15601A New Charter Newsletter Winter

Transcription

15601A New Charter Newsletter Winter 2014_v3__ 19/12/2014 09:55 Page 1
news
Winter issue: January 2015
Your magazine from New Charter
Help with money and debt
4-5
Grand finale is a
roaring success!
8
Keeping safe, warm and
well in winter
Lifetime achievement
award for Audrey
Glitzy awards evening
recognises residents’
hard work - Pages 12-13
Also inside:
Tenants celebrate
reaching 100!
Page 9
15
Don't cheat the system
Plus
What's been
happening in your
neighbourhood?
Pages 6-7
17
Welcome to the winter edition of your magazine
Happy New Year! We hope you enjoyed the festive season
and are keeping warm and safe during the winter.
As always, we’ve got a jampacked issue for you, with
everything from celebrations,
preventing condensation in
your home and the Casserole
Club coming to Tameside.
Now that Christmas is over,
January can be a difficult time
with lots of bills to pay.
We’ve included a separate
money magazine which has
lots of handy tips on making
your money go further and
also details of who to contact
if you need help.
You can read all about what’s
Want
been going on in your
to g
neighbourhoods on pages 6-7
in the et involved
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Universal Credit: Are you ready?
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If you have answered
✗ to any of
these questions,
call Dave Burdis
for help on
0161 331 2666.
New Charter is number 1!
We are delighted to reach
the top spot in the Top 50
Landlords survey by 24
Housing - a social housing
magazine’s poll.
We were up against many of
the top housing associations
from across the UK and are
really proud to be voted in as
number one!
This is a great achievement for us as a company but it
is also credit to our customers as you help us to make
us who we are, thank you.
Look for this icon:
If you have a smartphone you can
also find more information on our
website by scanning this barcode
with a QR code reader app.
2 The Communications team at New Charter writes your newsletter. You can contact them on 0161 331 2470.
Contents
6-7
9
12-13
14
Money Matters
4-5
What’s been happening in
your neighbourhood?
6-7
Grand finale goes up in flames!
8
Rechargeable repairs
8
Tenants celebrate reaching 100!
9
The 2014 customer survey results
are in!
10-11
Your Stars That Shine Awards
12-13
Casserole Club is coming
to Tameside
14
Preventing condensation
14
Keeping safe, well and warm
in winter
15
Green energy donation marks 1,000
homes fitted with solar panels
16
16
Green Apple award
16
Don’t cheat the system
17
IN the BAG Project
18
Free gardening training
18
TMT highly commended at Customer
Inspection Scrutiny Awards (CIS)
19
Scrutiny work - resolving your
concerns
19
Your credit score: what you need
to know
20
Just for fun!
21
facebook.com/newcharterhomes
Benefits for tenants making a
Community Contribution
22
@NewCharterGroup
Events and classes
23
Don’t forget, you can also follow
us on Facebook and Twitter
January 2015
3
Money Matters
Safe saving with
Cash Box
Now that Christmas is over, next Christmas is probably far from
your mind, but if you’re worried about your credit card bills
arriving this month, why not plan ahead for Christmas 2015?
With Cash Box, you can borrow
money at low interest rates, open a
savings account or save for next
Christmas, holidays or anything else
you need to put money away for.
You choose how much you save,
weekly or monthly, and it can be
My Home Finance offers
safe, affordable loans.
They can help you if you’re
struggling to get a loan
and feel you only have
loan sharks or doorstep
lenders to turn to.
They could help you access
credit at a more affordable rate,
open a bank account and save for
the future. By building up a
repayment history with them,
you’ll be more able to use other
financial services.
Call My Home Finance
on 01905 25805 or visit:
www.myhomefinance.org.uk
You can also call into any of
our Hubs.
4
January 2015
cash or a standing order from your
bank account.You can borrow up to
four times the amount of savings
you have and repayment terms
are flexible.
4,000 Tameside residents already
use Cash Box.
Visit www.cashbox.org.uk
call 0161 342 3266 or pop into
the council offices on Wellington
Road in Ashton.
The Smarterbuys Store
is supported by New
Charter Homes
If you're looking for new
electrical or household goods,
don’t be tempted by expensive
furniture stores or high interest
weekly payment stores as The
Smarterbuys Store offers high
quality goods at competitive
prices. Simply select your items
and place your order.
The aim of The Smarterbuys Store
is to give you access to the goods
that you need including televisions,
cookers, fridge-freezers, bedroom
and living room furniture, without
having to worry about high cost
borrowing options.
Payments for items are made
weekly over 104 weeks, and you
can pay over the phone or online
with your debit or credit card.
Alternatively, you can apply for an
affordable loan through a credit
union, with at least 25p of each of
your weekly payment being
deposited into your credit union
account so you can save up.
