newsSpring 2014

Win great prizes

pages 3 and 12

Focus on our hostel

pages 6 and 7

Where your rent money goes

pages 8 and 9

A bright future for Magdalane read more about work placements at Arhag on page 5

Welcome…

Contents

Firstly, a very warm welcome to our 83 new residents in Tower Hamlets, whose homes have transferred to Arhag from Riverside Housing Group and also to a further 41 residents in Enfield whose homes have transferred to Arhag from Alydwick Housing. These are the latest additions to our portfolio and we are keen to acquire more homes in the future. We want to ensure that even more people can benefit from the quality of our service which has just been rated as among the best in the whole country!

A recent analysis has shown that Arhag is in the top ten of the best performing housing associations that own or manage less than 7,500 properties. This is a terrific achievement and shows that our commitment to delivering the very best service is most definitely working! In fact resident satisfaction with our service puts us in the top five best housing associations nationally.

Arhag is about much more than bricks and mortar. We provide lots of support and services to improve the quality of life for all our residents. These include benefit advice workshops to help you manage your money and support to find a job or set up your own business. At the moment we are reviewing these initiatives and we want to hear what you would like us to provide in the future (see page 7 for details).

We are busy putting together an exciting programme of activities for our younger residents to enjoy during the school summer holidays. Check out our next issue for more details of what’s on offer and how you can join in the fun.

Dorian LeathamChief Executive

Page 3 – Resident Rewards

Page 4 – Benefit advice

Pages 5 – Meet Magdalane

Pages 6 and 7 – Living at the hostel

Pages 8 and 9 – Your rent

Page 10 – How we are performing

Page 11 – New lifts at Porteus Road

Page 12 – Our new talking website

Cover photo:Magdalane Enow of Arhag

Contact us on 020 7424 7370 or email contact@arhag.co.uk

2

Win great awards!Did you know that you can win great prizes, simply for being an Arhag resident?

There are lots of rewards on offer, ranging from iPads and kindles to hampers and gift vouchers, depending on which category you qualify for.

Prize draws are made every three months throughout the year.

Remember the higher the category, the better the rewards on offer! Check out which category you fall into:

Do you:

Always have a clear rent account?

Get involved with Arhag (for example by attending resident or Scrutiny Panel meetings or completing surveys?)

Do you:

Make regular rent payments, and have you been doing so for at least 26 weeks?

Ensure that you have completed the new supplementary rent agreement (if applicable)?

Do you:

Always stick to your tenancy agreement?

Always let contractors in to carry out the annual gas service in time?

Pay off your arrears (and have you kept to your rent arrears agreement for at least 13 weeks)?

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

3

3

3

3

3

33

Pick up an application form today from our office, or enter online at www.arhag.co.uk

The next prize draws will take place in May, August and November 2014. Make sure you are in with a chance of winning by entering today!

“I was shocked when I found out I had won an Ipad! I’m so glad that I registered and would recommend that other residents sign up for the reward scheme.” Mr Elmi from Newham who won a Gold award.

3

Advice on benefit changes

Almost 30 residents attended with their friends and family, to find out more about important changes to the benefits system, and to receive expert advice on money management and help with finding a job or training opportunity.

If you are struggling to pay the rent because your benefit payments have been cut by the benefit cap or bedroom tax, you can apply for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) from your local council.

Contact your local council for more details about applying for DHP. Even if you made a claim last financial year you may have to re-apply again for April 2014.

We can help you complete the application form. Just call the Arhag Housing Team on 0207 424 7370 if you need a hand.

We held a successful event in February to help more Arhag residents understand and prepare for the benefit changes, including the introduction of Universal Credit.

You can get more benefits advice online at www.arhag.co.uk or chat to our Welfare Rights Advisor (make an appointment via your Housing Officer).

Congratulations to Teminit, a resident in Newham, who won an iPad 2 in the free prize draw at the event. Teminit is pictured receiving her prize from Yaw Frimpong-Mansoh of Arhag

“It’s just one of the ways that we are providing advice and support for our residents affected by the welfare reforms. Remember, if your benefit payments have been cut you must make up the shortfall in rent out of your own pocket.” Anthony Alexander, Head of Housing

Struggling to pay the rent?Camden Council 020 7974 4444

Haringey Council 020 8489 1000

Islington Council 020 7527 4990

Lambeth Council 020 7926 1000

Newham Council 020 8430 2000

Southwark Council 0207 525 5000

Westminster Council 0800 072 0042 Freephone number

4

We are committed to improving the quality of life for all our residents, and offer a wide range of support services from welfare rights advice and training opportunities to social events and work placements.

