The News

Issue 3 I Autumn 2013

Inside this issue

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The launch of United Communities

United Communities open new affordable homes

St Pauls fun day

News

The Launch of United Communities

On Friday 26th July, United and BCHF launched our new name, United Communities. We now have one staff team who are committed to providing tenants with a personal and accessible service and support on issues such as welfare reform. We are also committed to developing well designed affordable homes for people who need them.
We hope this change will have a positive impact on tenants and communities across the wider Bristol area as we aim to build on our BME and community roots.

Jenny Vernon, Chair of our board said:

We agreed to work together like this because we both have very strong roots in our diverse local communities which we didnt want to lose, but we could also see the challenges ahead posed by welfare reform and austerity measures. By coming together we have been able to create real efficiency savings which will allow us to build more new homes, as well as offer existing tenants increased services and support in their neighbourhoods.

Office News

All of our Customer Service staff are now based at our Filton Avenue office as it is more accessible for visitors. You can still visit us at New Bond House but youll need to make an appointment.
If youd like to see a member of staff in our Housing, Maintenance or Income Recovery teams to talk about rents, repairs or housing issues, please call us on 0117 9470501 and well arrange a appointment for them to meet you at the most convenient office for you, or in your home.

The News | Issue 3 | Autumn 2013

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause but we are on the lookout for a new office to house all our staff under one roof.

News

United Communities Open New Affordable Homes

Staff, board members, tenants and the local community celebrated the launch of United Communities at the opening of 24 new affordable homes on Gloucester Road. The homes are in the heart of Bishopston and are built on the site of the renowned cabinet makers, Stone Hodges, they provide a mix of affordable housing ranging from one bedroom flats up to three bedroom town houses. The development is environmentally friendly and provides well insulated homes to rent or buy through shared ownership.
The homes were officially opened by Assistant Mayor of Bristol, Cllr Mark Bradshaw who said: Most tenants have already moved into their new homes. Karen who moved in, in April told us, The move went very well and it is lovely, peaceful and quiet. Katie moved into one of the town houses during the spring and is very pleased with her new home, It is a great location and I love the house as its a good size and I love the balcony, I am now very settled. Oona Goldsworthy, Chief Executive Officer said: We want to do whatever we can to build new homes and provide support for our tenants to manage their tenancies. Our new partnership will help us to do this by sharing our costs and the creativity of all our staff. Please get in touch if you have any questions about the launch of United Communities or the opening of Stone Hodges. Contact: Collette Parnell Tel: 0117 9703074 E-mail: collette@unitedcommunities.org.uk The News | Issue 3 | Autumn 2013 3

Bristol values the contribution that community based housing associations such as United Communities make to the city, they are close to the ground and can really pick up on local issues. They run a range of important community based projects and lead a number of partnerships in the city. By UHA and BCHF coming together like this well be able to continue to work closely together in addressing the urgent housing need that the city is experiencing.

News
Wed like to wish a warm United Communities welcome to Jayne Whittlestone who joined us in September as our new Neighbourhood and Communities Manager. Jayne has 15 years experience as the Community Empowerment Manager at Knightstone Housing Association. Jaynes top priorities are working with tenants to develop our new United Communities resident involvement strategy and strengthening our Pride of Place initiative. Please contact Jayne if you have any questions for her. Contact: Jayne Whittlestone Tel: 0117 9424600 E-mail: jaynew@ unitedcommunities.org.uk

Welfare Reform
The bedroom tax has affected nearly 200 United Communities tenants since being introduced in April. Weve identified that 20 United Communities households are affected by the benefit cap which started in August. Affected households will see their weekly income reduce by about 65.00 per week and, there are more welfare reform changes on the way. We are waiting for confirmation on when universal credit will be introduced and we will keep you updated on any new changes. If you would like support to make sure your rent and other bills are paid on time, we can: Help you set up a bank account Offer you help with budgeting Set up a Direct Debit for you

Patrons
We are pleased to introduce Guy Reid-Bailey, an original founder and board member of UHA and Peter Farr MBE, former and founder Chairman of BCHF, as patrons of our new organisation. Both Guy and Peter are committed to supporting and upholding the values and ethos of United Communities - heres what theyve said about their role as patron. Guy Reid-Bailey says We have reached a important milestone in our history. United and BCHF have developed a strong and good working relationship which will make us stronger. This partnership can only provide the sound basis that both organisations need to continue to develop and provide better and affordable housing in our communities in and around Bristol. Peter Farr MBE says Im very pleased to take on the role of patron for United Communities. Both organisations have gone through major changes to form our strategic alliance and tenants look forward to seeing the benefits of our newly formed partnership.

