aksa news - winter 2013
DESCRIPTION
Aksa News - Winter 2013TRANSCRIPT
Winter2013
Families move into newUppermill homesMore on page 3
Your NEW LOOK magazine from Aksa Homes
1
Be wisewith youoptions
Advice on yourbenefit changes
4
New grass cutting service
5
Improving the way welet our homes
Bookletinside
Also inside
International Women’s Day event page 4
Aksa News2
Look for this icon:If you have a smartphone youcan also find more informationon our website by scanningthis barcode with a QR codereader app.
Welcome to the second issue ofour new magazine
You can also contactus through your TVLooking Local is our interactive digital TV service forcustomers. You can view available properties, find outabout upcoming events and much more.
Sky: Channel 539Virgin: Channel 233Online:www.lookinglocal.gov.uk/newcharterhousingtrustOnce you've found our page, click on Aksa Homes.You can also access our pages through our Quickcode 246.
We hope 2013 has been a good year foryou all so far.It’s already been a busy year for us and wehave lots of important information for youin this magazine.From April, many of you will be affected by theGovernment’s changes to benefits and inside thisissue you’ll find a handy leaflet to keep you updatedon what’s happening, how it will affect you andwhere to get advice.We're holding an event for International Women'sDay again this year on 8th March. The event isopen to all ladies in the area and we hope you'll beable to join us (more on page 4).
We’re also making somechanges later in the yearto the way we let ourhomes which you canread about inside.We have some excitingnews for you too asfamilies move into our first homes in Uppermill.We hope you enjoy this second issue of your newmagazine. If you have any ideas on how we canmake it better or you'd like to suggest a new namefor the magazine, please get in touch with us.
Georgina NolanProject team leader, Aksa Homes
Georgina Nolan
Changes to your benefits - advice booklet inside
Changes to
your benefitsBe wisewith youroptions
Inside this newsletter is an advice leaflet to help you understand theGovernment’s benefit changes which start from April 2013.
If you claim Housing Benefit to help pay your rent, or other welfarebenefits, these changes may affect you.
If you live in a home with one ormore ‘spare bedrooms’ thenyou may also be affected.
Please read the booklet formore information on thechanges and who to contact ifyou need help.
Helping you tosave moneyand energyLast month, we sent you ahandy booklet to help youcut back on your energy bills.
This leaflet gives you some easy tips andadvice on how you can save on the amount ofgas, electricity and water you use around thehome. Following these simple stepscould even help you save up to 25% offof your energy bills.
If you haven’t received a copy of the bookletand would like one, please contact uson 0161 620 2992.
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www.aksahomes.co.uk
Winter 2013 3
New homes for local people
Families have movedinto new homes at ourfirst development inUppermill, Oldham.
Six families got the keys totheir new affordable homesat Buckley Street inDecember and we visitedthem with festive hampers tohelp them settle in.
The six stone terraces are thefirst of 65 new family homesto be built in Oldham as part
of a £6.5m investmentprogramme to providemore quality homes inthe area ataffordablerent prices.
The Clarkshave movedinto one ofthe homeswith theirfour children,including newtwins. DadMartin hasjust left theArmy afterseven years’ service to spendmore time with his family. Healso has a new job as a localbus driver.
The homes have beencarefully designed to fit inwith the local area and areenergy efficient to helptenants with lower fuel bills.
In other parts of Oldham weare building 12 family homesat Owl Mill in Lees and 11 atWhiteley Street inChadderton which areexpected to be finished soon.
We are also starting to turn emptyproperties across Oldham and Rochdaleback into family homes on behalf oflocal councils.
We have recently completed a £14,000refurbishment of a former empty house onBusk Road in Oldham. The house was emptyfor around 14years but we havenow helped theowner find a newfamily to live inthe house. Wewill manage thepropertythrough oursocial lettingsagency,Homes for All.
Turning emptyhouses intohomes
Aksa Homes’ Karen Hylandwith company directorMushtaq Khan at the property.
Families move intonew Uppermillhomes
facebook.com/aksahomes
Don’t forget, you can also followus on Facebook
Staff with new tenants and their hampers
The new Buckley Street homes
Dad Martin Clark with histwins Olivia and Poppy
4 Aksa News
From April, grass and shrubcutting in your neighbourhoodswill now be looked after by a newservice called Green Charter.
Your feedback told us that weneeded to provide a better grasscutting service. We've listened to youand are pleased to be launching thisnew service.
Green Charter is part of the NewCharter Housing Trust Group and itis expanding to Aksa Homes toreplace the ‘Greenfingers’ service.
Only tenants who currently receive agrass cutting service from us will seea change with new teams and vansout and about in your areas.
