borough Council and employer’s agent Baqus Denley King.

The project has benefited from investment by the Homes and Communities Agency which has provided more than £420,000 towards the scheme.

The development features seven two and three-bedroom houses and 18 one and two-bedroom flats. It replaces a 28-flat housing scheme which was demolished to make way for the new homes.

Twenty-one of the new homes are available for affordable rent and will be managed by Aster Homes’ sister company Aster Communities. The other four properties are for shared ownership sale and have already been sold.

Each property has been built to meet Level Three of the Code for Sustainable Homes, the system for measuring the environmental performance of new housing.

Anna Kear, Aster Homes regional development director, said: “It’s vital  that future generations of people living locally have access to high-quality affordable housing. These new homes will provide a much-needed boost to the local community and we’re delighted to have finished work on them.”

Cllr Sandra Hawke, the portfolio holder for Housing and Environmental Health, who attended the opening event, said: “One of Test Valley Borough Council’s key priorities is to improve access to a decent home, and this excellent scheme is a successful example of several agencies working together to deliver just that, a great project to benefit the local community.

“I met some of the new residents who are delighted with their well designed and stylish new properties in a very convenient location.”

Guy Hayward, regional director for Mansell Homes, said: “We are delighted to have worked alongside Aster Homes in delivering this high-quality project and much-needed affordable accommodation within the Borough of Test Valley.”

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Supporting residents into work

Greensquare's Welfare Reform Project Manager, Suzanne Wigmore explains how as a member of SWHAILO she was offered a place at the recent LSE think tank event to explore best practice in supporting residents into work.

'There were some housing providers who seemed to be doing some really innovative things around this, and as the debate and the day went on we also got to talking about a wider range of issues. These included work in areas such as financial inclusion, debt advice, healthy eating, energy advice, numeracy, tenancy support, truancy, and banking. Many providers deliver a fantastic level of services to residents, way above and beyond the traditional role of providing a safe and secure property and collecting the rent owed.

At GreenSquare, we run two employment initiatives, Whatever! (for people aged between 16-24 years old) and What Now! (for people aged 25 or over), to help people improve their levels of employability, practical skills and confidence in the workplace. The Employment and Training team works hard to find suitable placements for residents looking to get involved with the schemes and offers a range of work experience in various fields to people find employment. This is supported by life skills training and access to gain additional qualifications.

Kathleen, a resident from Corsham, took part in the What Now! project. She said: “Having been out of the workplace for almost a year, whilst continuing to actively look for office work, I enrolled in the What Now! project. I completed a six week placement working in GreenSquare’s AMAT team and was warmly welcomed by all staff, given a chance to ‘find my feet’ by gradually being introduced back into the workplace, and encouraged at every opportunity. The project allowed me to regain my confidence and to update my office skills.”

Following the experience Kathleen was offered a full time temp-to-permanent role in Bristol. She added: “I would highly recommend the project to anyone who has been unemployed for some time, feels discouraged or would simply like to update their skills. The confidence boost and reference I believe is what clinched the job offer for me!”

When we asked our residents for their thoughts about the additional services we provide, more than half of them felt we should continue to expand into more areas rather than simply retain a traditional landlord position. With the advent of Universal Credit and the increasing vulnerability of some residents, there has never been a more crucial time to consider more widely what our attitudes and responsibilities towards residents should be.

In most cases, the additional work we do can improve our residents’ lives and make a positive impact on the communities they live in, whilst also supporting our core business'.

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Retirement Living Team

Loneliness can be as bad for our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The Campaign to End Loneliness recently reported that over half of people in the UK aged 75 or over live alone, with 3.9 million older people saying the television is their main source of company.

SWHAILO member Yarlington’s Retirement Living team have responded to these worrying figures by sending representatives out into the community on a ‘Mini Big Day Out’, to promote the many older people’s services and opportunities for social interaction Yarlington offers.

The team hit Wincanton, knocking on a total of 95 doors and handing out information about personal alarm services, help at home and hot midday meals, as well as asking residents how they feel about where they live and what else they think needs to be done to reduce isolation in their community.

The event was followed by an open day at Common Road Independent Living Centre, which was designed for elderly people and their families to come along and make friends, enjoy a slice of cake and find out more about activities on offer at the Centre, including bingo, boules and quizzes.

Judith Wilkins, Yarlington’s Supported Housing Manager, said, ‘When tackling issues affecting our older residents, especially loneliness, it is always good to get out and speak to them in person where we can.

‘One of our 2020 Pledges is ‘To support and enable the vulnerable’, and as part of this, we really want to help minimise social isolation and promote a good quality of life amongst all our residents. Our services are not only available to Yarlington residents but also others in the community that may need some company or help and we would welcome them to join us at our Retirement Living Schemes.'

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#sleepsafe campaign

At the end of July, SWHAILO member Knightstone Housing highlighted the issue of youth homelessness with their eye-catching #sleepsafe campaign.

The people of Yeovil in South Somerset woke one Tuesday morning to find 200 pillows strategically placed around the town, in shop doorways and on benches, with messages on them such as ‘Can you offer a real bed tonight?’ and ‘Your spare room is a lifeline’.

A team of staff, together with young people currently living in Knightstone’s supported housing, spent the day out and about in Yeovil raising awareness of youth homelessness in the area. They even set up a makeshift spare room on the town’s bandstand, and young people approached and spoke to members of the public, explaining the services they provide and discussing their own personal experiences of homelessness.

Youth homelessness is on the rise in Somerset and Knightstone are part of a partnership called Pathways to Independence (P2i), tasked with preventing it. In South Somerset alone, 200 young people aged 16-24 became homeless or were facing homelessness between May 2013 and April 2014. It’s a frightening reality.

Through P2i they offer a whole range of services to young people who find themselves in this situation. The support available ranges from family mediation and housing advice, to training and emergency accommodation. They offer these services from our hub in Yeovil and there are six other hubs across the rest of Somerset that do the same.

Crucially though, they need the public’s help. Knightstone’s Yeovil Foyer can’t cater for every young person who needs support, with only 33 beds and just two ‘crash pad’ rooms for emergency accommodation. By working with ordinary people who have a spare room at home, they can provide that all important extra emergency accommodation to prevent more young people from finding themselves in the vulnerable situation of sleeping rough.

Those that the service has already helped turned out in force, with lots of enthusiasm, to help on the launch day of our #sleepsafe campaign. They each came with their own, very unique and very different story about how they reached our service.

By focusing the campaign on something that so many people have at home – a spare room – we’re hoping more people will realise that helping a homeless young person really is something they can do.

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Welfare reform research

In 2013, HAILO commissioned Professor Anne Power and her team at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) to conduct an 18 month longitudinal study looking at how the government’s welfare reform programme will influence tenants’ work opportunities throughout the South West region.

This first project is called: Welfare reform and work – evaluating the impact on affordable housing tenants in the South West.

The project looks at a range of issues, including: 

How welfare reform is influencing residents’ choices

The consequences on residents who are in work, seeking work or workless

The costs and benefits of working or not working

What ‘success’ and ‘failure’ mean in individual lives and for social landlords

How social landlords in the region respond

The wider implications of the reforms for inequality and people’s sense of fairness

This interim baseline report outlines the findings of the first stage of the project, providing a snapshot of residents' circumstances at the beginning of welfare reform. The final report will be published in the autumn of 2014. 

To view the baseline report, click here.