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H ME NEWS
We would like to encourage our young residents to get involved with us so that all residents are represented on the Panel. If you are interested
give Ruth Pollard a ring on 01903 703 198 or email [email protected]
Worthing Homes, Davison House, North Street, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1ER www.worthing-homes.org.uk T: 01903 703 100 E: [email protected]
WINTER 2017
www.facebook.com/WorthingHomes www.facebook.com/groups/chatatWorthingHomes
1HOMENEWS
Worthing Homes would like to introduce Cheyenne Greaves the latest member of our Residents’ Panel. At 24 years old Cheyenne is also our youngest member.
Cheyenne said “the reason I want to get involved is because being a first time tenant I was used to living in a property with my parents and for me things seemed to be so easy. After moving into my flat I realised just how much my responsibility was. I am aware that everybody has very different experiences when it comes to receiving services from Worthing Homes and their contractors and being able to assess and give my perspective on things means that younger tenants, as well as older tenants, have the opportunity to change the way we receive our services. I have already been to my first Residents’ Panel meeting where I was not only made to feel very welcome, but I also had the opportunity to give my opinion and was listened to. I am looking forward to my time with the Panel as it is a very interesting discussion, with people from very different backgrounds, who want the same outcome, and I hope that I will help to make a difference.”
The board and staff at Worthing Homes would like to take this opportunity to wish you
a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
CHRISTMAS CLOSURE – see page 3 for more information
DO YOU KNOW WHAT CUCKOOING IS? More news on cuckooing in the spring edition…
RESIDENTS’ PANEL UPDATE…
Meet our newest and youngest Residents’ Panel member
NEW LOOK HOME NEWS COMING IN
2018
2 HOMENEWS
How homes are allocated (using the ‘banding’ system)Affordable housing resources locally are scarce. In order to make the best use of social housing in Adur, Worthing and Arun our partner local authorities use their register of housing need and choice based lettings policies to match available housing to those in the highest need whilst also giving people personal choice about where they wish to live.
Certain groups of people are ineligible to join the register because of their immigration status and the council may also disqualify applicants because of unacceptable behaviour. Applicants must have lived or worked in the local authority area for at least two years to apply.
Each local authority has its own policy but the assessment of applicants and the principles of each scheme are broadly similar. A ‘banding’ system, currently made up of four bands, is used to assess and prioritise housing need. Each band has a number of different categories which reflect housing need. Applicants in band A are assessed as having the highest levels of housing need and have the highest priority for housing. Applicants in band D have the lowest priority for housing and are those assessed as having no housing need at the current time or their priority has been reduced.
Mobility requirements and medical needs are also considered.
Codes are used to identify the suitability of properties that are advertised for people with mobility problems.
Mobility level 1 – suitable for someone who needs a wheelchair indoors and outdoors.
Mobility level 2 – suitable for someone who may need a wheelchair outdoors but does not need to use a wheelchair indoors.
Mobility level 3 – suitable for someone with restricted mobility who may not be able to manage steep gradients or several steps.
Medical priority is given when an applicant or a member of their household has an illness or disability.
High – the applicant or a member of their household has a serious (including life threatening) medical condition.
Medium – the current housing conditions are having a major adverse effect on the medical condition of the applicant.
Low – the current housing conditions are having an adverse effect on the medical condition of the applicant or a member of their household.
All available properties are advertised and applicants can express their interest in the properties often referred to as ‘bidding’ (although there is no money involved). The local authority will then shortlist the people who have bid in order of priority (band and medical need) and date of application and then send those shortlists to us.
BAND A – urgent/emergency (restricted to applicants who currently reside in the area)For example severe medical need, people giving up larger properties or adapted properties no longer required.
BAND B – high housing needLiving in accommodation that has been assessed as hazardous, families overcrowded by two bedrooms or those with medium medical need.
BAND C – an identified housing needFamilies lacking one bedroom, those homeless in temporary accommodation, those sharing facilities or with low medical need and also sheltered applicants.
BAND D – no housing need or applicants given reduced priorityThose with no housing need or who have substantial savings, capital or investments, or owner occupiers. Those who have housing related debt. People who have deliberately worsened their situation to increase their ‘banding’ and people who have homes abroad. People who have refused a number of suitable offers.
We will contact people in order and carry out a robust allocation procedure before viewing the property with them.
