2012/13

ANNUAL REPORT

for Residents

CONTENTS

2

Annual Report 2012/13

Contents

About Arhag

Chair’s message: We are not just aspiring to change

Summer Activities

More Homes for More People

Our Performance

Meet the Team

03

06

08

10

11

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Arhag’s AimsArhag was set up in 1979 as a community organisation to support African refugees that were experiencing housing problems. In the mid 1990s we found that many other refugee and migrant groups were experiencing the same housing problems as Arhag’s residents so we extended our remit to house people from all countries and continents.

Our VisionOur vision for Arhag is to provide:

‘A positive living experience’Achieving our vision means that we will be a resident focused organisation providing the highest quality service for residents as they build new lives and homes.

Our MissionArhag is a Housing Association that believes in and develops the potential of its residents and in particular refugees and migrants.

ABOUT ARHAG :

Goals• To maintain good governance• To acquire and maintain good quality homes • To get people in greatest need into homes faster• To ensure residents have influence over and are satisfied with Arhag’s services• To attract, develop and retain high quality staff• To grow through collaboration with partners• To support refugees and migrants to improve their social and economic well-being

ValuesTo achieve our vision and mission statement, we have adopted five overarching values, which underpin our business aims and objectives. Our overarching values are:

• To have integrity and be honest in all our dealings• To be professional and respectful at all times• To be transparent, building and maintaining trust with our customers,

partners and stakeholders• To be accountable, taking responsibility for our actions and decisions• To achieve high standards of customer care by being accessible and responsive

to customers’ needs

100%

Gas Safety Certificates issued

3

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Annual Report 2012/13

About ArhagFrom our early beginnings as a community organisation, we have developed into a thriving independent Housing Association, successfully meeting the diverse needs of our residents. We became a Housing Association in 1988 and started to develop permanent homes in 1989. In the mid 1990s we began to house people from all countries and continents who were experiencing the same housing problems as Arhag’s existing residents.

Our HomesWe work in 13 London Boroughs, providing homes for migrants and refugees in housing need. Meeting the needs of refugees and migrants remains an important focus. When developing new homes we try to ensure that at least 50% are three bedrooms or more to meet residents’ need for family accommodation.

The opportunity Arhag gave me really helped me get back on my feet

Management AreaOwned & Managed

% of Total

Brent 6 0.8

Camden 75 9.6

Enfield 41 5.3

Hammersmith & Fulham 43 5.5

Haringey 92 11.8

Islington 40 5.1

Kensington & Chelsea 7 0.9

Lambeth 23 3.0

Lewisham 11 1.4

Newham 325 41.8

Southwark 33 4.2

Tower Hamlets 38 4.9

Westminster 44 5.7

Total 778 100

778Managed units at the end of the year

5

We are not just aspiring to changeGetting to know youWe intend to ensure that we know who our residents are and deliver services that fit in with what our residents want. During the first three months of 2013, we undertook a survey of our residents. This will enable Arhag to focus on our services more specifically, especially for future social inclusion and financial inclusion activities.

As Chair I am clear that we must do all we can to support residents, especially those who are experiencing difficulties in these harsh times.

Resident ScrutinyThe Resident Scrutiny Panel has become established holding regular bi-monthly meetings with Arhag officers. This led to a key visit to another housing association, Bedford Pilgrims Housing Association, to see how they used scrutiny. A stock transfer organisation managing over 17,000 properties.

We are making progress built upon the success of last year and have firmly established the Residents Scrutiny Panel. They have visited other housing associations to see and learn how Resident Scrutiny works. They have decided on three clear areas they will focus on for the coming year which are:

• Management of Empty Properties • Arhag’s Complaint Handling • Resident Engagement

Employability TrainingIn last year’s annual report we mentioned how a pilot employment training scheme had been started with our hostel residents. Since then a new employment training partner, Groundwork, have been recruited to provide employment training to all residents.

More than 30 residents have been referred to the programme. Residents can now receive personal mentoring and pre-employment support. At present 4 of these residents have obtained work following taking part in the programme.