Green Charter will help us to runa better service which is bettervalue for money for tenants andAksa Homes.
The service will also be moreflexible and customer focused tomeet the needs of tenants andour communities.
Over the next five years, GreenCharter will save us around £40,000and this money will be put back intoservices for you.
The new team is trained to carry outa number of jobs andthey will all have newuniforms with the AksaHomes logo on it.
Get involvedWe really want tenants to help usto check the work that GreenCharter is doing in yourneighbourhoods by telling us aboutany issues or letting us know whena job has been done well.
It is important that we use yourfeedback to help improve the serviceeven further. Getting involved in themonitoring group is also a good wayfor you to meet new people and helpimprove your local area.
If you would like to join the group,please contact us on 0161 620 2992or email [email protected]
The new Green Charter van which
you'll see in your neighbourhoods soon
New service to look aftergrass and shrub cutting
Free refreshments/buffet lunch
FashionShow
Inspirationalwomen speakers
Prayer room with Alimato lead Friday prayer
Entertainment
Pamperingsessions
When: Friday 8th March 2013What time: 10am promptWhere: The Honeywell Centre,Hadfield Street, Oldham, OL8 3BP
The event is open to all women in thearea and offers a friendly andcomfortable environment for you to meetother women, have fun and a relaxed time.
To confirm your attendance, please contact us:
Join us to celebrate femaleachievements and inspire others
Career andtraining advice
Children’s cornerwith activities
Minimovie
0161 620 2992
[email protected] facebook.com/aksahomes
Winter 2013 5
Why?There are many people on ourcurrent waiting list but we only havea limited number of propertiesavailable each year to move people to.Last year, only 10 of our propertiesbecame available to let in Oldham.This means that we have to do thingsdifferently to make sure that thosepeople who are most in need ofhousing have a better chance offinding a home.
The changes:● We will no longer have a
separate waiting list just forAksa Homes properties.
● There will be one ‘common’waiting list for social housingacross Oldham which willinclude all of our available homesas well as those from otherhousing associations.
● People will only need to completeone application to find a home.
● Homes will be let based on thehousing needs of an individual orfamily as well as their contributionto the community.
These changes will:● Make it easier for people to apply
for a new home.● Give people a better chance of
finding a suitable home byallowing them to bid on a greaternumber of available housingassociation homes each week.
Getting involved in thecommunity could help youfind a homeAs well as an individual’shousing needs, the new processwill look at people’s contributionsto the community.For example, people who arecarers or volunteers in the areacould have a better chance of gettinga home because they are givingsomething back to the communitywhere they want to live.This is an important part of the newapplication process because it:● Recognises the positive work
people do in communities.● Encourages people to get
involved in their local areas.● Helps people to meet
new people and feel betterabout themselves.
● Benefits the widerOldham communityand makes it a betterplace to live, workand play.
Applying fora home● Aksa Homes’ tenants
can still apply for atransfer to anotherone of our homes andbid for propertieswith other landlords.
● Those people looking for theirfirst home with us must gothrough the new applicationprocess to get onto the‘common’ waiting list.
● If you are currently on the AksaHomes waiting list you shouldcontact us if you havenot registered for the newprocess yet.
● Anyone can apply for a home butunfortunately, there a lot morepeople waiting than we haveavailable homes for.
For more information or advice,please contact us on 0161 620 2992or email [email protected]
From April, we’re making changes to improve theway we let homes across Oldham.
We’re improving the waywe let our homes
6 Aksa News
As we've changed thedesign of your magazineto make it muchbrighter and friendlier,we'd also like to give ita new name.We're looking for somethingfriendly, snappy and original.Do you have any ideas for us?We’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us on0161 620 2992 or [email protected] withyour suggestions.
Moneyfor localgroupsandprojects
Winter2013
Families move into newUppermill homesMore on page 3
Your NEW LOOK magazine from Aksa Homes
1
Be wisewith youoptions
Advice on yourbenefit changes
4
New grass cutting service
5
Improving the way welet our homes
Bookletinside
Also insideInternational Women’s Day event page 4
We need anew name!
Are you a local club or do you run a communityproject that’s looking for extra help with money?
If so, our Community Investment Fund might be able tohelp you to achieve your goals.
If you are a community group that helps others, youcould apply for funding from us.
For more information or to apply, contact the team on0161 620 2992 or email [email protected]
As we grow old we can find ourselves facing newchallenges in our lives. For many people it’s wherewe live that will determine how well we cope andwe are keen to understand how we can work withpartners to help support our ageing communities.