For more information on how the ‘banding’ system works please go to the respective council websites:
www.arun.gov.uk/housing-register
www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/housing/looking-for-a-home/choice-based-lettings-all-about-bidding
Residents who attended the focus group meetings held in the summer requested that we provide more information in Home News on a range of different service areas. The first 3 of these are; understanding how homes are allocated (below), abandoned vehicles (page 3) and disabled adaptations (page 12).
Worthing Homes is closed from 4pm on Friday 22 December until 9am on Tuesday 2 January 2018. If you have an emergency during
this time please ring 01903 703 100.
HOMENEWS 3
Sussex Pathfinders – Highdown Hill, Worthing walk
Sunday 31 December 10am
9 miles – urban, downland and seaside
Meet in the car park at the top of Highdown Lane,
Worthing. The car park is accessible from the
eastbound carriageway of the A259, follow signs to
Highdown Hotel. Walk is via Angmering Village, Ham
Manor golf club, West Preston, East Preston, Kingston
Gorse, Ferring and Highdown Hill.
Please check www.sussex-pathfinders.co.uk/walks
or call 0784 279 2962 for any updates. Sorry, dogs
are not permitted.
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Free events this ChristmasThis time of year the pressure is on to spend money, so below are a few free events to go to.
Please keep an eye on our corporate (www.facebook.com/WorthingHomes)
and ‘chat at Worthing Homes’ (www.facebook.com/ChatAtWorthingHomes) Face book pages as we regularly update with
local free and low cost activities.
Abandoned vehicles or anti-social driving in your area? If you think that a vehicle has been abandoned where you live please take the registration number and report online at www.operationcrackdown.org
If you think the vehicle is on a Worthing Homes communal area, please email a photograph to [email protected] and we can investigate further. Remember to use your permit if you are in an area with parking restrictions.
Any vehicles removed carry a charge, this will be passed on to any identified owner. Please help us keep your community safe.
Late Night Shopping and Laser Show, Worthing14 December 4-7pm
Amazing laser and pyrotechnics shows
at the junction of Montague Street
and Montague Place, 4 displays to
watch with 2 special appearances from Titan
the Robot. There will be choirs, music, competitions
and fun for all. Bought to you by Worthing Town
Centre Initiative.
For more information ring 01903 203 252
Burning the clocks, BrightonThursday 21 December 6.30pm-8.00pmThe parade leaves from New Road at 6.30pm and arrives at Madeira Drive at approximately 7.15pm, when lanterns are passed onto the bonfire and the fire show begins. The event finishes at around 8pm.For more information go to www.samesky.co.uk/events
Swap ’Til You Drop Residents at Pearsons Retreat recently provided a fantastic day to bring together the wider community, as well as Worthing Homes residents in East Worthing.Residents hosted a coffee morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Research offering a huge selection of tasty treats, and alongside this a swapping event was held where residents could bring along any unwanted items in good condition to be taken away free of charge and given a new lease of life by other residents. Residents in the area were contacted by text message as well as some signs put up nearby leading to a great turn out on the day. Lots of money was made to support Macmillan Cancer Research and items swapped included a dining table and chairs, bedside tables, DVDs, CDs, pots and pans and walkers to help people with poor balance.Frank Sewell-Knight, Chair of Pearsons Social Group said “apart from some early morning rain delaying the items being displayed the day was a huge success. It was well supported and a very enjoyable experience. We would like to thank Worthing Homes and particularly Poppy Scott for their help in organising the day. A second one is already being planned for the spring.”We would love to help residents organise more of these, and
for them to be held on a regular basis – If you are interested in organising a swapping event in your area please contact Poppy on the details above.
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!
4 HOMENEWS
To ask questions about cutting energy
bills come along to our drop in sessions
every Monday between 9 – 12 at Worthing
Homes’ Resource Centre, Davison House
or contact Poppy Scott.
reSiDenTS we neeD You! We are looking to train Worthing Homes Residents to become energy champions who can help friends and family to understand their bills. If you think you could become a champion contact Poppy Scott. Contact details above. reggie SaYS: “Some suppliers offer
an annual grant of £140 called the
‘warm home discount.’ Eligibility can
vary according to the supplier but
generally those who receive pension
credits qualify automatically. You may
also qualify if you are receiving a means
tested benefit, have a young child or receive
a disability benefit. Contact your supplier
directly for more information and it is given
on a first come, first served basis – so
don’t leave it too long.”
hi reggie“My neighbour said I might qualify for some money from my supplier to help with bills in the Winter, but I’m not sure what to do to get it?”