CHAIRSMESSAGE :

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Annual Report 2012/13

Financial inclusionDuring February 2013 half term, Arhag held a special information day explaining how the changes to benefits will affect residents. Over 50 people attended the event. A programme of visits to residents has followed to offer support to residents on the changes. It is proposed to hold a similar session in early 2014.

The Welfare Rights Referral service has been firmly established at our Keogh Road hostel. The service has been extended to our head office to cover residents who live outside of Newham. After a slow start this new service is gradually settling down. We aim to see at least 150 residents each year at these services.

We have continued to run Money Management sessions for residents with a new provider, Toynbee Hall. They successfully ran their first session for us in February of this year.

We have continued to improveAs you will see from the section on performance we continue to operate at the highest level of service standards. Our performance in conducting repairs to your properties is almost second to none. Resident satisfaction with both the day to day and programmed repairs service is the highest it has been in the history of Arhag.

We have also collected the highest percentages of rents in our history.

Growing our StockAt the same time as increasing resident satisfaction and improving our performance we are also engaged in discussions to increase the size of our housing stock. We are hopeful that by this time next year we will increase our stock thereby increasing the opportunities for our residents who are overcrowded or need to move because of the changes and pressures brought about by the introduction of housing benefit changes band universal credits.

Barrington Billings Chair Arhag

78%

Overalltenant satisfaction

7

In Summer 2012 Arhag ran a full programme of entertainment and fun. Arhag sees the importance in engaging with our residents. All trips and activities below were free of charge and travel arrangements were made for all trips.

The Summer fun kicked off at our hostel in Stratford where over 20 residents got together for a scrumptious barbecue. Here is what one resident had to say:

SUMMERACTIVITIES:

Following the barbeque the trips began, starting with a visit to Leeds Castle.

Residents enjoyed a coach journey to the castle where they explored acres of green space, viewed a falconry display, had a go with tug of war and archery and of course visit the castle itself with its magnificent history.

It was nice because all the people came and they ate well. Even the visitors enjoyed it as much as the residents. – Justine

The trip was fun and enjoyable! Thank you for arranging this trip!

– Mr & Mrs Gunaratnam

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Annual Report 2012/13

Then off we went to the Horniman Museum where residents enjoyed the vast array of fantastic cultural exhibits on show ranging from Hindu Gods to traditional Japanese clothing.

Also on show were animals of the world and a colourful aquarium which got the young children excited. Residents enjoyed the beautiful gardens with a picnic whilst the children enjoyed the musical instruments.

A number of residents gathered at White City to take a tour of CBBC where we were guided through the studios of the BBC and our young residents had a go at presenting the news, the weather and even extracting body parts out of a mummy in the ‘Horrible

Histories’ studio.

A very exciting and amusing time for everyone there, even the adults had a great time, especially the football fanatics as they visited the ‘Match of the Day’ studio.

Residents of Carnwath Road in Fulham and Azania Mews in Kentish Town had a special treat at their doorstep when Arhag held fun days on the estates. Face painting, henna painting, balloon modelling, bouncy castle and delicious food were just a few of the treats on hand.

From the museum to the farm, residents gathered back on a coach journey to Crockford Farm in Surrey where they enjoyed fruit and vegetable picking – strawberries, raspberries, sweetcorn and spinach were just a few items that were picked.

The trip was almost perfect, it was very good!– Saida Hassan

Excellent trip and the farm was lovely! – Khadra Ahmed

One resident’s feedback was:

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The process of increasing the housing stock continues. During the current financial year, we completed the development of Newman Court consisting of 29 units and George Drewery Court consisting of 10 units. Both schemes were developed in the London Borough of Newham.

