1158 Spring Prime Time 05
INSIDE: WELCOME • RECORD BREAKERS • REWARDS 4U AWARDS FOR US ALL • SERVICE REVIEW • STATISTICS
Rent Arrears ‘Rent arrears’ is the term we use for money that is owed to us when someone does not pay their rent on time. At the end of April 2004, we were owed a total of £4,947 by people who live in sheltered housing. By the end of November 2004, this had gone up to £7,800. There are many reasons why rent is not paid on time, and we do believe that most people prefer to pay their way. However, we know that unexpected problems can happen that means debts arise. If you are having difficulty paying your rent please contact the Housing Manager (Sheltered Housing) on 01293 438427 as soon as possible to discuss the situation.
Complaints We are committed to delivering a high quality service, and welcome your comments, compliments and complaints. These give us the opportunity to put things right where we can and continue to improve our service to you. From September to December 2004, we are proud to say that we received no formal complaints about the Sheltered Housing Service. Since March 2004, 11 of you have contacted your local councillor or MP to ask for their help in answering your questions about the housing service. Only one of these was a complaint about the sheltered housing service. Thank you The last year has been a very busy and rewarding one. We would like to thank everyone, our staff, our partners and particularly you, our tenants, who have worked so hard over the last year helping us to both run and develop our service.
Prime Time
Our Sheltered Housing Tenants’ Newsletter • Spring 2005
This document is available in other formats on request. Please contact us if you would like a translation or copies in braille, large print, audio tape or computer disk. Please contact: The Housing Service Development Team at Crawley Homes Tel: 01293 438685 E-mail: [email protected]
Crawley Borough Council Town Hall The Boulevard Crawley West Sussex RH10 1UZ
Crawley Homes Printed and published by Crawley Borough Council on environmentally friendly paper. February 2005.
Providing homes that the people of Crawley are proud to live in
Welcome l
Record Breakers It’s Official – everyone who took part in the Largest Tea & Buns Party in June is a
✓
We did it!
We are proud to say that we have successfully been re-accredited with The Centre for Sheltered Housing Studies Code of Practice. The Code of Practice promotes and ensures good practice in our Sheltered Housing Service and this success follows our original accreditation in December 2001.
‘Record Breaker’ Prime Time celebrates its fifth edition with a bumper issue, full of information about your sheltered housing service.
In addition to that
Inside, we tell you what we found out when we carried out a review of the service and what is happening.
We are also proud to announce that we have gained the Charter Mark for our Sheltered Housing Service. Charter Mark is the government’s national standard for excellence in customer service.
We are also delighted to tell you about our successful Code of Practice Re-accreditation and Charter Mark Award. If you have ever wondered about some of the facts and figures for our sheltered housing, this issue is for you, as we tell you how well we are doing. I hope that you find this enjoyable and informative and if you have any suggestions about what you would like to see included please get in touch with us.
Kath and Phyllis talk over the big day.
Charter Mark involves an assessment of all areas of the service delivered to the customer, and assesses applicants against six criterion: ■ setting standards and performing well ■ actively engaging with customers,
partners and staff ■ being fair and accessible to everyone
and promoting choice ■ continuously developing and
improving Jim Redwood
Director of Environment & Housing
If you are interested in contributing to Prime Time as part of the Editorial Panel please ring or write to Anne Forshaw at the Town Hall, Tel: 01293 438257.
■ using your resources effectively and
imaginatively ■ contributing to improving
opportunities and quality of life in the communities served.
On Monday 6th December a celebration of our achievements was held at Halfacres Sheltered Housing Scheme at Northgate, where the Mayor presented certificates to the staff of the Sheltered Housing service in front of an audience of tenants and colleagues. We would also like to say thank you to all of you who helped us to gain these good practice awards. Congratulations to Janet Morris, Scheme Manager at Buckingham Court and Balmoral Court for receiving a STARS nomination in August 2004. STARS is the Councils staff recognition scheme, where staff can be rewarded for providing
A St✵r
outstanding customer service. Nominations can be made by members of the public or by colleagues and in Janet’s case a colleague nominated her for her help in assisting a new tenant to move in.
London & the Lights in December
As we mentioned in the last edition of Prime Time, a major review of the Sheltered Housing and Lifeline service has been carried out.
The committee of CHARMS, used their heads and applied for a Neighbourhood Grant from Rewards 4U. They were planning a coach trip to London to see the Christmas lights, with a fish & chip supper and after dinner mints as well and applied to the Rewards 4U scheme for help with the cost. Having filled in the form and provided all the necessary information, a panel considered and agreed their request.
The review looked at how Scheme Managers carried out their role, as Scheme Managers and as Relief Lifeline Managers (mobile wardens), and if the service was both efficient and effective.