5HOMENEWS
• Asking our contractors to let us know if they have been unable to complete your repair at the first visit and when they expect to be back.
• Asking our contractors to ensure they make contact with you within two weeks to book an appointment for a routine repair.
• We will share more information internally and externally about planned works on your homes.
• Sending a quarterly email bulletin advertising what we are doing in our local communities for example at our Community House and the Lovett Hub along with any important news.
• Where they are available we will use communal notice boards to let you know when we have cut the grass in your area, when we expect to be back and information on any other services we are carrying out such as hedge trimming.
We are always looking for new ways of sharing information with you and would love to hear your ideas on how we can do this and also what subjects you would be interested in having news about.Remember you can read the STAR survey report on our website www.worthing-homes.co.ukOnce again thank you for your feedback.
ComplaintsWe are now recording expressions of dissatisfaction as first response complaints, which gives us a clearer picture of how many customers have not been happy with a service but have had the issue resolved before needing to make a formal complaint.
We received 35 first response complaints and six formal stage one complaints.
We received feedback from eight customers with:
• Six being happy with both the handling and the outcome of their complaint
• One was not happy with both the handling and outcome
• One was happy with how their complaint was handled but did not receive the outcome they had wished for
We continue to collect feedback for all of our services and actively learn from it. From the information we have received so far we have now put several improvements in place to make your experience even better when accessing our services.
RepairsSo far this year we have carried out 7,121 repairs and received feedback from 179 customers in relation to their repair.72% were satisfied with the person they reported their repair to, 18% of customers were dissatisfied. 10% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.91% thought that the person they spoke to understood their problem and 89% of the time the correct diagnosis was made.86% felt their expectations were met, they knew what was happening and when.72% were satisfied with the contractor who carried out the repair and 65% of repairs were completed at the first visit.70% were happy with the quality of the work and 19% were dissatisfied. 11% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.
Anti-Social Behaviour Four out of four customers responded to our satisfaction survey about the handling of their complaint in the last quarter Three customers were happy with the handling and outcome of their anti-social behaviour reports.One customer was neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with the handling but was dissatisfied with the outcome.One customer also suggested installing security cameras and putting speed bumps in the area would have improved the issues.To give you more advice and information on ASB we are putting together an article which will explain when and under what circumstances we can take tenancy enforcement action in cases of ASB, how long this may take and how the process works. Look out for this in a future issue of Home News.
Here are some of the headline figures from July to September 2017:
YOUR FEEDBACK
We are currently working our way through all of our processes to ensure we are giving residents the best service possible; this includes investigating areas of dissatisfaction to ensure we amend working practices where possible.
Customer Focus GroupsBuilding on customer feedback you may remember we carried out the STAR survey this time last year. It was sent randomly to 1,500 customers and we received over 700 responses. Following a slight fall in customer satisfaction since the last time we did the survey we decided to hold a number of customer focus groups to discuss in more detail how our services could be improved.We held six group sessions with mixed groups of residents to cover a range of views. The clear theme throughout was our communication with you across all services so we are looking at how we can improve this.We have identified service improvements for almost every team which includes:• Sending an anti-social behaviour feedback form to let
you know what we are doing, what help we need from you and how often we will be in contact with you.
6 HOMENEWS
Worthing Homes is helping you get ready for Universal Credit (UC)
Checking your benefits and finding out how UC will affect you.From April 2018 anyone making a new
claim for any of the benefits or tax credits listed below will have to claim UC instead:
• jobseekers allowance• employment and support allowance• income support• child tax credit• working tax credit• housing benefit
And don’t forget anyone getting any of the these currently will eventually switch to UC instead. We don’t have any dates for the DWP moving people onto UC from other benefits but they will contact you and let you know when you need to claim.
We are aware that eventually all claims including families of all sizes will be moved onto UC but we have not yet been given any dates. We will share these with you as soon as we know.
To help with all these changes, working in partnership with Policy in Practice, we have introduced an online universal benefits and budgeting calculator. You can find the link on our website www.worthing-homes.org.uk/your-home/your-finances.
You can check your benefits, find out how they will change if you start work or your income changes and also how your money will change when you claim UC.
Improving your computer and online skills UC is claimed online and your claim and payments are managed online.
