ISSUE 1 WINTER 2018

THE TOPICS THAT MATTER TO YOU

Building a new organisation with you

Our resident promise – pg 4 Resident involvement news – pg 8

Welcome from Carl Byrne Group director of housing

elcome to Connections, the new-look resident Wmagazine for . We are keen to keep you fully informed as we continue to integrate and the best way to do that is to sign up to the email version of this magazine (see back page to register). The e-magazine will be circulated more regularly and provide you with greater opportunities We will to get involved. make the It has been an incredibly busy time since we formally merged in April and started the process of changes creating an organisation that works for our residents you have and for and the south east. In this edition we outline our resident promise asked for (page 4), which has been created after listening and you to the views of residents during the merger consultation. We know how important it is to will be at improve our repairs service, to make it easier for the heart you to understand your service charges, to offer a personalised service with a named contact, and to of our create more modern digital services. business We will make the changes you have asked for and you will be at the heart of our business overseeing overseeing these services. We want to hear your views and you can find out these how to get involved in helping to shape our future services. on page 8.

Please enjoy this edition of Connections, and don’t forget to register online for our regular newsletters. If there is anything you would like us to cover in future editions, please let us know on [email protected]. SUMMER OF FUN PAGE 24

Contents

P4 MERGER NEWS P8 GETTING INVOLVED P14 YOU AND YOUR HOME P20 IN YOUR COMMUNITY P29 BUILDING NEW HOMES P16

CHANGE TO OUT-OF-HOURS NUMBER If you are a former Notting Hill Housing resident the way to contact us out-of- hours, for issues such as repairs, is changing. From now on, you can P20 contact Call Response 24/7 by calling the general switchboard number, 020 3815 0000 and choosing option one. If you are a former Genesis resident then you should continue to call P28 033 3000 3000.

/ Winter 2018 3 Our resident promise

Since we officially merged in April, our focus has been on working to ensure that The residents are at the heart of Theresident resident shaping services. We have promisepromise is is our our built our plans around the pledgepledge that: that: new resident promise, to MERGER NEWS MERGER ensure we’re delivering on • Your tenancy or lease agreement our pledges. will not change • Residents will be at the heart of Some key themes came up during shaping our services the merger consultation process. • We will build more homes at You told us you were concerned low-cost rent because of the about increases in rents and service merger charges, that we would become too • We will not use the merger as big and impersonal, and that the a reason to increase rents and merger would not deliver service service charges improvements. • Residents will not be asked to We captured all of your feedback move home because of the and the resident promise sets out merger our commitment to addressing it. • We will deliver service The full version of the resident improvements especially in our promise is on our website and repairs and maintenance service, we will work in partnership with in the way we recover costs residents to refine and deliver on through service charges, and it. Our progress in meeting the by ensuring that our services promise will be regularly shared are easy to access, local and with residents and our board. personalised.

4 www.nhggroup.org.uk MERGER NEWS

What’s happened so far?

• We’ve been speaking to residents about how we involve them in Resident feedback scrutinising and shaping our should be at the services. We’ve held several heart of designing workshops with residents who new services are already involved and back in May we held an involvement day for others who would like to become involved. We’ve used this feedback to design the new resident involvement model (see • In designing the new housing more about this on page 8). model we’ve been led by the • Residents on our health and resident promise, and the insight disability group have been we have on the things you told us working with staff as we review you valued (or didn’t), to improve our accommodation needs. They things. We now have a vision of are helping us to ensure that what that service will look like: office spaces used by the public a resourceful, empowered and meet the diverse needs of all accountable local officer who residents. knows their residents, their history • Residents have been helping us and their area. to review how we deal with anti- • We’ve held a series of workshops social behaviour (ASB). This has as part of developing the new included tasks such as reviewing service model and some residents the staff training programme, have been working alongside staff interviewing staff and ASB on service areas such as the way victims and carrying out mystery we handle complaints. shopping.

