CHA Newsletter July 2012

July 2012

a newsletter for tenants of Crosby Housing Association

Crosby Housing Association is an exempt charity incorporated as an Industrial and Provident Society No 19175R

Inside this issue ...

Page 1

Page 2 - Bedroom Tax Page 3 - Welfare Reform, New starters Page 4 - Music Bursary, Tenant Survey Page 5 - Fresh Fruit & Veg, Summer recipe

Page 6 - Gardening Competition Page 7 - Local Offer Performance Update Page 8 - Portas Pilot

Diamond Jubilee Party

Sanctuary Housing Group provide support to a number of people in the area including some of our tenants. On the 1

st June, tenants and staff of Crosby Housing

Association and Sanctuary Group all turned out in the glorious sunshine for a garden party that was even good enough to rival any of those held at the Palace. There was a barbeque, raffle, quiz and prizes, not to mention a fabulous buffet with not a cucumber sandwich in sight.

Tenants were hands on throughout the event. A Jubilee themed quiz devised and hosted by Andrew Allen, was won by John Symes, he won a HMV voucher.

The main lucky winners of the raffle were Simon McLaughlin (of Olive Road) and Andrew Allen.

"I really enjoyed myself, I had lots of food and even won 2 prizes! The jubilee quiz was great, I came third.

I’d like to thank the staff for organising everything, it was a

brilliant day!” - Simon McLaughlin

It was a fabulous day and it was an opportunity for the staff and tenants to socialise with each other and get to know their neighbours and other residents a bit better.

Sanctuary Housing Group were successful in obtaining funding for the day and we are very grateful for the contributions received from Vauxhall Motors, Port Sunlight Workplace Trust and Cereal Partners UK.

Page 2

Welfare Reform Update – Under Occupancy (Bedroom Tax)

In the last 2 newsletters we advised you of the Welfare Reform proposals that are being introduced by government. The focus this time is on changes to Housing Benefit being introduced from April 2013 which will mean some people will get less than they did before.

How many bedrooms do you have?

From April 2013 tenants of CHA who have one or more spare bedroom will have their housing benefit reduced.

What is a ‗spare‘ bedroom? Under the new rules if you have more bedrooms than the Government says you need, you will lose part of your housing benefit. The new rules mean you will be allocated one bedroom for: ✔ each adult couple ✔ any other person aged 16 or over ✔ two children of the same sex under the age of 16 ✔ two children under the age of 10 regardless of their sex ✔ any other child ✔ a carer (who does not normally live with you) if you or your partner need overnight care. It does not matter how the „spare‟ bedroom is used, the new rules will apply even if: ✔ you and your partner need to sleep apart because of a medical condition ✔ the main residence of your children is another address, but you have a spare room for when they stay with you. What happens if you have a ‗spare‘ bedroom?

If you have one „spare‟ bedroom your housing benefit will be cut by 14% of the rent you pay every week. If you have two or more spare bedrooms, you will lose 25%. If your benefit is cut you will have to pay the association the difference between your housing benefit and your rent.

You won‟t be affected if you live in a one bedroom flat or bedsit, or if you or your partner are old enough to receive pension credits. In April 2013 the Pension Credit age will be around 61 years and 6 months. Action taken by CHA so far

Based on the information we hold about our tenants, we believe that approximately 150 of you will, potentially, fall into the category of under occupancy. We have already started contacting tenants who have housing benefit paid direct to the Association to update the information we hold and confirm if they will be affected and discuss what options they have to avoid or minimise the impact.

If you are in receipt of housing benefit which is paid directly to yourself and are under occupying your property and feel you may be affected by the changes please contact Ami Bourke or Esther Rice (HSO‟s).

We do not have telephone numbers for all tenants so if you think you will be affected and have

not yet spoken to one of the housing officers please get in touch so we can talk to you and

update our records.

Page 3

Welfare Reform—Policy Update

We are working with tenants to support them through the changes ahead and the board has approved an amendment to our allocations policy. This will allow CHA to actively review vacancies individually and seek to provide solutions for existing tenants. Where possible, we will give preference to existing tenants when considering transfers between homes owned by the Association. Lettings will reflect personal circumstances and at the same time seek to achieve a better balance of household and property size. We will also make every effort not to allocate homes where under occupation could be an issue.