If you are worried about your computer skills we run free computer classes in our resource centre every Wednesday. To find out more please contact Ruth Pollard, resident involvement officer, on 01903 703 198 or email [email protected]
Getting you into work Are you looking to get back into work to improve your money situation? Working may exempt you from the benefit cap and make it easier to manage on UC when this is introduced.
You are also very likely to be better off in work after all the recent benefit changes and reductions.
Have you booked a place on our back to work course? It’s free and covers lots of skills and tips you need for creating a great cv, applying for jobs, interviews and returning to the workplace. If you complete the 8 week course you will receive a certificate and a £100 clothing voucher! We are proud to say several participants so far are now in work.
News and advice from Jan Burns and Jo Kelly, Worthing Homes’ financial inclusion co-ordinators
For advice and information on managing your money contact Jan or Jo on 01903 703 110 or email [email protected] or [email protected] or pop
in to the resource centre at Worthing Homes on Mondays from 9-12 noon.
All our contractors should always carry formal identification to prove who they are and who they work for. Please ask to see their identification and if you are not expecting their visit or want to check the person is working for us, please give us a call on 01903 703 100.
If you are unsure – please DON’T let the person in – even if it’s raining!
Please remember: your safety is very important and it’s best to double check that the person visiting is who they say they are.
Beware of bogus callers – if unsure DON’T open the door!
7HOMENEWS
The Local Assistance Network will provide immediate short-term aid to help protect a person’s welfare by preventing a crisis.
We can help you if you:• Are on benefits or a low income• Facing an unforeseen emergency or disaster that
puts you or your family at risk of harm• need help moving into or remaining in the
community• Live in West Sussex or are being resettled here
The assistance will cover a range of basic needs, in many cases from charitable sources. Generally this will involve help to access appropriate goods and services. While the type of goods may vary depending on which organisation people contact, they all follow these key principles:• No cash or financial assistance will be provided• No help will be available to meet housing costs or
other debts; and• Any assistance offered will be on a discretionary
basis, meaning no one will be entitled to help
The types of goods and services that the Local Assistance Network can support people with will include food from food-banks, furniture, recycling schemes, or vouchers to get personal and household goods such as nappies, cooking equipment, clothes or help with transport and fuel costs.
Finding someone who can helpThere is a network of local organisations that can help. These are listed below. Please also visit our website www.westsussex.gov.uk/LAN for a complete up-to-date list of organisations that are part of the Local Assistance Network.
Citizen Advice Bureau – advice lineOpen Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
☎ 03444 771 171 or 0300 3300 650 (if calling from a mobile) www.centralandsouthsussexcab.org.uk or
www.arunchichestercab.org.uk
Local Assistance Network
FINDING HELP IN A CRISIS THE LOCAL ASSISTANCE NETWORK
FOODBANKSIf someone needs urgent food supplies they should contact one of the organisations listed in this leaflet and ask for a referral to their local foodbank. Foodbanks will need a voucher before they can exchange food packages. The Trussell Trust website offers more information about how foodbanks work and how to find one local to you. www.trusselltrust.org/foodbank-projects
You can also get support and free food from our
Community House at 25 Dominion Road,
Worthing which is open Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm
or ring 01903 215 799.
For families and/or adults without childrenWorthing Churches Homeless Projects(covers Shoreham, Worthing and Littlehampton)8 Marine Place Worthing, BN11 3DN
☎ 01903 689 748Open Monday – Friday 9am-5pm
Littlehampton United Church, 1 high Street, Littlehampton, BN17 5RG
☎ 07702 872 377Open Monday-Friday 9am-12pm
For families onlyChildren and Family CentresPlease visit your local children and family centre. These are found in all main towns across West Sussex. Find out the contact details of your nearest centre.
☎ 01243 777 807 www.westsussex.gov.uk and search ‘children and
family centre’
Other supportPlease find below details of other support services that may be helpful to know about.
Job Centre Plus • Short-term advances of benefit – these can
sometimes be provided in circumstances where people are making a new claim, but are likely to experience financial hardship before receiving payment of their benefit.
• Budgeting loans may also be available to claimants who have been in receipt of income related benefits for 26 weeks or more. They are intended to help claimants with intermittent expenses on essential items for example household equipment or costs relating to work or maternity. As people move to Universal Credit they will have access to a new system of ‘budgeting advances’ to replace budgeting loans.
Local district or borough councilsFor help with housing costs.