A cheque for £500.00 was given to the committee in November. To make the trip a bit of a surprise they managed to keep this from most of the others until the day of the trip. Although the day of the trip was dull and overcast, this did not dampen their spirits and a good time was had by all.
Congratulations Bernadette Williams, Scheme Manager at Gossops Green, entered, ‘Why I enjoy Supporting People At Home’, a national competition run by ERoSH, (a national charity representing Sheltered Housing). Bernadette wrote 350 words to sum up why she enjoys being a scheme manager, and much to our delight she was one of just five short- listed entries. As one of the runners up, Bernadette attended a celebration lunch in London when she was presented with a commemorative plaque.
Improving our Service to you.
During the review we consulted both tenants and staff and over the last few weeks, Phil Scott, the Housing Operations Manager, has visited all of your sheltered housing schemes, to tell you about the changes that are happening to the service as a result of the review. The main changes that will happen as a result of what the review told us are:
■ All of the scheme managers will be
moving to another home in Crawley away from the schemes they manage during 2005. ■ All of the scheme managers will be joining the 24 hour lifeline roster. Your scheme managers will still carry on working as normal providing you with a service that includes: ■ Morning calls to those of you who want them. ■ Help and support if you need it throughout the day. The Lifeline service will continue to respond to your emergency alarm calls when your scheme manager is away from the scheme. This part of our service to you will improve, as by September we will have 12 staff on the roster that will be able to provide cover 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
If you want to know more about this, then please contact your scheme manager.
Getting in touch with us
If you need to contact your scheme manager during the day and you are at home, please activate the speech unit used for your morning calls.
Telephone numbers for the Scheme Manager’s Offices are:
The competition highlights excellence, dedication and best practice in the sheltered and retirement housing sector.
Scheme Name
Tel
Attlee & Cripps (Attlee House, Cripps House, Maxton Walk, Henderson Road) Balmoral Court Bewbush (Wycliffe Court, Calvin Walk, Bunyan Close, Wesley Close, Booth Road) Buckingham Court Fairlawn House Furnace Green (Feroners Court, Brunswick Court, Furnace Parade) Gossops Green (Gossops Parade, Capel Lane, Gossops Drive, Paddockhurst Road, Hascombe Court, Woldhurstlea) Greenfields (Carey House, Spurgeon Close, Taylor Walk) Northgate (Hollybush Close, The Brook, Halfacres) Schaffer House Selsey Court and Henbane Court The Twittens Ewhurst Road
543804 538710 515382 538711 526446 536968
For queries regarding rent accounts, or tenancy or estate management issues please contact the Housing Manager (Sheltered Schemes) at the Town Hall on 01293 438427
If you want to report a repair to your home you can ring the Repairs Hotline 01293 438359 or 01293 438000
511642 517797 534187 881085 512552 515063 Emergency repairs, outside of office hours can be reported on 01293 551636
How much does it all cost?
How are we doing? How many homes do we have? At the end of March 2004, Crawley Homes had a total 8,536 homes to rent, 618 of these were homes in Sheltered Housing Schemes. Homes in Sheltered Housing can be found across the town and the table below shows how many we have and where they are. Sheltered Bungalow
Sheltered Flat
1 bedroom 2 bedroom
1 bedroom
Bewbush Broadfield
9
27
10
41
3
56
117
185
64
28
92
41
14
70
37
8
45
26
4
36
23
23
15
Maidenbower Northgate
2 bedroom
4
Furnace Green Gossops Green
Total
6
Three Bridges West Green
26
23
71
6
Total
50
36
345
187
Empty Homes Last year from April 2003 to March 2004 we had a total of 60 sheltered homes become empty, and it took about five weeks on average before new tenants moved into them. So far this year (From April until the end of November 2004) 45 sheltered homes have become empty and it has taken about seven weeks before new tenants have moved in.
126
The graph below shows how these costs are split between the number of homes (units) on each scheme, and shows the cost per home for the last financial year
There are many costs involved in making sure that sheltered housing schemes provide the service you want. These include costs for: ■ employing the scheme manager ■ lighting communal areas ■ maintaining and running community rooms ■ heating communal areas ■ maintaining lifts This is not a complete list of all the costs involved but gives you a flavour of what you are paying for. The cost of providing the service varies from scheme to scheme. Things that can affect this include: ■ how many homes are in the scheme and therefore share the cost ■ when the scheme was built, which reflects on how much maintenance and repair work may need doing ■ whether the scheme has large communal areas that cost more to heat and light Please remember that your rent not only covers the cost of running the Sheltered Housing scheme where you live but includes money that we have to pay back to central government and money that contributes to running the whole of the housing service including programmed maintenance works.