/ Winter 2018 5 You want services to be easy to access, personal and local

You want our services to improve • Great progress has been made on developing a new online self- service system as part of our WorkWise programme. Ultimately, the new system will enable you to access a range of services in • We are extending the Household this way. Staff have been testing

MERGER NEWS MERGER Member scheme to former booking repairs through the Genesis residents. The scheme new system and we are about gives adult household members to introduce it for testing by the opportunity to move into residents at our Bolney Meadow their own, separate one-bedroom estate in Lambeth, before rolling it property, if the family home is out further. either too big or too small for • We have also started to take rent the family. More information payments via the new system. about this will be available on our We’re ensuring that these options website soon. are all built into the new service • We are seeking more volunteers design. to help us monitor the quality • Easy access for residents who of services such as cleaning and don’t or can’t use online systems gardening and help us ensure is also really important. The new that communal area repairs are housing management model is reported and completed in a built around having a resourceful timely manner – see page 9. and accountable named contact, • We will also be advertising estate focused on getting things done. inspections in advance so that Staff will be supported by a range you have the opportunity to talk of back-office teams to ensure to staff on their walkabout if you we even out fluctuations in the wish to. service.

6 www.nhggroup.org.uk MERGER NEWS

What’s next? We will continue to ensure that residents are involved in each stage as our work develops:

• We will be seeking resident volunteers to undertake activities such as monitoring the quality There’s a lot to do to make all of estate services and reporting of this happen but work is well communal repairs. underway. In the coming months, • We will be testing the new digital we’ll tell you more about how we’ll repairs system in one area before move people into the new service. we start rolling it out. Some things can, of course, • We will be speaking to residents happen quicker, and we’re making about how we deliver services changes to bring things together locally, including the opportunities for residents now wherever for getting involved at a local level. possible – the extension of the • We will be looking at how we Household Member scheme is a measure customer satisfaction, good example. starting with a baseline survey across all tenures. As we roll out the changes, we’ll be able to know we’re impacting on the things you value. • We will be opening up opportunities for all residents to get involved in several different ways and will let you know about these via our regular bulletins.

/ Winter 2018 7 Resident involvement news

esident oal series oittee

In September, we presented the new resident involvement model to Board residents who have been working with us to help shape it. During the consultation events that we have been having ever since the merger, you told us that: • You wanted more opportunities We have taken all of this feedback to get involved and said that our on board and believe that the approach should be more flexible. new model is local, inclusive and • What happens at the local connected. Resident involvement scheme, estate or street is is open to all Notting Hill Genesis GETTING INVOLVED important to most people, and residents regardless of tenure type. residents we spoke to wanted This way of working will help us more opportunities to work with ensure that the feedback coming local staff to get issues resolved. through at a local level through • You wanted the opportunity to resident associations, local forums get involved in issues that are of and resident meetings is learned interest to you and want to work from and drives real improvement alongside staff in coming up for the things you value. A new with solutions to long-standing resident services committee, a sub problems. committee of the board is in place • You wanted to ensure that there and will ensure that the resident continues to be robust scrutiny of voice is heard throughout the our services and performance. organisation.

8 www.nhggroup.org.uk GETTING INVOLVED GETTING

We are recruiting! Our Estate monitors commitment Are you interested in becoming an estate on resident monitor? You will be asked to rate the quality involvement of services such as grounds maintenance and cleaning and liaise with your housing or Notting Hill neighbourhood officer about communal repairs. Genesis will ensure Resident oversight and scrutiny group that residents’ Might you like to be on a group that will have voices will be heard oversight of all resident feedback and undertake and acted upon service reviews alongside staff? We are recruiting to a new resident oversight and scrutiny group. through resident To find out more about applying please contact involvement. the involvement team. Through Calling all residents in north and south effective scrutiny, London recommendations Do you live in north or south London? We are and feedback, staff planning to set up new local forums that will and residents will look at housing management issues in these areas. We are currently at the planning stage and work together to the first of the new meetings will be held next build trust and year. If you would like to find out more about improve services this, please get in touch with us and check the for the benefit website for updates. of all. Interested in setting up a resident association where you live? Read our new toolkit and good practice guide on our website. You can also access useful documents such as surveys and a model constitution www.nhhg.org.uk/media/12763/ra- toolkit.pdf.

We will provide training, reimbursement of travel and other expenses, and other support to ensure that residents can get involved. If any of the options above are of interest, or to find out about other opportunities, including one-off focus groups and so on, please contact the involvement team on 020 3815 0010 or [email protected].