8 HOMENEWS
BSW SCRUTINY
SCRUTINY RECOMMENDATION
Customer feedbacks survey
Increase the number of customer feedback surveys collected as currently Gas Contracts Services undertake telephone surveys of around 10% of completed works.
MANAGEMENT RESPONSE
Agreed - our own Customer Experience Team will collect feedback from all residents and on a more regular basis.
SCRUTINY RECOMMENDATION
BSW’s service letters
The current format of the service appointment letter could be more customer friendly and the list of things an engineer will do on the reverse is out of date and contains a lot of misinformation. The language of the service appointment letters is perhaps to official and legally threatening. It is appreciated that service checks must be done on a rolling 12 month basis, and that access to some properties can prove time consuming and challenging, but this is a small percentage of appointments.
MANAGEMENT RESPONSE
Agreed - a small group from the Residents’ Panel will work with us to review these appointment letters.
As a result of the level of dissatisfaction from the STAR survey carried out earlier this year and postings on our Facebook pages six Residents’ Panel members formed a scrutiny group and undertook to scrutinise the day to day activities of our gas contractor BSW. They looked at lots of information, met with members of Worthing Homes, BSW and GCS staff*, contacted dissatisfied residents as well as contented residents and visited another housing association to compare BSW with their gas contractor.
Once all the information was gathered and discussed a report of their findings and recommendations was written and submitted to the board. Below are the recommendations from the scrutiny group with responses from management.
* GCS = Gas Contracts Services who are independent third party gas safety contractors.
The scrutiny team identified four recommendations which are outlined below along with responses from our management team
SCRUTINY RECOMMENDATION
Repairs can result in too many re-visits by engineersThere was consistent feedback from residents that engineers could not complete repairs on the first visit and therefore residents had to spend more time on waiting for appointments to be made. Also, when the next engineer visits, they are someone different with little knowledge of the original problem.
Could more spare parts be stored on their vans? Perhaps, BSW could develop a system that would identify potential replacements parts based on each boiler model at the time the fault is reported so the engineer can arrive with these potential replacement parts on the first visit.
MANAGEMENT RESPONSE
Agreed - this is a valid point and the main area of frustration for our residents particularly during the colder months. It is an area that we will work with BSW to improve upon.
Although, we standardise boiler types when replacing them, we still have a vast range of boiler makes and models in our stock so it will always be challenging to cover all the potential parts required, however, it is an area that needs reviewing and improving.
HOMENEWS 9
SCRUTINY RECOMMENDATION Smoke detectors Service visits by BSW include the checking of smoke alarms but does not include a check to see if the detector is out of date (typically 10 years) and therefore needs to be replaced. This may lead to a dangerous scenario where smoke alarms are potentially faulty. The service visit by BSW should be changed to include a simple check of the date on the back of the detector which can then be noted in their report and trigger the smoke alarm being replaced.
MANAGEMENT RESPONSENot agreed – mains powered smoke alarms have a predicted life typically 7 – 12 years dependant on the type of alarm. It should be noted that this is a predicted life expectancy and not a definitive end of operating life date.
We currently replace smoke alarms on an ad-hoc basis as and when they fail which is triggered either during the annual check by BSW or by a resident advising us from their regular (should be weekly) testing or the audible warning given by the smoke alarm that it has identified a fault with itself.
In addition, to our annual smoke alarm and the weekly residents testing programme, we will consider implementing ad-hoc testing during every visit to a resident’s home whether by one of our contractors or employees.
It is acknowledged that smoke alarms are important safety equipment but it is felt that the current checks / triggers are sufficient so, at this stage, we are not proposing to commence a programme of renewals purely based on predicted expiry dates. However, we do maintain records of when smoke alarms were fitted within the stock condition database which we will review annually to highlight any smoke alarms that are very old so we can consider replacing these if necessary. We will seek assurances from our insurer regarding our policy on smoke alarm testing and renewals that this is a satisfactory and reasonable approach.
Following the recent Grenfell Tower tragedy, we have reviewed our fire safety procedures and will be accelerating our programme to install mains powered smoke alarms in residents’ homes that either do not have any smoke detection or have battery powered smoke alarms only. Our policy to date has been to install mains powered smoke alarms in properties where necessary as part of kitchen / bathroom / electrical refurbishments or prior to re-letting empty homes.
KEEPING COMMUNAL HALLWAYS
It’s really important that all communal hallways, including
corridors and stairwells in block of flats are kept clear!
