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Residents’ Panel
Important advice about benefit changes. See page 6 for more information.
Would you like help with getting back into work? See page 7 for more information.
Worthing Homes, Davison House, North Street, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1ER www.worthing-homes.org.uk T: 01903 703 100 E: [email protected]
AUTUMN 2016
HOME NEWS www.facebook.com/WorthingHomes
www.facebook.com/groups/chatatWorthingHomes
HOMENEWS
Our newly formed residents’ panel met for the first time on Tuesday 13 September, and were joined by our senior leadership team along with other officers from Worthing Homes.With the 13 members ranging in age from 29 to 70 they bring a great mix of skills and experience to the panel.A large part of the work undertaken by the panel will be to scrutinise our services, ensuring the development of best practice, performance and continuous improvement and we look forward to working alongside them.
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NEXT ISSUE OUT DECEMBER
2016
HOMENEWS
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L to R: Julian Pitcher, Duncan Jagger, Paul Smith, Amy Dewey, Mark McJennett, Louise Murphy, Trevor Lewin, Jackie Bligh, Celia Rowe, Edward Crouch, Guy Collar
Chris was recently recruited to Worthing Homes as a new independent board member.
Chris says “ I joined the board of Worthing Homes in September and am excited to bring something different to the team. My background is as an engineer but I have spent over 12 years running digital companies and now run my own consulting business.
I am really looking forward to seeing how we can improve the experience at Worthing Homes for staff, customers and the wider community. I am keen to help the board and management of Worthing Homes grasp the opportunities we have to deploy technology where it really makes a difference and enable them to focus on the relationship aspects that only they can deliver.”
All board members have the same duty to put the interests of the organisation first – no board member is there to represent the views of any particular group or interests. There are currently 9 board members:
Trevor Lewin – Chairman and independent board member
Mark McJennett – Chair of the Audit Committee and independent board member
Paul Smith – Chair of the Treasury Working Group and independent board member
Duncan Jagger – Chair of the Development working party and independent board member
Current vacancy – independent board member
Amy Dewey – resident board member
Celia Rowe – resident board member
Councillor Edward Crouch – councillor board member
Councillor Louise Murphy – councillor board member
The board delegates the day to day management and implementation of the strategic and policy frameworks to the chief executive and other executive directors.
developing the strategic direction of Worthing Homes, developing our vision, values, aims, objectives and goals (the 5 year corporate plan can be found on our website www.worthing-homes.org.uk).
developing the company’s policy framework
maintaining sound financial management of the organisation’s resources
regularly reviewing and monitoring performance
ensuring a framework of prudent and effective controls, which enable risk to be identified, assessed and managed, is in place
New board member
Chris Simpson
Meet the Board and Executive Team
Worthing Homes’ board is responsible for:
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You may recall in the summer Home News we mentioned we were rebranding as part of the modernisation of the organisation, and we ‘unveiled’ our bold new logo.
Since then the rebrand has got well underway and we now have new signs to Davison House, the Lovett Hub and the Community House; and all of our staff have new ID cards and name badges which will always be worn/shown when they are out on visits for your security.
Our colleagues in RedAssure (which has also been updated), along with Homespace and Greenspace
are now in new uniforms that reflect the colours of our logos; with the vans due to be updated by the end of 2016.
If you haven’t already then please take a look at the new Worthing Homes website (www.worthing-homes.org.uk). The site has been developed with simplicity and ease of use whilst providing you with all of the information you need.
As you can imagine updating all of the signs at our many blocks, garage compounds and green spaces will be both timely and costly so we have taken the decision to update these as and when needed.
Celia Rowe has been appointed as the new resident board member replacing Mark Richardson.
“I am sure that many of you will recognise me. I was on the Residents’ Panel for the last year and used to be involved with mystery shopping. I have lived in affordable housing my whole life within West Sussex and over thirty years in Goring. I have four grown up children who all live in the Durrington/Goring area with their families and my youngest son is 14.
I trained as a secretary and in my thirties had a career change and qualified as a teacher to children aged 16+, specifically teenagers with learning/physical difficulties. I am a member of the West Sussex Parent/Carer Forum which represents all children with disabilities in Sussex. I also sit on a committee connected to Sussex police focusing on equality and diversity in the county. We look at strategies to improve understanding of all individuals; recognising, valuing and taking account of people’s different backgrounds, knowledge, skills, needs and experience.
