Port of Leith Housing Association Newsletter Summer 2015
YOUR RENT MATTERS
Did you know…..
Over 200 people bid for
each of our advertised
properties so don’t risk
losing yours. You might not
get another council or
housing association
property if you are evicted.
Five households lost their
PoLHA home in recent
months because they were
evicted for rent arrears.
Your rent is your
responsibility. If you are
having difficulties, don’t
ignore the problem as it
won’t go away.
Contact your housing officer and together we can help you sort
out your money and benefit problems.
See over for the difference working together makes.
Getting help costs nothing. Don’t risk your home, pick up the phone.
Call us on 554 0403.
PORTCALL
PoLHA’s Out of Hours Emergency Number is: 0800 783 7937
PAYING YOUR RENT
Your rent is due to be paid on the 1st of the month and you are
responsible for making sure this is paid on time.
You can pay weekly, fortnightly or monthly using your Allpay payment
card, by Direct Debit, through our website or at our office. We cannot
accept cash due to security reasons.
If you are having difficulty paying your rent, don’t risk your home, pick
up the phone. Call your housing officer and make an appointment.
This is the difference working together makes:
IS THIS YOU? THIS COULD BE YOU!
We have a range of additional advice services; your housing officer can arrange a referral.
Money and Debt (Fiona Neilson 553 8745)
Welfare Benefits (Susan Colvin 553 8781)
Employability and Advice (Jane Whiting 553 8757)
Tenancy Sustainment (to help you settle into your new home) (Leo Paredes 553 8768)
Energy Efficiency (Simon Barnes at Changeworks 555 4010).
Tenant A fell behind with his rent
when he was getting partial housing
benefit and didn’t make up the
shortfall in his rent. He ignored our
attempts to contact him and didn’t
keep to the one repayment
arrangement he made, despite being
warned that he risked losing his
home. The arrears continued to
increase and we finally had no option
but to take him to court, where the
Sheriff granted us decree to evict the
tenant and he lost his home.
Tenant B fell behind with his rent when
he had health problems. He contacted
our tenant support team and got help
to sort out his benefits and health
related issues. This resulted in an
increased housing benefit payment; an
increase in welfare benefits including a
backdated benefit payment of over
£2000; ongoing support with health
issues and an affordable arrangement
to pay off his debts, including rent
arrears. The tenant is now much more
able to cope and has kept his home.
DIGITAL SKILLS SESSIONS
Would you like help to use a computer? Every Monday from 2-4pm we hold a drop-in
session in our training room. There is no need to book and it is open to all tenants
aged 16 and over.
You can learn how to:
1. Use Skype to make free ‘phone calls’ to friends and relatives across the world
while you can see each other
2. Access benefits online and money/other advice
3. Search for jobs and use online application forms
4. Look for courses and apply for them
5. Use Facebook and Twitter
6. Access YouTube and other online videos and television catch up programmes
7. Shop online and snag bargains – get your shopping delivered
8. Post and share photos
If you would like more information contact Jane Whiting
on 553 8757 / [email protected]
£500 RAISED FOR COMIC RELIEF
Our residents from Jameson Place sheltered housing development donned red
noses and t-shirts to host a home baking sale where they raised £500 for Comic
Relief in March.
Maureen Tait, Sheltered Housing
Services Manager, said:
“We are delighted so many
people came along and bought
delicious home-made goodies.
The residents really enjoy
supporting charity initiatives and
coming up with a range of treats
to sell. We’re delighted to have
raised £500 for Comic Relief.”
500 NEW HOMES TO BE BUILT BY 2020
We are investing £55 million to build 500 additional new homes in north Edinburgh
by 2020.
Chief Executive Keith Anderson said:
“Edinburgh continues to have the highest average house prices compared to
other cities in Scotland and, combined with stagnating household incomes, is
restricting the number of people from becoming home owners, increasing the
demand for social housing and for mid market rented housing as well as open
market rented housing.”
In our new five year plan, we are helping to meet the City of Edinburgh’s challenge
to build new homes. The housing list has more than 26,000 registered applicants
and demand for social housing remains very high with over 200 bids received for
each new vacancy over the past year. It is estimated that over 1,600 new affordable
homes are needed each year for each of the next 10 years to resolve this problem.
As well as investment in new properties, we plan to invest a further £8 million in
ensuring all our homes meet the required quality standards, including the new
Energy Efficiency Standard, by 2020.
LEITH GALA DAY
Many people came along to this year’s Leith Gala. This is the 6th year we’ve had a
stall where we showcased our latest developments in the pipeline, as well as
providing advice on housing. Information on training and employment opportunities
for young people in Leith through TOiL was also available. As this year marks our
40th anniversary, we made a
picture board displaying old
photographs of buildings in
Leith and tenants dating as
far back as 1975!
We ran competitions giving
away some amazing prizes
which have been
generously donated by our
contractors.
A huge thank you to them
and congratulations to all
the winners!