For more information, please call
into any of our Hubs or log on to
www.gm.sbstore.org/home or
call 0300 500 0975.
With Christmas
now over, you may
be feeling the
financial pinch
Do you hear yourself saying:
“Did I really need to spend
that much?’’ Are you
worrying about how you
will manage? Our Money
Care Team can help.
What do we do?
We offer free, confidential,
impartial advice and can
help you deal with your
debts, benefits and tax
credit entitlements.
The Money Care Team is holding weekly surgeries
where you can pop in for help and support.
Here’s details of where they’ll be
Debt Advice
Stalybridge Hub
63/65 Grosvenor Street,
Stalybridge, SK15 2JN
Mondays 9.30am - 12noon
Welfare Benefit
Advice
New Charter
Community Hub
Hyde Hub
Mansfield Road,
Mossley, OL5 9EH
Mondays 10am - 12noon
Denton Hub
Please note,Welfare Benefit
referrals can also be made at
the Debt Advice surgeries.
12/14 Clarendon Street,
Hyde, SK14 2EL
Tuesdays 2pm - 4.30pm
9 Albert Street,
Denton, M34 6ZA
Wednesdays 9.30am - 12noon
Get connected...
Get online
In our last survey of tenants and residents
(STAR), you told us that being online was
important to you. Many services are now
online so it’s good to know how to use
the internet.
58% of you have access to the internet at
home, but 44% of you told us you don’t use
the internet because you never have or you
find it too complicated.
To help you out, we’ve set up internet points
at the Job Clubs in our Hubs and Digital
Ambassadors (Tameside College students)
are there to help you get online.
Together with other companies, we’ve
formed ‘Go ON Tameside,’ providing people
with better internet access and training
throughout our neighbourhoods.
If you’re interested in training to get online,
call Dave Burdis on 0161 331 2666 or
email [email protected]
Ashton Hub
Henrietta Street,
Ashton, OL6 6EF
Thursdays 9.30am - 12noon
Broadoak Community
Centre
Broadoak Road,
Ashton Under Lyne, OL6 8RS
Fridays 9am - 12noon
Over t
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it
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o.
January 2015
5
What’s been happening in your
neighbourhood?
Hyde
●
50 residents from four areas in
Hyde took a coach trip to
Blackpool for a day. Lots of older
people came along and everyone
had lots of fun watching the
illuminations, meeting new friends
and tucking into the perfect seaside
treat - fish and chips!
Thank you for all your lovely thank
you cards. It's great to know how
much you enjoyed it!
St Peters & Guide Bridge
●
6
Residents were treated to haircuts,
facials, massages and nails, along
with health advice at their ‘Check
You Out’ event, helping to improve
people’s health and wellbeing.
January 2015
Smallshaw & Broadoak
Residents held a ‘horrific
Halloween’ disco, with food, drinks,
scary face painting and prizes for
more than 120 young people and
60 parents.
● All generations from Smallshaw
neighbourhood linked up with the
Police and Council to discuss
positives and negatives of living in
the area and their aspirations for
the community.
● A feedback meeting helped tenants
and partners to create action plans
and Neighbourhood Plans have
been changed to reflect what
residents want.
Droylsden East
●
One resident said:
“It’s nice to speak to my
neighbours and find out that we
have similar feelings about where
we live and look at how we
can sort out our issues.”
●
Residents enjoyed afternoon tea at
the Mayor’s parlour and a tour of
the Town Hall, with tales of times
gone by in Tameside from Cllr
Jackie Lane and Cllr Jim Middleton.
Droylsden West
●
Around 20 children and parents
attended a road safety day with the
Police which included the Green
Cross Code,‘Stranger Danger’
awareness and internet safety.
Denton
●
This year’s Denton Carnival was
one of the best attended yet with
street theatre and a fantastic
parade. Nora The Owl even had a
photo with MP Andrew Gwynne!
Waterloo & Lordsfield
and Crowhill
●
Residents from Somerset House
have had a great first year with
their chickens producing lots of
eggs and learning about the
environment along the way.
Clarendon Fields
●
●
Working with Rose Hill Forum and
residents, we upgraded footpaths,
communal garden and landscaped
the area.
The area had been part of a crime
hotspot, so with residents and the
Police, we looked at tackling crime
together and security awareness.
The number of antisocial behaviour
cases dropped to 0 for the first
time ever - a great achievement for
the neighbourhood.
Hazelhurst
Lakeswood Residents Group
finished their new communal
garden and it won an award at In
Bloom 2014.
● Clarendon Fields joined Cavendish
Central to run a holiday club at
Lyndhurst Primary School with
SportyKidz4all, including sports,
cookery, arts and crafts, dance
and drama.
