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Streettalk Issue No. Summer 2016 Residents & Tenants Magazine 53

Ocean1000th has recently celebrated Home Edition 1000 homes built in the county for local people. Our new developments are springing up all over the county from Moor to , and spanning from coast-to-coast with new houses in the seaside resorts of and , on the North coast, and the pretty fishing villages of and , on the South coast. Residents at were invited to join in with the celebrations to mark the 1000th home built which just so happened to be in their very own village! “We feel honoured to be involved in Ocean’s 1000th home celebratory event and are even prouder that it’s right here in Connor Downs!” says Kay. “The new development has allowed local families to remain living in the village which is great and being able to move into a brand new house is amazing! I’m sure all residents who’ve benefited from a new Ocean house will be very appreciative, I know we are!” continues Kay. Pupils from Connor Downs Academy were involved in a Cornish themed art competition. The winning pictures were displayed for everyones enjoyment in the show home at the development during the event. Just a reminder... On Bank Holiday Monday 29th August, the offices will be closed and will re-open at 8.30am on Tuesday 30th August.

Contents: • Busy Summer Schedule • Serving the Community • Goodbye and Welcome! • Kitchen Refurbs Underway • Crafty Fingers • Own More • Who’s Your Neighbourhood Services Officer? • Surviving UC and the Benefit Cap • Thinking Ahead • Residents at our Heart • Our Construction and Development Company Wins Top Award! • 2020 Project Update • Free Prize Draw • Estate Walkabout Calendar

email: [email protected] www.oceanhousing.com 01726 874450

Out of Hours Numbers: Emergency repairs: 01872 324 800 Anti-Social Behaviour: 0800 0886699 Busy Summer Schedule After a slow start to the growing season, due to a cold Spring, Mother Nature is making up for lost time by giving the Grounds Maintenance Team plenty to do. We’ve taken on three new team members, two of whom worked for Ocean last year in the Newquay area via an agency so it’s great for them to be part of the team as Ocean employees. Before the team cut the grass they have to prepare the area first, this may be picking up litter or clearing up dog mess, which uses up valuable time. “We’ve collected 414 bags of rubbish since January meaning we have less time for mowing,” says Arthur, Environmental Co-ordinator. “Please help us to keep the sites tidy as this gives us more time to carry out the grounds maintenance, that you pay your service charge for,” continues Arthur.

Serving the Goodbye and Welcome! Community Our Tenant and Resident Panel have experienced a few changes over the years. New faces have come, old faces have We are always busy aiming gone and with two of the longest standing members stepping to provide quality services for down, the panel are always looking for and welcoming other our customers. Did you know, residents to join and get involved. during 2015/2016, we… “We’ve really enjoyed our time on the panel and the contributions Re-housed 359 we’ve made Households to the work of Ocean,” say Roy and Beryl, . Completed “Having been involved in the 3,214 Tenant and Repairs Resident Panel for 16 years, they’ll really be missed,” Answered 63,271 responds Jan, Telephone calls Chair of the Tenant and Resident Panel. “The panel provides a positive link between Carried out Ocean and its residents and we would love to see more residents getting involved and representing their very own areas and the residents that live there,” continues Jan. 1,824 Gas safety If you are interested in getting involved and would like to have checks your say then get in touch with the friendly Tenant Involvement Team via email: [email protected] or tel: 01726 874450. Kitchen Refurbs Underway Ocean’s £23 million investment plan is some of the first to benefit already in full swing with new kitchens from the new improvement being installed in residents homes across programme which will improve . Residents in were and change the lives of many people. Mr Rudd and his family are delighted with their newly fitted kitchen and couldn’t wait to tell us how pleased they are with it. “We are delighted with our new kitchen, the fitters did such a good job,” beams Mr Rudd. “We love the colour coordination and the new units,” he continues. The programme plans to continue investing in new homes and improve and repair existing homes for our residents, as you, the resident, are at the heart of everything we do at Ocean.

Crafty Fingers Residents at Prince Charles House along with others, who make up the group Active+, have been given the opportunity to get involved with something new. Mosaic making sessions, hosted by Ocean and , took place over the course of three weeks and gave the group insight into designing and creating their very own bright and colourful mosaics. “Although at first it seemed fiddly it didn’t take long to get the hang of it!” explains Christine. “The group really engaged with the activity and are looking forward to trying a different activity offered by the college and Ocean”. If you are interested in trying something different, for free, contact the Tenant Involvement Team via email: [email protected] or tel: 01726 874450.