/ Winter 2018 9 Meeting the standards As a social housing provider, we are regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing which sets the standards that all social housing providers should meet.

The economic standards cover rent, value for money, governance and financial Empowerment viability. We produce an annual financial report which I am asked to review sets out all of our income complaints when and expenditure as well as a resident remains our value for money strategy. You can download the latest unhappy with the version from our website. response that they have The consumer standards received. I am a resident cover tenant involvement myself so can see things and empowerment, from their perspective neighbourhood and community, tenancy and but I always try to look home. at things from both To ensure that we are meeting the points of view. I am standards we collect performance sent a review pack and information throughout the year and discuss this with our board, a template to complete GETTING INVOLVED committees and residents. Since once I have read the merger our performance has through it. I will suggest held steady and we are currently reviewing all of our indicators, ways in which the measures and ways of working so complaint could have that we can regularly report on our been handled better, performance as a single entity. Residents are involved in anything that might scrutinising our services in a help resolve it, or any number of ways and a few examples showing how we comply other learning from it. with the consumer standards are JULIE set out here. INDEPENDENT COMPLAINTS REVIEWER

10 www.nhggroup.org.uk Community INVOLVED GETTING As a volunteer, I help to assess the quality of contractors’ work from cleaning to gardening. I provide monthly feedback to the estates team and work closely with them to ensure the work is up to standard. I occasionally attend Involvement inspections with I have found that I have learned my housing officer, a lot from becoming involved in estate manager and the various panels and groups. contractors and pass They provide a way to share on feedback from my problems, and explore solutions, neighbours to help make improvements. which is beneficial both for I enjoy this important residents and staff. Recently, I was responsibility and one of a group of residents from acting as a voice across London who went to on behalf of our meet the new Housing residents. Minister. I think that HAFSA he was surprised RESIDENT MONITOR by the high level of knowledge of current housing issues and legislation by attendees.

COLIN CUSTOMER SCRUTINY PANEL MEMBER

/ Winter 2018 11 Home Each year As a resident repairs we produce representative I can carry an annual out deeper scrutiny of standards report for residents. This sets out day-to-day, cyclical, how we have performed heating and gas safety against the standards over the year. In 2019 we will produce repairs performance our first report as Notting Hill within our local area and Genesis. feed this back to our local If you want to be involved in scrutiny panel. helping us write the report next year, please contact the By working together involvement team. with repair contractors Email: [email protected]. and NHG staff we uk aim to provide advice Phone: 020 3815 0010 Write: Involvement team and solutions to local Bruce Kenrick House problems when they 2 Killick Street occur and help improve London N1 9FL For more resident satisfaction information with repairs about the carried out in regulatory framework their homes. and standards please contact

GETTING INVOLVED our regulator, the Regulator of STEPHEN RESIDENT REPAIRS Social Housing: REPRESENTATIVE Email: [email protected] Telephone: 0300 124 5225 Write: Regulator of Social Housing Fry Building 2 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DF Web: www.gov.uk/ government/organisations/ regulator-of-social-housing

12 www.nhggroup.org.uk Board update INVOLVED GETTING

Our group board provides strategic direction and oversight to the organisation. It’s made up of members of our executive board and professionals from outside the organisation.

Residents on the board Two members of our board – Stephen Bitti and Linde Carr – are also Notting Hill Genesis residents. Alongside their professional contributions, Stephen and Linde bring their perspectives and experiences as Linde joined the former Notting Hill residents to board discussions. Both Housing Trust board in September became members of the Notting 2012. She worked for 25 years for the Hill Genesis group board when our Royal Borough of Kensington and new organisation was formed in April Chelsea and is retired. 2018. In addition to their role on the Stephen joined the former Genesis group board, Stephen also chairs the board in May 2017. He is chief officer resident services committee, while at Healthwatch Kingston upon Linde sits on both the audit and Thames, and director of his company resident services committees – both Nudge Associates, which provides sub-committees of the main board. consultancy services to health, social care, and wellbeing sectors.