I am confident in Worthing Homes’ building development programme, striving to provide affordable housing for families and supporting individuals to live independently as much as they can with support as needed.
I am looking forward to meeting many of you at events in the near future and assure you that I am fully committed to our community and the impact our surroundings have on our daily lives and the future of our families.”
New board member
Celia RoweMark Richardson has been a resident board member since September 2009. Mark’s time on the Board has now come to an end and Mark had these words to say about his experience.
“I have volunteered and had a number of roles within Worthing Homes from mystery shopping and working on the residents magazine ‘Home News’ to gardening with Garden Minders and running Krafty Kids at the Community House. I was on the Residents’ Panel and finally became a board member. I have enjoyed all of these roles and gained so much during this time. I overcame a longstanding illness, got back into work and learnt some new skills. I would recommend getting involved in any way that you feel is suitable for you - I wish I was starting all over again.
Worthing Homes is a great organisation; it has been lovely to have worked alongside some really impressive people who care about social housing during difficult times. It cannot be taken for granted that social housing (or affordable housing as it has become known) will always be there and that is why having residents on the board is so important, sharing their experience, challenging misperceptions and ensuring that the good news of social housing is highlighted and shared with the wider public.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was social housing available for all who wanted or needed it. It has been an honour, thank you.”
Mark Richardsonboard member 2009-2016
WE’RE CHANGING
For more energy advice and to watch energy saving videos look at our website www.relish.org
This is Reggie’s Relish advice column; Relish is Worthing Homes’ programme to help residents keep energy bills as low as possible. To ask your
very own questions on energy or find out more on the energy advice surgery please contact Poppy on: Email: [email protected] Tel: 01903 703 185
welcome!
hi reggie“I think my energy supplier keeps making mistakes, I have tried letting them know but I haven’t heard back. Each time I call it takes ages to get through. What can I do?”
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southern water customers (swa)Did you know anyone receiving pension credit can instantly get 20% off their water bill? Also if you have three children under 19, along with certain tax credits or benefits you may be eligible to get a capped water bill.There is also help to cut bills with water saving visits, contact SWA for more information on [email protected] or on freephone 0800 027 0363 8am–7pm. If SWA provides your waste water, it might still apply.
relish chamPions wantedWe are looking to train Worthing Homes Residents to become energy champions who can help friends and family to understand their bills. To ask your own questions on cutting energy bills or anything in this article – contact Poppy Scott:Email: [email protected]: 01903 703 185Davison House, North St, Worthing BN11 1EROr come along to our drop in sessions every Monday between 9 – 12 at Worthing Homes’ Resource Centre, Davison House.
• Resolver (in association with Money Saving Expert). Shows the process for each of the energy suppliers, helps prepare letters for you and records all your communications. www.resolver.co.uk/complaints/energy-complaints
• Energy Ombudsman 0330 440 1624 [email protected]
• Citizens Advice Consumer Service 0345 404 0506
comPlaints
toP tiP! Record the time, date, advisers name and what happened each time you contact a supplier. Meter readings can be recorded with the date by taking pictures on mobile phones or tablets.
reggie says: “There are lots of things that can go wrong with energy charges, even on prepayment meters. Many can be easily reviewed, but if you cannot get a resolution, a complaint may be necessary. This should be raised with the supplier in the first instance and you should ask for the reference number. If the supplier does not resolve this to your satisfaction, you may be able to take it to an ombudsman who reviews complaints independently and in certain circumstances can award compensation. There are some useful tips and contacts below.
smart meters More information is now available about how each supplier is installing smart meters. This is free and could benefit you, find out more at www.smartenergygb.org
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FIRST POINT OF CONTACTthe customer services teamAs part of the re-structure a new customer services team was created to take all of your queries which includes:
• Repairs• Housing issues• Rent queries• Any other queries
As part of this change there is ongoing training for all staff to ensure that customer queries can be dealt with at first point of contact. Now our building works are completed, the customer services team are the first people you will see as you come into our reception area.