MOREHOMES FOR MORE PEOPLE:

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Annual Report 2012/13

- Newman Court

Arhag continues to make significant investment in its properties. The Board of Arhag is committed to making the right level of investment to ensure that our properties remain ‘Decent’ and are places where our residents are proud to live

During the past year, planned works concluded

• New kitchens in 35 properties

• New bathrooms in 8 properties

• New boilers in 23 properties

• New windows in 6 properties

• New roofs in 13 properties

• New fire alarm / panel in 5 blocks

• External and communal areas redecorated in 106 properties

• No of external painting 106 units

• Aids & Adaptations carried out to 6 properties

During the year, we completed 295 planned maintenance works and received 159 satisfactory survey returns from residents, with 158 residents (almost 100% of respondents) telling us they were satisfied with the planned maintenance service.

A total of 2,140 responsive repairs jobs were completed, 2,106 (98.4%) were completed on time. 1,055 satisfaction survey returns were received from residents with almost 95% happy with the overall service and 95% satisfied with the quality of the work.

OURPERFORMANCE:

35New kitchens installed

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Annual Report 2012/13

During the year the Association conducted a Survey of Tenants and Residents (STAR).

One aim of the survey was to update demographic (profile) information on, as far as possible, 100% of our residents and their households. The second aim of the survey was to gain opinion from, at least, one-third of our residents as to their levels of satisfaction with Arhag services.

Profile Of the 523 residents who completed the survey, 80% described themselves as being from a BME group. 60% of respondents were female. The age profile of Arhag residents is younger than the general population with 28% of respondents being aged 25 to 39. 49% of respondents told us they are Christian and 36% Muslim. 26% of respondents told us that they, or a member of their household, had a disability or a health problem that limited their activities.

34%

99%

26%

49%

60%

28%

80%

STA

R S

urv

ey In

form

atio

n 2

012-

13

Heterosexual Residents

Muslim Residents

Christian Residents

Residents Aged 25-39

Disabled Residents

Female Residents

BME Residents

STAR -RESIDENT PROFILE & SATISFACTION:

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Satisfaction372 residents completed the satisfaction section of the STAR survey during 2012, this compares to 221 responses when the survey was previously carried out in 2009. The table below shows the levels of satisfaction expressed by respondents for both the 2009 and 2012 STAR surveys.

Measuring UpThe table to the right shows the symbols we have used to illustrate our performance. The arrows show how we performed against our own service targets.

Target achieved and performance is improving

Target achieved and performance is staying the same or going up and down

Target achieved but performance is getting worse

Slightly below target and performance is improving

Slightly below target and performance is staying the same or going up and down

Slightly below target and performance is getting worse

N/A Not applicable

Not achieving target but performance is improving

Not achieving target and performance is staying the same or going up and down

Not achieving target and performance is getting worse

STAR Survey - Satisfaction

2009 2012 Trend

Overall satisfaction with Arhag’s services 66% 78%

Overall satisfaction with the condition of your home

68% 73%

Overall satisfaction with neighbourhood as place to live

73% 80%

Overall satisfaction with repairs service 59% 71%

Overall satisfaction with being kept informed 77% 83%

Opportunity to make views known 52% 73%

I’ve always been very happy and settled in my neighbourhood. It is a place I now choose and love to live in. – Mrs Smith and Family

71%

Satisfaction with repairs service

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The tables in the following sections show how we performed in key areas for 2012/13. The coloured arrows show if performance has improved or deteriorated compared to the previous year. The green arrows indicate where we are meeting or exceeding our performance targets. The yellow arrows indicate that we are close to target. The purple arrows indicate that we are below target, even if performance has improved.

Customer SatisfactionCustomer satisfaction has improved or been maintained in key areas, and the number of new formal complaints remained low. During the year eleven new formal complaints were received and one complaint was carried over from the previous year. Four satisfaction returns were received during the year. One of the two satisfaction returns expressing dissatisfaction was a complaint regarding a service charge for communal grounds maintenance that was not upheld.

Customer Satisfaction

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 Trend

Responsive Repairs 91% 94% 95%

Planned Repairs 96% 99% 99%

Aids & Adaptations 50% 100% not returns not returns

New Lettings Service 83% 94% 94%

Complaints Process 58% 60% 50%*

Complaints Outcome 58% 75% 50%

* 11 formal complaints received 2012/13. 4 satisfaction returns received.

