paradigm people spring 2015

PARADIGM PEOPLE SPRING 2015 32 SPRING 2015 PARADIGM PEOPLE WWW.PARADIGMHOUSING.CO.UK WWW.PARADIGMHOUSING.CO.UK

farewell

After eight fantastic years as Chief Executive of Paradigm Housing Group, I have decided that the time is right for me to move on to new challenges.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Paradigm and with the help of my colleagues, the Board and our involved residents, I feel we have made signi� cant improvements to service delivery; reducing our costs so we can keep providing better repairs and improvements to homes and built thousands of new homes.

There is never a dull moment and I have an abundance of happy memories to take with me. If I had to choose two, the � rst would be setting

up our own repairs service after the collapse of our contractor Connaught. We were well prepared, and delivery of repairs to our residents was barely impacted. Since then the repairs team and our technicians have gone from

strength to strength.The second would be the impact involved

residents have had on the organisation. They are welcomed in every part of our business and, every day, remind us it is for them we do our jobs. Indeed, they and all residents pay our wages, something I hope I never forget.

I would not have been successful without the support of my colleagues. Every single one of them has helped me in some way. They are a

dedicated and professional group of people. Yes they, and I, make mistakes, but we do our utmost every day to do things better than

we did the day before.The recruitment for my successor has begun and I am sure

the new Chief Executive will have the drive and ambition to move Paradigm forward.

In the meantime, to all of you I have had contact with and those of you I don’t know, thank you for eight brilliant years as Chief Executive of Paradigm.

A MESSAGE FROM ALISON HADDEN

After a long, chilly winter, spring is on its way at last.

We’ve got a packed Spring issue of the magazine. You can read about our performance

on page 8, meet the people working to improve our services on pages 12 and 13. We have an interview with the new Vice Chair of the Residents’ Forum, Helen Barnett, who talks about her plans, and how you can join her to achieve them.

Customer Services Adviser, Courtney talks about what it’s like being on the other end of your phone, being part of a team answering 3,200 calls during an average week. Plus, you can meet our new Senior Health and Safety Advisor Kevin Dean and Temporary Housing Offi cer Abdalla Mohammed, who are just settling in. See page 12-13.

If you would like to join our team, we have exciting opportunities for paid apprenticeships with the maintenance team, see page 12.

On pages 10 to 11, you can learn about the new homes we are building and our new innovative and more effi cient way of maintaining and upgrading older properties. We have also funded new solar panels to produce electricity for a local community centre.

On page 7, we explain how the annual rent rise will be calculated for the next 10 years and talk about service charges for the removal of bulk waste. If you need help with your water bills, see if you qualify for Watersure on page 11.

We have advice for responsible pet owners and their neighbours on page 9.

And, of course, we have our regular prize draw on page 15.

Claire WiseHead of Customer Experience

ContentsWelcome

4

6

9COME AND SEE US!

Chesham Town Hall, Wednesday 29 April 1-6pm

Residents are invited to our informal housing surgery in Chesham. You can have a chat, ask for advice or air your views

on housing and property issues.

Housing of� cers Gill Bevan, Racheal Bratby, Heather Fox and Shirley Jones will be on hand to discuss repairs, rent or tenancy queries, or problems with neighbours, and to help

with general information and advice on housing issues.

We will also have representatives from the CAB, housing bene� t of� ce, Healthy Minds, drug and alcohol support service

SMART, Housing Interaction Trust, Bucks Home Choice and Environmental Health, all happy to give advice.

For more information about the event, call Customer Services and ask to speak to one of the housing of� cers.

The content of the magazine is believed to be correct at the time of going to press. Some details could be subject to change and noresponsibility can be accepted for inaccuracies.

The views expressed by contributors to Paradigm People do not necessarily re� ect the views of Paradigm Housing Group. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and fairness of views expressed, Paradigm cannot be held responsible.

Although we take the utmost care to ensure that

companies or suppliers of services mentioned are reputable, Paradigm Housing Group cannot guarantee that they will ful� l their obligations under all circumstances.

Produced and designed by Quercus Eight, 5th Floor, 133 HoundsditchLondon EC3A 7BXTel: 020 8366 4473, [email protected]

The paper Paradigm People is printed on comes from sustainable forests and is certi� ed by the Forest Stewardship Council.