We will help in any way we can, this could include support to claim all the benefits you are entitled to and help with balancing your income and bills.

Changes to housing benefit have already begun. In March this year, the Government replaced council tax benefit with a local council tax reduction scheme to help people on low incomes pay their council tax. Bristol City Council ran an on-line survey to ask for views on how much council tax reduction should be provided for working age low income households and how this should be funded. The consultation ended on 27th September, we will update you on the outcome of the consultation in the next newsletter. If you have any questions about the welfare reform please contact David Bull. Contact: David Bull Tel: 0117 9319780 E-mail: daveb@unitedcommunities.org.uk

The News | Issue 3 | Autumn 2013

Welfare Reform

Your Rent
It is vital that you pay your rent on time, every time. United Communities rely on the rent we receive to run the business. We need to make sure rents are paid on time so we can keep homes in good order and continue to develop new homes. Currently, we are owed approximately 500,000 half a million pounds in rent arrears which could provide:

185 294 330

new kitchens or

homes fitted with double glazed windows or 250 new central heating systems or new bathrooms

If you are in rent arrears and you cant pay the full amount all at once, well ask you to make a Rent Arrears Agreement. If you owe more than four weeks rent, we may serve you with a Notice of Seeking Possession. This is the first stage in a process which allows us to ask the court for possession of your home. There are several ways you can pay your rent: Direct debit or standing order At your local Pay Point By phone or call in to our office and pay by debit card On line at www.unitedcommunities.org.uk wwwwwwusing your debit card By cheque at our office Please contact the Income Recovery team straight away if you have any problems paying your rent or if you owe rent and dont know what to do.

Income Recovery team

Interim Income Manager: Trevor Roberts 0117 9440591 Senior Income and Recovery Officer: Janette Birch 0117 9470501 Income and Recovery Officers: Kate Balloch 0117 9470501 David Oteng 0117 9440595 Income and Recovery Assistants: Jane Care 0117 9313775 Katie Oxenham 0117 9470501

The News | Issue 3 | Autumn 2013

Our Performance from April to July 13

Key Green = high performing associations achieve Orange = average performing associations achieve Your Home % of repairs fixed first time Average time to complete a repair % of tenants satisfied with the repairs service % of tenants satisfied with the disabled adaptations service Gas Safety % of homes with a valid gas safety certificate Your Tenancy % of customers satisfied with the process of moving into their new home Average re-let time (days) Current tenant arrears (BCHF) Current tenant arrears (United) Complaints % of customers satisfied with the handling of their complaint % of complaints resolved year to date Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) % of customers satisfied with the handling of their ASB case Quarter 1 94% 9 days 92% 100% Quarter 1 99.3% Quarter 1 100% 17.8 days 2.84% 7.05% Quarter 1 Results not yet available 91% Quarter 1 80% What other housing associations achieve 95% 90% 5 days 7 days 88% 85% No data What other housing associations achieve 100% 99.82% What other housing associations achieve No data 15 days 22 days 2.74% 4.15% What other housing associations achieve 86% 77% No data What other housing associations achieve 86% 73%

Chair of the United Customer Panel Lisa Blackwood said: It is good to see that repairs fixed right first time and satisfaction with the repairs service are performing well but we would like to see a reduction in the number of days to re-let properties and current rent arrears. Chair of the BCHF Tenants Committee Peter Farr MBE said: It is good to see that joint performance figures are now being published. Overall the figures are satisfactory and hopefully they will continue to improve. Rent arrears and gas safety must be a major concern for management. Chief Executive Officer Oona Goldsworthy said: Our first quarter working together as United Communities has brought some excellent results in terms of satisfaction with repairs and helping our customers move into their new homes. We are really pleased with the progress weve made. However, there is still more to do in terms of gas safety and making sure that customers are satisfied with the action we take in response to ASB. Alongside these, rent collection is a key area of focus as welfare reform continues to affect our customers circumstances.

