Rural Matters 2021 Edition | June 2021
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Rural Matters 2021 Edition | June 2021 Focus On Our new tenant portal, My Housing Executive Oil Buying Clubs Dementia Friendly Homes Rural Community Award Winners Online Learning ffectionately known as the hub of Welcome to the Fermanagh by locals, KEEPING UP WITH THE Kesh is a bustling villageA steeped in history and surrounded by beautiful 2021 edition of our countryside. We went down to see their new community facility earlier this year. KESHIANS Rural Matters Magazine The old courthouse in Kesh was Would you like help fter the success of our This is why we have kept in-touch to deliver essential goods and to completely revamped, thanks in making your rural area a first online edition of with our customers through phone keep in contact through periods of part to funding from our Rural better place to live? Rural Matters, calls, emails, virtual meetings and lockdown. Development Programme we are continuing to social media, recognising that now, match-funding initiative, after over goA digital. more than ever, you need to know We are preparing to launch the Visit the rural section of our a decade of planning and hard work we are here to help you with your 2021 Rural Community Awards website www.nihe.gov.uk Through the challenging winter from people across the community. housing needs. competition in the coming weeks. to find out how we can months, when we had to adapt As soon as we stepped into the If you are involved with a rural once again to the challenges centre we received a very warm support you. In this edition of Rural Matters, we community group who undertake of COVID-19 (coronavirus), the welcome and it was clear that this are showcasing our new tenant activities to make your village a Housing Executive has been able was one of the many reasons why portal, My Housing Executive, better place to live, then please get to continue providing essential it has quickly become the heart of which will help our tenants to view housing services and advice, whilst in touch. We look forward to hearing the village. and manage information remotely. maintaining the safety of our staff from you! We have also included features on and customers. some of the support we offer to Stay safe everyone. While taking us on a tour of the tenants and customers to ensure A year on from the beginning of facility, Frances, Alan and Gerald they have access to a home which the pandemic, we are aware of the are all members of The Courthouse can help them to live independently, effects lockdown and isolation Kesh Ltd and told us the new including our ‘Dementia Friendly can have on communities and building allows them to provide Homes’ initiative and our Private individuals, particularly in rural areas. invaluable services like a food bank, Sector Home Improvement Grants a ‘tunic room’ filled with clothes On the cover: programme. for needy families, a community café, counselling and befriending Later this year, we intend to publish schemes. Rural Matters our draft Rural Strategy for public 2021 Edition | June 2021 consultation and we would like Focus On We were blown away by the work Our new tenant portal, to take this opportunity to thank My Housing Executive Oil Buying Clubs of the team and asked them how Dementia Friendly Homes everyone who took the time to Rural Community Award Winners they had been able to make a huge Online Learning respond to our pre-consultation questionnaire. Your feedback difference to this rural community Professor Peter Roberts, within such a short space of time. was crucial in ensuring that our Chair objectives for rural housing and “We try to do everything we can housing services for the next four here to support people and it all years remain relevant and reflect starts with having a chat over a cup the changing needs of our rural of tea”, Gerald explained, customers. Please keep an eye “Through this we are able to find on our social media channels and what we can help them with and website for the consultation launch. start putting together a plan so they can get back on their feet.” Finally, on pages 12-13 you can read about the winners of the 2020 Rural Advice from a Alan, who manages the café, Community Awards competition. added, "We also found that some sunflower… This is our way of celebrating and people in our community felt be bright, sunny highlighting some of the invaluable isolated so the café is a great place and positive work undertaken by community Grainia Long, for them to come to socialise and groups and volunteers in rural spread seeds of Chief Executive make new friends." happiness areas over the past 12 months. Many of our isolated and vulnerable rise, shine and hold Like the traffic in the village, people tenants and residents benefitted here seem to have an endless your head high from the work of these groups desire to help one another and this is why we want to keep up with them. 2 Rural Matters 2021 Follow us on: facebook.com/housingexecutive @nihecommunity nihecommunity Follow us on: facebook.com/housingexecutive @nihecommunity nihecommunity 2021 Rural Matters 3 Improve your home Join the club Become a member of our Oil Buying Clubs with one of our grants and spend less heating your home. peak to a member of our ith our Oil Buying Private Sector Grants Clubs you can Team to find out about order heating oil financial support options with other local Sto help you live independently, peopleW and save money. This and make your home more is because buying collectively energy efficient. enables members to negotiate a better price as they can order in bulk and reduce the If you own your own home, or you supplier’s delivery costs. rent privately, you may qualify for our Boiler Replacement Scheme or a Disabled Facilities Grant. The more people that take part, the greater the savings and these are passed on to everyone. As a Boiler Replacement member you can buy as little as Scheme 200 litres and easily keep tract of heating oil prices so you can order Up to £1,000 is available to at a time that suits you. help home owners with the cost of Disabled Facilities Up to £25,000 is available, with the size of the grant awarded replacing boilers which are at least Grants You only ever pay for the oil you depending on the cost of the work 15 years old. order and we don’t add anything to If you’re a home owner, landlord, or recommended by an Occupational the price. Our clubs are free to join private tenant, you may qualify for Therapist, and an assessment of the To qualify you must: and are open to all householders so help to adapt a property if there is applicant’s financial circumstances. you do not need to be a Housing a person with a disability using it as • Live in Northern Ireland; Executive tenant to become a their home. A financial assessment is not member. So join today and start • Own and occupy your property necessary if the adaptations are as your main residence; saving! Adaptations include: for a child. • Have a total household gross income which is less than • Improving access into the home To apply contact the Duty £40,000 per year; and or rooms within the property; Occupational Therapist at your Find an local Health and Social Services How it works • Have a boiler which is at least • Providing appropriate showering Trust, your GP, or social worker. All Oil Buying 15 years old. facilities; Get a quote work must be recommended by an Club near you • Adapting lighting or Occupational Therapist. Members place their order by a specified date. You can apply for the Boiler heating controls. Based on estimated monthly order requests, the club You can learn more Replacement Scheme by emailing representative will negotiate the best price on each oil group’s about joining a club [email protected] bulk order. or calling 03448 920 900 near you by: and asking to speak to your local Place your order Grants Office. Calling Members are contacted with details of the discounted cost (028) 95 98 2068 or per litre and a proposed delivery date. At this point, you must (028) 95 98 3316 confirm your order and commit to it. Texting Grab a grant! Receive your oil 07939843716 Members will then receive deliveries from their local supplier, Emailing Visit the Grants section of on their confirmed delivery date. You must pay on delivery or [email protected] our website to find out how in advance by debit or credit card directly to your oil supplier. we can help you improve Visiting our website your home. www.nihe.gov.uk This is dependent on any terms and conditions established by the club. 4 Rural Matters 2021 Follow us on: facebook.com/housingexecutive @nihecommunity nihecommunity Follow us on: facebook.com/housingexecutive @nihecommunity nihecommunity 2021 Rural Matters 5 Homing in on Our 2020/21 Rural Housing rural areas Need Testing programme In 2020/21 we carried out the following 12 tests: • Ballyalton Are you interested in • Ballyronan housing in Clonoe? • Desertmartin The Housing Executive is currently examining the demand for social and affordable housing in the village of Clonoe through its Rural Housing Need Test Programme. • Drumquin • Donagh Social housing is good quality housing that is • Gulladuff affordable and available to those in housing need. • Knockloughrim It is provided by both the Housing Executive and registered housing • Longfield associations.