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Annual Report special • Annual Report special • Annual Report special
newsextra
Issue two 2019
Important news, advice and information for customers of South Staffordshire Housing Association
Merger news
page 2
My SSHA Customer-led changes Annual Report
Do more online page 3 bringing great results pages 6-7 2018-19 pages 11-14
www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 1
Important news about
your housing association
Chief executive Sarah Boden shares the latest update on
our merger with Stafford and Rural Homes and what that
means for customers.
“Earlier this year we asked will support independent living Some things won’t
for your views about a and provide peace of mind change
merger with Stafford and and confidence for people and
Rural Homes. You said that families. Although the new group has
you wanted us to take this been created to make a real
Our combined group will difference in Staffordshire and
opportunity to build a bigger provide employment for around
group, offering even better Shropshire, some things won’t
800 local people and we have be changing.
homes and services. set a target to create 100 new
On 1 October 2019 we will apprenticeship opportunities Your home, your rights, the
merge with Stafford and Rural in the Group and with our rent and any charges that
Homes. Our new group will suppliers within five years. you pay will not be affected
manage 18,000 homes and by our merger. Services will
We pledged to make more of be delivered locally and your
provide employment, training our services available online
and apprenticeships for almost landlord will continue to be
so that we can offer more SSHA. You can still expect a
800 local people. individual support where it fantastic service from repairs
is needed. We’ve been busy
More of what is important operatives and call centre
preparing for that challenge, advisors who know your
to you too. Check out the great news area and understand what is
When we proposed this merger on page 3 to see how you can important to you.
we said that, working together, make rent payments and check
we would be able to do more of your account securely online, at As we celebrate the launch of
the things that are important to any time of the day or night. our new group it is time for us
you. to meet our challenges. When
Customers have played a huge it’s more difficult than ever for
We promised to offer a wider role in our success to date and young people to move into
choice of homes, starting will continue to shape the their first home, families find it
the construction of 2,000 services of our new group, with hard to make ends meet and
new homes for rent, shared a customer voice at board older residents struggle to
ownership and outright sale level. If you would like to be manage alone, we will provide
by 2023. We’ve begun that part of that journey you can find excellent homes, services that
work already, with some out how to get involved on the make a difference and support
exciting news on page 8 of this Let’s Talk pages of our websites for thriving communities.”
magazine. or see page 7 for details.
We committed to providing
even better community based On the cover — leading the new organisation is Alison Hadden, designate
care and support for older Group board chair, Sarah Boden, designate chief executive and Gareth Evans,
people. Working together, we designate senior independent director.
2 newsextra | Issue two 2019
Register for our
new online
service
today!
My SSHA Why not sign up to do more online?
It’s easy, secure and available 24/7
Have you checked-out My SSHA yet? This new online service makes it really quick
and easy to pay your rent securely, check your current balance or view previous
payments at a time that is convenient for you!
To join the large number of customers who have Almost 200 customers contacted us and they have
already registered and are benefiting from using helped to ensure that My SSHA is easy to use.
this exciting new service, simply visit Members of our customer panel were also closely
www.ssha.co.uk and click on the involved from day one, giving feedback at every
My SSHA link at the top stage from the initial design to rigorously testing
right hand corner of the the online service before it went live in August.
website homepage.
What do YOU think?
It’s really easy and straight-
We’d love to hear what you think of My SSHA.
forward to register — all you need is:
Once registered, if you take a look at your rent
}} A valid email address statement page you will find a link where you can
}} Your name and date of birth give feedback and suggest other services you
would like to be able to access online.
}} Your account reference number, which can be
found on your rent letter.
This new online service was developed in Q: How would you rate this
partnership with our customers and we would like service on a scale of 0-10?
to say a big “thank you” to everyone who helped
design My SSHA. As you might remember, we
mentioned that we would be trialling online rent A: “10 out of 10 – it’s good
payments in this year’s rent review letter and in because I can keep track of my
the last edition of this magazine. We asked you rent which puts my mind at ease”
to get in touch if you would like to be part of that
trial.
Register today by visiting www.ssha.co.uk and
clicking on the My SSHA link.
You said you wanted faster repairs
Your feedback in All emergency repairs are now attended inside 4 hours
ACTION All urgent repairs are carried out within 4 days
The average time you wait for repairs has fallen from 9 days
to just 4 days in 2019.
You can help shape services and make your voice count by registering to get involved at
www.ssha.co.uk/register-get-involved
www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 3
Full marks for homework club pilot
A new homework club launched by our learning programme and digital
inclusion team is proving a huge success.
It’s so popular with pupils that their head teacher from the support on offer.” explained learning
visited the club to find out more. programme and digital inclusion officer Paul
Pupils in year six at Meole Brace C of E Primary and Evans.
Nursery school have been attending Severnside’s “Finding adequate time and space to study at
Meole Digital Den – part of a community home can add to the pressures of family life. The
partnership with Social Telecoms - to take part club aims to reduce some of those demands and
in the homework club since the launch of the support our younger residents to thrive at school.
pilot project in February. Head teacher Henry “With access to computers and dedicated support,
Bray dropped in to see how pupils are making the club is a quiet place for pupils to complete
improvements in their ability to complete their homework and gain confidence in their
homework on time and to a good standard. abilities.”
“The after-school sessions at the Digital Den have
been a real boost to our pupils,” said Mr Bray. Do your homework – the popular learning
“They benefit academically from the small group programme has something for all ages.
tuition and it gives them an opportunity to get Find out more at
their homework done and dusted to the best www.ssha.co.uk/help-and-advice/
of their abilities in a really focused and positive online-courses
environment. The nurturing, supportive nature
of the sessions also helps them to build bonds
socially and the children regularly tell me how
they have enjoyed going.”
