AUTUMN 2018 www.sanctuary-scotland.co.uk AUTUMNAUTUMN | |2018 2012 | |PAGE PAGE PB 1 AUTUMN | 2018 | PAGE 1 Kirklandneuk Primary pupils recently filled a time Janine and Colin receive their certificates capsule to bury beside Sanctuary’s site in Station from our director Pat Cahill Road, Renfrew Area manager Colin Downie and housing officer Janine Pulling received our most recent staff ottish e encourage all residen ts t c o use the S award for helping a tenant in distress. W Fire and Rescue Service’s FREE home safety Colin and Janine handled the incident “swiftly, check service. professionally and compassionately”, arranging medical assistance to prevent the tenant from A firefighter will inspect your home and fit smoke alarms free-of-charge if you need them. harming themself or others. Both the tenant and , their family later contacted us to thank Colin To arrange a free home safety check and Janine. phone 0800 0731 999 or text FIRE to 80800 Anything to tell us? If you have a question or comment about our services, please contact our Customer Service Centre (CSC) using Sanctuary Scotland’s way of working changed between. Since the CSC’s introduction in April both the contact details in the table below. in April when we made full use of our Customer have been able to make more visits to our tenants in Service Centre (CSC). Since then the CSC is the the North East. Freephone 0800 131 3348 (landline) or 0300 123 3511 (mobile) first point-of-contact if you need to ask any Maureen said: “It’s a different way of working but the questions or make any comments. use of the CSC combined with the roll-out of tablets Housing email address [email protected] By phoning 0800 131 3348 you can pay your rent, has freed us up from the office. report a repair and make a complaint, among other “The tablets allow us to go online there and then Repairs email address [email protected] things. Our housing teams are based in Aberdeen, during a home visit and see a tenant’s account in Cumbernauld, Dundee and Glasgow. Now that our real time. The tablets have been great for enabling Post Sanctuary Scotland CSC deals with routine enquiries, housing officers us to answer questions without having to return to Marybone House are free to get out and about more to meet with the office, which is what tenants want. 2 Marybone residents. Liverpool L3 2BY “It’s good for us to be out and about and to be seen Housing officers Maureen Michie and Denise Parry in the community.” The CSC is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If your enquiry is not urgent your call may be answered more cover Peterhead, Fraserburgh and our homes in quickly in the evening or at the weekend. Monday morning is generally the CSC’s busiest period, with wait times longer as a result. AUTUMNAUTUMN | |2018 2012 | |PAGE PAGE 2 1 AUTUMN | 2018 | PAGE 3 Our director Pat Cahill and Humza Yousaf MSP with Richard Smith and apprentice David Paterson Local residents are building four apprentices under his wing. Square for social rent will include four-bedroom houses and careers thanks to a £27 million Richard, of Sanctuary’s site housing project in Glasgow. wheelchair-accessible bungalows. contractor CCG Scotland, said: The 178 houses being created by “I grew up here so it’s great to Ten 2-bedroom houses being built Sanctuary Homes in Nitshill are see Newfield Square being for a Glasgow City Council low- giving community members a redeveloped. energy home pilot project will be chance to progress. available for mid-market rent. Cllr Susan Aitken, Peter Martin of Sanctuary and Cllr Angus Millar at the regenerated Anderston “I’ve now been with CCG for 17 The properties in Newfield years and it’s projects like this Visit www.sanctuary-homes. co.uk/developments/newfield- Sanctuary’s masterplan to create hundreds of Linda, 61, said: “I was virtually housebound at my old Square also address a shortage of that help sustain careers in the square for more information affordable homes in central Glasgow has now flat so living here has been life-changing. affordable family housing. construction industry.” on the 76 houses available for been completed. “I can now get out and about thanks to the lift in my Plumber Richard Smith is helping The 92 homes at Newfield affordable sale. Keys to the final phase’s 206 flats have been handed close. My flat’s a good size and was also adapted to Sanctuary transform Newfield over, changing residents’ lives for the better. suit me before I moved in. Square, having lived on the old site A short video on the project can be Sanctuary Scotland worked with the local community, “I’m delighted to be here.” for 12 years. viewed