A new board member We were pleased to welcome Elaine Bucknor to the board in August 2018. Elaine is Sky Plc’s group chief information security officer, and a group director in its technology executive team. Elaine replaces Eugenie Turton who left the board this summer after nearly 10 years as a member of the former Genesis board. We are grateful for all Eugenie’s efforts over the years and wish her all the best for the future.

/ Winter 2018 13 Repairs responsibilities As a landlord, it is our role to carry out certain repairs to your property, but residents in our rented properties are also expected to keep their home in good condition. For examples of resposibilities see below:

Repairs Notting Hill Genesis are responsible for include: • The structure of your home including roof, walls, doors, floors, ceilings and windows • Gutters, down pipes and drains • Existing central heating, water heaters and fires (where provided by us) • Chimney stacks and flues • Plasterwork • Kitchen units, air vents and extractor fans

Repairs you may be responsible for include: • Internal decoration • Repairs to small cracks in plaster or woodwork • Repairs to furniture, floor coverings and appliances • Replacing light bulbs • Test and replace batteries in smoke/carbon monoxide alarms • Replacing toilet seats, shower heads, hoses and plugs

YOU AND YOUR HOME YOUR AND YOU • Installing additional locks or replacing keys/locks if you are locked out – although in an emergency and if your home will be left unsecure, we may carry out these works and recharge the costs to you • Repairs to any appliances, fixtures and fittings you’ve installed yourself

This list is not exhaustive, and there may be differences according to your tenancy. If you are unsure about any repair, please refer to your tenancy or visit www.nhggroup.org.uk for more information.

14 www.nhggroup.org.uk YOU AND YOUR HOME

Fire safety guide Help is on hand

We are responsible for ensuring Everyone needs support at times your buildings are safe and meet and we are working with a range of all fire regulations – work that is organisations to ensure help is on constantly going on behind the hand when you need it. scenes to ensure you and your We have now launched a website family can feel secure at home. But directory of support services to there are also many precautions make it easier for residents to know you can take to minimise the risks. who they can contact in times of We have produced Your Guide to need. Fire Safety, a four-page document answering the most frequently asked questions, which can be downloaded from our website. It covers important issues such as the need to keep communal areas clear of obstructions and why we will remove items from these areas, how to avoid electrical fires, how to stay safe while cooking and how to use candles as safely as possible. Whether you are looking for money It also explains what precautions advice or a job, want to learn digital Notting Hill Genesis take to keep skills or get support with your you safe from fire, as well as health and wellbeing, there will be outlining our policy regarding the organisations listed who are there publication of fire risk assessments for you. (FRAs). The directory is easy to use and has all the information you need to You can find Your Guide to Fire choose the right service at the right Safety by visiting www.nhggroup. time. org.uk. You can search the directory by visiting www.nhhg.org.uk/ supportservices.

/ Winter 2018 15 Get ready for winter chills

While we have been enjoying a mild autumn, winter is now fast approaching and it is a good idea to be prepared to stop low temperatures causing problems around your home.

One of the major problems you energy centres and communal can face over the winter months is heating systems have a four-hour frozen pipes. Frozen pipes can cause emergency call out time. considerable damage, so if this happens you should defrost them Visit the contact us page of slowly. If you can find the blockage, www.nhggroup.org.uk for the best then you can cover that section of way to report a repair. pipe with hot towels, replacing them frequently as they cool, or use a hot water bottle. If a pipe bursts after it has frozen, If you smell gas, shut off the water supply and

YOU AND YOUR HOME YOUR AND YOU contact us immediately. then turn off the gas supply at We are now officially in the “winter the mains next to the gas meter months” for our gas contracts, which and open all windows. Then will run until 31 March 2019. If our call the National Grid on contractors are unable to repair 0800 111 999. a boiler during this time they will deliver two temporary heaters to Don’t strike matches or turn you. During these months, loss of electrical switches on or off. heating is treated as an emergency Put out any naked flames. with a 24-hour call out, while all