In the event of a fire, items in the hallways can make it extremely difficult for people
to evacuate the building and the fire service to get to the fire, putting your life and the
life of others at risk. In addition, these items can also act as a fire hazard.
So we ask that these areas are kept completely clear of any obstructions and that all items
from communal hallways are removed to avoid any hazards; this includes:
Prams and pushchairs, shoes, plants, plant pots, tables, bikes, toys and
mobility scooters.
CLEAR
Grub club with Adur and Worthing Wellbeing
In the October half term we ran another a Grub Club with Adur and Worthing Wellbeing. The sessions combined healthy cooking with some active fun exercise at Kitty’s Field Park. In the morning children cooked by themselves and the afternoon session was for parents and children offering a great opportunity for families to cook together.
We plan to run similar sessions in future school holidays – please contact us if you are interested in these courses for you and your children.
Food safety and hygiene successSome of our older children have worked really hard to gain qualifications in food safety and hygiene. They are very proud of this achievement which will help them to cook safely at home as well as to support younger children in our cook and eat sessions.
Other courses achieved by adults and children over the past few months include training on parental mental health, safeguarding, autism and control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH). We have a variety of other free courses which are especially useful for anyone looking for employment or for personal development – please call the community house for more details.
Community House – star volunteerKirsty first came to the Community House early this year at what she describes as “a difficult time in her life – but the house has given me a new sense of purpose.” Kirsty initially started helping out with cooking sessions but has since begun to support other sessions run by our sessional workers.
During this time Kirsty has developed excellent skills in planning and supporting people to cook fantastic food from scratch. At the same time the Community House has supported her with studying a range of subjects and her qualifications now include food hygiene level 1 and 2, COSHH, parental mental health and safeguarding.
Kirsty has become a valued member of our volunteer team. We are always looking for volunteers to help and if you are interested in volunteering please contact Alison on the details below.
Food donations A BIG thanks to the families at Greatsaurus Nursery and 8th Worthing Port Beavers for their recent food donations. We really appreciate this food which supplements the weekly support we receive from Sainsbury’s at Rustington and Lyons Farm and allows us to help more local families in need.
Do you know a local school, nursery, church or other group that would be willing to do a one-off or regular food collections for Community House? We would also be happy to come along a talk to any group about what we do at the House.
THE COMMUNITY HOUSE25 DOMINION ROAD, WORTHING, BN14 8JZ
HOMENEWS10
For more information on any of the activities run at the Community House call Alison or Emma on 01903 215 799, pop into see them
at the Community House, 25 Dominion Road, Worthing, BN14 8JZ or contact them via
www.facebook.com/CommunityHouseWorthing
October half term funDuring half term children enjoyed another week of fun activities including crafts, cooking, and Halloween games. We ended the week with a film and popcorn at the end
of which some were fast asleep - demonstrating how “at home” many of our children feel at the Community House.
THE COMMUNITY HOUSE25 DOMINION ROAD, WORTHING, BN14 8JZ
11HOMENEWS
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 July-September 2017 there were 6 complaints received.Learning lessons from complaints is important and we look at where we can improve practices and our services. 3 of the complaints were about service standards, 2 were about members of staff and 1 was about a Worthing Homes policy.As a result of these we will be reviewing our lettings standards and also ensuring that in instances of ASB there are more frequent communications with residents.We also continue to receive praise and compliments from many of our residents and between July-September we received 24 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!
“Smashing Ben, much appreciation to you and all of your hard working colleagues at the office, I’m sure everyone else appreciates it too! Thanks to all.”
“Home News – a most enjoyable read, I couldn’t find anything to comment on, a first class piece of work Ruth.”
“We have had a visit by your wonderful team today, we have been waiting for a while. I must say well done to them they have made the front of our flats look good again and we can now see daylight. I think we should complement them as we are at times quick to complain. Well done again.”
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.
12 HOMENEWS
On Saturday 28 November ghosts, ghouls, witches and more descended on the Felpham Community Hall for the first of a series of family events planned by the Blake’s Mead Community Association (BMCA). The event was attended by over 200 people, all enjoying Halloween themed games, sweets and a disco.Organised by volunteers from Blake’s Mead and generously funded by West Sussex County Council, Worthing Homes and the Premier Shop at Blake’s Mead the party was free and tailored to young families.The
BMCA is planning more social events in the coming months.