CHART Welcomes Two New Additions into the Team

Michelle Edge (Housing Co-ordinator) and Ian Mitchell (Support Worker) were both recently successful in joining CHART following the team securing a financial bid to extend its services into the area of Kirkby over the next 12 months.

Both Michelle and Ian will bring a great deal of knowledge and experience into the already successful team. Their manager Mina Valentine said “I am delighted that Crosby Housing Association and CHART Team have been able to appoint a further two experienced and able staff. “

Both Michelle and Ian understand and share the values of Crosby Housing Association and CHART and are well equipped to continue taking the team forwards supporting the development of links and relationships with partners, further improving its services for the benefit of Sefton and Kirkby residents. We would like to welcome them both into the team”

A date for your diary

Our annual Tenants‘ Open Meeting will be held at 6.00 pm on Tuesday 11th September 2012 at SING Plus Centre which is located behind the South Sefton Adult Education Centre on Cambridge Road Seaforth, L21 1EX. All tenants are very welcome to come and hear and talk about our

current activities and plans. If you would like to attend please contact

Vin Fox at the CHA office.

Page 4

CHARITY SHOP FUNDS – RALPH MORTON MUSIC BURSARY

The Ralph Morton Music Bursary was set up to provide opportunities to enhance the musical development of young people in our area.

Ralph was a founder member of CHA and a very keen musician from an early age; but did not have the opportunity to play until he was in a position to fund tuition himself. In recognition of Ralph‟s tremendous contribution to the Association, the Ralph Morton Music Bursary was established in his memory.

Ryan O‘Grady – who attends Litherland High School is the most recent beneficiary of the bursary.

Ryan is pictured here with (left to right) Ralph‟s widow Chris Morton, Helen Goodband, member of CHA Board and Steph Morris, the Charity Shop manager. Ryan said “When I moved to college last September, the head of Sefton Music Service, Chris Lennie, informed me that the Ralph Morton Music Bursary was willing to help fund my music lessons with the music service which was great news. Through receiving this funding, I have an instrumental teacher, John Dempsey, who knows my playing ability so I hit the ground running “I have been with Sefton Music Service since I was 7 years old. I am now 17 and during those 10 years I have changed instruments 4 times. I now play the Eb Bass (tuba) and have done for the past 4 years.

Previous to this I played the Trombone, the Cornet and the Flugelhorn. I passed my Grade 5 performance exam in 2009 on Eb Bass and prior to that in 2007, I passed my Grade 3 performance exam on the Cornet. With the music service I have been fortunate enough to go to Cyprus twice with the Sefton Youth Brass Ensemble as guests of the Mayor of Paphos. I have also been to Dublin with the Sefton Schools Symphony Orchestra. Now being one of the more senior members of the music service, I have been given the opportunity to conduct the Sefton Schools Junior Brass Band which I have taken. The funding is not being wasted I can assure you as my preferred career path would be either a music teacher or professional player/conductor. For the Ralph Morton Music Bursary to be funding my instrumental lessons, they are helping me hugely in following what I want to do in the future”.

Tenant satisfaction survey 2012

It has been three years since we asked you to complete a full survey and we want to say a huge thank you to all of our tenants who have already completed the 2012 survey. At the time of writing 193 completed surveys have been returned, which is fabulous as it provides opinions from (48%) of our tenants. However, the more feedback we get, the better we understand the wider views of all of our customers. So if you have received your final reminder and a fresh copy of the questionnaire, please, please, fill it in and send it back to the survey organisers in the envelope provided. Remember for those who can, and prefer to use their computer you can complete the survey on line. We are working with another organisation called Skills and Projects, they are independent and will

deal with the forms and analyse the results. We are hoping that they will be able to come to our

Annual Open Meeting on 11th September to share the results with you.

So remember if you have not returned your completed survey please do so by the 20th July

to stand a chance of winning one of three £50 prizes.