Learning programme
The homework clubs form part of Severnside’s
learning programme which aims to boost skills
and inspire local people of all ages to reach their
full potential. It is a great example of the benefit
of community partnerships, with the Digital Den
working closely with the school to develop the
project.
Back row from left - Henry Bray, head teacher at Meole Brace
“When we started the club, we set about C of E Primary and Nursery school, Paul Evans, Severnside’s learning
programme and digital inclusion officer.
establishing a connection with the local school
Front row from left - Pupils Owen Wilcox, Isobel Davis and Ryan
and identified children who would benefit most Cossie-Sullivan
Your feedback in You said you’d like to know how to get in touch
with your local MP
ACTION From this issue onwards, contact details for local MPs will
be included in the Useful contact numbers box on the back
cover of this magazine.
You can help shape services and make your voice count by registering to get involved at
www.ssha.co.uk/register-get-involved
4 newsextra | Issue two 2019
In the picture…
John Birch, resident of Cherry
Tree Court and green-fingered
guru for local school children.
“I spent 27 years as site manager for a
school. I loved my job and it means the
world that so many former pupils have
kept in touch. Last Saturday was the
wedding of a young man I first met when
he was four years old!
“I lived on the school premises and when I
retired, I had to leave my home. I rented a house
near Bloxwich but I was the victim of a nasty ‘‘I’m really enjoying being involved with a school
robbery and didn’t feel safe there any more. again. I missed the routines of the school year;
Three years ago I came to look at a flat in Cherry the start of a new term and the excitement of
Tree Court. I moved in four days later and haven’t Christmas.
looked back. “We’ve got a new project now. We are working in a
“Earlier this year I volunteered to run the small area of woodland on the edge of the playing
Gardening Club at St John’s Primary Academy, fields, restoring the old trails and creating a forest
here in Essington. I’ve been working with 14 classroom. The work is being done by volunteers,
children, all in Year 4. The club meets after school teachers and of course, the pupils. They enjoy
but one young lad makes sure that all the plants being outdoors. The other day I had 11 children
are watered at break time. helping me. I could see eight of them and hear the
other three!
“We’ve grown lettuces, onions, runner and dwarf
beans and peas. In the greenhouse we’ve got “I get out walking every day. It’s important to keep
aubergines and tomatoes. The children wanted active and if I sit down, I might not be able to get
to name the first tomato. It’s the size of my up!”
thumbnail and it’s called Bobby.
“Each pupil has completed a project on one John and the pupils of St John’s Academy
vegetable and they’ve made-up a little booklet. Primary have played a big part in the
It brings them a lot closer to they food they eat. creating of a fabulous new garden at Cherry
These days, people think that everything comes Tree Court. Read about that amazing
from a supermarket; they forget that someone has community project on page 21 of this
to grow it. magazine.
My job is to make life easier
for you.
If you need care and support to help you live independently,
get in touch with Care Plus
01785 312102
www.care-plus.org.uk
www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 5
Customer-led change brings great results
We are big believers in the importance of listening to our customers. After all, you’re the best
people to tell us what we’re doing right and where we might be able to do things better.
Thousands of you took part in the last STAR An innovative approach
survey. From the results we learned that repairs
Calls are passed from customer services to a triage
are hugely important to our customers and that
team in Property Plus. With extensive knowledge
you felt we could improve this service.
and on-the-job experience, they accurately
We acted quickly on that feedback by launching classify the repair and can order a rapid response
a rapid response triage repairs service. We piloted from a dedicated team.
this project early last year and when customers
Triage means that repairs can be carried out more
told us that they loved the changes, we rolled-
quickly.
out triage in all areas, focusing on emergency
and urgent repairs. In December 2018, phase two Smart diagnosis also means that the majority of
introduced extended operating hours and the repairs are completed on the first visit. Any follow-
management of all repairs taking up to one hour up work is arranged at your home and as visits are
to complete. booked at a time that’s convenient for you, we’re
cutting the cost of missed appointments.
Customers have not only inspired the change
through the STAR survey, they’ve been important
partners in the problem solving, too. Solutions
were tested with members of the scrutiny
panel who reported on the effectiveness of the
improved service to our board.
Outstanding results
Following the roll-out of triage, satisfaction with
our repairs has risen to 97%. Customers have
given lots of feedback on their impressions of the
new service, saying: “That’s fantastic, thank you!”
Get involved!
You can make a difference too. Please give us your feedback when we call to ask what you think,
after you have received a service from us. Take part in surveys like the communications one
in this magazine. If you’d like to get more involved, step up to join our customer or scrutiny
panels.
You told us you wanted to do more online
Your feedback in
We have launched My SSHA so that you can pay your rent
ACTION and manage your account online.
Visit www.ssha.co.uk to register
You can help shape services and make your voice count by registering to get involved at
www.ssha.co.uk/register-get-involved
6 newsextra | Issue two 2019
“I know that we’re listened to. As customers,
we can make a difference”
David Spruce has been an SSHA customer since “Our report and
it was formed, in 1997. He is part of the scrutiny recommendations go
panel and was closely involved in its report into to the board. When
Property Plus services this summer. something’s wrong or
“I decided to get involved with the scrutiny panel needs improving, we say
because I felt that housing associations have so. We’re looking at areas of the
looked after me pretty well over the years. I’ve got service that are really important to us and I know
some time now and I wanted to give something that we are listened to. As customers, we can
back. make a difference.
“The first surprise, for me, was how “This summer I attended a national
open and accessible everyone is. “We’re looking at tenant participation conference
When we work on a project like areas of the service focusing on customer engagement,
along with two other panel members.
the Property Plus report this year, that are really
we ask for a lot of information The overriding feeling that we came
important to us away with was how well our customer
and evidence. We met the people
and I know that we voice model works in Housing Plus
involved at every level, went out
with the operatives and talked to are listened to.” Group. Other organisations were really
other customers. impressed with what we achieve and
how we do it.