We want to hear what you think about our support services, and what you would like us to provide for you in the future. We will be running an online survey in April (details will be provided in your next quarterly rent statement). Please look out for the announcement in April, and don’t forget to take part in the survey and tell us what you think.

Magdalane Enow is currently completing a work placement at Arhag as an Administration Assistant to learn new skills that will improve her CV.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity and I am learning so much, especially about housing management. My duties include sending letters, helping with surveys, inputting data, filing and generally assisting with the office administration.

“The staff are always ready to give me a hand and everyone works together as a team. I’ve especially enjoyed working with the IT department. I really enjoy what I do here and I look forward to coming to work.”

Camden Council 020 7974 4444

Haringey Council 020 8489 1000

Islington Council 020 7527 4990

Lambeth Council 020 7926 1000

Newham Council 020 8430 2000

Southwark Council 0207 525 5000

Westminster Council 0800 072 0042 Freephone number

More than bricks and mortar At Arhag we do so much more than simply provide a roof over your head.

Magdalane on track to a new career

5

Magdalane Enow at work in the Arhag office

Dream of being your own boss? Our Start Your Own Business scheme offers free training and support for Arhag residents to get your idea off the ground. Contact Komal Doan on 020 7424 7381 for more details.

Arhag’s HostelOur hostel in Stratford provides accommodation for homeless refugees, along with support to help residents re-build their lives and move on to settled accommodation and a brighter future.

Meet some of the residents who are getting back on their feet:

FOCUS ON

Hiwet Yohannes “Since moving to the hostel in 2012 my life has changed. Living around so many people of a similar background I have made lots of new friends, and I really enjoy attending the hostel’s social events, like the Christmas party and Barbeque. It’s really nice for all the residents to come together and socialise… and share their cooking skills!

“The hostel staff are great, and provide lots of advice and support. They even helped me contact other organisations such as the Council. Thanks to Groundwork I have completed a level one IT course. I enjoyed it so much I am going to go on to do the level two now. I was able to choose two days to study which fitted around my part-time job and my personal life.”

6

Megdelawit Tewolde

“I really enjoyed our Christmas party at the Meshwi Grill where we enjoyed a delicious Lebanese meal. It was a vibrant atmosphere and a great opportunity to catch up with all the residents. My favourite moment was when we started singing cultural songs and hymns from our own countries.”

Betelhem Yemane “I lived at the hostel for over a year, before Newham Council gave me my own place in 2013. My hostel support worker helped me by giving me advice and ideas, and encouraged me to go to college to improve my English. Arhag even gave me £100 of Argos gift vouchers to help me furnish my new flat and my support worker applied to EDF Energy Trust fund so I could get a new bed. I’m in a nice flat and I am happy.”

9

Your rentWe know that the recent benefit cuts and increasing cost of living mean that many households are struggling to make ends meet, so a decision to increase rent is never taken lightly.

However, the Arhag Board have decided to increase rent in 2014 by an average rate of 3.7%. This will mean we have enough money to invest into improving your homes and neighbourhoods and can continue to provide top quality services for all our residents.

We have sent you details of the new rent for your property. If you have any queries please talk to us as soon as possible.

8

How is the rent set?Like all housing associations we follow the same government formula for calculating your rent. This is to make sure it is fair, reflects the size, condition and location of your home and remains affordable.

Where does your rent money go?As a responsible landlord, we invest the majority of your rent money to take care of your homes. In the past 12 months we have:

• fitted 37 new kitchens• installed 40 new boilers • redecorated exterior and communal areas at 86 properties• fitted 20 new bathrooms.

We have also invested in new lifts in Porteus Road (check out page 11 for details).

Your rent

Plans for next yearOver the next 12 months we will be investing a record amount of over £2 million (which is 36% of our total budget).

Of this, £500,000 will be spent on day to day repairs and maintenance and a further £1.5 million on planned maintenance programmes (such as replacing boilers, renewing kitchens and bathrooms and rewiring properties).

Our targets for the year ahead are to:

replace 30 kitchens

install 30 bathrooms

carry out 3010 responsive repairs

make 45 empty properties ready for new tenants

replace 53 boilers

carry out 86 electrical tests

issue 75 annual gas safety certificates

paint the outside of 100 properties

replace all the windows in 10 properties

upgrade 5 fire alarms

replace 10 roofs

provide aids and adaptations for 10 homes

replace 20 fences

upgrade 3 communal gates.