10

12

2 Welcome, housing surgery in Chesham

3 Farewell message from Alison

4 Our Foundation helps communities

5 New computers; big digital news

6 Credit union news, pay by Direct Debit

7 Your rent, charges for bulk waste

8 How are we performing?

9 Being kind to pets – and neighbours

10 New homes and home improvements

12 Meet some great Paradigm people

14 Prize draw, gardens and wildlife

16 Useful contacts; how to pay your rent

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF PARADIGM HOUSING

Celebrating National Play Day in Hat� eld

Kelly and her familyin Broxbourne

Young carer, Henry from Chiltern

War hero, Jack from High Wycombe

‘There is never a dull moment and I have an abundance of happy memories to take with me’

PARADIGM PEOPLE SPRING 2015 5

get onlineparadigm foundation

The Boomerang Toy Library has received £15,000 from the Paradigm Foundation to provide toys for children with special needs.

Based in High Wycombe and Aylesbury and run by the Bucks Play Association, the library is open to parents and carers of children of all abilities. Its focus is on promoting play and supporting families, child minders, mother and toddler groups and children’s centres in the district.

As well as providing a place where children, parents and carers can spend some quality time, the scheme rents out toys at a reasonable price.

“We were delighted to receive this grant,” says General Manager Alan Dunham. “We are often asked for specialist toys to help children with special needs. So this money will make a huge difference.”

One resident whose son has special education needs said: “This project

enables my son to be included rather than excluded from many activities

and helps children learn social skills through play.”

Foundation Chair Mike Gahagan, says: “We know that some of our residents struggle with the cost associated with providing activities for their children. This project also provides

volunteering opportunities to help residents gain work experience.”Paradigm residents are entitled to

free membership for a year. For more details, see www.bucksplay.co.uk

TOYS TO SHARE

GRANTED!HOME TRUTHS

Herts Young Homeless Home

Truths project has received £5K

towards assisting 12-21 year olds across

Hertfordshire in � nding help when they

are having problems at home. The project

aims to target those who do

not understand the realities of

leaving home or homelessness.

For more see www.hyh.org.uk

Referrals can be made through

your housing of� cer, or direct.

CAREER SUPPORT FOR CATHERINEA grant from the Paradigm Foundation is helping resident Catherine Ribbens achieve her dream job of becoming a mental health nurse – and she will be following in the footsteps of three generations of her family.

Catherine, whose father, grandfather and great grandfather were all psychiatric nurses, was on the verge of giving up her course because the costs were becoming dif� cult to manage. Rent Recovery Of� cer Sharron Hunter suggested she talk to Manjit Nanglu about Foundation grants.

Now she can now complete her studies and get quali� ed “in a job I’ve always wanted to do.” Catherine, 36, from Chesham, is currently on a work placement – we wish her the best of luck for the rest of her course.

GRANTED!SUPPORTING FAMILIES

The Families United Network (FUN)

has received £10K funding from the

Paradigm Foundation to help them transform

the lives and enhance the futures of children

and families living with disabilities and special

needs in Bedfordshire. It offers a specialised

range of activities, youth and Saturday clubs and

offers support for families who have had little or

no support in the past. Referrals can be made

through your housing of� cer, or direct.See

www.familiesunitednetwork.org.uk for

more information.

Could the Foundation help you?The Paradigm Foundation was established

to improve the lives of individuals and communities in areas where Paradigm has

homes. It awards grants to:• provide further education, work and

training• strengthen local communities• widen � nancial inclusion and help people

on low incomesContact Manjit Nanglu, Executive Facilitator of the Paradigm Foundation on 01628 811835, email her on [email protected] or

visit www.paradigmfoundation.org.uk

COMPUTERS KEEP RESIDENTS IN TOUCH

New computers have replaced older machines at three of our sheltered schemes.

Freda and Marion from Cromwell House in Chesham really enjoy the computer sessions run

by volunteers from Paradigm every Tuesday morning.“I love being able to come down and use the computers

whenever I want to but I’ve had lots of help from the Paradigm volunteers” says Freda. “I like to do a bit of research sometimes and send emails to my family. My son sends me pictures of the grandchildren and someone from Paradigm helps me to print them out.

“I also enjoy playing Solitaire, it’s something to keep my brain ticking over.”

Marion enjoys using the computer to chat to her school friend in Australia. She says: “We’ve been friends since

we were six and it’s really great to be able to email each other and send photographs. The sessions are absolutely brilliant, I don’t need too much help now, but it’s great to have someone to call on when I do need it. I’ve even started doing a bit of shopping online.”