“I spent time with the grounds maintenance team.
They were a fantastic bunch – at the end of the “We’ve got a very good relationship with the
day, I wanted to work with them! board. They treat us as though we are part of the
business and I suppose, in a way, we are.”
Get involved — your voice, st
Let’ alk
your home, your future
We are committed to listening to the views of our customers and
offering you lots of opportunities to have a real say in the services we
provide.
Our board has pledged to listen to and be influenced by the views of Your voice, your home, your future
customers over and above the regulatory requirements.
If you would like to have your say, there are a number of ways that you can get involved. You can join
one of our customer-led panels who regularly meet at our offices, share your views by completing online
surveys or tell us what you think over the phone and by email.
It’s easy to get involved. You can register online at
What do I need www.ssha.co.uk/register-get-involved
to do? Email letstalk@housingplusgroup.co.uk or call our
customer voice team on 01785 312000
www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 7
Exciting projects for Staffordshire and Shropshire
A new future for Copthorne
Barracks
We are pleased to confirm that we will be
offering new homes in Shrewsbury as part of the
conversion of Copthorne Barracks.
The former base of the King’s Shropshire Light
Infantry is the site of new housing built by Bellway
Homes. This will include 43 properties for our
customers.
Flagship development for “This is fabulous news for Shrewsbury,” said
Perton Sarah Boden. “There has been a huge amount of
Housing Plus Group is set to deliver more than interest in this site and we are delighted that our
200 homes after completing the purchase of proposal for socially rented housing and shared
residential development land in the village of ownership was successful. This is going to be an
Perton. amazing place to live, with the first homes already
completed.”
The 22.24 acre site next to Wrottesley Golf Club
has outline planning permission for up to 220
new homes. Close to the expanding i54 South
Staffordshire, it will provide a combination of
rented, outright sale and shared ownership
homes. It will also feature a newly created
allotment site for residents.
“We are very excited to share news about this
flagship development,” said chief executive Sarah
Boden. “We look forward to creating fabulous new
homes in this popular village and to supporting
economic regeneration in the area. Work on the
i54 expansion got underway in the summer and
is expected to bring more than 1,700 additional New homes in Pontesbury
jobs to South Staffordshire. This represents a Work has commenced at two new development
huge investment in the economic wellbeing of sites in the popular Shropshire village of
our region but will create even more demand for Pontesbury. In Mount Close work will start soon
housing in surrounding communities. on 21 homes for shared ownership and social rent.
“We are working closely with the parish and Nearby in Linley Avenue we are looking forward
district councils to start work on these new to demolishing three outdated properties and
homes as soon as possible and we expect the first replacing with the same number of attractive,
properties to be completed by early 2021.” modern homes for rent.
8 newsextra | Issue two 2019
Building a better future for Good news in Ellesmere and
older people in Kinver Bridgnorth
Work to replace cramped bungalows with Having won a Homes England tender, we are
purpose-built apartments designed for older looking forward to developing up to 68 new
people will begin in November. homes in Brownlow Road in Ellesmere.
The project will create 20 self-contained Many of these homes will be available for outright
apartments for people who want to live sale, meeting local demand and generating
independently, with access to excellent social income to build more homes for affordable rent
spaces and support when they need it. and shared ownership.
The development has been welcomed by former We are also looking at the exciting potential
residents of the old bungalows, one of whom said: of a high profile site in the beautiful town of
“It is good news for the village. My bungalow was Bridgnorth. The development area in Westgate
small, cold and damp. Because it was so dark, I draws together land previously owned by the
used to have my lights on in the daytime. We need local authority and West Mercia Police and will
homes designed for older people so that we can create a mixture of housing types to support the
live comfortably and safely, near our friends and existing community.
families.”
Last chance to buy in Codsall
At Watery Lane in Codsall we are completing the
last phase in an ambitious project to provide 72
new homes for social rent and shared ownership.
The final nine homes are now ready
to buy – don’t miss out!
Kinver
For information about new homes for shared ownership and outright sale, please check the Coming
Soon section of the Severn Homes website. Details of the agents marketing our homes are also listed
at www.severnhomes.co.uk
To find out how to rent a home from SSHA, visit the Find a home section on our website
www.ssha.co.uk/renting-a-home
My job is to help get your finances
straight.
If you’re struggling with your money, finding it hard to budget or have
debts, get help from the Employment and Money Advice (EMA) team.
01785 312000
www.ssha.co.uk • ema@ssha.co.uk
www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 9
nual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 •
Help to Save £1
New savings scheme gives up to £1,200 bonus
A new government-backed savings scheme you need to draw
called Help to Save can help people on low money out to pay
incomes boost their savings by 50p for every important bills. The
£1 saved. bonus is paid on the
Help to Save is a new kind of savings account highest amount you
designed for low-paid workers. To open an have in the account,
account you need to be a UK resident and: before any withdrawals.
}} Entitled to working tax credit and receiving So, if you save £1,000 but go on to withdraw
working or child tax credit payments OR £250, your bonus will still be £500 because that’s
half of your highest balance. And because it’s a
}} Claiming universal credit and have an government scheme, all your money is secure.
individual or household income of £542.88 or
more for the last monthly assessment period. Help to Save and Housing Benefit
How does Help to Save work? You or your partner can save up to £6000 without
affecting your Housing Benefit payments. This
If you can afford to do so, you can save between includes money in your Help to Save account.
£1 and £50 each month. After two years, you’ll Help to Save bonus payments will not affect your
receive a 50% bonus. If you choose to keep the Housing Benefit.
account and continue to save, you will receive
another bonus at the end of year four. How to apply
Depending on how much you save, your Help to You can open a Help to Save account through
Save account could be boosted by as much as the government website www.gov.uk/get-help-
£1,200. savings-low-income/how-to-apply or the HMRC
app. If you can’t get online you can call 0300 322
Because this account has been designed for
7093 to open an account.
people on lower incomes, you won’t lose out if
Stop press…
Congratulations to everyone
who took part in this year’s Best Kept Village
competition, sponsored by SSHA.