16 www.nhggroup.org.uk Universal YOU AND YOUR HOME

Credit HELP TO SAVE research A new government scheme open to working people Notting Hill Genesis is taking eligible for Working Tax Credits part in government research or Universal Credit gives you to help understand the impact the chance to earn a tax-free of Universal Credit on rent bonus of 50p for every £1 arrears. saved. Help to Save is a digital The Department of Work and savings account that is secure, Pensions (DWP) doesn’t hold simple to use and flexible. information on rent arrears, so Once an account is set up it needs to work with landlords to will run for four years. conduct this research into the Over the four years, affects of the benefit change. customers saving the We have provided the DWP with maximum £50 per month will depersonalised information about save £2,400, receiving a tax- rent account balances for residents free bonus of up to £1,200. receiving Universal Credit so that The bonuses are paid into your the link between Universal Credit bank account after two years and rent arrears can be analysed. and four years (up to £600 The information provided is each). anonymous and processed in Eligible customers have up to accordance with data protection five years to open an account legislation. The research is covered (until September 2023), so you by the Notting Hill Genesis privacy can decide when the time is notice and will have no impact on right for you. individuals’ benefit claims. To find out more, or to start We hope that by taking part in saving, visit gov.uk/helptosave this research NHG will get a better or call the Help to Save understanding of how Universal helpline on 0300 322 7093. Credit is impacting residents and what we can do to help.

/ Winter 2018 17 Save yourself from identity fraud

In 2017 there were a record Keep your personal number of cases of identity information safe theft, with 300,000 cases • Don’t throw out anything with being reported across the your name, address or financial year. We want to help you details without shredding it first. avoid getting scammed. • If you receive an unsolicited email or phone call from what At Notting Hill Genesis we take appears to be your bank or the protection of your data very building society asking for your seriously both online and offline. security details, never reveal your When our operatives visit your full password, login details or home, they should always carry account numbers. identification, and this should be • Be aware that a bank will never visible for you to read. ask for your PIN or for a whole There are also steps you can take security number or password.

YOU AND YOUR HOME YOUR AND YOU to protect yourself. • Don’t leave things like bills lying around for others to look at. • If you’re expecting a bank or credit card statement and it doesn’t arrive, tell your bank or 43% credit card company. An Experian study in 2017 found that 43% of people had shopped online using public WiFi

18 www.nhggroup.org.uk YOU AND YOUR HOME

BE AWARE THAT A BANK WILL NEVER ASK FOR YOUR PIN OR FOR A WHOLE SECURITY NUMBER OR PASSWORD

If you think you have been a If you think you’re a victim of victim of identity fraud another kind of identity fraud

• Act quickly – you mustn’t ignore • You must report the matter to the problem. the relevant organisation (you • If you are concerned about should report all lost or stolen the source of a call, wait five documents). minutes and call your bank from • Depending on their advice, you a different telephone making sure should then alert your local there is a dialling tone. police force. • If you believe you’re a victim of identity fraud you must report it Protect yourself from postal to your bank as soon as possible. fraud

If you think your bank details • If you move to a new house, ask may have been stolen Royal Mail to redirect your post for at least a year. • You must report it to your bank as • Contact the Royal Mail customer soon as possible. enquiry line on 08457 740 740 • The police will then record your if you suspect your mail is being case and decide whether to carry stolen or that a mail redirection out follow-up investigations. has been fraudulently set up on your address; the Royal Mail has an investigation unit that will be able to help you.

/ Winter 2018 19 Afeez Basiru (left) and Harry Tetsill (right)

Apprentices go from strength to strength I love the work here Two apprentices from the Aylesbury Estate and Walworth are helping to and am transform their neighbourhood after moving up qualifying as demolition operatives. bit by bit. I Afeez Basiru, 23, and Harry Tetsill, 24, both just want to work on the first phase of the Aylesbury Estate regeneration project with Notting Hill Genesis’ carry on now demolition contractors Erith, helping to demolish the empty blocks in Southwark in preparation and become a

IN YOUR COMMUNITY YOUR IN for hundreds of new homes, half of which will site manager provide affordable housing. They are the first apprentices to come through and project NHG and work directly on the build programme, manager. having been working towards their NVQ Level 2 for almost two years, ever since coming to see AFEEZ BASIRU the Aylesbury team’s community connector, Chris Cotton, for advice on a new career. Afeez, who had been working as a support worker and mentor in a school until his contract ended, said: “I needed to find full-time work and