Alix Nel, Asset Manager at Paradigm, has been volunteering to help residents for more than fi ve years. She says: “I started it as a challenge to see if I had the patience to teach. I love working with the

residents and seeing them progress with their skills – and we always have a good natter.”

For more information, contact Duncan Passey on

01494 830778.

SAVE ONLINE

Online shopping is often cheaper than the

high street. Bargains can be found by browsing

large shopping websites. Each site has a page

dedicated to the latest discounts on offer.

eBay is a popular auction website where

individuals and businesses can buy or sell new or

second-hand items.So you can also make money by

selling things you don’t need.

Comparison websites can help you � nd a good

deal. Sites such as Money Expert and Kelkoo

search the internet for the best deals and list

them for you. Just type in the name of the

product you’re looking for into your

search engine and see what comes

up. For more tips, see

www.digitalunite.com

Marion chats to her schoolfriend in Australia

Alix lends a hand as Freda hones her skills

Digital DuncanPARADIGM PEOPLE – DOORMAT

OR INBOX, YOU DECIDE

More than half our customers can now read Paradigm People magazine on their PC or laptop

screens, smartphones and tablets when they receive their three-monthly email inviting them to do so. However recent research tells us that there may be even more of you with email and internet access. If you would like Paradigm People to land in your inbox rather than on your doormat. Just � ll in the ‘email please’ side of the card enclosed with this magazine, and return it in the pre-paid envelope or email us on [email protected] Don’t worry, we won’t sell or give your email address to anybody that doesn’t help us deliver services to you. If you would prefer a paper copy of Paradigm People then please make sure you � ll in the ‘paper please’ side of the card and post it back using the envelope provided. It is really important that you do this and let us know – later this year we will stop sending a printed copy to customers who haven’t asked for one.

Duncan Passey Tenancy Sustainment Of� cer

4 SPRING 2015 PARADIGM PEOPLE WWW.PARADIGMHOUSING.CO.UK

£100ONE HUNDRED POUNDS

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managing your money your tenancy

Did you know that more than 5,000 Paradigm residents are paying their rent by Direct Debit?

Following consultation with our customers, we have introduced a new weekly collection. It’s proved so popular, that 40% of all new Direct Debits set in December were for weekly collection.

We have received lots of positive feedback about how easy it is to set up a Direct Debit over the phone rather than completing a mandate form. Call 0300 303 8048 to try it.

WOULD YOU CREDIT IT?

Paradigm is supporting a new ethical community bank. South Buckinghamshire Community Bank (part of M for Money Credit Union, which also covers Hillingdon). Credit unions are not-for-profi t organisations offering banking, saving and loan

services to their members. The South Buckinghamshire Community Bank services the Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe areas. It is a fi nancial co-operative, with any annual surplus being passed on to members as an dividend on savings. Last fi nancial year this was 1%.

It offers a range of affordable loans from as little as £200 to £15,000 to as many of its members as possible. Each loan application is assessed on its own merits. It also offers a Child Benefi t loan and savings plan for families receiving Child benefi t.

For more information or to join phone the credit union on 020 8756 3866 or join online at www.mformoneycreditunion.org. Email [email protected] Alternatively, you can ask for a volunteer to come and talk to you face-to-face in a mutually agreed location by ringing the same number.

ARE YOU A WINNERWe are rewarding Direct Debit payers with the opportunity to win shopping vouchers every three months. As long as you have successfully paid by Direct Debit for three months, we will automatically enter you into a draw to win £100 of shopping vouchers.This quarter’s winners are Mr and Mrs Brett from Amersham, and they plan to use the vouchers to spruce up their garden. They like paying by Direct Debit because it’s so much easier knowing their rent will be paid in time without their lifting a � nger.To set up a Direct Debit or if you have any questions, please call the dedicated Direct Debit telephone line

0300 303 8048

Paradigm will review its rents in April, in line with a formula set by the Government.

Until recently, rents were expected to increase by the Retail Price Index (RPI)

plus 0.5% annually. However, the Government has confi rmed that increases for both social and affordable rents will be calculated using Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus 1% from April 2015. This formula will be used for the next 10 years.

Both RPI and CPI are used to measure infl ation, and they are calculated by measuring the change in the price of a different ‘basket’ of goods. RPI is usually a higher percentage than CPI.