100%

Rent collected 2012/13

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Annual Report 2012/13

Tenant Services

* 10 evictions for rent arrears were carried out during the year. The average level of arrears for those evicted households was £5,124.

Performance Indicator

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 Trend

Total repairs completed in target time

98% 95% 98%

Completed Gas Service Inspections

100% 100% 95.5%

Rent collected 101% 98% 100%

Current rent arrears 7.6% 6.4% 4.8%*

Former tenant arrears 1.3% 1.5% 2.0%*

Complaints responded to on time

100% 100% 100%

From the time of logging the fault, Arhag’s repair team were quick and efficient in getting the problem sorted. Thanks again for everything! – Mr and Mrs Smith

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During the year Arhag let 56 homes: 27 general needs, 20 temporary social housing units, 6 hostel rooms and 3 key worker units. The Association acquired 10 social rent units from a partner association during the year. These units were already tenanted at transfer, and the residents were signed up on Arhag tenancy agreements.

Lettings by Ethnic Group The majority of lettings (79%) were made through local authority nomination/referral. Even so 80% of all lettings, where ethnic group is known, were made to BME groups.

LETTINGSBY ETHNICITY, GENDER & AGE:

Performance Indicator

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 Trend

General needs average letting time 31 days 36 days 36 days

Rent loss due to voids 0.7% 0.7% 0.6%

Black-African

Black-Caribbean

Asian

White-British

White-Other

Mixed

Other

6%

57%

15%

12%

4%

4%

2%

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Annual Report 2012/13

Lettings by Age GroupArhag has a younger than average age profile and lettings during the year continues this trend. There was only one letting where the head of household was aged 60 or over (where the age of residents is known).

16-24

25-39

40-59

60+

Male

Female

Lettings by GenderThe majority of lettings (78%) were made to female headed households. 10 lettings were made to people who considered themselves to have a disability, but no physical adaptations were required to their new homes.

22%

78%

51%

41%

5%

3%

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Dorian Leatham, Chief Executive

Michelle Appleyard, Office Manager / PA to CEO

Clive Green, Quality and Performance Manager

Cornelius Sanwo, Head of Finance & IT

Beatrice Amon, Finance Officer

Anthony Alexander, Head of Housing

Christopher Adegoroye, Housing Operations Manager

April Aul, Housing Officer

Ade Oke, Interim Head of Asset Management

Celeste Camayah, Customer Care Administrator

STAFFMEMBERS:

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Annual Report 2012/13

Lena Renghen, Junior Accountant

Funmi Fatona, Accountant

Yaw Antwi, Frimpong-Mansoh, Housing Officer

Vivienne John, Housing Officer

Sussy Quirke, Welfare Reform Project Officer

Komal Doan, Community Engagement Officer

Victor Edeki, Surveyor

Irene Apio, Customer Care Administrator

Oyewande Adeyemi, Income Recovery Officer

Lurline Cumberbatch, Senior Customer Care Administrator

Sarah Merzouk, Hostel Co-ordinator

Susanne Peterkin, Hostel Support Worker

Kingsley Falola, Interim Surveyor

Barrington Billings, Chair

Robert Johnson, Vice Chair

Gera Patel

Olu Kunuyi

Phil Jenkins

Sue Lukes

Shanaz Begum

Blessing Adebayo

Rosemarie Clarke

Anthony Sherriff

BOARDMEMBERS:

Working for Arhag for all these years has been a real privilege

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Arhag Housing AssociationUnit B, Ground FloorMary Brancker House54-74 Holmes RoadKentish TownLondon NW5 3AQ

Tel: 020 7424 7370Fax: 020 7267 6200Email: contact@arhag.co.ukwww.arhag.co.uk

Registered Industrial and provident Society No. IP23520 with Charitable status Homes and Communities Agency Registration No: LH3811