heartof the matter New Director of Housing Hilltop funday Anti Social Behaviour Spring 2012 | Issue 6 Sheltered Shout inside facebook.com/taicalon @taicalon www.taicalon.org Contents Keep in Touch z Celebrating Being in Training p3 There are so many different z Tenant OCN Courses p4 ways in which you can get in touch with us and keep z New Director p4 up-to-date with what is z At Risk p5 going on. z Getting Stuck In p6 By Phone: z Gardening Competition p7 Ring us on 0300 303 1717 z Hilltop Funday p8/9 between 9AM and 5PM z Potty About Pots p10 Monday to Friday. z Flexible Learning in the Community p10 By Email: [email protected] z Sheltered Shout p11/14 z Be In It ... To Win It p15 By fax: 01495 290 501. z Neighbourhood Walkabouts p16/17 Visit or write to us at: z Antisocial Behaviour and Neighbour Nuisance p18/20 Tai Calon, Solis One, Rising z Grass Cutting p21 Sun Industrial Estate, z Tenant Board Member Elections p22 Blaina, Blaenau Gwent, z Time to say Thank You p23 NP13 3JW z What’s Happening p24 Website: www.taicalon.org has lots of useful information about us and you can read all our Going Large latest news. facebook: Every member of staff at Tai join our page by Calon Community Housing “liking” us at carries an identity card. facebook.com/taicalon The size of a credit card Twitter: it has their name and follows us @taicalon photograph. If you have a story to tell Tenants should always us, or want us to include insist on seeing it something in the next when someone edition of our newsletter, contact: calls at their home. However, the card Hefina Rendle, can be difficult to Communications and PR read for people with Manager, at Solis One, sight impairments, or by email [email protected] which is why the organisation has issued its trade staff with a larger, easier to read, ID card. 2 The apprentices pictured with Hayley Selway Celebrating Being in Training 15 apprentices were with Tai Calon. “It took me five The young men all believe invited for afternoon tea years of applying to different more employers should at the headquarters of Tai schemes before I managed to be encouraged to take on Calon Community Housing get an apprenticeship. Being apprentices. Tai Calon building to celebrate National rejected was so disheartening superintendent Dilwyn Snelgrove Apprenticeship Week. and although I was working in a agrees. He started his career factory, I wanted a proper trade. as a trainee plasterer 32 years Six work for the organisation When I was accepted by Tai ago with the old Blaenau and are the first recruits to its Calon I was over the moon.” Gwent borough council. “It was apprenticeship scheme. The difficult even in those days to other nine are employed by Joshua Price from Abertillery has get an apprenticeship. There firms which work alongside Tai been training as an electrician for were loads of tests and it was Calon. Between them the group just a month. He was successful a big thing to be accepted are doing apprenticeships in in getting his apprenticeship onto a scheme. Someone saw bricklaying, plumbing, plastering, with A Bennett Electrical after something in me and I got the carpentry, and electrical attending a careers evening in job. Now I am doing my bit by engineering. Ebbw Vale. “You just can’t by- helping the next generation of pass the experience you get as apprentices with their training.” Simon Carter, Director of Assets an apprentice. Learning from at Tai Calon, said “It is very someone else on the job is one The invitation to tea came important for us to provide jobs of the most important aspects of from Hayley Selway, Assistant for local people now as well as in an apprenticeship.” Director of Housing and the future. Our apprenticeship Communities. “We wanted programme is one of the ways Apprentice plumber, Josh Evans to get the apprentices we can do just that. We set it up from Cwm, Ebbw Vale, agrees. together to celebrate National with the intention of employing He feels he was very lucky to get Apprenticeship Week. So we as many youngsters as possible his job with R and M Williams, invited our own along as well as and have worked with our after seeing many of his friends those from firms who work with contractors to get them to do struggle to find work. “I always us, R and M Williams, Seddon, the same.” wanted a trade and a plumber A Bennett Electrical and Seren is an excellent job. It also Contractors. It is nice to meet One of the 15 is Jamie Boucher means that in the future I can do the young men and to talk from Ebbw Vale. He is a first whatever I want knowing I have a to them about how they are year bricklaying apprentice trade to fall back upon.” progressing with their training.” 3 New Director The new Director of Communities and Housing at Tai Calon Community Housing is Andrew Myatt. He joined the organisation from Selwood Housing in Wiltshire where he was Head of Neighbourhoods. A Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing, Andrew Tenant OCN Courses has worked in the social housing sector since leaving The views of tenants are The organisation realised the university 18 years ago. very important to Tai Calon solution to its problem was “Tenants, staff and board simple. Ask tenants to carry out Community Housing. members have been very the survey on its behalf. The welcoming and have helped results were amazing. So much give me a real insight into so, that Tai Calon is now helping where we have come from, some of its tenant canvassers where we are now and obtain a qualification for carrying where we want to be, said out the weekly telephone calls. Andrew Myatt. Five tenants and three residents “The quality of our services are studying for the Open has improved over the College Network certificate in past 18 months. I am Every week it contacts residents, Customer Care. It is an eight excited at the prospect of who’ve had repairs carried out week course and their work is developing them further at their homes, to find out what assessed by Bridges into Work. and in helping to introduce they think of the work. However, One of the trainees is Morgana new ones, as promised to tenants were often reluctant to Wathen. “This is really a great our tenants. Making sure tell canvassers what they really way to gain work experience the front line services work think. and a qualification at the same as effectively as possible is a “We carry out the repair time.” key component in delivering satisfaction surveys on a weekly what we’ve promised,” he Mawena Blackman agrees. “I basis. It lets us know what we added. am really looking forward to are doing well and what we Andrew Myatt is moving completing the course and it is need to improve. So it’s very to Wales with his wife and great that Tai Calon is helping us important that we get as much two young children. He has do it.” information as possible, but we previously worked for local just weren’t getting that. The It is hoped that after successfully authorities and housing tenants were not opening up to completing the course, the eight associations in the South us when we rang to ask for their students will be able to obtain West and South of England, opinions,” said Hayley Selway, further work experience or even including Sovereign Assistant Director of Housing a job in customer care in the Housing, Bristol, Gosport and Communities. Blaenau Gwent area. and Portsmouth councils. 4 best to help and we also try to make sure tenants don’t find At risk themselves in the situation in the first place. ” Everything fell apart for Sue when her beloved A member of the Income team husband died suddenly. For six months she meets prospective tenants to couldn’t bear to leave their Blaenau Gwent home. help them budget for the cost Her only companion was their dog, and with no of running their new home. The staff can also give them family or friends to offer support, things went and existing tenants’ advice from bad to worse. on what housing and other benefits may be available. Sue* struggled to cope. As she not thank them enough.” However, Tai Calon will write fell into debt, her telephone to a tenant if they fall more Sue is now working part time. than a week behind with their was cut off and she got behind “Things are still tough for with her rent. rent. That initial contact is me, but I can afford to keep followed up by further letters “I could barely afford to buy my home and that is really and even visits to the home. If food, let alone pay for anything important to me.” She said. the tenant doesn’t respond the else. I owed so much money, Sue wanted to give others the organisation will go to court to I just didn’t know how I was confidence to seek help. “I ask for the property back. going to pay it back,” she said. am not the only person to find “We don’t want to get to that But, Sue, who had been her myself owing money, had I situation,” said Ceri Owen. “We husband’s full time carer, ignored the problem I could will always do our best, but we realised she couldn’t ignore her have lost my home.” can’t help if we don’t know what financial problems.