Although a large number of tenants’ rents will rise in April, others will rise throughout the year on the anniversary of when they moved in. Check your tenancy agreement to see when yours will go up.

WHAT DO YOU WHAT WILLNEED TO DO? PARADIGM DO?

Start paying new rent Give you four weeks’from date advised in letter notice in writing

Inform HB of any changes Automatically amend(if applicable) Direct Debits

Remember to change Provide you with ayour Standing Order lea� et explaining why(if applicable) the rent has increased and how

Service charges for bulk wasteWe want all our estates to be green, clean and safe. That means Paradigm has to arrange for the removal of bulk waste dumped on our land. This is a costly business: not only do we have to pay for someone to take items away, but also to dispose of them in an environmentally responsible manner.

We always try to identify who has left the items and re-charge them for the cost of removal (whether they are resident or someone from outside the area). However, in most cases, it is diffi cult to pinpoint the culprit, so all residents end up paying through their service charges.

The costs of removing these items have been higher than we anticipated this year. So, unfortunately, we expect that the service charges for 2015/16 will increase.

We will be contacting those residents where the increase is high so that we can tackle those specifi c cases separately.

To keep costs down for all residents, if items will not fi t into bins, please do not leave them in the communal grounds. You can take them to most

re-cycling centres, or you can contact the local authority to arrange for them to be collected for a small charge.

If you see a resident or member of the public dumping items in communal areas, please report it on 0300 303 1010. The more information you provide, the more chance we have of identifying them.

RENT INCREASE 2015

“WE WANT ALL OUR ESTATES TO BE GREEN,

CLEAN AND SAFE”

Tenancy check-upAs a registered social landlord, we are committed to ensuring that our properties are occupied by the correct people. Subletting of a social housing property is a criminal offence that could lead to a two-year prison sentence.

During the summer months of 2014, we completed a targeted audit to identify any illegal subletting within our homes. You will be glad to hear that this didn’t reveal any potential cases that weren’t already on our radar. However, we did identify some vulnerable residents who needed help, so we were able to arrange for support to assist them in sustaining their tenancy. This included one family who were overcrowded and potentially hoarding within their home.

We will continue to monitor who lives in our properties, in line with our tenancy agreements, and will take the appropriate action to regain possession where tenants have sublet their home. If you suspect that one of our properties is being sub-let please contact us on 0300 303 1010.

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our performance responsible ownersBE A CARING

OWNERBefore you get a petFirst, check your tenancy to see if permission is needed to keep a pet – If you don’t have use of a private garden, then permission will not be granted for a pet such as a dog.

Second, are you happy about the � nancial commitment? Food and vet bills are expensive. It might be best to consider taking out pet health insurance.

Make sure you know your legal responsibilities as a pet owner, for example, all dogs will need to be microchipped by 6 April 2016, and it’s best to microchip cats.

Is the pet you are looking at right for your lifestyle? Will you be able to give them the time and exercise they need? Even small pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs need attention and get stressed if left alone.

Ask yourself how will you feel about cleaning up any mess your pet makes either in the house, or on a walk? Are you going to have time to clean out hutches or cages regularly?

One of the familyIt’s essential that you take your dog for regular walks and always clean up after him. Dogs and cats need regular treatments for � eas, worms and ticks, especially in summer.

If your pet seems out of sorts, and you are worried about the cost of the vet, the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals may be able to help. See www.pdsa.org.uk to see if you qualify for free vet treatment.

If your pet suffers from separation anxiety, consider ways to ease this, such as walking your dog before leaving home or buying toys to keep them occupied. If you work nearby, maybe you can pop home at lunchtime. The RSPCA has a lea� et full of useful tips called Learning to be left alone which can be downloaded from www.rspca.org.uk

A Feliway diffuser may help cats who relieve themselves where they shouldn’t or pull their fur out. But if this persists, take them to the vet.

Dear MicahI’m on the verge of falling out with my neighbour. We’ve lived next door to each other for a long time and have always got on but he’s recently bought a dog and it howls all day while he’s at work. I work from home and the noise is driving me up the wall. I daren’t say anything to him about it in case it ruins our friendship. Do you have any advice?

Wayne, Bucks

Hi Wayne, Roughly one in every 20 anti-social behaviour cases we open is around pet nuisance.