BMCA is run by volunteers from the development and is funded by residents via their membership contributions.They aim to run a series of events from children’s parties, fairs, quizzes and litter picks throughout the year.
Other Felpham community events coming up in the new year:
Blake’s Mead Community
Association annual general meeting
When:
Tuesday 16 January 2018
Where: Felpham Community
Hall 8.00-10.00pm
This is an opportunity to
review the past year of
activity, revaluate strategy,
and to elect new Committee
members.
Several Committee members
are stepping down, if you
would like to sit on the BMCA
Committee please visit
www.blakesmeadcommunity.
org.uk/AGM
First Sunday of every month, 10am
Community litter pick, starting at the skate park then moving to other parts of the development
needing attention.
Spooky fun at the new Felpham Community Hall
Get involved in our all new Sports Days at Felpham Community Hall!
South Coast Sports Presents
Full session details and booking info can be found at www.southcoastsports.org.uk
Community Sports Days
Friday 16 February 2018 BADMINTON
In association with England Badminton The Racket Pack!
9.00 – 12.00 Ages 5-812.30 – 15.30 Ages 9-12
Friday 6 April 2018 PRESCHOOLER
& EARLY YEARS DAYAges 2-5
Active Tots Multiskills 10.30 – 11.30Active Tots Rugby 12.30 – 13.30
Friday 13 April 2018 MINI FENCING
9.00 – 12.00 Ages 5-812.30–15.30 Ages 9-12Friday 1 June 2018 MULTISPORTS
9.00 – 15.00 Ages 5-12
Discounts available for Blake’s Mead Community Members!
Disabled adaptationsRequests for adaptations can be made by any tenant requiring adaptations because of the nature of their/a member of their households disabilities.
There are many types of adaptations ranging from minor works such as the provision of lever taps, grab rails or flashing smoke alarms to major works such as the installation of a level access shower or stair-lift.
Worthing Homes can fund some minor adaptations, but may ask you to provide information from a medical professional, such as your doctor to say why the adaptation is required.
Major aids or adaptations are normally funded by the resident or through a disabled facilities grant from the local authority. If you or a family member require a major adaptation you will need to request a referral from an occupational therapist (OT) via Adult Care-point on 01243 642 121.
If the OT recommends a major adaptation to a Worthing Homes property, the following will usually be considered before permission is granted.
• Whether the property is suitable for the adaptation
• Whether the size of the property is suitable for the household
If permission is refused due to under-occupation of the property your housing officer can discuss other options available to secure suitable accommodation. This may be applying to your local authority housing register in order to transfer or registering with homeswapper.co.uk to pursue a mutual exchange.
If permission is granted by Worthing Homes for the proposed adaptation to go ahead, your OT will assist you with the application for a disabled facilities grant and the local authority will arrange the works. Worthing Homes is informed when the works are completed and will inspect to check that no remedial works are required that are not covered by the disabled facilities grant.
13HOMENEWS 13
MONDAY9:30am Wellfit Fitness Class wellfit4life.co.uk
4-6pm Kids Sewing Club Contact Michelle on 07941 984 168 or
Wendy 07962 063 213 for more details
6.30-8pm Pilates lengthenpilates.co.uk
7-10pm Just Jive classes justjive.org.uk
TUESDAY9:30am Post Natal Fitness wellfit4life.co.uk
6.45pm Wellfit Fitness Class wellfit4life.co.uk
7.45pm Clubbersize wellfit4life.co.uk
WEDNESDAY 9:30am Wellfit Fitness Class wellfit4life.co.uk
9:30am Baby Sensory babysensory.com
6:30pm Sama Karate sama.organisation @gmail.com
THURSDAY 9:30am Post Natal Fitness Class wellfit4life.co.uk
9:30am Baby Sensory babysensory.com
5pm Scouts bognorscouts.org.uk
FRIDAY 10am Jiggy Wrigglers jiggywrigglers.com
What’s on at FELPHAM COMMUNITY HALLJust turn up for all classes, no need to pre-book.
For news, events or to join BMCA go to our website www.blakesmeadcommunity.org.uk
Have a go at finding all the words. Words can go horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Words may overlap and share one or more letters. Find the following hidden words:
Please fill in your details below and send to Worthing Homes, Davison House, North Street, Worthing, BN11 1ER by 15 January 2018. First correct entry drawn will win a £20 high street voucher.