on YouTube by visiting Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council to The final phase includes three child play areas. A The former apprentice, 36, now https://youtu.be/MZZkwEvBmVw transform Anderston’s housing stock. stays a short walk away and has section of Argyle Street lost to pedestrians and cyclists The 10-year project saw many 1960s buildings in the 1960s was also restored, creating an unbroken demolished and replaced with 540 affordable homes. thoroughfare from the city centre to Finnieston. Sanctuary residents at our supported facility in Holland Street, Aberdeen recently benefited from The final phase included 87 flats for social rent and We will formally complete our regeneration of an animal therapy project. 119 for mid-market rent. Anderston with the installation of public art in A visit from friendly ponies and dogs saw Helen Campbell-Adeyanju moved into a ground-floor December. residents report feelings of improved Sanctuary flat with her husband, daughter and two mental wellbeing. sons. Hazel Karpinski, the service’s senior Helen, 43, said: “We feel like we’ve won the lottery. Our support manager, said: “The ponies and sons are autistic and the ground-floor flat means they dogs were very patient and allowed us to are able to go outside and interact with other children. cuddle and stroke them. “The boys have come on leaps and bounds in our “The visit had such a therapeutic outcome short time here. The sense of community is helped by for everyone, staff included, and enabled the number of areas put in for families to meet up and us to engage people in conversation mix.” about the care of animals and what we Linda McAuley’s move from a top-floor tenement flat How the site used to look would like to do and see next.” has given her a new lease of life. AUTUMNAUTUMN | |2018 2012 | |PAGE PAGE 4 1 AUTUMN | 2018 | PAGE 5 Rent – your questions answered Universal Credit - what you need to know The UK Government will soon introduce the full service version of Universal Credit (UC) in “Why have I received a letter about my rent account?” Aberdeen, Glasgow, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire. When your rent account falls into arrears, even by a small This will mean many more Sanctuary Scotland tenants having to claim UC. UC is designed to replace amount, a letter is automatically sent to you. This gives you the Tax Credits, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Employment & Support Allowance (income-related) and opportunity to bring your rent account back into credit, in line Jobseekers Allowance (income-based). with your tenancy agreement. Universal Credit (UC) full service roll-out schedule “Can I pay in arrears?” September 2018 Glasgow (Govan, Laurieston and Newlands job centres) No, your account must be paid weekly in advance. If you pay monthly you should ensure that your account does not go into Renfrewshire (Johnstone, Paisley and Renfrew job centres) arrears at any point in between payments. East Renfrewshire (Barrhead job centre) Caroline Kurlender, welfare rights officer October 2018 Aberdeen (Aberdeen job centre) “What do I do if I can’t pay my rent?” Glasgow (Partick and Springburn job centres) As soon as you realise there is a problem, it’s really important that you phone us on 0800 131 3348. If you don’t pay your rent, you If you attend one of the job account to be able to claim. it difficult toait w for your first are at risk of losing your home. centres listed above you will However in certain situations payment, though this would have to claim UC if you are tenants can make an application need to be paid back within 6 or making a claim for benefits for for UC over the phone – if you 12 months. the first time or if you have had are unsure please phone 0800 In Scotland new UC claimants “Can I get my Universal Credit paid direct to you?” a change in your circumstances 131 3348 and ask to speak with will be offered the option of (become unemployed, are your local welfare rights officer. You can ask for your rent to be paid directly to Sanctuary Scotland having their housing element taken off Employment Support after you have had your first UC payment. Alternatively, please The first payment of UC will paid direct to their landlord Allowance, become responsible phone 0800 131 3348 to arrange your regular monthly payment. not normally be made until five and we encourage you to do for a first child, etc). You will weeks after the date of claim and this. You also have the option not need to apply for UC if further payments are normally of splitting payments to receive you are old enough to qualify made on a monthly basis.