Another part of our improved working is enabling our neighbourhood teams to work in the communities. We have been working hard to ensure our IT systems are in place to accommodate this.
If the officer you need to see/speak to is out in the community when you contact us our dedicated customer services team will be able to help and advise you.
You can find the page by going to www.facebook.com/groups/chatatWorthingHomes. This is for our residents, other local people and partner organisations to share information about local events and services. You can also contact us and chat to each other. It’s a closed group so you need to ask on the facebook page to join.
It’s easy to sign up to Facebook if you don’t already use it.
Our resident involvement officer, financial inclusion co-ordinators and sustainability co-ordinator regularly post useful information and the page is monitored by our customer services team during office hours. For example we posted a link at the end of July for tips on cheap ways to entertain your children during the summer holidays and we shared a post from one of
Did you know Worthing Homes’ has a chat page on Facebook?
our colleagues at the Council advertising children’s activities throughout the summer.
Residents often help each other with advice and information on our Facebook chat page. You could also see who else lives near you and introduce yourself.
We do ask that you respect the terms and conditions of use (which you can read on the page) and if you are not happy about something you can phone us instead so we can discuss it with you properly.
There is also a link to our website www.worthing-homes.org.uk where you can get lots of useful information including tenancy issues, benefit changes, bills, budgeting and debts.
There are still many ways you can contact us:
BY PHONE01903 703 100 – this is to report any repairs, speak about any housing queries and also any rent queries.
BY TEXT0742 5428 428 – Text BAL for a balance of your rent account and text REPAIR to report a repair.
ON OUR WEBSITEwww.worthing-homes.org.uk
OUR FACEBOOK CHAT PAGEwww.facebook.com/groups/chatatworthinghomes
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News and advice from Jan Burns and Jo Kelly, Worthing Homes’ financial inclusion co-ordinators
There is going to be an important change to some people’s benefits!
Why? From autumn 2016 the government’s Benefit Cap is reducing. The benefit cap is a maximum weekly amount some people can receive in benefits including housing
benefit, income support, employment support allowance, jobseekers allowance, universal credit, child benefit and child tax credit.
The total allowed from autumn 2016 is £384.62 per week for families with children or couples. If the total of your benefits listed above is more than this your housing benefit will be cut to take the total to below the ‘cap.’
You will then need to pay the shortfall towards your rent yourself out of your other income.
Some people are not affected by the ‘cap’ because of special circumstances and we can tell you about these.
What can you do?Start planning your money and payments. Work out how much you are going to need to pay for rent and how you are going to do this.
For advice and information on managing your money and budgeting see www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk or you can contact Jan on 01903 703 177 or Jo on 01903 703 171
or pop in to the Resource Centre at Worthing Homes on Mondays from 9-12 noon.
Many people pay by direct debit or standing order on a benefit day or pay day.
Get advice about bills and debts to see if you can reduce these.
How can Worthing Homes help you?We can help you work out your budget and plan your rent payments. We can also help you get better deals on your bills and tell you who can help with debts.
• Come to our money worries drop-in every Monday from 9-12 noon in the Resource Centre, Davison House - bring all your benefit paperwork with you.
• Make an appointment with us at a time to suit you – call Jan on 01903 703 177 or Jo on 01903 703 171 to book.
• Chat to us on the phone – call Jan or Jo.
• Email us – [email protected] or [email protected]
• Ask us who else can help - we can tell you about other organisations for help and support.
Anti social behaviourWorthing Homes takes possession proceedings as a last resort, but we have recently had reason to take legal action to deal with serious anti-social behaviour.
Worthing Homes was successful in seeking an injunction to prevent a non-resident coming to a block of town centre flats after he had been threatening and aggressive to another resident. When he persisted in returning to the block he was arrested and ultimately sentenced to 8 weeks in custody.
Worthing Homes also started possession proceedings against the resident who was giving him access to the block and was successful in securing an eviction when the issue persisted.