Page 5

Fresh fruit and vegetables every Thursday!

Working in deprived communities, targeting those with limited access to fresh fruit and vegetables, Brighter Living Partnership have set up 6 fruit and vegetable co-operatives.

The project is aimed at getting Sefton residents to eat more fruit and veg and to help attain 5-a-day targets set by the government. The scheme is non profit making and all produce is sourced locally where possible.

At the co-ops you can purchase bags of fruit, veg, salad and a mix of fruit and veg all for £2.50 each. They also sell a large selection of individually priced items (like traditional green-grocers) as well as large free range eggs at £1.25 for 6.

Healthy Start and NHS/Active Sefton fruit and veg vouchers are accepted as payment at the project.

Brighter Living will be coming to Crosby Housing every Thursday around lunchtime and you will be able to purchase items on the day, but why not take advantage of the order form in reception to guarantee delivery. This needs to be ordered by 3pm on Wednesday.

For more information visit www.brighterliving.org.uk

Ingredients:

1 packet sugar free jelly

100ml Boiling Water

200ml Cold Water

175ml unsweetened fruit juice eg. Orange, Apple

300g finely chop fresh fruit (don‟t use pineapple or kiwi as these will prevent the jelly from setting)

What You Will Need:

Measuring Jug, large knife, chopping Board and jelly mould

Method:

Place the jelly in a large jug and pour in the boiling water. Stir to dissolve, add the cold water and then the fruit juice.

Take a jelly mould or several small moulds or dishes and place the fruit in the bottom.

Pour the jelly mixture over the fruit.

Stir to distribute the fruit evenly and place in the fridge to set. Recipe from: Great Recipes with Fruit & Veg—Brighter Living Partnership

Perfect for summer: Mixed Fruit Jelly (Serves 4)

Olympic Facts:

Three continents – Africa, South America, and Antarctica – have never hosted an Olympics. The last Olympic gold medals that were made entirely out of gold were awarded in 1912. More countries compete in the Olympic Games than there are in the United Nations (203 versus 192, if you're counting). The new stadium built for the London 2012 Olympics is the lightest Olympic stadium ever built.

Page 6

Gardening Competition

Thanks to all who entered the annual gardening competition, your efforts to improve the look of your homes and the neighbourhood are fantastic.

Nick Thompson, Chair of CHA, judged this year‟s competition and although we would have liked more entries, he was impressed by the very high standard of entries. This was due to some very hard work on your part, particularly given the inclement weather we have had so far this year. We are thinking about a new category next year – best water garden! What do you say?

Best Hanging Baskets Crosby Rd Sth Best Alley: Belgrave Road

Best Rear Garden: Ruthven Court

Best Yard: Crosby Road South Best Pots: Brunswick Parade

Joint Winner of Best Front Garden:

Stanley Road

Joint Winner of Best Front Garden: Cecil Road

Page 7

Local Offer performance update up to 31 March 2012 Target

Cumulative Performance

up to 31/3/12

Are we on

target?

Properties with an up to date gas certificate (353/354) 100% 99.72% Near Miss!

Emergency repairs that were completed within target time (103) 100% 100% √

Urgent repairs that were completed within target time (424/426) 100% 99.53% Near Miss!

Routine repairs that were completed within target time (2031/2063) 99% 98.45% Near Miss!

Repairs that were completed right first time (826/858) 90% 96.27% √

Tenants satisfied with the repairs service (858/888) 99% 96.62% X

Involvement & Empowerment Offer

Our website is now up and running and we have 394 followers of the Crosby Housing Association Twitter account. We have circulated 4 newsletters to all tenants as well as information re the likely impact of Welfare Reform and this work is ongoing. We have introduced a regular „You said, we did‟ feature and completed Ruko lock changes to all communal areas. We met with tenant representatives at Board, Scrutiny & Tenants Advisory Panel meetings and via Asset Management and Staff Review groups. We have revised the way we record and monitor complaints so that this accurately reflects our performance in this area. Each of the 22 complaints received was responded to within the 10 days target and we now provide a satisfaction questionnaire for each complaint.