We’re looking at running weekly
family sessions and more
holiday clubs.
●
●
Children from Gorsey Garden got
their hands dirty while growing
their own vegetables and learning
about creepy crawlies on a bug
trail.They also showed their
creative side with arts and crafts
activities and everyone learnt how
important wildlife is to the
environment. Residents loved the
event with two more teannts
joining the group!
Gorse Hall and Yew Tree
Overcoming difficult times, Hunters
Court now has an active residents
group.After months of works on
their homes, they’re now working
with Green Charter to create a
community garden and won a
residents’ award for
Neighbourhood Improvement see page 12.
● A clean up and information day
brought neighbours together to
throw out their rubbish and get
support from services including
benefit and money advice, health
checks, the Police and Council.
We also took on board residents’
ideas for improving their
neighbourhoods.
●
Yew Tree Farm and
Pendle Road
●
Green Charter and Living Streets
helped children from Greswell
school plant 1,000 bulbs outside
their school! Pupils also did a
litter pick to make the area cleaner
and safer.
January 2015
7
Grand finale is a
roaring success!
A spectacular event ended a three year partnership between
New Charter, New Charter Academy and the Royal
Exchange Theatre in Manchester, with open-air theatre,
family fun, fire writing and fireworks!
It was held around Heginbottom
Crescent in Ashton and residents
took part in a live theatre show to
highlight the lives of local residents
and the positive work of ‘Everyday
Heroes’ in our communities.
Each ‘hero’ was nominated by local
residents and showed the
differences these people have made
to others.There was a great
community spirit and people learnt
how important it is to develop
relationships with their neighbours.
The partnership has given people
new experiences through the arts
and theatre. It has encouraged
people, young and old to develop a
love for live performance that many
never knew they had.
Photography by Paul Floyd
Over the past three years, many
school children and adults have
been to the theatre for the first
time and taken part in producing
their own plays.The project has
brought different generations
together and helped lots of
residents and young people gain
exciting new opportunities.
You can see the video of the
performance here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF9p9
El6Pwg
yd
Photography by Paul Flo
Rechargeable repairs - keeping
your home in tip-top condition
As you know, we offer a repairs
service and make improvements to
your homes where needed, but you
have a responsibility to keep your
home in good condition too.
Most of you treat your homes with a
lot of care and respect, but sometimes
damage is caused to properties or jobs
that need doing are left undone.This
means that you must pay the cost of
the work to put things right.
As a tenant, you are responsible for
these types of repairs called
‘rechargeable repairs’. Damage is often
accidental, (but can sometimes be
deliberate) and may be caused by
members of the household, pets,
visitors or workmen you’ve hired.
8
January 2015
When your tenancy comes to an end,
your property should be returned to
us in the same condition we let it
to you, completely empty of
your belongings and the keys
returned to us.
We understand that a
reasonable amount of
wear and tear can occur,
but if you are
responsible for any
other damages, you
would have to pay for
the repairs to be done.
Please visit our website
for more information on
rechargeable repairs.
TenanTs celebraTe
reaching
100!
Margaret Parnell
Two New Charter tenants celebrated their 100th
birthdays at the end of November - and even the
Mayor joined in some of the fun.
Annie Miguel, from Mossley, turned
100 on 27th November and
enjoyed a party at her sheltered
housing scheme with friends, family,
the Mayor and Mayoress of
Tameside and the Mayor and
Consort of Mossley.
Annie has lived in Mossley all
her life and attended St John’s
school on Stockport Road until she
was 14.
She then went to work as a comb
winder at the town’s Princess Mill
which later became Milton Mill.
Annie met her Spanish husband
Joseph Antonio Miguel at 19 and
after getting permission from her
father, she married on a snowy
Christmas Day - all at a cost of just
seven shillings and sixpence.
She is one of 13 siblings (seven
brothers and five sisters) and had
two daughters with Joseph. She is
also a great grandmother of two.
Annie was an active member of
Mothers’ Union for many years and
the group helped to put on
a party for Annie.
On 25th November,
Margaret Parnell
from Droylsden also
celebrated her
100th birthday.
Margaret is the
original tenant of her
home which was built
around 40 years ago.
At 14, Margaret worked in a mill
and was a machinist during the
Second World War, sewing tents
and trousers for the army while
her husband was away at war for
six years.
She worked until she was 67 when
she retired to care for her husband.
We congratulated both ladies on
reaching a century with flowers
and balloons.
Margaret Parnell in
her younger days
Annie Miguel with Mayor ofTameside
Cllr Dawson Lane and Mayor of Mossley
CllrVal Carter
January 2015
9
The 2014 customer
results are in!