Reports of drug use and dealing, involving another property in the same block, were received over a period of time. Thanks to residents’ reports and a positive police
If you are experiencing anti-social behaviour, please ring the customer services team on 01903 703 100.
raid, Worthing Homes were able to build enough evidence to support possession proceedings, which resulted in the perpetrators being evicted. Worthing Homes continues to work with residents of this block to ensure that any breaches of tenancy are addressed and dealt with appropriately. The use, or possession of, illegal drugs is a breach of Worthing Homes’ tenancy agreement and we will take appropriate legal action if we have sufficient evidence to support this.
Worthing Homes has also taken recent injunction action, where a resident had been causing nuisance to his neighbours by inviting street drinkers into his property. An injunction was obtained prohibiting visitors which he has continued to breach. He has appeared in court for breaches of his injunction and possession proceedings are now underway.
7HOMENEWS
Thank you for continuing to provide Worthing Homes with feedback about our services. This includes compliments and comments as well as some complaints. We take these very seriously and value complaints as they help us identify areas where we can improve.From April-June 2016 there were 12 complaints received of which 5 were fully justified, 6 were partly justified and 1 was not justified.Learning lessons from complaints is important and we look at where we can improve practices and our services.We also continue to receive praise and compliments from many of our residents and between April-June 2016 we received 15 compliments. We are delighted that the compliments cover a cross section of our services and teams.
Here are some compliments we received recently:
Constructive comments and praise!
Patricia Nicholls called to say what a wonderful day she had at the Fun Day! She was very impressed at what Worthing Homes were doing for the whole family and community and the atmosphere was absolutely brilliant.
“Many thanks Ruth for arranging for me to have 1:1 lessons on using my newly purchased tablet. Hooray, it’s beginning to make sense at last! Jane is so good at making it look so easy. She’s a great teacher and such a lovely lady.”
You can contact us by telephone, e-mail, letter or face to face or you can use the contact form
that is on our website which can be found in the ‘our organisation’ and ‘feedback’ section –
contact details are on page 16.
Resident called in to see Jan Burns to thank her for all her help with benefit claims, debts and bills and said “Thank you Jan I feel so much better now.”
If you are a Worthing Homes resident, unemployed and interested in taking part in this new course please contact Ruth in
resident involvement on 01903 703 198 or email [email protected]
Back to work courseAre you a Worthing Homes resident?
Would you like help and the skills to get back into work?
Do you want to return to work from time out or have you been unemployed for a while and want help and support?
Worthing Homes is putting together a completely free 8 week course which will cover the following:• Skills assessment• Job roles• IT for work skills• Job search• Applying for jobs• CVs and covering letters• Your digital footprint• Keeping positive long term• Vocabulary and terminology• Interviews (what happens, what to wear,
body language)• The Do Nots!• Keeping calm and focussed• Contracts, hours and pay• Your first day
The course will be held in small groups for a few hours each week and we are also talking with Northbrook College who can offer free courses and tasters in certain areas of work.
• CVs and covering letters
• Keeping positive long term• Vocabulary and terminology
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Fabulous afternoon for everyone
FUN DAY 2016
We would like to thank everyone who helped to make this a memorable day, including
the staff, resident volunteers who gave up their time to attend meetings and help out and
all the stall holders. Thank you to everyone who donated prizes for the community house
tombola and to Worthing Theatres for the prizes in the artzone.
HOMENEWS 9
On Saturday 16 July Worthing Homes held its annual fun day at the Maybridge Keystone Centre. The weather was beautiful and a record number of 570 people came along making it our most successful so far.
Along with the usual activities of face painting, temporary tattoos, hoopla, hand massage and the coconut shy we had an under 5s bouncy castle, soft play area, giant jenga and welly throwing! Whilst Jaws n’ Claws provided some animal educational fun.
Pete Ridge and his band entertained us inside and outside with music throughout the day and the lovely ladies from Nefertiri belly dancing showed us their moves and gave the crowds an opportunity to take part in a dance lesson. Meanwhile Mark and his team from *The Empty Plate Café did an amazing job of catering for the large number of people.
The day also played host to a number of other organisations who are based in and around Worthing such as the Wellbeing Hub, Southern Water, ESTEEM (young people’s services), Warming Worthing (knitting group), West Sussex County Council recycling trailer, Durrington Community Cycle Project, Tarring Neighbourhood Watch (bike marking) and the Recycled Goods Factory.