20 www.nhggroup.org.uk 18 year project IN YOUR COMMUNITY 3,500 new homes 50% affordable homes

this opportunity came at the right Chris Cotton, community time. I met with Chris and spoke connector for the Aylesbury team about what I’d like to do, and he at Notting Hill Genesis, added: gave me the opportunity to have an “We have pledged to provide interview. more than 1,400 training, job and “I love the work here and am apprenticeship opportunities to moving up bit by bit. I just want to people from Southwark as part of carry on now and become a site the Aylesbury regeneration and manager and project manager.” it is great to see Afeez and Harry The site is a place Afeez knows making such a success of it. They well, having grown up on the have worked really hard to get Aylesbury Estate himself. where they are now, and we are “I used to play in some of these really proud of them.” buildings so it’s a bit weird for me, An annual review marking the but it’s all for a good cause. It will work of the Aylesbury regeneration be nice to know I’ve played a part team in 2017/18 is now available to in creating this new neighbourhood read online at www.aylesburynow. – it will be something to tell my london. children one day.” Harry, who lives in Walworth, Site visit followed his brother into demolition “brings project to life” through an apprenticeship. “Because I’m local they got me Members of the resident liaison working here, like my brother did, group for the Aylesbury regneration but he has moved to a different site project had a chance recently now. I thought this was something to go on site, see the progress different – I had always worked for themselves and ask Erith, our in bars or warehouses and this contractors, any questions. For seemed interesting. some, it was also the opportunity “I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m working to try out wearing a hard hat and with a great group of people and site boots for the first time. learning something new every Groups like this are a great way to day. I would certainly recommend meet and build a relationship with apprenticeships – it’s a great way to the residents living in and around get into a new career.” the site, who are most affected by the works.

/ Winter 2018 21 Kate Davies, chief executive of NHG, with guests at the opening of the English Heritage blue plaque at the Isokon Building in Camden

Open House draws in crowds We opened the doors of two of our buildings for the annual London Open House weekend in September.

More than 50 people visited our 1934, the Isokon became a popular Cheviot Gardens development haunt for designers, writers and in West Norwood, our first to artists, before falling into disrepair. combine state-of-the-art extra care After buying the building in 2002, facilities with a mixture of rental and Notting Hill Genesis worked closely shared ownership homes for older with English Heritage, the Isokon people. Trust and Avanti Architects to There was a lot of interest in the restore it to its former glory. final four flats available, while staff The building now includes 35 also raised £170 through cakes and homes, many for key workers, as hot drinks, which will go towards well as an impressive penthouse. the Cheviot residents activities fund. Recently, Walter Gropius, Marcell We also provided entertainment Breuer and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and activities for residents, including three designers who lived and a Pearly King and Queen and art worked in the Isokon in the 1930s, classes. were honoured with an English Visitors also flocked to the iconic Heritage blue plaque. Isokon building in Camden. Built in IN YOUR COMMUNITY YOUR IN

Open House ambassadors at Cheviot Gardens 22 www.nhggroup.org.uk IN YOUR COMMUNITY The peak of achievement for recovery group Mount Snowdon, Wales

A group from our recovery service in Suffolk have successfully taken on the Three Peaks Challenge scaling the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales – raising £1,000 for charity.

The team from STARS (Suffolk of five months’ preparation for the Treatment and Recovery Service), group, who called themselves “The took part in the mammoth hike Peaky Blinders”. over 24 hours, hiking up Ben Nevis The group, Andy May, Darren (1,345 metres), Snowdon (1,085 Moore, Lloyd Williams, Yvonne metres) and Scafell Pike (978 Bloomfield and Oliver King, were metres). supported by Notting Hill Genesis’ Covering a total walking distance lead project worker Bruce Wright. of 23 miles, it was the culmination

A world on our doorstep Residents at a hostel for young women are enjoying a world of culinary delights, without even leaving their front door.

Staff and customers at Withipoll and authentic makhani curry Street in Ipswich, Suffolk, have been and holding a traditional Spanish learning about different cultures evening with paella. while enjoying varied food, all of Along with the food, they are which is cooked from scratch. also holding a quiz at the beginning So far they have enjoyed an and end of each session covering American-style barbecue, as well knowledge of the nation being as experiencing the tastes of India “visited”, a bit of basic language and with hand-made onion bhajis food hygiene.