Have you ever considered owning more of your Shared Ownership Own More home? Why not make it a reality! Shared ownership is completely flexible, you decide when and how much you would like to increase your share; this is also known as ‘staircasing’. When you staircase, you reduce the amount of rent you pay to Ocean as well as owning more of your property. Depending on where you live, you might even be able to own your entire home outright! The benefits don’t stop there! If and when you decide to sell your home, the greater percentage you own, the more profit you will make if the value increases. For more information visit our website: www.oceanhousing.com/ staircasing or contact Ocean’s Leasehold Officer via email: .... at the heart of [email protected] or tel: 01726 874450. the community Who’s Your Neighbourhood Services Officer? Our Neighbourhood Services Team are a busy bunch, travelling around the county keeping an eye on the condition of your area and estate. Here you can find out who your Neighbourhood Services Officer (NSO) is and discover the areas they are responsible for looking after.

Becky Martin Paul Wakefield-Smith AREA: AREA: NEWQUAY

St Austell Newquay

A30 Hayle Connor Downs

Susie Wootton AREA:

Bodmin Delabole Becky Heale AREA: ST BLAZEY Biscovey Rock Fowey Sticker St Austell Mevagissey Par St Blazey Boscastle Egloskerry Delabole

Port Isaac A30

Wadebridge Bodmin

Liskeard St Mawgan St Columb Newquay Major St Columb Roche Minor Bugle Lostwithiel Trethowel St Looe East Indian Foxhole St Blazey Queens Trewoon St Austell Fowey St Agnes Mevagissey Probus A30 Carnon Downs Connor Downs Praze-an-Beeble Penryn

Laura Tresidder James Carter AREA: CLAYS AREA: WEST

Burngullow St Austell Carharrack Bugle St Dennis Portscatho Coombe St Stephen Carnon Downs Praze-an-Beeble Stenalees Connor Downs Probus Foxhole Whitemoor St Agnes Cubert St Columb Road Grampound St Day Mount Grampound Rd St Erth Hayle Penwithick Mount Joy Roche Penryn Trispen Perranwell .... at the heart of the community Surviving Universal Credit and the Benefit Cap Universal Credit (UC), the new single benefit payment which is replacing the 6 work related benefits, means that YOU have to manage your money from the moment it arrives in YOUR bank account. This means you need to pay your own rent which should be your number one priority, don’t risk losing your home. Our friendly and helpful Welfare Advice Team have been helping tenants get to grips with the upcoming benefit change and what they need to be prepared for. Our ‘Universal Credit Workshops’ provide crucial advice on how the new benefit will affect tenants and includes exercises on how to manage your money and prioritise your outgoings. Thinking about the future and planning ahead is key to preparing for Universal Credit, our workshops and budgeting exercises do exactly that. Our ‘Hi-£5’ tenant initiative has also been put in place to help tenants build up a credit ‘buffer’, to help protect them from falling into arrears while they wait for their money to be paid to them, there could be a wait of up to 8 weeks. Contact the Income Management Team via email: [email protected] or tel: 01726 874450 to start building your ‘buffer’. Starting from Autumn 2016 there will be further changes related to the maximum amount of benefits that can be claimed in a year. If you are affected by this you’ll receive a letter from the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP). If you receive this letter please contact the Welfare Advice Team via email: [email protected] or tel: 01726 874450.

Thinking Ahead Although Summer is in full swing and the cold As you aren’t having to use your heating so Winter weather seems like it’s a long way off, much or use your lights until later on in the it’s never too early to start planning for the evening, which saves you money on your cooler months ahead. electricity, why not put some money aside this month to prepare for the upcoming darker and colder nights. Did you know that paying £ by direct debit can help you save between £ 5-10% compared to using card or key pay. £ £ Those residents using heating oil, why don’t you think about stocking up NOW while the price is low or consider managing your payments on a monthly basis to reduce the strain when the cold snap returns?