Each year, we do a big customer
survey called STAR (Survey of
Tenants and Residents). Most
housing associations do this to check
how happy their tenants are with
their services and find out what they
need to improve on.
89%
We’re pleased
to say that most
of you are
happy with our
services, but
we know that
there’s still
room for
improvement.
This year we’ll
be using your
feedback more
to help make
things better
for you.
OVERALL
CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION
A net promoter score
of +20 is recommended
as good for a social
landlord like us, but we
got +45
We’ll be
keeping you
up to date
more too.
+45
10
January 2015
As always, a random sample of
customers were asked the questions
over the telephone. If you took the
time to take part, thank you.
Your views really do matter and help
us to make improvements for you.
GOOD NET PROMOTER SCORE
(How likely you are to recommend New
Charter to others)
er survey
We recently reviewed our neighbourhood
plans and almost 50% of you told us that
they’ve made a difference in your
communities. We’re using your feedback
to guide us on the things we need to do in
your neighbourhoods for the last 18
months of the plans.
84%
SATISFIED WITH YOUR
NEIGHBOURHOOD AS A PLACE TO LIVE
70% of you say repairs and maintenance
is important to you. We’ve introduced
new technology so that we can offer
more appointments to do repairs on our
first visit to you
84%
SATISFIED WITH OUR
REPAIRS SERVICE
We’ll be working with our youth team to
get more young people involved in our
business and communities.
24%
87%
Everyone who
answered the STAR
survey was entered
into a prize draw and
we’re delighted to tell
you that Mr & Mrs
Buckley from Hyde
were our lucky winners
of £150 shopping
vouchers! Well done.
The Customer Insight
Team will look at all
the information you
gave us in this latest
survey along with
your feedback from
other smaller surveys
to get a bigger picture
of what we need to
work on.
YOUNGER CUSTOMERS INTERESTED IN
GETTING MORE INVOLVED
From now on, we’ll be
updating you in each
newsletter so that you
can see what the team
has been doing and
improvements that
we’ve made for you.
57% of you say the quality of your home
is important to you. We’re continuing to
put money into your homes to make
them good quality for you. We’re
listening to your feedback on the works
we do on your homes to keep improving
our services.
We've listened to your views
on grounds maintenance and
caretaking and now have
stronger leadership to look
after both of these services
for you.
SATISFIED WITH THE QUALITY OF
YOUR HOME
January 2015
11
Your stars That
shine awards
In November, we held
our 7th annual
residents’ awards
evening with a glitzy
ceremony at the
Village Hotel in Ashton
to celebrate your
fantastic achievements
in your communities.
Guests were treated to live
entertainment from Live
Lounge Duo, followed by an
‘Ant and Dec’ Saturday night
takeaway big surprise!
Over 100 residents came
along and it was great to see
lots of new faces and people
getting involved.
Awards were presented by
New Charter's Director of
Communities, Emma Wilson.
Everyone had a great evening
and it was lovely to hear
inspirational stories from
residents and staff and how
people have really made a
difference to others.
12
January 2015
and the
winners are..
Together we can
Millbrook
Residents’
Association
and Smallshaw
Tenants &
Residents’
Association
(S.T.A.R)
Volunteers of the year
Maureen
Higgins,
Donald
Hindley
and Jean
Wareham
Young
volunteer
of the year
green Fingers
Grange House garden group & Ray & Lynn Harney
Conor Gibbons
neighbourhood improvement awards
Taking a stand
Hunters Court and Audenshaw Community Association
Joanne Findlow and
Abbey Francis
resident involvement awards
Making a
difference
Iris King, Leanne
Chidgey and Hannah
Tevlin (not pictured)
Audrey White, Christine Gethins,Tony Rider, Green Charter
Monitors,TMT,Tenants’ Panel, Pembroke Court,The Independent
Tenant Solutions Panel
special award for audrey
Audrey White, 82, has
been an ambassador for
her community for many
years and it was wonderful
to see her recognised with
a special award for all her
commitment over the years.
Audrey said she had the best night out
she’s had in ages and was overwhelmed
when her local MP spotted her picture
on Twitter and called her to
congratulate her on her award! Audrey
said she’s always wanted to be famous
and now she is!
A special award also went to Sue Hird,
New Charter’s Director of Tenancy and
Support for all her inspirational work
with tenants and there was also
recognition for the Resident
Involvement Team for their support and
work with residents.
January 2015
13
Casserole Club is
coming to Tameside!
Casserole Club allows people to share home-cooked food with older
people in their community who might not be able to cook for themselves.
During the winter months, giving an older person a hot meal and a
bit of company can really make a difference to somebody’s day.
Members of the Casserole Club (Casserole Cooks) serve up
meals to their older neighbours. Sometimes, it’s just a case of
making an extra portion when cooking for yourself or your family.
