north star tenants report 2012

ANNUAL REPORT TO TENANTS 2012

OUR JOURNEY

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CONTENTSJOIN US ON OUR JOURNEY

ADRIAN HILL 3

HOW HAVE WE DEVELOPED THIS REPORT 4

1. OUR OFFER TO YOU

➜ AN UPDATE 5

2. WORKING WITH YOU

➜TENANT INVOLVEMENT & EMPOWERMENT 8

➜ OUR PERFORMANCE 9

➜ OUR PERFORMANCE - GETTING IN TOUCH 11

➜ OUR PERFORMANCE - RESPONDING TO YOUR COMPLAINTS 12

3. YOUR HOME 13


4. YOUR TENANCY 15


5. YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD AND COMMUNITY 17


6. VALUE FOR MONEY 20

7. GOVERNANCE AND FINANCIAL VIABILITY 21

➜GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE 21

➜NORTH STAR BOARD 22

➜THE NORTH STAR TENANT’S VOICE 23

1974: Endeavour Housing Association starts life as a charitable organisation refurbishing pre-1919 terraces in urban areas across the Tees Valley.

JOIN US ON OUR JOURNEY | PAGE 3

I am delighted to present your 2012 Annual Report, the first report to tenants that has been produced jointly for both Teesdale and Endeavour Housing Association tenants. In North Star Housing Group, Teesdale and Endeavour have had a shared parent company since 2006, bringing enormous benefits whilst allowing each Association to maintain their own unique identity.

The theme of this year’s report is our journey, which is relevant given that the last 12 months have been some of the busiest we have seen as an organisation. The relationship between Endeavour and Teesdale has strengthened further; we now have a joint Tenant Scrutiny Panel, and each Association’s representative tenant bodies are working together, sharing their knowledge and expertise more regularly. This report is based on the standards set by our regulators, and we have been working hard over the last 12 months to build on last year’s good performance. Overall, we are pleased with our

progress this year, but we recognise that there are some areas in which we could improve. This report will tell you how we plan to do this. I hope you enjoy reading the report, and if you have any questions, please get in touch.

Adrian HillTenant Board member and Board champion for Resident Involvement

ADRIAN HILLTENANT BOARD MEMBER AND BOARD CHAMPION FOR RESIDENT INVOLVEMENT

“we have been working hard

over the last 12 months to build on

last year’s good performance.”

1984: The 500th Endeavour Housing Association

property was opened by Sir Stuart Bell in Ayresome Street, Middlesbrough.


HOW HAVE WEDEVELOPED THIS REPORT?

Last year’s Annual Report to Tenants was a real success and we had some fantastic feedback about the report and its content. However, we firmly believe there is always room for improvement, and with this in mind we used your comments to make this year’s report even better.

In order to do this, we surveyed a number of you, and asked how we could improve. You told us that you wanted:• Ashorter,morestreamlinedreportwithfewer

words.• Performanceinformationthatwaspresentedina

way that was easier to understand.• Moreinteresting,relevantcontent.

We have used this feedback to produce the report you are reading now, and we hope you agree that it is our best yet. We also consulted with both Teesdale’s

Tenant’s Consultative Group and Endeavour’s Tenant’s Advisory Panel, our Association’s representative tenant bodies, who helped develop and shape the report.

MEASURING OUR PERFORMANCEIn each section of this report there are a number of tables, graphs and charts that relate to the various services we provide; for example, how quickly we respond to complaints, or how satisfied you are with

our repairs service. We call these our performance measures, and this information comes from feedback we receive from you and from our internal records.

UNDERSTANDING THE INFORMATION

You will see these ‘thumb’ symbols throughout the report, they tell you how we are performing.

Doing well

Could do

better

Must do

better

1985: Endeavour Housing Association develops its first Sheltered Housing Scheme at St Cuthbert’s Court in Thornaby.

Tenants helped to develop and shape this report.