ALICEBOB CRATCHITCHRISTMAS EVECLERKDICKENSEBENEZER
FREDFUTUREGHOSTHUMBUGIGNORANCEJACOB MARLEY
KINDNESSLONDONMISERMONEYMR FEZZIWIGPAST
PRESENTSCROOGETHREE SPIRITSTINY TIMUNDERTAKERWANT
HOMENEWS14
E Y K A O C S A C S O X J F OI V R J U Y Y J L T X N B U IK S E M R F E Z Z I W I G T IX N L S G P N K F R C Y V U HH E C N A R O N G I G E O R RT K N S V M M U C P H L V E WS C T I N Y T I M S O R K L RK I N D N E S S P E S A L U EV D E R F V B G I E T M L G SX J S T I H C T A R C B O B IB R E Z E N E B E H H O N L MY V R O R H V D K T R C D B ZS H P T R I N P N C N A O O DV G U B M U H A S G I J N K VA Y Z Z H L W Z S H I Y G U O
Name:
Telephone number:
Address:
WORDSEARCH
A Christmas Carol
STAFF NEWSWe would like to welcome…Angelina Masters administration assistant, Community HouseAndrea Wood administration assistantClare Hartley administration assistantPaul Antrobus clerk of worksRicki Pudduck multi-skilled operative
15
Angelina Masters
Paul Antrobus
Ricki Pudduck
HOMENEWS
Our range of personal alarms will call for help when needed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whether you’re at home or out and about.
NOT SURE IF THIS IS FOR YOU… THEN SPEAK TO US ABOUT A 13 WEEK FREE TRIAL!
Help, security and peace of mind at the touch of a button.
www.redassure.org.uk T: 01903 703 103 E: [email protected] House, North Street, Worthing BN11 1ER
part of
RedAssure - Worthing’s own highly dedicated, friendly, professional careline team.
We’re there for you when you need us most!
Our range of personal alarms will call for help when
Help, security and peace of
Red Assure Advert.indd 1 07/11/2016 14:06:17
E Y K A O C S A C S O X J F OI V R J U Y Y J L T X N B U IK S E M R F E Z Z I W I G T IX N L S G P N K F R C Y V U HH E C N A R O N G I G E O R RT K N S V M M U C P H L V E WS C T I N Y T I M S O R K L RK I N D N E S S P E S A L U EV D E R F V B G I E T M L G SX J S T I H C T A R C B O B IB R E Z E N E B E H H O N L MY V R O R H V D K T R C D B ZS H P T R I N P N C N A O O DV G U B M U H A S G I J N K VA Y Z Z H L W Z S H I Y G U O
We say goodbye to…Amy Barrass, Jamie Sawyer, Robert Watson, Georgia Warren, Karen Standing, John Rivett and Sarah McCormack. We thank them for all their work and wish them all the best for the future.
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE ANSWERS
Can you spot the 7 differences. Answers at the bottom of the page.
16 HOMENEWS
Please be aware all calls to and from Worthing Homes are recorded for training
and monitoring purposes.
01903 703 100
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/
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE RESOURCE CENTRE
(next to Worthing Homes’ offices)
Printed on chlorine free paper certified by The Forest Stewardship Council using vegetable inks.
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
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
Finance: 01903 703 105
Resident involvement/ Resource Centre: 01903 703 107 [email protected]
Community House: 01903 215 799
Energy saving advice: 01903 703 185
Help with benefit forms, processing claims, budgeting and money saving advice: 01903 703 110
Board members: [email protected]
EDITOR:
Ruth Pollard 01903 703 198
Website: www.worthing-homes.org.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WorthingHomes www.facebook.com/groups/chatatWorthingHomes
Email: [email protected]
Typetalk exchange: dial 18001 (followed by the full number including the code you wish to call).
HOME NEWS is published by Worthing Homes and is distributed free to all customers.
Please contact us if you would like HOMENEWS in: Braille, large print, on CD or in another language.
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.
PREPARATION FOR WORK COURSEFREE 8 week course for Worthing Homes residents including: skills assessment, job roles and search, applying for jobs, keeping calm and focussed, interviews, contracts and much more . For information call Ruth Pollard on 01903 703 198.
NATIONAL CAREERS SERVICE Every Thursday from 1.30-5pm. 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 PREVENTIONCome and speak to Alcira Ferrari in the resource centre at Worthing Homes from 1-3pm on the first Wednesday of the month.