For more information on how to save money on your energy bills, go to: www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub Residents at our Heart Our Tenancy “Working with other Sustainment agencies including the Police, Service has Probation Service, and Social been up and Services we aim to support our running for 2 tenants to the best of our ability, years, overseeing prioritising their safety is our main Ocean’s work purpose,” explains Stephen. “We seek, safeguarding our as far as we can, to address the needs of residents and vulnerable people while at the same time high-level anti- using appropriate tenancy enforcement social behaviour. action where, unfortunately, we need to,” Providing a person-centred approach to continues Stephen. dealing with various issues concerned with domestic abuse and vulnerable If you have any concerns regarding a vulnerable cases, Stephen Williams, our Tenancy resident or see anything that signals alarm-bells, do Sustainment Co-ordinator, is committed not hesitate to contact Stephen Williams via email: to providing the best possible service [email protected] or tel: 01726 874450. for our residents who need us most.

Our Construction and Development Company Wins Top Award! Located at the and built by our very own builders, Gilbert and Goode, Ocean’s Green Build Hub has been the talk of the South West! At this years South West Built Environment Awards the environmentally friendly building bagged a multitude of awards, including the Winner of all Winners Award, in other words the best in the South West! Completed since July 2015 the Green Build Hub is used by Cornwall’s Sustainable Building Trust as a living laboratory for the installation, testing and monitoring of eco-building products, a training centre and future base for degree courses in partnership with the Eden Project, amongst other uses.

Ocean are delighted to announce that Aareon 2020 Project Update UK Ltd have been appointed to provide a new business system. Aareon’s team worked extremely well with staff at Ocean during the procurement process and we are looking forward to the implementation stage. To make the transition to the new system clean and simple, Ocean is undertaking a data clean up; we need to make sure that the information we hold about you, your family and household is up-to-date and accurate. This will help us to protect you and keep your information safe when contacting or working with Ocean staff. We have members of staff making calls to customers to update information, as well as adding details of family members we don’t have a record of. If you call us, we will ask you to check the details we hold for you and your family. This allows us to verify our customers and provide appropriate services and support when needed. You can update your family details in the secure area of our website here: www.oceanhousing.com/home/contact-us/ .... at the heart of important-personal-details/ the community Free Prize Draw ‘My Ocean’, your personalised online service, allows you to keep track of your rent balances, benefit payments and repairs, and keep up-to-date with our latest community news. We currently have 500 residents signed up to ‘My Ocean’ but we would love to get more of our residents signing up… so when we reach our target of 600 residents we’ll enter everyone who’s signed up into a prize draw to win a £50 shopping voucher! To sign up just go to: www.oceanhousing.com and follow the links to ‘My Ocean Tenant Zone’. . . . what are you waiting for?! Estate Walkabout Calendar Keep an eye on the ‘Event Calendar’ in the ‘Your Community’ section on our website: www.oceanhousing.com to find out when your Estate Walkabout will be carried out, but please remember these dates are just a guide. If you have an issue you wish to discuss with your Neighbourhood Services Officer please email: [email protected] or call: 01726 874450.

July October Wed 13th 6pm Close, *w/c 24th Penharget Close, St Austell *w/c 26th Poltair Court, St Austell Thurs 21st 6pm Cannamanning Road *w/c 31st St Annes Road, St Marys & Montgomery Road, Road & Lamellyn Road, Penwithick Biscovey Tues 26th 6pm Hilgrove Road, November Newquay *w/c 7th Road, Bugle August *w/c 14th Reeds Way, Mayfield Wed 3rd 6pm Jadeana Court, Crescent & Mayfield Road, St Austell Newquay Thurs 25th 6pm St. Julitta, Luxulyan *w/c 21st Shipbuilder Close, Roberts September Close, , Lamorak Thurs 1st 6pm Grenville Meadows Close & Lewenek View, & Grenville Close, Mevagissey Queens Road, Nanpean St Austell Friday 9th 6pm Park House, December St Austell *w/c 5th Aldritt Close, Tues 13th 6pm Green Lane, Fowey St Columb Minor Printed on Re-cycled paper. Designed & produced by Karen Jackson Design 01326 373108 Photography by Frame by Frame 01503 262684 Printed on Re-cycled paper. *week commencing

Contact us for a [email protected] Large Print or Audio CD of this newsletter 01726 874450 www.oceanhousing.com