1. OUR OFFER TO YOU AN UPDATEFollowing the implementation of our Local Offers in April 2011, we have been continuously monitoring our performance against them. Along with members of the Local Offers Steering Group, made up of 16 committed tenants and staff who meet monthly, we put a lot of work into making sure we get things right.

Just some of the progress we have made this year is described on the next 3 pages.

GRANVILLE ROAD, MIDDLESBROUGH

1992: Charlie Hughes becomes Chief Executive of Endeavour Housing Association.

You told us… Our response…

You experienced problems accessing the Choice Based Lettings

Service.

We now provide a dedicated support and advice service to meet

your needs.

You wanted to be re-housed close to family

and friends.

We have introduced a Local Lettings policy.

You wanted your homes to be painted in complimentary colours.

We have included all homes on Granville Road in the

same painting programme and have consulted with you on preferred

colour choices.

We have lobbied the Local Authority for improved

refuse collection and will continue to do so until the

problem is solved.

Local Authority refuse collection arrangements contribute to problems

with vermin.


BELLE VUE, HARTLEPOOL

THORNABY

NORTON GRANGE

2001: Endeavour Housing Association found a

new home in offices on Teesdale Business Park

in Thornaby.

We put a lot of work into making sure you are happy in your home.

You wanted double-glazed

windows.

Work is underway to replace single-glazed windows in our

five year planned maintenance programme.

There are lots of tenancies allocated to young single people

who cause problems for other tenants.

We have introduced a Local Lettings policy and have seen a reduction in reported cases of Anti-

Social Behaviour.

You wanted a fair and transparent

allocations service.

We are working with Norton Grange

Co-operative Members to review our allocations

service.


You can get copies of the Local Offers on our websites, from our main offices or from your Housing Officer. If you are interested in helping us to monitor our performance against the offers, get in touch, we would love to hear from you.

2006: Teesdale Housing Association was created following the large scale voluntary

transfer of housing stock from Teesdale District Council and North Star Housing

Group was born.

You told us… Our response…

There is a lack of youth activities available locally.

There isn’t enough car-parking provision

on some estates.

We are working closely with the Planning Authority to

allocate off-street parking in Mickleton and Shirley Close,

Evenwood.

Your homes would look better and feel

safer if external walls, fences and paving were

improved.

We will soon be starting an environmental programme to improve external walls, fences and paving in Mickleton, Woodland and

High Etherley.

Working in partnership with Gaunless

Valley Youth Network and other agencies, we are working to

develop an approach towards youth activities.


In this section, we look at how we deliver services that meet your needs, as well as how we involve you in our decision making so that your voice makes a real difference.

The Tenant Involvement and Empowerment standard says that we should:

• Provideinformationinyourpreferredformat.• Offerdifferentwaysofgettingintouch.• Ensurethatmakingacomplaintisassimpleand

straightforward as possible.• Ensurethatweresolvecomplaintspromptly,

politely and fairly.• Offerampleopportunitiesforyoutogetinvolved

at all levels of the business.• Treatyoufairlyandrespectfully.• Developservicesthatmeetyourneeds.

To make sure we meet this standard, we have:

• ImplementedanewComplaints,CommentsandCompliments policy in 2011 that is much easier to use. We publicise it widely in our offices and on our websites.

• Offerabroadrangeofwaysforyoutogetinvolved. From membership of the North Star Tenant’s Voice, The Tenant’s Consultative Group, The Tenant’s Advisory Panel or the 4U Tomorrow group; to involvement in Housing Co-operatives or taking part in one off focus groups - there really is something for everyone.

• Askedyouhowyouwouldliketobeinvolvedinour Governance and Scrutiny arrangements.

• Updatedtheinformationweholdaboutyouusinga variety of means to ensure that the services we develop are relevant and useful.

For more information about any of the things we are doing to meet this standard, just get in touch, we would love to hear from you.

2. WORKING WITH YOUTENANT INVOLVEMENT & EMPOWERMENT

Tenants enjoy getting involved at the 4U Olympics.


HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH THE OVERALL SERVICE PROVIDED BY US?

Very satisfied 54.0%

Fairly satisfied 36.5%

Neither satisfied or dissatisfied 4.4%

Fairly dissatisfied 3.1%

Very dissatisfied 2.0%






HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU THAT WE LISTEN TO YOUR VIEWS AND ACT UPON THEM?











2. WORKING WITH YOUOUR PERFORMANCE


HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH HOW WE KEEP YOU INFORMED ABOUT THINGS THAT AFFECT YOU?











HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVOLVEMENT THAT WE OFFER?











2. WORKING WITH YOUOUR PERFORMANCE


WHEN CONTACTING US, WAS GETTING HOLD OF THE RIGHT PERSON OR DEPARTMENT EASY OR DIFFICULT?

Easy 82.6%

Neither 11.8%

Difficult 5.5%

Easy 72.9%

Neither 12.2%

Difficult 14.9%

WHEN YOU CONTACTED US DID YOU FIND STAFF HELPFUL OR UNHELPFUL?

Helpful 92.8%

Neither 5.3%

Unhelpful 1.8%

Helpful 82.2%

Neither 12.2%

Unhelpful 5.6%

DID WE ANSWER YOUR QUERY IN REASONABLE TIME?

Yes 91.0%

No 9.0%

Yes 83.4%

No 16.6%

2. WORKING WITH YOUOUR PERFORMANCE - GETTING IN TOUCH


This year, Endeavour received 40 complaints, compared to 70 complaints last year.

OUR TARGET PERFORMANCE THIS YEAR PERFORMANCE LAST YEAR

Overall level of satisfaction with how the complaint was dealt with

Percentage of complaints responded to within 10 working days

100% 82.5% 94.1%

85% 81.5% 78%Minimum

This year, Teesdale received 17 complaints, compared to 19 complaints the last year.

WORKING WITH YOU - OUR PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENT…• Improvethewaywepublishperformanceonourwebsite.• ReviewourLocalOfferstoensuretheyarestillliveandrelevant.• UsetheresultsofthelatestSurveyofTenantsandResidents(STAR)toimproveourservicestoyou.• Improveoursystemsforsendinglargeprintdocumentstothoseofyouwhohaverequestedit.

OUR TARGET PERFORMANCE THIS YEAR PERFORMANCE LAST YEAR

Overall level of satisfaction with how the complaint was dealt with

Percentage of complaints responded to within 10 working days

100% 88.2% 84.2%

85% 71.6% 83.3%Minimum

2. WORKING WITH YOUOUR PERFORMANCE - RESPONDING TO YOUR COMPLAINTS


In this section we explain how we make sure that your home is high quality and well maintained.

The Home standard says that we should:

• MakesurethatyourhomemeetstheDecentHomes Standard by 2010 and continue maintaining it to this level or higher.

• Provideahighquality,costeffectiverepairsandmaintenance service.

NotonlydoallofourhomesmeettheDecentHomesStandard, we have also:

• DevelopedTheTeesdaleandEndeavourStandardswhich make a commitment to going above and beyondDecentHomes.

• Invested£1.67millioninhomesacrosstheGroupin the last year.

• Undertakenaprogrammeofinvestmentthathasincluded the upgrade of kitchens, bathrooms, electrical systems and environmentally sustainable

heating systems.• Replacedoldandinefficientboilersinmanyof

your homes.• Madeacommitmenttogivingyouachoiceof

fixtures and fittings when things need to be replaced.

NORTH STAR HOUSING GROUP£1.67 million invested in our properties during 2011/12

95

Electrical upgrades

215

Asbestos surveys 222

Heating replacements

47Windows

306

External Doors 89

Kitchens

36Bathrooms

155

Insulation upgrades

11

Roof replacements

3. YOUR HOME

During 2011/12 we have invested £1.67 million in homes.