/ Winter 2018 23 SummerSummerGrahame Park Summer ofof funfun Festival is a big hit On 7 July 2018, hundreds of Colindale residents flocked to Grahame Park to celebrate the annual Grahame Park Summer Festival. The free event, held every year at Heybourne Park, was an opportunity for the local community to come together with a variety of fun activities and entertainment for the whole family.

Fun day brings Lithos Road community together Families from the Lithos Road Estate in Camden enjoyed an estate party this summer helping residents get to know their neighbours and housing teams better. Games, food and live music were enjoyed by dozens of visitors to the event, while officers from Camden Police on horseback joined in the IN YOUR COMMUNITY YOUR IN fun. Lithos Road is part-owned by Notting Hill Genesis with Odu-Dua .

24 www.nhggroup.org.uk IN YOUR COMMUNITY

SummerSummer ofof funfunSummer of fun on the Aylesbury Our Aylesbury Summer Programme is always one of the highlights of our year – offering three weeks of fun for all ages – and this year was no exception! More than 140 people from the local community in Southwark joined us for 32 sessions across 11 different activities. The most popular sessions this year were spray painting, jewellery making and fashion design. The Aylesbury regeneration team are still picking the glitter out of their hair! One young person summed up the programme saying: “It was an absolutely amazing experience. I have made so many friends!”

/ Winter 2018 25 LGBT+ residents forum update One of the added benefits of the Notting Hill Genesis merger is the chance for more LGBT+ residents to get involved in our forum and HouseProud discuss the issues that matter residents pledge to them. We are showing our commitment The meetings are held at 5.30pm to supporting and improving the on the second Tuesday of alternate lives of our LGBT+ residents by months. It runs for a couple of hours, helping develop the HouseProud with the first welcoming a guest residents pledge card. speaker from NHG to outline our Residents will have a say on approach to issues such as anti-social the pledges that should be made behaviour, hate crime, digital inclusion by housing providers during a and more, while the second hour is series of workshops being run a safe space for members to speak by HouseProud, the network for about any issues they wish. LGBT+ people working in social

IN YOUR COMMUNITY YOUR IN Refreshments are provided, and housing, alongside the Greater forum members will also have a London Authority and University of chance to decide what to cover in Surrey. this section of Connections. Four NHG tenants attended the If you would like to come along first of these events, at City Hall. to the forum, email Aggie at The pledge card is the result of customerinvolvement@genesisha. research published earlier this year org.uk or [email protected]. by HouseProud and University uk in confidence and we will let you of Surrey. The report, No Place know the details. Like Home, details residents’ experiences of living in social

26 www.nhggroup.org.uk IN YOUR COMMUNITY We have been asked to provide a list of useful contacts for LGBT+ residents and those looking for advice.

GALOP – advocacy and support service, specialising in hate crime – www.galop.org.uk. National LGBT+ domestic violence helpline – confidential and non- judgemental advice – 0800 999 5428. London Switchboard – help and advice on any issue for LGBT+ people, open 10am-10pm – 0300 HouseProud 330 0630. All About Trans – website pulling together many trans support groups housing. The card may be a list of and contacts – www.allabouttrans. pledges for providers to implement, org.uk. or a set of commitments based IMAAN – Peer support group around key themes, but this for LGBT+ Muslims, helping to will be decided by the residents reconcile faith with sexuality and themselves. gender identity – imaanlondon. The research revealed worrying wordpress.com. truths about how people feel in HouseProud – group set up by their homes and communities, social housing workers (including such as that a fifth of gay men from Notting Hill Genesis). The modify their home if being visited site has links and housing-specific for a repair, while six out of 10 trans resources – www.houseproud-lgbt. residents say their neighbourhood org.uk. isn’t a safe place for them to live. A Notting Hill Genesis LGBT+ third of LGBT+ residents say their residents forum – if you’d like landlord didn’t handle issues such to get involved, please send as harassment well and fewer than your details, in confidence, to half feel a sense of belonging to customerinvolvement@genesisha. their neighbourhood. org.uk or [email protected]. The pledge card is due to be uk. launched in February 2019.