We are working with Project DevelopmentWorkshop (PDW), a North West-based housingcompany, to gather the views of residents in CentralOldham and Cheetham Hill, Manchester. This willhelp to highlight any problems and develop a long-term plan for providing housing and support forolder people in these areas.
We want to find out more about the thingsthat older people struggle with and understandmore about what worries people have asthey grow older.
We want to carry out face-to-face interviewswith as many people as we can before the endof March. So, if you are already over retirementage, or are concerned about what housing andsupport will be available when you get older,then we would like to hear from you.
If you would like to take part in the project and cangive us an hour or so of your time, please contactTanuja on 0161 620 2992 or [email protected] and wewill be in touch.
Helping older people to live in our homes
Youcouldeven wina prize!
Winter 2013 7
The hubs are safe and comfortableplaces for people to talk about thesupport they need and advice istailored to each person.
The teams at the hubs can helpyou with:● Looking and bidding for a home● Advice on moving house and
setting up a new home● Debt and budgeting● Benefits● Advice on finding work,
volunteering or training● Access to other services including
health care, life/parenting skillsand getting involved incommunity activities
Everyone is welcome at the hubs for aquick chat or help with more long-term support.
The hubs are held at libraries andcommunity centres across Oldham onthe following times:
MondayOldham LibraryGreaves Street, Oldham, OL1 1AL10am - 12noon(Open to the public)
TuesdayThe Link Centre140 Union Street, Oldham, OL11DZ10.30am - 12.30pm(Link Centre customers only)
Holt St Housing officeHolt St, Oldham, OL4 2DQ2pm - 4pm(Open to the public)
WednesdayAksa Homes officeMedtia Sq, Oldham, OL1 1AN9.30am - 12noon(Aksa tenants & Floating Supportcustomers)
Earl MillDowry Street, Oldham, OL8 2PF10am - 12noon(Floating Support customers only)
Chadderton Wellbeing CentreBurnley St, Chadderton,Oldham, OL9 OJW10am - 12noon(Open to the public)
Key to the door (Fortnightly)39 Primrose Bank, Oldham, OL8 1HL12noon - 2pm(Key to the door customers only)
The CentreThe Centre, Union Street, Oldham1pm - 4pm(The Centre customers only)
ThursdayShaw/Crompton LibraryFarrow St East, Shaw,Oldham, OL2 8QY10am - 12noon(Open to the public)
ODAS (Fortnightly)The Gateway,5 Horsedge St, Oldham, OL1 3SX1pm - 2pm(ODAS customers only)
Fitton Hill LibraryFirtree Avenue, Fitton Hill,Oldham, OL8 2QP3pm - 5pm(Open to the public)
FridayLees Library(every third Friday of the month)Thomas St, Lees, Oldham, OL4 5DA10am - 12noon(Open to the public)
St Chad's LibraryLimehurst Village, Oldham, OL4 5DA10am - 12noon(Open to the public)
Failsworth LibraryMain St, Failsworth,Oldham, M35 9PD2pm - 4pm(Open to the public)
For more information, contact theteam on 0161 652 9584 [email protected]
The Oldham Floating Support service runs community hubs across the borough to giveresidents local access to services and housing advice.
The Oldham Floating Support service is a partnership with Aksa Homes, First ChoiceHomes, Threshold and Turning Point. It supports anyone in the Oldham area who is over16 and needs advice.
Community hubs- support for you
Contact us
Emergency RepairsCall 0800 027 0828 if you need anemergency repair during the following times:• After 5pm Monday to Wednesday• After 4.30pm on Thursdays• After 4pm on Fridays• During weekends and Bank Holidays
Aksa HomesAksa House, 2 Medtia Square,Phoenix Street, Oldham, OL1 [email protected]
facebook.com/aksahomes
Main Switchboard:0161 620 2992
www.lookinglocal.gov.uk/newcharterhousingtrust - Click on Aksa HomesSky: channel 539 Virgin: channel 233
Steve from the CitizensAdvice Bureau hasjoined us to help youwith money, benefitsand debt problems.Steve is here to give you free andconfidential advice with things likemanaging your money and how toget the most out of your income.
He can also help you to checkwhat benefits you can claim as wellas support you if you are in debt.
Aksa has arranged this service justfor you so you can get support in acomfortable environment.
Want to talk to Steveface-to-face?Sessions run every otherThursday from 10am until 12noon at the Aksa Homes office.
You will need to book anappointment by contacting0161 620 2992 [email protected] can also get in touch throughFacebook and Looking Local or bycalling into our offices.
Steve from the CitizensAdvice Bureau
"I can give youpersonal advice onyour money, benefits
and debt."
Free advice fromCitizens Advice Bureaufor Aksa customers
Resource Housing Reg. No. 2111