OUR TARGET

PERFORMANCE THIS YEAR

Your satisfaction with the overall day to day repairs service.

85% 88%

Percentage of repairs completed on time.

100% 99%

Percentage of repairs completed right first time.

90% 87%

100% 96%

Percentage of homes with a valid gas safety certificate.

OUR TARGET


Your satisfaction with the overall day to day repairs service.

85% 84%

Percentage of repairs completed on time.

100% 99%

Percentage of repairs completed right first time.

90% 91%

100% 99.3%

Percentage of homes with a valid gas safety certificate.

• Finaliseafiveyearplanofinvestmentthatwilltarget improvements to certain homes and communities.

• FurtherreviewourapproachtoAssetManagement.

YOUR HOME - OUR PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENT…

3. YOUR HOMEOUR PERFORMANCE

Broumley Court, Staindrop


In this section, we look at the way we let our homes.

The Tenancy standard says:

• Weshouldletourhomesinafair,transparentandefficient way.

• Weshouldhaveclearapplication,decisionmakingand appeals processes in place.

• Weshouldenabletenantstoexchangehomeswith one another and make the process as straightforward as possible.

To make sure we meet this standard we:

• HaveLocalLettingspoliciesinanumberofareas.• SubscribetoonlineHomeSwapschemes.• Haveclearpoliciesrelatingtoapplication,decision

making and appeals.

ENDEAVOUR HOUSING

ASSOCIATION230

HOW MANY HOMES DID WE LET THIS YEAR?

TEESDALE HOUSING

ASSOCIATION101

OUR PERFORMANCEHOW SATISFIED OR DISSATISFIED ARE YOU WITH THE OVERALL QUALITY OF YOUR HOME?











4. YOUR TENANCY

2009: North Star Housing Group was awarded the Customer

Service Excellence award.


OUR TARGET


How long does it take us to re-let an empty home?

23 30

Current rent arrears as a percentage of the annual debit.

1.7% 1.6%

Percentage of rent lost through homes being empty.

1.8% 0.93%

85% 90.8%

Your overall satisfaction with how we collect your rent.

LESS THAN

DAYS DAYS

MORE THAN

MORE THAN

Your overall satisfaction with new tenancies.

85% 90%

OUR TARGET


How long does it take us to re-let an empty home?

35 40.5

Current rent arrears as a percentage of the annual debit.

1.8% 1.96%

Percentage of rent lost through homes being empty.

2% 0.94%

85% 84.4%

Your overall satisfaction with how we collect your rent.

LESS THAN

DAYS DAYS

MORE THAN

MORE THAN

Your overall satisfaction with new tenancies.

85% 89.4%

YOUR TENANCY - OUR PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENT…• Developaninternaltransferschemeforpeoplewhoareunderoccupyingtheirhomes.• FinaliseandpublishanewTenancyPolicy.• BetterpublicisetheHomeSwapservicesthatwenowoffer.• Reviewourwebsitestoensurethatappropriateinformationrelatingtoyourtenancyismoreeasilyavailable.

4. YOUR TENANCYOUR PERFORMANCE


In this section we look at how we work with you and with other agencies to ensure our neighbourhoods and communities are the kind of places that you want to live in.

The Neighbourhood and Community standard says that we should:

• Keepestatesandcommunalareascleanandtidy.• Workinpartnershipwithyouandotheragencies

to improve neighbourhoods.

This year we have made a key commitment to strengthening our communities by appointing a new Head of Community Investment. The Community Investment approach we are taking turns traditional ways of working on their head, with communities focussing on their strengths rather than any perceived weakness.

Along with the new Head of Community Investment, wehavecommittedanannualsumof£50,000towhich communities can apply for funding for various projects. Grants from the ‘Community Strengthening Grants Fund’ and ‘Usay!’ fund will be used for communityandvoluntaryinitiatives.Detailsofbothfunds and how to apply can be found on our websites or by contacting us direct.