/ Winter 2018 27 The A5 Art Show, sponsored by leading property agents Savills, will see our Talented residents’ creations displayed alongside residents work by professional artists and members of Notting Hill Genesis staff. line up The artworks – all originals – are all A5 in size and will be available for alongside purchase both in person or online. professional Every item will cost £50, no matter who created it, and will be displayed

IN YOUR COMMUNITY YOUR IN artists anonymously. All of the money raised will go towards our hardship fund to Later this month, a support some of our more vulnerable series of works by our residents. most creative residents The A5 Art Show will be held at the will be going on show Koppel Project in High Holborn from at a central London Thursday 29 November to Friday 21 December. The event’s website is gallery. www.theA5show.com.

28 www.nhggroup.org.uk BUILDING NEW HOMES NEW BUILDING

London City Hall

GLA panel will build thousands of new homes

Notting Hill Genesis has been named on the Greater London Authority’s new £20bn London Development Panel (LDP2), enabling us to continue to work in partnership with them to deliver thousands of new homes for Londoners.

Our appointment follows our This means all new-build market success with the previous London homes with a sale price of less than Development Panel, through which £350,000 will be marketed only we secured two of the sites within to UK residents for at least three our award-winning Royal Albert months, that those homes can only Wharf development. be sold to Londoners for the first In addition, as part of the G15 group of those three months, and that all of the largest housing associations homes being sold under Help to Buy working in London, we have in London are marketed through committed to the Mayor of London’s the Homes for Londoners property promise to offer Londoners “first dibs” portal. on new homes.

/ Winter 2018 29 30 BUILDING NEW HOMES www.nhggroup.org.uk development. created. been have school and community centre, shops and 2.61 acres of new parkland around the neighbourhood. Beyond the homes, anew secondary difference between the private and social housing as you walk won both London project of the year and best regeneration project. Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) awards, where the scheme Homes Awards 2018. This follows adouble success at the Royal It was named best large development at the Evening Standard New earned three prestigious awards within aweek. a thriving new community for thousands of families The transformation of Woodberry Down in Hackney into Woodberry Down Hat-trick for“thriving” Notting Hill Genesis is one five partners working on the Woodberry Down has been designed to impossible be to tell the

BUILDING NEW HOMES 31 / Winter 2018 / Winter The project, which launched on launched which The project, commended highly also were We Albert a Royal Wharf, Finally, 350 includes Albert Wharf Royal Awards stack up stack Awards earned in Ealing Road Shakespeare in scheme new best for award the Housing National the at planning Awards. 55 seen already has and August 30 off- reserved homes of cent per shared quality high 22 offers plan, ownership apartments an with in-keeping presence visual attractive architecture Victorian-style the with of the surrounding area. for category design best the in care extra our Gardens, Cheviot Norwood. West in scheme at development housing new major was Newham, Albert Dock, Royal the of project residential named Royal the at category) (London year Surveyors Chartered of Institute a claiming as well as (RICS), Awards British of Institute Royal prestigious (London award (RIBA) Architects category). mixed-tenure high-quality, new, More blocks. three within homes homes new the of cent per 40 than rent affordable either affordable, are part of as and ownership, shared or working a historic regeneration the a as retained been has house pump point. focal London, N1 9FL. Entries must be received by 7December. received be must Entries N1 9FL. London, Street, 2Killick Kenrick Bruce House, Team, Genesis, Hill Communications Notting write you Competition, can to at: us Monroe Jack address, have email youIf an don’t www.nhggroup.org.uk/cookbook Register your details at: read the latest you can visit the news sections on our websites. updates from Connections in your inbox! Andif you can’t wait to It only takes five minutes and soon you’ll getting be all the latest from bestselling author andactivist Jack Monroe Sign up to receive this magazine electronically for achance to win a signed a win SECTIONcook book! be enteredbe in the draw! Friday 7December and you’ll automatically to receive Connections electronically by For your chance to win, just register handy money-saving tips. vegetablesand alongside – other rice, spuds pasta, breakfasts, bread, there are 118 recipes based around mac and cheese and self-love stew, From pancakes berry fluffy to Marmite copies to give away easily available ingredients –and we have three signed a Bootstrap, filled with cheap and easy dishes made from Jack Monroe has released anew recipe Cooking book, on .