Our Community, a Walk Through Bellingham, Downham and Whitefoot
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OUR COMMUNITY A walk through Bellingham, Downham and Whitefoot Residents’ Annual Report 2013-14 3 WELCOME… OTHER LANDLORDS We’re pleased to introduce your Phoenix and hear what’s planned to improve Do make sure to visit our website residents’ annual report for 2013-14. Join us our community even more over the next www.phoenixch.org.uk to read the digital Throughout this report we compare our CONTENTS on a walk through our community. 12 months. version of this report, which includes lots of performance against other medium- additional information and videos. sized housing associations (5,000-10,000 OUR COMMUNITY GATEWAY Page 4 We’ve listened to your feedback from last It’s impossible to include EVERYTHING properties) in London and the south east OUR HOMES Page 8 year’s annual report and worked hard to that goes on within this report, so we’ve Finally, if you care about the future of our and nationally. This information comes make this year’s even better. highlighted the things that we feel are area and the community, we’d love to hear from Housemark, an organisation that OUR COMMUNITY Page 12 Phoenix is all of us. Our homes, our streets, the most important. We’ve examined our from you. Please join us as we work towards gathers performance information from OUR MONEY Page 16 our green spaces, tenants, leaseholders and performance against our agreed standards our vision of a better future for all. lots of other housing associations. OUR FUTURE Page 20 and we’re pleased to be able to say that we staff alike. In this year’s annual report you’ll We hope you enjoy this year’s report and we’d THANK YOU Page 23 pass lots of familiar places and well-loved comply with all of them. There are still areas love to hear your thoughts. landmarks within the Phoenix area, and meet where we need to make improvements and we’ve highlighted these throughout the Best wishes, lots of people along the way. You’ll find out Residents Communications Group how Phoenix has performed over the last year report. Unless otherwise stated, figures or performance information included in this report relate to the period April 2013 to March 2014. 4 5 OUR COMMUNITY GATEWAY E FOR M LU O Our community gateway model means we’re more than just a housing association. We believe A key priority this year was to involve even A N Associate membership is also available the best results are achieved by combining the skills, experience and energy of our residents more residents so that we can act on your V E At the end of March 2014 to Phoenix staff, and more than 60% of In February, we reached and staff. We strongly encourage residents to become shareholding members and get involved feedback. We want residents to participate Y employees have now joined – demonstrating nearly three times more at every level of the organisation. in decision making from the very highest residents than took part our shared commitment to work together level and to have real influence on our work in the former local area 2,620 to build a better Phoenix community for Phoenix in numbers in the local community. panels and it cost us residents were shareholding members, everybody. In early 2013 we asked residents to vote Y half the amount. with the right to stand for our Board and Resident involvement stretches right to the E 130 Miles of streets, roads and avenues V A on whether they would like us to create N vote at the AGM. That’s an increase of 6% top and residents remain the largest group L O a new way of getting involved with us. U compared to last year. Meanwhile, 54% on our Board. Among them are Margaret Flats M 3,207 Residents E 13,003 R + F + Almost 90% of respondents said ‘yes’. Our O of shareholding members are now Gold McCarthy and Peter Lewis, who were re- +3,042 Houses +150 Employees three Community Links areas - named Members, an increase of almost 10% elected to the Board at our AGM in 2013. Bellingham Farm, Kestrel and Kingfisher in since last year. Board attendance at meetings was 79.4%. +823 Leaseholders +3 Community Links areas a resident vote in early 2014 – are just one Guests took part in rent setting and When Board Members were unable to attend of the many ways for residents to get more It all adds up to: A fantastic Phoenix community! community safety workshops, and set a meeting, they sent on comments and involved in their area. priority issues to tackle in their areas. queries in advance. Almost 300 residents attended our first Being a member