Please email [email protected] if you know anyone who
would benefit from getting a hot meal.
The team would also love to hear from you if you’d be interested
in being a Casserole Club Cook!
Find out more at www.casseroleclub.com or contact
our local health and wellbeing service in Tameside
on 0161 342 2212.
PREVENTING
During the colder months, many people get condensation in their homes. It can be a real problem
and can eventually cause damage to your home. Here’s some advice on how to keep it at bay:
Keep temperatures in all rooms above 15˚C
Close kitchen and bathroom doors when in use to prevent moisture travelling to other rooms
Let air into your kitchen and bathroom when you’re using them by opening windows and outside doors
Keep uPVC window vents open at all times to allow ventilation
Run cold water into the bath first, then add hot water
Cover boiling pans when cooking and don’t leave the kettle boiling
Tumble dryer vents should always go outside
Don’t block any air vents in your home
Don’t dry clothes on radiators
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14
January 2015
Keeping safe, well and
warm in winter
Here’s some handy hints and tips to keep you
safe, warm and well during the colder months.
Winter Warmth
Set your heating and hot
water to come on 30
minutes before you get up
and go off 30 minutes before
you’re due to go out
Close your curtains at dusk
to stop heat escaping
through the windows and
check for draughts around
the windows and doors
Make sure you’ve had your
flu jab - if you’re over 65 it’s
free. Ask your GP.
Be prepared - Keep a good
stock of food in and order
repeat prescriptions in plenty
of time, especially if bad
weather is forecast.
Ask your local pharmacy if
they offer a prescription
delivery service and ask a
relative or neighbour to help
with shopping.
Keep in touch with people It’s not unusual to feel a bit
down in winter. If you’re not
able to get out and see
people, make sure you phone
them for a chat.
Have you had a ‘pneumo’ jab?
This is a one-off jab that
helps protect you against
pneumonia, meningitis and
septicaemia. If you’re over 65,
ask your GP.
Don’t leave appliances on
standby and remember not
to leave your mobile phone
on charge unnecessarily.
Wash your hands - keeping
clean is a simple way to stop
the spread of flu.Wash your
hands regularly and clean
surfaces e.g keyboards,
telephones and door handles
regularly to get rid of germs.
Save on your electrical bill Turn lights out when you
leave a room, only boil as
much water as you need in
a kettle, and do one full load
of washing instead of two
small loads.
Stay active - essential for
your wellbeing and fitness
and it keeps you warm.
When you’re indoors,
try not to sit still for more
than an hour.
Useful contacts
l
Make sure you are claiming all
discounts that you qualify for
including the Warm Home
Discount. Contact the Moneycare
team on 0161 331 2456 to see
if you qualify.
l
Save money by switching energy
suppliers. Contact USwitch for free,
impartial advice on
0800 6888 244 or visit
www.uswitch.com
l
For general fuel/energy queries,
call Greater Manchester
Energy Advice service on
0800 009 3363 or
0161 234 5460 or visit
www.gmenergyadvice.co.uk
l
If you’re over 65 and have any
concerns over the winter months,
you can call Michelle at New
Charter on 0161 331 2140.
Age UK Tameside is also on
hand to offer FREE information
and advice.They could help
you find out if you’re getting all
the support you’re entitled to
if you’re struggling to pay for
heating. Call 0161 308 5000
for a chat.
January 2015
15
Looking after our
environment
Green energy donation
marks 1,000 homes fitted
with solar panels
We have now fitted more than 1,500 of our homes
with solar panels.
When we reached the landmark
of fitting 1,000 homes with solar
panels, our partner and supplier,
GES, kindly donated a full solar
panel system to 2nd Generation
Furnishings - a great community
charity which helps people in
need with good quality furniture
and items for their home at
low prices.
The solar panel system is reducing
2nd Generation’s energy bills and
allowing them to spend more
money on helping vulnerable
people in our communities.
We welcomed special guests from
GES, based in Taiwan, the Mayor
and Mayoress of Tameside and
other partners at 2nd Generation
Furnishings to see the panels on
the roof.
The installation is part of an
international deal worth more
than £18 million between
Taiwanese solar company, GES
and New Charter.
The contract, believed to be the
first of its type, is the biggest solar
project for a housing association
in the UK and will save tenants
£40 million in electricity bills and
almost 133,500 tonnes of carbon
over the next 25 years.
Green Apple award
New Charter has won a Green Apple
‘Environmental Best Practice’ Bronze award.
We received this award for our Marley Eco roof tiles
which improve our environment by absorbing harmful
pollution from the atmosphere.
These special roof tiles have been fitted to more than
2,000 of our homes since 2009 and could have removed
harmful emissions from the atmosphere equal to vehicles
covering more than six million miles on our roads.