Tenancy Offer We provide all applicants with a copy of our allocations policy and are asking new tenants to complete a lettings survey to see if we can improve our lettings service.

Average time it took to re-let empty properties 20 days 17.89 days √ Neighbourhood and Communities Offer

We have revised the monitoring regime for communal services following poor satisfaction rates and contractors now sign in when undertaking works. We carry out monthly inspections and random spot checks to ensure compliance and tenants have been issued with quarterly satisfaction questionnaires. We have improved response via phone calls made by Scrutiny Panel. Analysis of all questionnaires returned in 2011/12 shows disappointing satisfaction levels, improvement of communal services will be a priority for 2012/13 and an important step will be the retendering of the contracts. Our Scrutiny Panel will be actively involved in this process.

Tenant satisfaction with communal cleaning 98%

88.24%

X

Tenant satisfaction with gardening 98%

95.78%

Near Miss!

Tenant satisfaction with window cleaning 98%

66.45%

X

Block Inspections monthly 100% √

Neighbourhood Offer

Housing Services Officers have undertaken neighbourhood walkabouts in Waterloo and Seaforth throughout the year to identify areas of concern; tenants of CHA have been invited to these and have attended. Dog fouling and fly tipping have been identified as key areas of concern and we have notified Sefton MBC to address them. We partnered the Sefton MBC enforcement officer to address this area of concern. We will publish a timetable for future walkabouts in the newsletter and via the web to encourage community attendance and include details of progress within „You said we did‟ in the newsletter.

Anti Social Behaviour Offer

There were 45 incidents of Anti Social Behaviour reported in the year, each has been responded to within the target time of 5 days. 20 cases have now been closed and a Satisfaction Survey developed with the Tenant‟s Scrutiny Panel has been sent to households were possible. Return rates have been low with only 3 being returned this year. All returned surveys indicate that tenants found it easy to report their complaint, they were interviewed quickly, staff were helpful and they were kept informed. All respondents were either fairly or very satisfied with the outcome of their complaint. One respondent rated the length of time that it took to resolve their complaint as fair which would highlight that improvement is needed from CHA. All 3 who responded were satisfied with the way the complaint was handled, however 2 respondents were only „fairly willing‟ to report ASB in the future. Further discussion with one respondent revealed that it was an expression of their tolerance. The respondent explained that they would not want to bother CHA with minor issues of noise or nuisance and that they were part of living in close proximity to neighbours. Hence they would be only „fairly willing‟ to report ASB in the future. Overall the responses are positive and it is hoped that this will continue in the future.

If you would like this document in another language or format, or if you require the service of an interpreter, please contact us.

CROSBYCROSBY

HOUSINGHOUSING

ASSOCIATIONASSOCIATION

Office Address 10 Church Road, Waterloo, Liverpool L22 5NB Tel. 0151 920 7300 Fax 0151 949 0717 email [email protected]

Out-of-hours Emergency Repair Service

Page 8

Did you know that Waterloo is bidding to become a "Portas Pilot"?

Towns and cities across England are being handed the chance to breathe new life into their high streets through a competition launched by retail guru Mary Portas and Local Government Minister Grant Shapps. Crosby Housing Association led on the bid for Waterloo.

The bid, built upon proposals developed by the existing Waterloo 2015. This creates the perfect platform for a new Town Team to set out a vision for the High Street. It shows how the team will work with statutory community organisations and traders to deliver much needed change.

In summary, our bid said: Waterloo is a gem without sparkle. So much potential in terms of its coastal location, history, culture, transport links and „Iron Men‟ tourist attraction. But it looks sad and the area has the unenviable tag of lowest life expectancy, associated with poor lifestyle, for adult males. The high street bears this out with a high proportion of betting shops, fast food outlets and drinking establishments. The vision is to change the face of the high street to promote Waterloo‟s historic heritage, its excellent coastal park and make it a one stop destination, attractive and accessible to the whole community.

Wish us luck, we will find out how we have done in the summer. In the meantime watch the film we made to support our bid.

You will find it on YouTube if you search for ―Waterloo let‘s do it‖.