has given me Our Board is responsible for the overall Community Links gatherings in February It’s been an interesting lots of opportunities, like voting for 2014. This new model has enabled us to running of Phoenix and to make sure that we event. I’ve learned about what things that matter. reach many more people than we did with are working within our rules and regulations. “Ann Robinson our former local area panels, and delivered Phoenix is doing. LUE FOR A M “ V O Agnes Techie-Menson much better value for money. N E Y Y E As a Board Member, N WHITEFOOT LANE BR1 O V ” M A L R U O E F ” I’m trying to get the best deal for Phoenix and “ residents. Downham Woodland Walk Margaret McCarthy, Resident Board Member. ” IN 2013-14 WE... COMPLETED 4,355 EXTERNAL MAJOR WORKS 6 7 To support our efforts to improve our We piloted a new tenant induction scheme In the last 12 months, our residents’ Policy I’m proud to be part of a group services, we began recruitment to a new and hosted three sessions for new residents, Working Group reviewed 14 new policies, that helps Phoenix to improve services. We received Resident Scrutiny Panel in early 2014. The offering them an immediate introduction and our Performance Monitoring Group made It’s rewarding to know this will help panel will monitor Phoenix’s performance to the local community and ways of getting recommendations on how we can offer the “ tenants enjoy their homes to the and report their recommendations directly involved with Phoenix. best customer service. 313 to the Board. fullest. complaints, down from 388 in 2012-13. The results of resident consultations, I’ve learnt a lot of practical Mystery shopper We welcome complaints and feedback HOW WE COMPARE surveys, our mystery shopping panel and as it helps us to improve our services. We had the third fewest of complaints of 9 information and I’m looking forward other feedback all influence our plans, Our community” is vibrant and diverse and 15 residents took part in focus groups landlords in London and 28th fewest of 46 to enjoying my new home! including: “ we want to ensure everyone can get involved. to develop a new complaints policy, housing associations nationally. Samantha Cox • how we let empty properties Our events and spaces are accessible, and we which was approved by our Board in ” • how we handle complaints provide crèches and transport assistance to September 2013. help everyone have their say and shape our PERFORMANCE AREA 13-14 12-13 • how we support residents through recent services. changes to welfare benefits I’ve been a resident for NUMBER OF SHAREHOLDING MEMBERS 2620 2465 • how we meet vulnerable residents’ needs. Please do let us know if you have any four years now and have seen suggestions for how we can improve first-hand the problems that NUMBER OF STAFF ASSOCIATE MEMBERS 91 92 opportunities for residents to get involved. some residents can face. “ % INVOLVED RESIDENTS OF ALL RESIDENTS 5.3% 4.6% I believe residents need to % OF CALLS ANSWERED OF THOSE RECEIVED 90.3% 89.7% work together with staff to make things better and I’m % OF CALLS ANSWERED WITHIN 30 SECONDS 57.3% 58.6% looking forward to making SOUTHEND LANE SE6 improvements as part of the new scrutiny panel. Komi Noudoukou, Resident Scrutiny Panel” member 181 Grove Park SPENT £147K CLEARING ILLEGAL FLYTIPPING FUNDED AND CARRIED OUT INTERNAL DECORATIONS FOR 172 VULNERABLE RESIDENTS 8 9 E FOR M LU O A N V E OUR HOMES We reduced the costs Y of the North Downham We introduced a new Gateway Local Team in late 2013. Our gateway local advisors are here to We’ve since been working with our resident balcony works by around £300,000 by support tenants with a wide range of tenancy issues and each cover a particular area. repairs panel and we’ll be using your feedback to develop a range of new services simplifying the design, Y and making other E in the future. V Our Gateway Local Team introduced new HOW WE COMPARE In July 2013 a group of residents, Board small changes. A N L estate walkabouts and handled 140 reports Members and staff joined together for a Meanwhile, resident satisfaction with It was good to be involved in O We had the most antisocial behaviour cases U M E R F of antisocial behaviour, an increase of 32% reported to us out of five housing associations ‘Repairs 2015’ innovation day. They agreed caretaking services dropped slightly, the consultation process before O compared to last year. in London and came 21st out of 28 housing priorities for the new repairs service that from 91% to 90%. We’ll be working hard to the major works started.