The Green Apple awards began in 1994 and are the UK’s
major recognition for environmental efforts amongst
companies, councils and communities.
16
January 2015
(L-R) Miss UK Green Queen with New Charter
's
Danny Vose and Steve Lowe
Don't cheat
the system
Fraud is when trickery is used to
gain a dishonest advantage,
often financial, over another
person or business.
There are many words used to
describe fraud such as scam, con,
cheat or ruse.
The two most common types of
tenancy fraud are:
Unlawful sub-letting
Where a tenant lets out their
council/housing association home
without their landlord knowing or
giving permission. In these cases,
people often continue to pay their
rent to their landlord, but charge
the person they are letting their
home to, much more money to
make a profit.
Obtaining housing
by deception
Where a person gets a
council/housing association home
by giving false information on their
application, e.g. Lying about who
lives with them or why they
need a home.
New Charter takes tenancy fraud
very seriously.We have thousands
of people who genuinely need
housing, so it’s very important that
we take action against anyone who
is dishonest and doesn’t genuinely
need a home.
Here are a few cases we’ve
dealt with recently...
Case 2
Case 1
in
one our flats
A man bid for
dging
ying he was lo
sa
er
ft
a
n
to
Ash
with a friend.
da
he already ha
It turned out
her
ester with anot
ch
n
a
M
in
e
hom
’t
iation so wasn
housing assoc
eed of housing.
genuinely in n
d him guilty of
The court foun
as
aud and he w
committing fr
ty.
p
e up his pro er
ordered to giv
A woman was ordered to leave a two
bed house after she failed to tell the
truth on her housing application she
said she was living with her parent
s.
The court found that the woman had
already been living in a privately
rented home in Dukinfield for severa
l
months when she applied for a hom
e
with New Charter.
As a result, she jumped the queue
ahead of people genuinely in need
of
housing. The lady has been stoppe
d
from applying for a home with us
for
five years.
as
possession claims brought to court
These cases were the first successful
al Fraud Initiative.
part of our work under the Nation
contact
ion in your neighbourhood, please
act
st
one
dish
any
of
re
awa
are
If you
[email protected]
us on 0161 331 2643 or email con
January 2015
17
IN the BAG project
Would you like to volunteer in your community, learn
new skills or simply make a difference to others?
Then why not help out with our ‘IN
the BAG’ project.
‘IN the BAG’ helps people afford
good quality fresh fruit and vegetables
to make healthy meals at home.
Nowadays, there aren’t many
greengrocers around and
supermarkets often sell fruit
and vegetables in larger, more
expensive packs.
Volunteers are buying produce from
local growers and making up packs
with a variety of produce, e.g ‘A stew
pack’ to make a nice casserole or a
bag with assorted fruits.
Free gardening training
Interested in learning about gardening?
Want to help out with your community garden?
Each bag is just £1 and they will be
sold at local markets, lunch clubs or
by arranged orders.
The team sold their first bags on
Mossley Town Team market stall in
November.The project is currently
being run with volunteers from
Micklehurst Residents’ Association
but they’re looking for more people
to join them.
Food hygiene and first aid training will
be given if needed.
We’re also looking for volunteers
to help people who need support
with their gardens or aren’t able to
garden themselves.You could also
share tips and advice. Please let us
know if you’d like to help out.
We’re offering you FREE training in basic gardening skills.Training will be run
locally by Tameside College and you’ll receive a certificate at the end.
The course will be ‘hands on’ and you’ll learn how to take care of plants, take
cuttings and all about soil.You could even progress to an NVQ afterwards.
Dates and times are to be confirmed once we have numbers and we can also
link you up with other community gardeners nearby.
To get involved in any of these projects, please call Linda Sidebottom
on 0161 331 2000 or email [email protected]
18
January 2015
TMT highly
commended at
Customer Inspection
Scrutiny Awards (CIS)
Our Tenant Management Team (TMT) attended the first CIS
Awards at Gorton Monastery in the autumn.
The awards recognised tenants’ inspection and scrutiny work
for their housing associations, which help their landlords to
improve services and ensure they’re offering value for money.
More than 200 people went along and Mike Gelling OBE,
chair of the Tenants’ and Residents’ Associations
of England, spoke about the importance of scrutiny panels.
Our TMT was highly commended in the ‘Most Inspiring
Scrutiny Panel’ in the north and ‘Best Overall Service
Improvement’ categories - a great achievement for them,
well done!
TMT at the CIS Awards
Scrutiny work resolving your
concerns
In the last magazine, we told you
how TMT chooses which
services it looks at and the team
is now getting information from
more areas of the company to
help them.