Brewood won the hotly-contested SSHA trophy in the large © Caters News Agency
village category, with Bednall taking the prize for small villages.
Neighbourhoods director Jan Goode presented the awards
and congratulated the winners along with the green-fingered
Congratulations to former Old
residents of Perton, Wombourne, Acton Trussell, Kinver and
School Court residents Joan
Pattingham who also impressed the judges.
and Jack Bare, who recently
celebrated their 80th wedding
anniversary and have been
described as Britain’s ‘longest
married couple’.
10 newsextra | Issue one 2019Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–1
Annual Report 2018–19
How are we doing?
Every year we tell you about our financial performance. We also report back to you on how we measure
up against the important service commitments we make to our customers.
Financial reports, that include value for money statements can be found on our Group website -
www.housingplusgroup.co.uk. Here is an at-a-glance guide to our performance in key areas.
Income and expenditure
How your rent is spent Value for money
The government sets the level of rents that 84% of customers feel their rent
we can charge and we work hard to ensure provides value for money.
that the income we receive is well spent
We spent £9.4m (63%) of our
and gives value for money
Group budget with 180 suppliers in
How each pound of your rent is spent: Staffordshire and Shropshire, helping to
support and benefit local communities.
Bringing our Staffordshire grounds
3p
9p maintenance service in-house enabled
26p us to employ 12 local people, save
£130k and deliver an improved service.
£1
18p
25p
19p
Investment in new homes 26p
Staff costs and overheads 25p
Interest on our loans 19p
Repairs and services to our homes 18p
Improvements to your home 9p
Services to your home and communal
3p
areas
www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 118–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report
st
Let’ alk
Involving and empowering our customers Your voice, your home, your future
Over 122 involved customers regularly One of these key projects looked at
share their views to help us improve our whether the Group was on target to
services. deliver improvements to our repairs and
The customer panel, along with a growing maintenance service, promised as a result
number of customer insights collected of the STAR survey to address the fall in
from the virtual panel, contributed to the customer satisfaction.
development of a number of key policies, The panel checked whether customers’
service standards and communications. concerns about the service had been
The customer-led scrutiny panel addressed and reviewed the results
of improvements. This led to a higher
volunteered 247.5 hours of their time.
satisfaction rate and an overall increase in
11 actions were implemented from their
value for money.
recommendations in 2 key projects.
You can find out more about our Let’s Talk campaign and how you can register to get
involved at www.ssha.co.uk/my-home/get-involved-lets-talk
Customer services
Overall customer satisfaction with our call 54 customers were welcomed at our Acton
centre was 89%. Gate reception.
We answered 75,276 calls from you, with 1,575 email enquiries were answered.
74% of your queries being resolved the first 147,350 people visited our website and
time you call, against a target of 75%.
1,256 people followed our Facebook and
65% of calls were answered within 30 Twitter accounts.
seconds, against a target of 75%
Customer satisfaction
181 complaints were received. 88% ofat Stage
all complaints received were resolved
1 of our complaints process.
of complaints were responded to
32% within the 10 day target. 79% ofwithin
complaints were acknowledged
two days.
A new gas contractor was appointed and as a result, complaints in that area were significantly
reduced by 78.9%.
The average amount of time taken to respond to a complaint is 21.6 days which is outside of our
service level agreement of 10 working days. We are working hard to monitor and improve this.
12 newsextra | Issue two 20192018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Re
Your neighbourhood
330 starter tenancy and follow-up visits Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)
were carried out. We are committed to helping customers
138 tenancy agreement changes were experiencing ASB. We dealt with 72 new
made, including mutual exchanges, cases of ASB, 33 of which resulted in us
succession and assignments. taking legal action, including 23 injunctions.
We undertook 1,346 communal block fire 244 environmental ASB cases were also
safety inspections. resolved which included fly tipping and
167 no access cases for gas and electrical abandoned vehicles.
inspections were dealt with successfully.
Your community
Employment and money advice Your tenancy
Our employment and money advice
team received 241 customer referrals for We made a commitment to keep rent
528 different areas of support, achieving arrears below 2.5%
money savings of nearly £1.2m.
Money savings are defined as any Result: rent arrears were
increased income for customers, through 1.72% in 2018–19
effective debt management, increased/
additional welfare benefits or access to We let 333 homes, 30 of which were
grant and trust funding. newly built properties.
Building Better Opportunities Of those applicants:
(BBO) 30 were in the Gold Priority band
We engaged with 29 people to help 78 were in the Gold band
them into employment, further education 146 were in the Silver band
or work placements. 24 of these
79 were in the Bronze band
people attended local job clubs and
21 completed personal development We spent nearly £603k improving and
courses. repairing homes that became vacant.
www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 13Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–1
.
Your home
Improvement work New homes
Over £3.9m of our total budget was We built 168 new homes across the
spent making planned improvements to Group, our highest ever number with the
our homes, including: following tenures:
171 new kitchens
374 new bathrooms and wetrooms
393 central heating systems 43
504 new doors
23 rewires
Well maintained homes
We spent over £10.7m on repairing, 125
maintaining and improving homes.
13,595 property repairs were completed.
Across the Group, 93% of customers
were satisfied with the repair service they
received.
Affordable and social rent 125
96.05% of routine repairs were completed Shared ownership 43
within target.
Over 13,000 safety first inspections were 100% of customers told us that they were
completed to safeguard our customers and either very satisfied or fairly satisfied with
their homes with overall safety compliance their new home.
for all areas across the Group at 99%. For every £1 invested in the building of
new homes, the social return for the local
area was up to £8.54 and this equates to a
staggering £176m across the Group.