On top of this, to make sure we meet this standard we:

• Regularlyinspecttheareasinwhichyoulive.• Holdregular‘TidyUp,’sessionsincertainareas.• Haverobustpoliciesandproceduresrelatingto

Anti-Social Behaviour, and widely publish what you can expect from us if you experience it in our newsletters and on our websites.

• OfferamediationservicethroughUNITE.

HOW SATISFIED OR DISSATISFIED ARE YOU WITH YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD AS A PLACE TO LIVE?











5. YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD AND COMMUNITY


OUR PERFORMANCE


WHAT THREE THINGS DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT WHERE YOU LIVE?

ENDEAVOUR’S TOP ANSWERS TEESDALE’S TOP ANSWERS

123

Location

Neighbours

Peace & quiet

1 Location

2= Neighbours, Peace & quiet

DURING THE YEAR ENDEAVOUR CARRIED OUT

44 ESTATE INSPECTIONS

DURING THE YEAR TEESDALE CARRIED OUT

45 ESTATE INSPECTIONS

44 45

DEALING WITH ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

DURING THE YEAR ENDEAVOUR HAD 78 REPORTS OF

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

DURING THE YEAR TEESDALE HAD 27 REPORTS OF

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

!78 !27


OUR PERFORMANCE


OUR TARGET


Percentage of new complainants contacted within one working day.

100% 96%

IF YOU HAVE MADE A COMPLAINT ABOUT ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, HOW SATISFIED OR DISSATISFIED WERE YOU WITH THE FINAL OUTCOME OF THE COMPLAINT?

YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD AND COMMUNITY - OUR PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENT…• Workwithpartnerstoplanfurtherdiversionaryactivitiesforyoungpeople.• MonitorourapproachtoAnti-SocialBehaviourtoensurethatitremainsaseffective.• BuildonourearlyCommunityInvestmentwork.

OUR TARGET


Percentage of new complainants contacted within one working day.

100% 100%












OUR PERFORMANCE

2009: Teesdale Housing Association developed its

first affordable housing scheme in Cotherstone.


In this section, we look at how we use your rent and how we achieve value for money.

The Value for Money standard says that we should:

• Providevalueformoneyineverythingthatwedo,through providing effective, efficient, high quality services and homes that meet your needs.

This year, we have reviewed our approach to, and understanding of value for money, creating a new strategy along the way. We anticipate that this

renewed focus will help us to create savings that can be re-invested into providing services that benefit you.

A good example of how we are looking to become more efficient with the aim of providing better value for money, is in the wide-scale procurement process that we have recently undertaken. In practice, this will mean that we will look at more efficient ways of buying the products and services that we use,particularlyinourDevelopmentandAssetManagementdepartments.

ENDEAVOUR AVERAGE RENTS TEESDALE AVERAGE RENTSBedsit/Bedroom£57.86

2 Bedroom £64.18

3 Bedroom £73.56

4 or more Bedrooms £78.98

OUR RENTS

6. VALUE FOR MONEY

PropertyDepreciation

Bedsit/Bedroom£67.56

2 Bedroom £74.09

3 Bedroom £82.58

4 or more Bedrooms £90.64

WHAT WE DID WITH EVERY £1 OF YOUR MONEY IN THE YEAR ENDING 2012.

8p

16p

22p

23p

3p Other Costs

1p Re Investment into properties

Cost of delivering our services

27p

RoutineMaintenance

Planned & MajorRepairs

MortgageInterestCharge

20p

Cost of delivering our services

11p Other Costs

11p Interest Charge on Loans

14pRoutineMaintenance

70p

Planned & MajorRepairs


In this section, we look at how we run our business to ensure that the services we provide to you are the best they can be, and that we are financially secure for the future.

The Governance and Financial Viability standard says that we have to run our business well by:• Meetinglegalrequirements.• Beingclearaboutwhoisresponsibleforwhich

part of the business and how decisions are made so we can be held accountable to you.

• Manageourmoneywell.