Above is a graph that compares the costs of running all our Sheltered Housing Schemes from April 2003 to March 2004
Rent Arrears ‘Rent arrears’ is the term we use for money that is owed to us when someone does not pay their rent on time. At the end of April 2004, we were owed a total of £4,947 by people who live in sheltered housing. By the end of November 2004, this had gone up to £7,800. There are many reasons why rent is not paid on time, and we do believe that most people prefer to pay their way. However, we know that unexpected problems can happen that means debts arise. If you are having difficulty paying your rent please contact the Housing Manager (Sheltered Housing) on 01293 438427 as soon as possible to discuss the situation.
Complaints We are committed to delivering a high quality service, and welcome your comments, compliments and complaints. These give us the opportunity to put things right where we can and continue to improve our service to you. From September to December 2004, we are proud to say that we received no formal complaints about the Sheltered Housing Service. Since March 2004, 11 of you have contacted your local councillor or MP to ask for their help in answering your questions about the housing service. Only one of these was a complaint about the sheltered housing service. Thank you The last year has been a very busy and rewarding one. We would like to thank everyone, our staff, our partners and particularly you, our tenants, who have worked so hard over the last year helping us to both run and develop our service.
Prime Time
Our Sheltered Housing Tenants’ Newsletter • Spring 2005
This document is available in other formats on request. Please contact us if you would like a translation or copies in braille, large print, audio tape or computer disk. Please contact: The Housing Service Development Team at Crawley Homes Tel: 01293 438685 E-mail: [email protected]
Crawley Borough Council Town Hall The Boulevard Crawley West Sussex RH10 1UZ
Crawley Homes Printed and published by Crawley Borough Council on environmentally friendly paper. February 2005.
Providing homes that the people of Crawley are proud to live in
Welcome l
Record Breakers It’s Official – everyone who took part in the Largest Tea & Buns Party in June is a
✓
We did it!
We are proud to say that we have successfully been re-accredited with The Centre for Sheltered Housing Studies Code of Practice. The Code of Practice promotes and ensures good practice in our Sheltered Housing Service and this success follows our original accreditation in December 2001.
‘Record Breaker’ Prime Time celebrates its fifth edition with a bumper issue, full of information about your sheltered housing service.
In addition to that
Inside, we tell you what we found out when we carried out a review of the service and what is happening.
We are also proud to announce that we have gained the Charter Mark for our Sheltered Housing Service. Charter Mark is the government’s national standard for excellence in customer service.
We are also delighted to tell you about our successful Code of Practice Re-accreditation and Charter Mark Award. If you have ever wondered about some of the facts and figures for our sheltered housing, this issue is for you, as we tell you how well we are doing. I hope that you find this enjoyable and informative and if you have any suggestions about what you would like to see included please get in touch with us.
Kath and Phyllis talk over the big day.
Charter Mark involves an assessment of all areas of the service delivered to the customer, and assesses applicants against six criterion: ■ setting standards and performing well ■ actively engaging with customers,
partners and staff ■ being fair and accessible to everyone
and promoting choice ■ continuously developing and
improving Jim Redwood
Director of Environment & Housing
If you are interested in contributing to Prime Time as part of the Editorial Panel please ring or write to Anne Forshaw at the Town Hall, Tel: 01293 438257.
■ using your resources effectively and
imaginatively ■ contributing to improving
opportunities and quality of life in the communities served.
On Monday 6th December a celebration of our achievements was held at Halfacres Sheltered Housing Scheme at Northgate, where the Mayor presented certificates to the staff of the Sheltered Housing service in front of an audience of tenants and colleagues. We would also like to say thank you to all of you who helped us to gain these good practice awards. Congratulations to Janet Morris, Scheme Manager at Buckingham Court and Balmoral Court for receiving a STARS nomination in August 2004. STARS is the Councils staff recognition scheme, where staff can be rewarded for providing
A St✵r
outstanding customer service. Nominations can be made by members of the public or by colleagues and in Janet’s case a colleague nominated her for her help in assisting a new tenant to move in.
London & the Lights in December
As we mentioned in the last edition of Prime Time, a major review of the Sheltered Housing and Lifeline service has been carried out.
The committee of CHARMS, used their heads and applied for a Neighbourhood Grant from Rewards 4U. They were planning a coach trip to London to see the Christmas lights, with a fish & chip supper and after dinner mints as well and applied to the Rewards 4U scheme for help with the cost. Having filled in the form and provided all the necessary information, a panel considered and agreed their request.
The review looked at how Scheme Managers carried out their role, as Scheme Managers and as Relief Lifeline Managers (mobile wardens), and if the service was both efficient and effective.