Clive Cavanagh, Community Development Manager said “what an amazing day, the weather was glorious and the turnout was great. The opportunity to put on events like these and have fun with the community is what makes our job so worthwhile.”
Thank you goes to all staff and volunteers who worked on the day, all the stall holders for bringing their services along, the Empty Plate Café for the superb BBQ and Jane Booker and dancers from Nefertiri.
*The Empty Plate Café is in the Lovett Hub, Lovett Court, Maybridge Square, Goring-by-Sea every Tuesday from 11-6pm serving hot tasty meal on a ‘pay as you feel’ basis. For more information or to volunteer ring Mark on 0782 6268 678.
HOMENEWS10
THE COMMUNITY HOUSE25 DOMINION ROAD, WORTHING, BN14 8JZ
For more information on the above activities or to book a place call Ali and Emma on 01903 215 799, pop in to see them at the Community House, 25 Dominion Road,
Worthing, BN14 8JZ or contact them via www.facebook.com/CommunityHouseWorthing
New partnership with Heene Community Centre and Sainsbury’s Under a new partnership with Heene Community Centre and Sainsbury’s Rustington the Community House receives a twice weekly delivery of food. The food is reaching its sell-by-date or has slightly damaged packaging but it is still very edible. The food would otherwise be destroyed by the supermarket so we are delighted that this partnership enables local families to benefit. The type of food varies each week but often includes bread, vegetables, salad, cakes and tinned foods.
Food can be collected from the Community House but is available on a first come first served basis. No referrals or vouchers are needed simply call in and see us. There is no criteria for the receiving the food other than it should go to a household that will make use of it.
For information see our facebook page or give us a call.
A big thank you to our volunteers
Throughout the holidays we kept local children busy with a weekly program of activities. Children of all ages enjoyed cooking, arts and crafts, gardening and sports at our ‘Active Tuesday’ session in the Wave Centre. These activities would not be possible without the commitment of our volunteers who work alongside our sessional leaders.
If you or someone you know can give a few hours a week to help at the Community House we would love to hear from you. No experience is necessary but you should enjoy working with children! We will need to do an Enhanced DBS check and various training is available. Please call us for more information.
Fun DayThe Community House enjoyed a busy day at the annual residents Fun Day in July with our usual tombola being as popular as ever, we raised a total of £280 which will be used to run extra activities at the Community House. We also sold home-made jams made with fruits from our garden by the children.
We are very grateful to Tesco, Wickenden Meats and Bazaar for donating vouchers for the tombola and our volunteers who came along to help on the day.
Cook and eat at the Lovett HubDuring the school summer holidays we ran our first cook and eat course for children living in the Maybridge area. The course consisted of four weekly sessions for children aged 7–11 years learning to cook various meals from scratch - including soups, pasta sauces, breads and healthy desserts. The course ended with a fun quiz about what they had learnt. Caroline, our cook and eat session leader said “The children at the Lovett Hub cook and eat have been a pleasure to teach. They choose what they wanted to cook, they paired up and over 6 weeks successfully made an array of dishes. I am proud that the children tried new foods and just as importantly we had fun.”
We look forward to running more holiday sessions at the Lovett Hub for children in the Maybridge area. If your child(ren) are interested call Emma or Ali.
11HOMENEWS
THE COMMUNITY HOUSE25 DOMINION ROAD, WORTHING, BN14 8JZ
Name:
Telephone number:
Address:
WORDSEARCH
Have a go at finding all the words. Words can go horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Words may overlap and share one or more letters.
Please fill in your details below and send to The Community House, 25 Dominion Road, Worthing, BN14 8JZ by 7 November. The first correct entry drawn will win a £20 high street voucher.