Recently, customers were
concerned about some phone
calls not being answered by
Connect, your customer
contact centre.
A meeting was held with the
manager of Connect to talk
about the concerns and a few
things have been put in place to
resolve this, including more
flexible working patterns and
recruiting bank staff when
Connect expects a lot of calls or
needs to cover absence.
All apprentices at New Charter
now spend the first few months
of their careers in the contact
centre, helping them to learn a
lot about the business and
providing Connect with
more support.
After these things had been done
and TMT looked at other
companies to see what they do,
they decided that a full scrutiny
project was not needed, saving
the team money and time to
move onto their next project.
Since this work was done,
Connect has seen an increase in
the amount of calls being
answered, which is a great result.
January 2015
19
Your credit score:
What you need to know
What is a credit score?
When you apply for credit, the
lender has to check your credit
score - basically, decide whether
you can comfortably afford to
manage borrowing money.
Your credit score could be checked
when you apply for a loan or want
to pay for something over a period
of time, e.g.A car.
Companies use credit reference
agencies to look at your financial
history and also check your age, job
situation, how long you’ve lived in
your home and whether you’re on
the electoral register, to confirm
your identity.
A lender gives points to each piece
of information they get and adds
them up to give you a credit score 20
January 2015
the higher the score, the greater
the chance of getting the credit.
Improving your credit file
Lenders use credit reference
agencies to check information
about you, so it is very important
that you know what this is and that
it’s correct.
It’s a good idea to get a copy of
your credit reference file as you
could improve your credit score by
correcting anything that is wrong.
You can get a copy of your credit
file for £2 each either by writing to
each credit reference agency
(Experian, Equifax and CallCredit)
or accessing them free online.
Your credit file is personal to you
and records credit you’ve had,
payments made and missed, county
court judgements, bankruptcies,
debt relief orders or an Individual
Voluntary Agreement (IVA).
All information is held for six years.
You can ask credit reference
agencies to put a note on your
report (up to 200 words) explaining
why you got into debt or why
you think information on your
report is misleading.You could
explain your financial circumstances
at the time and why your situation
has now changed.
Any lenders checking your credit
score will then see this notice and
it could help improve your chances
of getting credit.
For more information, contact
David Burdis on 0161 331 2666.
Just for fun!
Find all these words
Find and circle all of the words that are
hidden in the grid.
The words may be hidden in any direction.
R
T
I
E
O
T
B
S
P
O
C
S
S
R
S
N
A
G
G
O
B
O
T
S
O
C
L
K
D
S
K
N
K
D
E
L
A
T
A
S
N
S
T
O
O
B
Z
E
I
M
C
R
E
I
T
M
E
I
E
E
I
L
T
O
F
V
T
D
E
I
E
T
C
D
N
S
N
I
O
C
L
R
R
T
I
S
K
I
I
N
G
L
A
O
F
A
C
T
S
T
E
R
O
E
G
P
C
C
L
Z
F
E
E
O
H
F
L
R
S
S
E
W
C
Z
R
N
T
C
T
I
L
R
S
O
T
S
L
I
O
S
A
Z
A
L
W
N
P
A
R
K
A
L
S
G
K
T
O
S
E
S
S
L
E
C
I
B
T
C
S
BLIZZARD
BOOTS
CHRISTMAS
COLD
FREEZE
FROST
GLOVES
ICE
ICICLES
KNIT CAP
MITTENS
PARKA
SCARF
SKATES
SKIING
SLED
SLEET
SNOW
TOBOGGAN
COLOUR ME IN
Can you add some colour to these
children having winter fun?
Remember to stay within
the lines!
January 2015
21
Benefits for tenants making
a Community Contribution
In 2013, we changed the way we let our homes to help recognise people
who are contributing to their community.
For some of the homes we advertise each week,
(including some new builds), we give priority to
residents who have shown they’re contributing
positively to their community - offering
‘Community Contribution’.
Are you offering ‘Community
Contribution’?
You could be:
A benefit of making Community Contribution is that
you can apply for a home with one bedroom more
than you'd normally be assessed as needing, if you can
afford it.
For example, if you’re a couple with one child, you
could be considered for a 3-bed house or a single
person could look at a 2-bed flat.
(Houses are still reserved for families with children,
so a single person wouldn’t be offered a house).
Employed
l
l
l
Volunteering
Have a proven track record of volunteering e.g.
l Registered community/tenants’ groups
l Registered charities
l Not-for-profit companies
Training
l
l
If you’re a tenant and need to
move for one of these reasons:
Working full time or part time
Self-employed
Employed on a temporary contract
Taking part in our job-related training
Doing pre-tenancy training e.g.
our Keys to Your Door programme
l
l
l
l
A carer
l
Receiving carers’ allowance
A foster carer
l
22
Registered as a foster carer
January 2015
l
You no longer need a home with
adaptations (i.e a lot of facilities put in
to help you get around/with day-today living)
Your home is overcrowded by one or
two bedrooms, (please check the
rules on children sharing bedrooms)
A mobility problem stops you getting
upstairs or into your home with
outside steps
You need to move for work reasons
You have a child under 11 years old in
one of our high-rise flats.