We meet this standard by:

• HavingawellrunBoard,madeupofhighlyskilledand committed people.

• HavingastrongandfocussedAuditCommittee,who ensure that our financial affairs are in order.

• Submittingtoregularexternalauditsofvariousparts of the business.

• SupportingtheNorthStarTenant’sVoice,ourtenant led Scrutiny Panel, to review various parts of the business and make recommendations.

7. GOVERNANCE AND FINANCIAL VIABILITY

NORTH STAR GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE

STRATEGIC BOARD• Leadership – Corporate Plan, Vision, Values,

Group Policies

• Resources – Viability, Budgets, Investment

• Business Plans – Growth Investment

• Scrutiny

NORTH STAR TENANT’S VOICE SCRUTINY PANEL

Operations • Delivery• Service• Performance• Scrutiny

AUDIT COMMITTEE

• Risk• Governance• Treasury

Management• Audit• Financial

Reporting

TENANT’S ADVISORY PANEL

TENANT’S CONSULTATIVE GROUP

4U TOMORROW

SUPPORTED HOUSING STEERING GROUP

➜ ➜

➜➜

2011: We launched the North Star Housing

Group Community Strengthening Fund to actively support and assist the local

communities in which we work.


North Star Housing Group has an ‘overlapping Board structure.’ In effect this means that we have a single Board looking after the interests of all three Group members. Our Board are responsible for setting our strategic direction, and Board members are selected for their skills, knowledge and expertise. We subscribe to the National Housing Federation’s Code of Excellence in Governance, and the Excellence in Standards of Conduct.

All of this means that you can be assured that Endeavour and Teesdale Housing Associations are in good hands.

North Star Housing Group’s Board is chaired by Jed LesterwiththesupportofMorganMcClintock,asDeputyChair.TenantsarerepresentedontheBoardby Adrian Hill, who himself is a tenant.


NORTH STAR’S BOARD

Jed Lester, Chair of North Star Housing Group’s Board.

Morgan McClintock,DeputyChairofNorthStarHousingGroup’s Board.

Adrian Hill, Tenant Board member and Board champion for Resident Involvement.

2011: The North Star Tenant’s Voice

began its important work.


The North Star Tenant’s Voice was set up to be a driving force for improvement within the Group. MadeupofninetenantsfromacrossEndeavourandTeesdale Housing Associations, the Tenant’s Voice scrutinise various areas of the business and make recommendations based on this. Reporting directly to Board, their findings so far have been invaluable.

Their first scrutiny review focussed on satisfaction with new tenancies. The panel made 11 recommendations which included reviewing the Allocations system, promotingShareMembershiptotenantsandimproving the satisfaction surveys that are sent to tenants.

Their valuable work is set to continue, and The Tenant’s Voice have a busy schedule of reviews planned for this year.


THE NORTH STAR TENANT’S VOICE

The North Star Tenant’s Voice

2012: An innovative Endeavour Housing Association

development to accommodate women with complex needs and those fleeing domestic

violence was opened by Cherie Blair.

It goes without saying that we hope you found the content of your Annual Report useful and interesting. As ever, we would love to hear you thoughts, and would encourage you to get in touch with us using the contact details below. Likewise, if you have any questions or would like more information about anything, please contact us.

If you need this report in another format, such as large print, audio or in another language, please contact us on free phone 0800 980 9050.

EndeavourHouse,St.Mark’sCourt,Thornaby,Stockton-on-Tees,TS176QN

Freephonenumber:08009809050Email: [email protected]: www.endeavourha.co.uk

14A Redwell Court, Harmire Enterprise Park, Harmire Road,BarnardCastle,CountyDurham,DL128BN

Freephone : 0800 18 16 80Email: [email protected]

Web: www.teesdaleha.co.uk

The future...North Star Housing Group has ambitious plans for the future and will continue to do what we do best; finding solutions to difficult problems, and working collaboratively for the good of our communities. The journey continues...

north star tenants report 2012

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