The News | Issue 3 | Autumn 2013

Community

Kaynton Mead
In August, United Communities and Knightstone Housing Association held a clean up and fun day for Kaynton Mead tenants in Bath. To help improve the overall appearance of the area, bushes and hedges were cut back and skips provided for tenants to dispose of garden rubbish and household items. Inspire Play Rangers facilitated fun activities and games for children in the afternoon. We were also joined by Jack the recycling dog who collects discarded cans for recycling. A big thank you to Russell Davies from Knightsone for organising the event, Kaynton Mead tenants, Jack, and contractors for your help on the day.

During August, tenants and staff were on the look out for well kept gardens to be nominated for Garden Pride. We would like to thank everyone who sent in a nomination! Here are pictures of some of the nominations we received; you can view more pictures on our facebook page and United Communities website www.unitedcommunities.org.uk.

Garden Pride

St Pauls Fun Day

Over 300 residents and their families enjoyed fun, food and games at the St. Pauls family fun day in August. The sun shone for the annual event which is organised by United Communities tenant Babs Babatunji and St. Pauls Unlimited. Activities included circus skills, arts and crafts, face painting, nail art and hair braiding.

Wordsworth Centre
The Wordsworth Centre provides a range of adult learning classes. Classes include the very popular Yarn Club; a weekly sewing group which helps local residents improve their sewing skills. Here are some of their creations which were displayed at their annual showcase event in July. To find out about courses running at the Wordsworth Centre, log on to www.wordsworthcentre.org.uk.

Women Only Swimming!

The 1st women only swimming session began on Sunday 15th September at Horfield Leisure Centre. The 1st session was a huge success; over 100 women and their children (male children up to eight) attended! Women only

sessions are every Sunday 6.30pm 7.30pm and cost 2.95 non concessions or 2.15 concessions. Swimming lessons are also being offered for just 1.00 extra. United Communities tenant Rahma Ali who led the campaign for a women only swimming session said Its great that so many women came, please continue to make the most of these sessions. Its also great news that swimming lessons are being offered as swimming is a skill that could even save a life one day.

The News | Issue 3 | Autumn 2013

All of our Customer Service staff are now based at our Filton Avenue office. You can still visit us at New Bond House but youll need to make an appointment if youd like to see a member of staff in our Housing, Maintenance or Income Recovery teams to talk about rents, repairs or housing issues. Call us on 0117 947 0501 and well arrange an appointment for them to meet you at the most convenient office for you, or in your home.

Customer Services 400 Filton Avenue, Horfield, Bristol, BS7 0LJ Tel: 0117 9470501 Fax: 0117 9694111 Corporate Services 3rd Floor, New Bond House, Bond Street, Bristol, BS2 9AG Tel: 0117 9424600 Fax: 0117 9421565 Website: www.unitedcommunities.org.uk A brand new website will be coming soon, watch this space! E-mail: info@unitedcommunities.org.uk

Office opening hours Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 9:00am 5:00pm Wednesday 10:00am 5:00pm Friday 9:00am 4:30pm Office opening hours Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 9:00am 5:00pm Wednesday 12:00am 5:00pm Friday 9:00am 4:30pm

Like our new facebook page and follow us on twitter

facebook.com/ucommunities twitter.com/U_Communities

To report a repair during office hours call: 0117 9470501. E-mail repairs@unitedcommunities.org.uk or text REPAIRS: 07779149149. To report an emergency repair out of office hours call: 0800 5872325. Text: 07779149149 and start your message with BALANCE (for rent account balance), REPAIRS (to contact repairs team); RENTS (to contact rents team); or DD (to arrange a Direct Debit).