Fill in the form on our website under the ‘Find a
Home’ section or pop into one of our Hubs
where we can help you.
Events and classes
Free for all New Charter tenants
Why not tear
this out and
stick it on your
fridge?
Contact the Resident Involvement team for more information or to book your place on 0161 331 2000
February 2015
Monday 2nd February
9.15am - 4pm
Basic food hygiene
Venue: Cavendish 249 New Charter’s head office
(Sycamore meeting room)
Learn the basics in food hygiene and preparation.
You’ll get a recognised certificate which is useful
for getting a job in catering or cooking at home.
Tuesday 3rd, 10th,
17th, 24th February
1.30pm - 3.30pm
Basic IT
(Tenants’ resource room)
Can’t use a computer and want to learn?
Week 1: Emails,Week 2: Surfing the web,
Week 3: Social media,Week 4: Comparison sites
Monday 9th February
9.15am - 4pm
Basic first aid training
Accredited first aid course. Learn how to cope
in a crisis at home, work or in your community.
Tuesday 17th March
9.15am - 4pm
Basic food hygiene
Learn the basics in food hygiene and preparation.
You’ll get a recognised certificate - useful for
getting a job in catering or cooking at home.
Wednesday 18th March
2pm - 4pm
Mystery shopping
Venue: Cavendish 249 New Charter’s head office (Silver
Birch meeting room)
An overview session for becoming a
mystery shopper.
9.15am - 4pm
Basic first aid training
Accredited first aid course. Learn how to cope
in a crisis at home, work or in your community.
6pm - 8.30pm
Residents’ quiz
Cavendish 249 - New Charter’s
head office (downstairs area)
Come along to our quiz with your local
residents’ group and compete for the trophy!
March 2015
Festive celebrations as new homes
ready for Christmas
Residents hung holly and ivy on their front
doors to mark their new homes being ready
for Christmas.
These new homes at Ivy Close in Hyde are the first to be
built by our building company and have gardens, driveways and
energy saving technology to help tenants save money on their
fuel bills. MP Jonathan Reynolds attended the opening event
and it was hot drinks and treats all round, with Father
Christmas making a special appearance too!
New tenants Leoni Gallagher and
Daniel Royle with their son Harley
January 2015
23
Contact us
Our Hubs
•
•
•
•
2 Henrietta Street, Ashton
9 Albert Street, Denton
12 Clarendon Street, Hyde
63 Grosvenor Street,
Stalybridge
Our Hubs open at
9am Monday to Friday
(except Tuesdays, when
they open at 10.30am).
Please note, Denton and
Stalybridge Hubs close
daily between 12.30-1.30pm.
All Hubs close at 5pm
Monday to Wednesday;
4.30pm on Thursday; and
4pm on Friday.
These opening times are for
our Home and Community
Hubs (our shops).
We also have Neighbourhood
Hubs across our areas that
are only open when we need
them for classes and
meetings.
Main switchboard:
0161 331 2000
Remember, we now have just one number for
you to call to access all services - 0161 331 2000.
This single number will be the same 24 hours a day,
365 days a year and all calls are dealt with by New
Charter staff at our offices. In the evenings,
at weekends and on Bank Holidays our services
operate for emergencies only - dealing with emergency
housing issues and emergency repairs.
Email: [email protected]
www.newcharter.co.uk
facebook.com/newcharterhomes
@NewCharterGroup
English
If you need help understanding this document, please call us on
0161 331 2000 and we will arrange for somebody to help you.
Polish
Jeśli potrzebuje Pan/Pani pomocy w zrozumieniu tego
dokumentu, prosimy o kontakt pod numerem 0161 331 2000,
a my zorganizujemy kogoś do pomocy.
Portuguese
Se necessitar de ajuda no que respeia à compreensão deste
documento, queira por favor contactar-nos no nº. 0161 331 2000
e iremos colocar alguém à sua disposição para o ajudar
French
Si vous avez besoin d’aide pour comprendre ce document,
s’il vous plaît appelez-nous au 0161 331 2000 et nous nous
chargerons de quelqu'un pour vous aider
Resource Housing Reg. No. 2111
Bengali
Urdu
0161 331 2000
Head Office:
New Charter Housing Trust Group, Cavendish 249, Cavendish Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 7AT

15601A New Charter Newsletter Winter

Transcription

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