14 newsextra | Issue two 201919 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 2018–19 • Annual Report 20
Partnership in action
Josh Goodwins, 22, blazing a trail in the housing world
Collaboration between Housing Plus Group working. He has been identifying
and South Staffordshire Council has created a underused garage sites that we
fantastic opportunity for a local graduate and own, which adjoin pockets of land
provided a model for a new way of working. owned by the council.
Josh was appointed jointly by both “The idea is to bring these spaces together so
organisations who worked with the University of that we can provide much-needed new housing
Wolverhampton’s graduate employment agency. for local people.” Josh explains. “Often, these
He spends half of each week in the development sites are in villages where there is a big need
team at Housing Plus Group and the remainder of for new homes but a lack of land for residential
his time as part of the Enterprise and Growth team development. These are small sites that have a
at the council. low impact on the neighbourhood but can make a
The new role was introduced in an exciting huge difference to people and families who want
example of partnership work where the shared to live there.
ambition was to help local communities thrive “At the council, I’m working in a team that tries to
and prosper. get the maximum use and value out of council-
“This approach works on so many levels,” owned land. Both my teams want the same thing,
explained Imre Tolygesi, partnership which is the best for local communities.
development manager at South Staffordshire “I put into practice a lot of what I learned about
Council. “For the council we’re able to dispose the development process as part of my degree but
of land that’s costly to maintain and re-invest in I’ve gained a huge amount of knowledge in my
projects that make a real difference. Housing Plus job. I can look at an area and know the planning
Group can identify new sites, helping to provide policy for that kind of land and the priorities for
the homes our communities need. And for Josh, the local councillors. I’ve got an insight into what
our joint approach gives him the added benefit our planners want as well as an understanding
of insight into two like-minded organisations, about the demand for housing from people on
providing the platform to become a future leader our waiting lists.
with the right balance of skills to continue serving “It will be amazing when work starts on the first of
our residents.” ‘my’ sites. I’m very lucky to be in a position where
The project that Josh has been working on this I can learn so much and make a real difference to
year has demonstrated the benefits of this way of communities where I live.”
Important information: Closure of our offices at Christmas
Our offices will close for Christmas at 3pm on Tuesday 24 December 2019 and reopen
on Thursday 2 January 2020.
Our out-of-hours service for emergencies will rent payments or check your account at My SSHA
operate as usual throughout this period. You can 24:7 throughout the Christmas holiday.
contact this service by ringing the normal customer If you receive personal, planned care from Care
services enquiry number 01785 312000. Plus then this will continue as normal during the
The out-of-hours service is available for you to Christmas holiday. If you have any queries you can
report emergency repairs. Emergency repairs are contact staff on 01785 312102.
classed as things that present a health and safety If your home is in one of our retirement living
risk or which could cause a danger to people or communities then you will be able to contact local
property. officers during working hours. In an emergency on
Remember that you will be able to access useful Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day, call
information on our website and can make online 01785 312000.
www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 15Making a difference
Proud to support community champions
Each year Housing Plus Group
makes a number of donations
to great causes. In your last
magazine we told you about
our support for Shrewsbury and
Oswestry Crucial Crew, a summer
project benefiting up to 1,500
children from 60 local primary
schools.
Community fun
Craft Club We were pleased to support
one of our own residents,
lends a hand Sara Connelly who organised
a community fun day near to
Congratulations to the where she lives, in Featherstone.
fantastic members of the Craft Sarah was raising funds and
Club at Pencric, in Penkridge, awareness for Cancer Research.
who have been fundraising “It’s a charity that is close to my We know that many of our
to support Birmingham heart, having lost my mother and customers help out in their
Children’s Hospital. a close friend to the disease,” she communities and Care Plus
The crafty neighbours wanted told us. provides lots of opportunities
to do what they could after the Housing Plus Group helped for people to offer their skills,
hospital helped the grandson ensure the success of Sara’s event time or friendship in retirement
of one of the residents. Through by contributing a shopping living communities. So we were
the sale of beautiful handmade voucher raffle prize. The voucher very pleased to sponsor a special
cards and gifts they have was won by Brian Clayton. award for those working with
manged to raise an impressive Brian was providing food for older people.
£360 for this great cause. the event and when he learned The Care Plus sponsored award
Talented residents in other that he was a raffle winner, he was won by the Coven Forget-
retirement living communities made a generous cash donation Me-Not Club, an organisation run
have also been doing their topping-up the appeal. by volunteers, which arranges
bit to help others with cake Sara’s fun day raised a fantastic meals, coach trips, speakers
sales, summer fairs and more. £600 for the cancer charity. “I and activities for older people
At Corsers Court in Perton, the hope my mum and my friend who might otherwise become
volunteer-run Knit & Natter Andrea would have been proud isolated at home.
group has been making toys for of me. I was amazed at all the And because we know how
children in need in this country support we had and it was lovely much pride so many of
and abroad as well as raising to see the community come our customers take in their
money for charity through their together.” neighbourhoods, we have also
knitting. been proud to support the
Volunteer awards
hotly-contested Best Kept Village
The Group also backed the
See what happened when Awards.
Volunteer Celebration Awards.
we dropped in on the Knit
& Natter group in this short Individuals as well as organisations can apply for sponsorship
film at www.youtube. from our community fund. You can download an
com/watch?v= application form from our website.
40jt312mzgY&t Go to www.ssha.co.uk/sponsorship
16 newsextra | Issue two 2019Getting advice, info and services – the best way for YOU
Quick and easy routes to success
I want to have more of a say in the services
When will I get a new I receive from SSHA
kitchen or bathroom? Are you online?