A cheque for £500.00 was given to the committee in November. To make the trip a bit of a surprise they managed to keep this from most of the others until the day of the trip. Although the day of the trip was dull and overcast, this did not dampen their spirits and a good time was had by all.
Congratulations Bernadette Williams, Scheme Manager at Gossops Green, entered, ‘Why I enjoy Supporting People At Home’, a national competition run by ERoSH, (a national charity representing Sheltered Housing). Bernadette wrote 350 words to sum up why she enjoys being a scheme manager, and much to our delight she was one of just five short- listed entries. As one of the runners up, Bernadette attended a celebration lunch in London when she was presented with a commemorative plaque.
Improving our Service to you.
During the review we consulted both tenants and staff and over the last few weeks, Phil Scott, the Housing Operations Manager, has visited all of your sheltered housing schemes, to tell you about the changes that are happening to the service as a result of the review. The main changes that will happen as a result of what the review told us are:
■ All of the scheme managers will be
moving to another home in Crawley away from the schemes they manage during 2005. ■ All of the scheme managers will be joining the 24 hour lifeline roster. Your scheme managers will still carry on working as normal providing you with a service that includes: ■ Morning calls to those of you who want them. ■ Help and support if you need it throughout the day. The Lifeline service will continue to respond to your emergency alarm calls when your scheme manager is away from the scheme. This part of our service to you will improve, as by September we will have 12 staff on the roster that will be able to provide cover 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
If you want to know more about this, then please contact your scheme manager.
Getting in touch with us
If you need to contact your scheme manager during the day and you are at home, please activate the speech unit used for your morning calls.
Telephone numbers for the Scheme Manager’s Offices are:
The competition highlights excellence, dedication and best practice in the sheltered and retirement housing sector.
Scheme Name
Tel
Attlee & Cripps (Attlee House, Cripps House, Maxton Walk, Henderson Road) Balmoral Court Bewbush (Wycliffe Court, Calvin Walk, Bunyan Close, Wesley Close, Booth Road) Buckingham Court Fairlawn House Furnace Green (Feroners Court, Brunswick Court, Furnace Parade) Gossops Green (Gossops Parade, Capel Lane, Gossops Drive, Paddockhurst Road, Hascombe Court, Woldhurstlea) Greenfields (Carey House, Spurgeon Close, Taylor Walk) Northgate (Hollybush Close, The Brook, Halfacres) Schaffer House Selsey Court and Henbane Court The Twittens Ewhurst Road
543804 538710 515382 538711 526446 536968
For queries regarding rent accounts, or tenancy or estate management issues please contact the Housing Manager (Sheltered Schemes) at the Town Hall on 01293 438427
If you want to report a repair to your home you can ring the Repairs Hotline 01293 438359 or 01293 438000
511642 517797 534187 881085 512552 515063 Emergency repairs, outside of office hours can be reported on 01293 551636
How much does it all cost?
How are we doing? How many homes do we have? At the end of March 2004, Crawley Homes had a total 8,536 homes to rent, 618 of these were homes in Sheltered Housing Schemes. Homes in Sheltered Housing can be found across the town and the table below shows how many we have and where they are. Sheltered Bungalow
Sheltered Flat
1 bedroom 2 bedroom
1 bedroom
Bewbush Broadfield
9
27
10
41
3
56
117
185
64
28
92
41
14
70
37
8
45
26
4
36
23
23
15
Maidenbower Northgate
2 bedroom
4
Furnace Green Gossops Green
Total
6
Three Bridges West Green
26
23
71
6
Total
50
36
345
187
Empty Homes Last year from April 2003 to March 2004 we had a total of 60 sheltered homes become empty, and it took about five weeks on average before new tenants moved into them. So far this year (From April until the end of November 2004) 45 sheltered homes have become empty and it has taken about seven weeks before new tenants have moved in.
126
The graph below shows how these costs are split between the number of homes (units) on each scheme, and shows the cost per home for the last financial year
There are many costs involved in making sure that sheltered housing schemes provide the service you want. These include costs for: ■ employing the scheme manager ■ lighting communal areas ■ maintaining and running community rooms ■ heating communal areas ■ maintaining lifts This is not a complete list of all the costs involved but gives you a flavour of what you are paying for. The cost of providing the service varies from scheme to scheme. Things that can affect this include: ■ how many homes are in the scheme and therefore share the cost ■ when the scheme was built, which reflects on how much maintenance and repair work may need doing ■ whether the scheme has large communal areas that cost more to heat and light Please remember that your rent not only covers the cost of running the Sheltered Housing scheme where you live but includes money that we have to pay back to central government and money that contributes to running the whole of the housing service including programmed maintenance works.
Above is a graph that compares the costs of running all our Sheltered Housing Schemes from April 2003 to March 2004