Find the following hidden words:
BREAKFASTCOMPUTERSCOOK AND EATFOODFOOTBALLFREEFUNGARDENINGHOMEWORKKRAFTYKIDSMINDFULNESSPHONESUPPORTTHE CREWVOLUNTEERS
J R J C T J H N H S B G P K SL D U N O H K U P U T H V P UN R K L X O E F E Y U O H B PK R U S U S K C M T L O N B PK Y A Y H Y J A R U N K B T OR M I N D F U L N E S S S S RA X B S D I V T M D W P U A TF Y X I R X E Y C P E L C F RT G N I N E D R A G L A G K DY M S O R G T L F A I J T A AK Y B S D R Z U B E E R F E RI G C X S O W T P K Q S R R WD H O M E W O R K M U U C B VS S X E P O S F I X O T I M TP Z C H F V Y O J M J C I I E
WORDSEARCH
12 HOMENEWS
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Do you have home contents insurance?
Did you know that insuring the contents of your home is your responsibility?
You may think you do not own anything of value but do you have a mobile phone, tv, laptop, IPod, dvd collection or bicycle?
• Prevention – fit a smoke alarm or join a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.
Find the best dealAsk us for details of “My Home Contents Insurance” from Thistle, a low cost policy (from £1.85 per fortnight) which is endorsed by the National Housing Federation. You can contact Thistle on 01628 586 189 or 0845 337 2463 or take a look at their website www.thistlemyhome.co.uk
You have the power to choose! You should always do a price comparison before you decide to make sure you are getting the best deal. If you do not have internet access at home you can do this at our Monday morning drop-in sessions in the Resource Centre or on our computers in reception.
Some useful price comparison websites are:www.moneysupermarket.comwww.moneysavingexpert.comwww.confused.comwww.gocompare.com
If you would like more information on home content insurance you can ring Jan Burns on
01903 703 177 or Jo Kelly on 01903 703 171or email [email protected]
What does contents insurance cover?It usually covers belongings (including furniture and electrical items) against loss or damage by fire, smoke, lightning, theft, flood and escape of water and oil. Contents usually include carpets, curtains and anything not fixed in your home. You should check carefully before you take out insurance that it covers what you want.
How much cover do you need?Go through your home and make a list of everything room by room. Some insurance companies offer online calculators for you to work out the value but you could also look in an Argos catalogue if you are unsure of prices. Remember to update your insurance if you buy a new item of value.
How to save money on contents insurance• Pay one annual payment if you can, this avoids
additional costs.
• Choose basic cover if you do not want accidental damage or cover outside.
• By agreeing to a higher excess (the amount you pay towards a claim) the cost of your insurance will be lower.
• No claims discount – you can be rewarded with a lower premium if you have not made any claims.
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In August during the summer holidays Worthing Homes worked in partnership with Worthing Town Football Club and held two football skills and games sessions at the football cage in Vancouver Road/Shelby Road for local children.
The sessions were run by Paul Woodley and free for boys and girls of all ages. Twenty-five young people attended over the two sessions and at the end of each session everyone tucked into ice-creams supplied by Worthing Homes.
Paul Woodley of Worthing Town Football Club said “it was great to see so many keen young footballers using the football cage, it was great fun and everyone enjoyed themselves.”
HOLIDAY FOOTBALL FUN
HOMENEWS14
HOLIDAY FOOTBALL FUN
15
“ Now we’ve got a personal alarm we can enjoy life again without worrying”
RedAssure - Worthing’s own highly dedicated, friendly, professional careline team.
www.redassure.org.uk T: 01903 703 103 E: [email protected] House, North Street, Worthing BN11 1ER
Our range of personal alarms will call for helpwhen needed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whether you’re at home or out and about.
part of
SPEAK TO US ABOUT A
13 WEEK FREE TRIAL
From October 2016 we are providing a new floating support service to residents in our sheltered housing properties and residents aged 65+ in our general needs properties. This new service will support our residents to maintain their independence and tenancy through short term periods of support. We have taken this opportunity to re-think how we deliver our work to our older residents by providing this work through RedAssure, which also provides telecare to residents in Worthing, Adur and Arun.
Changes in Supported LivingThere have been a number of changes to support at our sheltered schemes and the changes may affect you.
STAFF NEWSWe would like to welcome…
Ann O’Keife – sessional worker, Community House
Inonge Mutonga – sessional worker, Community House
Natalie Leal – income recovery Adviser
Poonam Chivate – IT support desk technician
Kelly Whitfield – Human resources administrator
Natalie Leal Ann O’Keife
We say goodbye to…Amber Hyder, Simon Humphrey, Simon Pretty, Michael Manwill and Andrew Keay. We thank them for their work and wish them all the best for the future.