The fastest was to find out
YES - register through our website 24:7 at
is by visiting the Planned
www.ssha.co.uk/register-get-involved
Improvements page on our
or email letstalk@housingplusgroup.co.uk
website to see the qualifying
timescale and schedule NO - Call 01785 312000 during office hours and
for your area. You can find ask to speak to our customer voice team
this in the Repairs and
Maintenance menu, under I have questions about my tenancy
the My Home tab.
Quick and easy answers to a lot of questions are in the My Home
area of our website. It’s where you will find things like a direct
debit form, your rent calendar, an application form, guidance
I want to know why notes to request a mutual exchange and information about the
Lettable Standard.
my bin hasn’t been
collected
Call South Staffordshire What do I do if I need to report a change of
Council on 01902 696203
circumstances that might affect my HOUSING benefit?
You need to report a change }} people moving into or out
of circumstances for you of your house (for example
I want to check my or someone else in your your partner, a child or
household. If you don’t do lodger)
rent balance this straight away your claim }} having a baby
Are you online? could be stopped or reduced. }} your partner or someone
YES - You can do this 24:7 Changes include: you live with dying
through My SSHA }} starting or stopping work, }} your child turning 18
accessed from our website. education, training or an Report any change of
NO - Call 01785 312000 apprenticeship circumstances to your local
during office hours }} changes to the benefits council.
you or anyone else in your If you are having problems
house gets with your money or benefits
}} changes to your pension, you can find advice in the
I am experiencing ASB savings, investments or Help and Advice area of our
Call us on: 01785 312000 property website. Alternatively, you
}} moving house can email ema@ssha.co.uk
Email:
or call customer services and
enquir @ssha.co.uk
ies }} your rent going up or
down ask to speak to a member of
Or write to: our Employment and Money
South Staffordshire }} going abroad for any
Advice (EMA) team.
Housing Association length of time
Acton Court, Acton Gate }} going into hospital, a Call 01785 312000 or
Stafford, ST18 9AP care home or sheltered visit www.ssha.co.uk
accommodation
www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 17Focus on
apprenticeships
We are very proud of the apprenticeship
opportunities we offer to young people in
Staffordshire and Shropshire.
One area with a particular focus on
apprenticeships is our electrical team, where an
outstanding training programme has recently
been highly commended by the Electrical
Contractors Association (ECA).
Apprentices and trainees from Property Plus met
Apprenticeship and mentoring involves one- chief executive Sarah Boden for a catch up about
third of the workforce in the electrical team, their progress.
with full-time employment for all apprentices on
completion. One of those invited to meet Sarah was Haydn
Beddow, 26, who is in the fourth year of an
The apprenticeship programme includes electrical apprenticeship. Hayden told us that
administrative as well as technical positions. “Sarah said she was proud to meet us and
This has resulted in improved support for the explained that apprentices are the future of the
team from colleagues with relevant skills and organisation. I think this is the best apprenticeship
knowledge. opportunity you can get. I’m definitely looking
Better training results in happier customers, forward to further career progression here in the
too. As well as skills training, these ‘bright future.”
spark’ apprentice electricians improve their
communication skills, boost their problem solving
abilities and develop bags of personal confidence. Check out www.housingplusgroup.
You tell us that you like the resulting right-first- co.uk/careers regularly for the
time service and friendly staff. latest updates on apprenticeship
Apprentices are considered an important and opportunities.
valued part of the team, from day one.
“I followed you on Facebook and got an
interview the following week!”
Care and support worker Laura Siverns ‘liked’ Corsers Court is
Care Plus on Facebook. Along with lots of great super-convenient
news stories and pictures from our retirement from my home
living communities, we often post details of job and it’s a great
vacancies on our social media. place to work. The
Laura soon spotted a link to a vacancy on her apartments are
doorstep. She completed the enquiry form and lovely and the
had an interview the following week. She started residents and staff are all very
work at Corsers Court this summer. friendly.
“I’ve been a carer for about ten years. I was really “I like working for Care Plus. It’s a big organisation
pleased when I saw the job advert on Facebook. with lots of opportunities and job security.”
It was a lucky day for Laura when she followed our Facebook page. For all the latest news and
updates, you can find Care Plus, Housing Plus Group and SSHA on Facebook and Twitter.
18 newsextra | Issue two 2019Keeping you safe in your
home
As you know, we have highlighting the importance
always taken fire safety very of keeping balconies and
seriously indeed. We know communal spaces clear to
that you do, too. reduce fire hazards and ensure
Our new fire door safety team that emergency services could
is an investment in sector- reach you quickly.
leading standards of safety for We have been doing more to
customers living in residential increase the safety of balconies
blocks. This team checks EVERY to flats. This year we replaced
fire door, twice yearly. almost 100 timber balconies
During these safety checks the at flats in the Harlescott,
team will put right anything Monkmoor and Belle Vue areas
that they find which could of Shrewsbury.
“The new balconies are popular
compromise the effectiveness “We removed old wooden
with local residents because
of one of these doors if a fire balustrades and installed a
they have improved the
breaks out. more modern mesh design,”
appearance of these homes
You will have read articles in explained senior projects
as well as creating a safer
previous issues of this magazine manager John Pullen.
environment.”
Fire safety is a responsibility we share. Never wedge open a fire door that’s there to protect you.
!
Keep communal areas clear and don’t use balconies to store material that could cause a fire to
spread. Don’t light barbecues, gas patio heaters or anything else with a naked flame on your
balcony.
Safety checks
SSHA has important legal }} Gas servicing and repair
duties and obligations to }} Electrical installation }} Un-vented cylinders checks
ensure you and your family checks and associated }} Fire risk assessments
are safe in your home. repairs (communal areas and
If we book a safety check }} Solid fuel and oil central sheltered schemes only)
appointment with you, it heating servicing and Failure to give access to your
is essential that you are at repairs home to carry out these
home to let our contractors important inspections is
in to undertake this vitally }} Managing asbestos
a breach of your tenancy,
important work. }} Solar PV roof panel which could result in the loss
Our safety first checks include: inspections of your home.