MAJOR REPAIR WORKS AT TRAFALGAR STREET
Working with private owners, we have been
undertaking some repair works at Trafalgar Street.
These works ensure this pre 1919 tenement has
years of life still in it and remains a comfortable
home for our customers. In completing these works
we have prepared three properties ready for let.
FUNDING SECURED FOR TOIL
TOiL (Training Opportunities in Lothian) has secured additional significant funding which will allow it to expand services into East Lothian.
An additional Employability Officer will be working with adults within the wider community facing employment barriers due to disability or ill health.
This will support up to 65 unemployed young people as well
as continuing to support PoLHA tenants with employability issues.
John Murray manages the TOiL programme. He said:
“In 2014/15 TOiL supported 76% of trainees into employment, modern apprenticeships or further education against a national average of 44% which is the most successful year to date.
“It is TOiL’s ambition to deliver a similar level of success with a greater number of individuals this year.”
PET POLICY - PAWS FOR THOUGHT
We accept that many of you want to keep a pet but we also want you to think carefully about how an animal will fit into your life and also how you are going to be able to look after it. You can get lots of help and information from the PDSA website http://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-health-advice/your-right-pet
If you do want to keep a pet such as a cat or a dog, you must write to us for permission in advance. We will send you a form to complete and return. Only once you have received written permission from us should you go ahead and get a pet. You do not normally need permission to keep fish or small caged animals and birds.
If you would like to find out more about pet permissions please contact your Housing Officer on 554 0403.
NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR
TENANTS – BECOME A TENANT
INSPECTOR
We are looking for tenants to get
involved in a new project with us
and to lead on inspections of some
of our services.
A ‘tenant led inspection’ is where
tenants choose one of our services
to inspect, look at what works well
and what doesn’t work so well, and
make recommendations on areas
for improvements. Inspections can
take a variable amount of time,
depending on what service tenants
choose to inspect. Training will be
provided.
Come on – give it a go!
If you are able to take part or are
interested in finding out more,
please contact Wendy Chan,
Customer Engagement Officer on
0131 553 8707 or
NEW FACES AT POLHA
Jonathan Smith Project Officer: Assets
Gunduz Ozturk
Information Communication Technology Officer
Serena Selkirk Assistant Project Officer
Rachel Gilburt
Customer Advice Assistant
Asima Hussain
Work Placement
Officer (Edinburgh)
Eleanor Templeton
Work Placement
Officer (East Lothian)
Alex Galloway
Training Officer
(East Lothian)
Paul McMahon
Assistant Housing Officer (Lochend/Restalrig)
ISA REMEMBERS HER UNCLE The recent 100
th anniversary of the Quintinshill
rail disaster, near Gretna, raised memories for
two of our sheltered housing residents. Isa
MacKenzie at Hermitage Court had an uncle, Private William
Nimmo, who was killed in the crash as one of the many 1/7
Battalion Royal Scots. Isa attended the ceremony at Pilmeny
Church to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the crash.
At Jameson Place, Helen Hutchison’s recent purchase of a ceramic poppy from the
Tower of London display led her to track a name to attach to her poppy, as each
poppy represented a fallen soldier. Inspecting lists of names she realised that two
victims of the Quintinshill train crash were
unnamed. At the recent commemoration at
Dreghorn
Woods,
these men
were finally
recognised
and named. Helen was one of many,
including our chief executive Keith Anderson,
to plant a tree alongside HRH The Princess
Royal.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU TO JOIN OUR BOARD
The work of the Association is overseen by a group of voluntary Board Members including tenants - we are keen to encourage more tenants to be involved. This requires you to be a member (which involves paying £1 for a share certificate) and to be elected at the AGM.
The Board sets the overall plans and oversees performance of the Association. It meets early in the evening, once a month for eight months in the year plus two all day ‘awaydays’. If you would like to find out more about this, please apply to Keith Anderson (Chief Executive and Secretary) at 108 Constitution Street, or email [email protected]
PoLHA’s opening hours
Monday 8:45am - 5:00pm Tuesday 10:00am - 5:00pm
Wednesday 8:45am - 5:00pm Thursday 8:45am - 5:00pm
Friday 8:45am - 3:45pm
Any repairs or maintenance issues outwith office hours should be reported to:
24 hour Response Line 0800 783 7937
Useful Telephone Numbers
NHS 24 111
National Grid (gas emergency) 0800 111 999
Scottish Water 0845 600 8855
ScottishPower 0845 272 7999
Citizens Advice (Leith) 0131 554 8144
Edinburgh Advice Shop 0131 220 2360
Police Scotland/Noise Stoppers 0131 311 3131
Crimestoppers 0800 555 111
City of Edinburgh Council
Main switchboard 0131 200 2000
Council Tax & Benefits Office 0131 469 5000
Pest Control 0131 666 2623
Special Uplift 0131 529 3030
Port of Leith Housing Association Ltd,
108 Constitution Street, Leith, Edinburgh EH6
6AZ
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