HOMENEWS
This service will be part funded by West Sussex County Council and will provide a one-stop shop for our older residents who will receive the support they need from the team. The service will also be on offer to residents of Adur Homes.
For more information please visit the RedAssure website www.redassure.org.uk
or call 01903 703 103.
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BENEFIT AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT DROP-INFOR WORTHING HOMES RESIDENTSDrop-in with Jan Burns or Jo Kelly, Worthing Homes’ financial inclusion co-ordinators. They can help with benefit and processing claims, internet access for debt advice services, look for work or to have a chat about any other financial concerns. When: every Monday from 9-12 noon. Where: Resource Centre, Worthing Homes. No need to book just turn up for a chat.
ENERGY SAVING ADVICEDrop-in with Poppy Scott Worthing Homes’ sustainability co-ordinator. Poppy can help with advice on how to save energy in your home, help reduce your energy bills, give energy saving advice and give recommendations. When: every Monday from 9-12 noon. Where: Resource Centre, Worthing Homes. No need to book just turn up for a chat.
NATIONAL CAREERS SERVICE Every Tuesday from 1-5pm. Careers advisor who can give you FREE information, advice and guidance to help you make decisions on learning, training and work opportunities. Alternatively ring 0132 9559 169 or e-mail [email protected].
COMMUNITY COMPUTER CLASSES Every Wednesday from 10-5pm. Open to the community and for all abilities and ages just pop in and have a chat with Amber or one of the volunteer tutors.
Every Wednesday from 10-11am – FREE computing for complete beginners. You must be looking to get back into work. Learning is in a relaxed and informal setting. Every student will receive a certificate of what has been covered at the end of each course. For more information and/or to book a place please ring Resident Involvement on 01903 703 107 or e-mail: [email protected]
ENGLISH AND MATHS CLASSES THROUGH ASPIRE SUSSEX LIMITEDVarious classes throughout the week. For more information ring Aspire on 0345 6010 161.ADVICE ON LOCAL HEALTHCARE SERVICES AND WASTE PREVENTIONAlcira Ferrari is a qualified community health champion, health trainer and community worker. Alcira holds a surgery listening to people’s health concerns and gives advice, information and promotes the NHS health programmes.Alcira is also a qualified Waste Prevention Advisor for West Sussex County Council and gives advice on home composting, food waste, cotton nappies, smart shopping and recycling. Advice is free so why not come down to the Resource Centre at Worthing Homes from 1-3pm on the first Wednesday of the month and talk to Alcira.
The rooms at the Resource Centre are available to rent. For more information please ring Resident Involvement
on 01903 703 107 or look at our website www.worthing-homes.org.uk/in-the-community/
living-in-the-community/training-and-resource-centre/
Printed on chlorine free paper certified by The Forest Stewardship Council using vegetable inks.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE RESOURCE CENTRE
(next to Worthing Homes’ offices)
Please be aware all calls to and from Worthing Homes are recorded for training
and monitoring purposes.
Davison House, North Street, Worthing, BN11 1ER
PLEASE CONTACT CUSTOMER SERVICES FOR:Repairs/day to day maintenance tenancy queries/rent queries: Outside office hours/emergency repair line: You can report your repairs online at www.worthing-homes.org.uk in ‘your home’ or via the useful links box.
Gas fired boiler repairs (BSW): 0800 158 5690 (free from a landline and some mobile providers)
or 0208 763 5333
RedAssure: 01903 703 103 www.redassure.org.uk
Greenspace/Homespace: 01903 703 180 [email protected] [email protected]
Finance: 01903 703 105
Resident involvement/Resource Centre: 01903 703 107 [email protected]
Community House: 01903 215 799
Sales and lettings: 01903 703 108
Board members: [email protected]
EDITOR:Ruth Pollard 01903 703 198Website: www.worthing-homes.org.ukFacebook: www.facebook.com/WorthingHomes www.facebook.com/groups/chatatWorthingHomesEmail: [email protected] exchange: dial 18001 (followed by the full number including the code you wish to call).
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01903 703 100