Every year we spend over £60,500 on missed If you need to change a safety check
pre-booked appointments — money that could appointment please contact our customer
be spent on improving homes. services team on 01785 312000.
www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 19Have your say Win an
iPad
Hundreds of you responded to our communications survey last year, helping us to
make some important changes to the way we engage with you. We are repeating the
survey again this year just to check that we are still getting it right.
1. How do you like to hear from us? (tick all that apply)
Magazines Email newsletters Social media Websites
Letters Leaflets Other (please state)
2. Overall, how satisfied are you with these methods?
Do sfied
ed
d
d
d
isfi
fie
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fie
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fie
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fie
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ssa
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V.
V.
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Magazines V. Letters
Email newsletters Leaflets
Social media Other
Websites
3. How well informed do you feel? 4. Is the information easy to understand?
Fully informed Very easy to understand
Fairly well informed Easy to understand
Neutral Neutral You can also
Poorly informed Hard to understand complete this
Very poorly informed Very hard to understand survey at
5. What would you like to know more about? (tick all that apply) www.ssha.co.uk
Money advice Retirement living
Employment advice Care and support
Repairs advice Shared ownership/market rent properties
Home improvements and maintenance How to give feedback about our services
Local activities and events Stories about our customers and our staff
Housing developments in your area Other (please state)
News about SSHA
6. Is there anything else you would like us to think about as part of this survey?
Name: Phone:
Address: Email:
Age: 18–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65+ Prefer not to say
When you have completed your survey, return it Send your survey to:
to us by 29 November 2019 to stand a chance of Freepost SSHA
winning an Apple iPad.
You can complete this survey anonymously but you will not be entered into the prize draw.
Read full terms and conditions on our website www.housingplusgroup.co.uk/tc-magazine-survey-2019
20 newsextra | Issue two 2019On the move? Community project is
If you are thinking about leaving
your home there are a few things
blooming at Cherry
you need to remember. Tree Court
Giving notice A garden makeover
First, you must give us at least four weeks’ has sown the seeds
notice in writing, when you wish to end of competition
your tenancy. success at Cherry
Tenancy weeks always start on a Monday, so if Tree Court in
you give us notice on a Wednesday your notice Essington.
period won’t begin until the following Monday. Cherry Tree Court has been the focus of a large-
Make sure that you give vacant possession and scale community project this summer, creating a
return your keys to us by 12pm on Monday at the fabulous new garden which was completed just
end of your notice – if you don’t do this you will be in time to be included in the Essington in Bloom
charged a further week’s rent. contest.
Leaving your home ready Everyone pitched in to a Ground Force-style
makeover in partnership with local councillors.
to let Caring businesses donated materials and labour
When you end your tenancy you and Year 6 pupils of St John’s Primary Academy
should remove all furniture, personal in Essington visited weekly to help the residents
possessions and rubbish, leaving the home and paint decorative pots and to plant-up the
fixtures in a clean, lettable standard. If you have containers. Housing Plus Group made a generous
a loft or garden, you will need to ensure that it is donation to help make the project a success,
free from rubbish and in a neat condition before contributing £500 for plants and flowers.
you leave.
Dementia friendly
SSHA will charge you for the cost of:
The garden has been carefully designed to be
}} replacing any missing or damaged items dementia-friendly and the school pupils have
}} replacing any alterations to which we did not also learned dementia awareness as part of their
give written consent involvement.
}} removing all rubbish and The new space has been named the Cherry
personal belongings left Tree Court Retreat. It provides a sociable
in the property outdoor meeting place for residents, complete
}} cleaning the with sheltered seating area, raised beds and a
property, if centrepiece water feature. There is a lush green
necessary lawn too, although as resident John Birch who
helped create the garden explained, it isn’t quite
what it seems: “We wanted something that was
When someone is no longer a customer of easy to look after, so we chose synthetic turf. It
SSHA and still owes us money, we don’t write looks incredibly realistic and it just needs a quick
it off. It is our responsibility to recover this vacuum every now and again!”
debt, which can be reinvested in homes and The finishing touches were put to the garden
services for our customers. Between April and hours before a visit by judges of the Essington
December last year we recovered £73,000 in Bloom contest. We will learn the results of the
owed to us by previous tenants. That’s competition later this year but residents present
enough to pay for 25 new bathrooms or during the visit said that the judges seemed “Very
nearly 150 Home MOTs! impressed by what everyone had achieved.”
www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 21JUSTICE
CORNER
Helping to beat the county lines gangs
As a landlord, we continually engage with the }} Changes in a resident’s mood and/or
police to assist them in fighting crime. This demeanour (e.g. secretive/withdrawn/
includes attending local meetings hosted by the aggressive/emotional)
police which include representatives of schools, }} Unexplained, sometimes unaffordable new
social services and child protection. things (e.g clothes, jewellery, cars etc)
One of the issues discussed at these meetings }} Residents or young people you know going
is the problem of drug trafficking into our area, missing, maybe for long periods of time
known as the county lines operation.
}} Young people seen in different cars/taxis
Drug traffickers often target vulnerable people. driven by unknown adults
They befriend the individual, take over their home
and start using it as a base for drug dealing. From }} Young people seeming unfamiliar with your
here they groom people to form a drug supply community
chain and to act as lookouts. }} Truancy, exclusion, disengagement from
One recent case heard in the Crown Court at school
Wolverhampton led to five people being jailed }} An increase in anti-social behaviour in the
for a total of more than 30 years. Landlord community
information supplied since 2016 was part of the }} Unexplained injuries
evidence for this trial.