33333333333

33

3

If you are worried about paying your rent call us on 0207 424 7370 for help and advice so that we can help you work out a way forward.

9

Where does your rent money go?As a responsible landlord, we invest the majority of your rent money to take care of your homes. In the past 12 months we have:

• fitted 37 new kitchens• installed 40 new boilers • redecorated exterior and communal areas at 86 properties• fitted 20 new bathrooms.

Paying your rent is important because:

• If you don’t pay your rent we can evict you and your family.• Your rent money pays for vital services,

improvements and repairs (listed opposite).• We treat all our residents equally and fairly

and expect everyone to pay rent on time.

How are we doing?It’s important that you know how we are performing, including where we are doing well and the areas where we need to work harder.

The charts below show the targets we set ourselves for different areas of the organisation between April 2013 – December 2013.

If you would like to get more involved in helping to set our targets and chart our success please get in touch to find out about Arhag’s resident involvement opportunities.

What the traffic lights mean

Red – More work needed to improve the service.

Amber – We are slightly below the target and need to do a bit more work.

Green – Full steam ahead! We have met or exceeded our target.

Customer careTarget How

we didOur result

% of complaints acknowledged on time (two working days) 100% 100%

% of complaints responded to on time (10 working days) 100% 100%

% satisfied with complaints outcome 75% 84%(5/6)

% satisfied with complaints process 95% 84%(5/6)

Estate InspectionsTarget How

we didOur result

% of estate inspections completed 95% 96%

% of schemes that meet gold or silver standard 100% 99.2%

RepairsTarget How

we didOur result

% of customers satisfaction with repairs 88% 94.4%

% of all repairs completed on time 98% 99.5%

Rent Collection and ArrearsTarget How

we didOur result

% of rent collected >100% 97.7%

% of rent arrears for current tenants 4.0% 5.0%

Number of tenants evicted as a result of rent arrears No Target 7 No Target

Lettings and Managing Empty HomesTarget How

we didOur result

Average time taken to let a vacant property 22 Days 25

10

Rising to the challenge Residents at an Arhag block of flats in Porteus Road in Westminster are riding high thanks to the installation of two brand new lifts.

We commissioned the work last year, in response to concerns from tenants that the old lifts were always breaking down, causing inconvenience for residents and costly repair bills for us.

A resident on the fifth floor said: “Life is much better now the new lifts have been installed in our block. The old lifts were always out of order but now we have new lifts that work all the time. The contractors were very good with the installation and ensured there was little disruption to us throughout the project.”

“The new lifts are much more efficient, reliable and have a longer life span. They will definitely improve the quality of life for residents at the block.” Dorian Leatham, Chief Executive

Check out pages 8 and 9 for more details of how we are investing money to make important improvements to your homes and neighbourhoods.

11

Special BrowseAloud technology reads the words on the screen out loud to you, which is vital for residents who have difficulty understanding English, or have leaning difficulties, dyslexia or visual impairments.

Simply visit www.arhag.co.uk click the BrowseAloud box and select your chosen language.

Don’t forget you can also use our website to track your repairs and manage your rent account.

Look, click and listenThe Arhag website does more than tell you all about our latest news and resident services, it can even talk to you in your own language!

Visit us or write to us at:Arhag, Unit B, Ground Floor,Mary Brancker House,54-74 Holmes Road, Kentish Town,London, NW5 3AQ.

Opening hours:Monday to Friday9am to 5pm

Telephone Office:020 7424 7370

Out of hours:0800 389 8699 or020 7424 7370(option 5).

Hostel Enquiries:020 8519 4156

Email:contact@arhag.co.uk

Visit our website:www.arhag.co.uk

Get in touch

Call us on 0207 424 7370 for help and advice in using this service. If you haven’t got access to a computer at home pop along to your local library where you can use one for free.

Complete our Easter word search and wina £20 gift voucher

WIN!

Each word is hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Send your entries to the Arhag office (our address is written in the white box below) with your name, address and contact number by April 30, 2014.

BUNNYEGGSJUMPHUNTHOPNESTBONNET

B U H A S W H O

I S O H J P I D

R Q I B U N N Y

G A P U M N E N

H O H O P O T N

N R O M S S I H

O F Y I E G G S

B O N N E T R O

!