The National Crime Agency says some signs to What you can do?
look out for suggesting involvement in county
lines activity include: If you have information about the supply
of drugs call police on 101 or remain
}} An increase in visitors and cars to a home anonymous by speaking to Crimestoppers
}} New faces appearing at the home on 0800 555 111. You can also report it to
}} New and regularly changing residents your neighbourhood officer by calling 01785
312000 or emailing enquiries@ssha.co.uk
}} Substance misuse and/or drug paraphernalia
and we will gather the information to
share it with the relevant partners.
Shopping voucher up for grabs! WIN
Did you know that when we install new gas central heating to a £50
home, Morgan Lambert carry out a gas safety audit?
Customers who give access to their home for this work to be
done are entered into a quarterly prize draw. Up for grabs is a £50
shopping voucher!
Pictured is recent lucky winner Mrs Hill from Codsall.
22 newsextra | Issue two 2019Greener services
As a Group with roots in Reducing plastic the disposal of
the local community, we waste after we
As well as reducing the amount
are very conscious of our have installed a
of plastic used in construction,
responsibility to look after new kitchen or
insulation is provided well
the environment. bathroom.
beyond the requirements of
You will have seen our electric building regulations. The homes Cutting landfill
cars and vans. We are installing were built to reduce water and Each year we improve hundreds
electrical charging points at our energy consumption and the of homes in Staffordshire and
offices and in centrally located development includes storm Shropshire. Waste is removed
retirement living communities, water storage tanks supporting in big containers called
too. We’re also installing energy- long-term flood management in HIPPO bags. That keeps your
efficient lighting in communal the local community. neighbourhood tidy while we
areas and replacing older
With this issue of your magazine work. As well as that, we can
boilers with new equipment
we’re reaching another green ensure that we recycle as much
designed to cut the amount of
milestone. as possible and that waste like
energy you use.
For the first time, more than cardboard, timber, metals and
New homes and retirement insulation materials is diverted
half of our customers will
living communities that we from landfill.
be receiving the magazine
are building meet the highest
by email, bringing a huge
possible standards of energy
reduction in paper and printing.
efficiency. For example a £2.6m Between April 2018 and
Those of you who prefer to
project to create 24 new homes March 2019 we filled
receive a paper copy might
1017
for social rent on a brownfield
have noticed that your news has
site in Wellington this year was
arrived in a compostable bag.
carefully designed to cut the
environmental impact of the
scheme.
The area where we are making
the biggest difference is in HIPPO bags
Share your ideas for ways for us to deliver greener, better
services. Email enquiries@ssha.co.uk
If you receive a paper copy of the magazine, please make sure
93.77%
of this waste –
that it is recycled when you have finished reading. Alternatively almost 1,000 tonnes –
you register to receive your magazine digitally at was successfully diverted
www.ssha.co.uk/digital-news-extra from landfill.
My job is to keep you safe.
By law we must carry out gas safety checks so it’s important that you
give us access to your home to complete this vital work. Every year we
spend over £60,500 on missed appointments. You can help us reduce
this by letting us know if you need to cancel or change a safety check
appointment. Together, we can cut waste, improve services and
invest in our homes.
01785 312000
www.ssha.co.uk
www.ssha.co.uk | newsextra 23WIN
Word search £25
F
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Find the 10 hidden words to N M W D D U I S S A F E T Y I N
win a £25 shopping voucher.
E C H V K H K B R O H M S N O R
Please send your entry to the address
W P L I G D O C B L E A Y T G C
below, by Friday 1 November 2019.
The first correct entry drawn will win H U Y N K N O D W A B D F N N I
the prize. O R F E E D B A C K G O H M I D
M E L D G I E U D W R N B S S N
Freepost SSHA
E E S U S G C E D P I D L P I F
S T N H O J A L R D E R H S A B
Name:
C N A P L N F O K L U A M C R U
Address:
T U N G S B F E A N B E V E D U
B L R A D I Y E G R L O N A N K
W O S A T I S F A C T I O N U O
Postcode:
S V K I H I C D K E P M A N F T
Tel:
C P I H S R E N T R A P I L E B
Congratulations to Mrs J Vale Find these Fundraising Partnership
who won the word search words Merger Safety
competition in the last edition Facebook New homes Satisfaction
of News Extra Not for profit Volunteer
Feedback
Full competition terms and conditions can be found on our website
www.housingplusgroup.co.uk/terms-and-conditions-customer-magazine-competitions
Useful contact numbers:
ll General property, heating ll Refuse collection ll Amanda Milling MP
and hot water repairs, rent 01902 696203 Cannock Chase
payment, debt advice and fault (South Staffordshire Council) 020 7219 8356
reporting ll Street lighting amanda.milling.mp
01785 312000 0300 111 8000 @parliament.uk
(SSHA Customer Services) (South Staffordshire Council) ll Mark Pritchard MP
ll Gas servicing ll Street cleaning The Wrekin
01782 564448 01902 696316 020 7219 8494
(Phoenix Gas Services) (Staffordshire County Council) pritchardm@parliament.uk
ll Gas leaks ll Personal concerns, worries and ll Gavin Williamson MP
0800 111 999 troubles South Staffordshire
(National Gas Emergency Service) 116 123(Samaritans) 020 7219 7245
ll Health and sickness help and gavin.williamson.mp@
ll Jeremy Lefroy MP parliament.uk
advice Stafford
111 (NHS Direct) 020 7219 7154
ll Police 101 (non-emergency) jeremy.lefroy.mp@parliament.uk
This magazine is also available in: SSHA Acton Court, Acton Gate,
@ssha_tweets Stafford, ST18 9AP
Large print Audio Customer Services
Care Plus 01785 312000
Other languages enquiries@ssha.co.uk
@careplus_tweets www.ssha.co.ukYou can also read