In the � rst instance, I can’t

stress enough the importance of speaking to your neighbour. The vast majority of people are perfectly reasonable when spoken to about issues such as these and I have no doubt that it’ll be a weight off your mind too. There is, of course, a right

way and a wrong way to go about it. When you talk to your neighbour, it is best to do so

face to face and at a reasonable time. Talk in a calm, friendly manner, concentrating on the facts,

but be sure to let him know what the problem is and how it is affecting you. By doing this you are being reasonable and giving him an opportunity to address the problem.

Have a look at the RSPCA website www.rspca.org.uk, and see if your neighbour could try some of these ideas to help the dog deal with being alone. Or, could you volunteer to walk him at lunchtime?

At Paradigm, we de� ne anti-social behaviour as ‘deliberate and intentional acts, including the failure to address inconsiderate behaviour that may result in nuisance, harassment, alarm and distress’. For this reason, we’d want to make sure that your neighbour has a chance to resolve the issue before we looked to open a formal case.

If the nuisance continues, speak to your housing of� cer. You can � nd their details on the MyParadigm section of our website. Or you can call Customer Services.

Our ASB agony uncle looks at your problems

Ask Micah

DID YOU KNOW?

All dogs will need to be

microchipped by 6 April

2016

How we are working to meet our performance targets

T he chart below shows how we are performing compared with our targets. These targets are high, and

it can be a challenge to meet them. Here some ways we are working to improve our performance.

The 10 Key Performance Indicators highlighted in the chart below were chosen by the Residents’ Forum to be featured regularly in Paradigm People. The full list can be viewed on www.paradigmhousing.co.uk

Customer ServicesThroughout the period, more than 70% of calls were answered within 20 seconds. Our target is 80%, but Customer Service Repairs Team was receiving a very high number of calls. In December, a change of management structure brought the Customer Service Repairs Team and Housing Team under the same manager, as part of the Customer Experience Team headed by Claire

AT YOUR SERVICE

Wise. Work is going on to ensure the right number of staff are in place to meet expected call volumes, and to make sure processes are effective.* See a Day in the Life of a Customer Service Advisor, page 12.

RepairsThe performance of the Repairs team remained below their challenging

targets, but the fi gure for Emergency repairs completed within 24 hours has never fallen below 96%. One issue was that the team had 1,300 more calls than during the same period last year. We can see some good news in January, because customer satisfaction with repairs has gone up to 77.8% . Gas servicing Our gas safety team are usually just shy of their target. Now we have checked with benchmarking organisation Housemark, and found we can exclude empty properties from our fi gures. So we are now at 100%

Empty HomesWe did very well in November, but in December and January a small number of properties proved diffi cult to let, so these pulled our fi gures down to 25.8 days. We are working with our partners to try to make sure we can always get people into their new homes as quickly as possible.

HOW WE PERFORMED NOVEMBER 2014 TO JANUARY 2015 Key performance indicator Target Nov Dec Jan Result

% of calls answered in 20 seconds 80% 74.2% 73.7% 71.5% b% of Emergency (within 24 hours) repairs completed in target time 99.5% 97.2% 97.8% 96.3% b % of Routine (15 days) repairs completed in target time 95% 90.6% 91.2% 86% bAverage time taken to complete repair (days) 14 17.9 17.2 19.9 b% of repairs completed ‘� rst time’ 94% 87.6% 88.1% 88.1% b% customer satisfaction with repairs 85% 84.7% 73.8% 77.8% b% landlord’s gas safety certi� cates in date (all properties) 100% 99.9% 100% 100% bAverage time taken to re-let properties (days) 21 14.4 24.5 25.8 bAverage number of working days to resolve all complaints 15 21.3 14.3 11.6 b% anti-social behaviour cases resolved and closed 75% 92.6% 92.9% 93.5 bA full list of performance indicators is available on our website. b indicates met or exceed target b indicates target almost met b indicates target not met

We have been working in close partnership with housebuilders Barratt, David Wilson Homes and Bovis to build new homes

in the Vale of Aylesbury.Phase 1 of the new development at

Windsor Park in Buckingham is now complete. Paradigm’s last affordable home on Phase 1 was completed by Bovis just before Christmas, bringing the total affordable homes provided so far to 143.

In total, 700 new homes will be built on this 72-acre site on the edge of Buckingham, as well as a new primary school, public open spaces, play areas, two football pitches and a sports pavilion.

The partnership will build a further 89 homes for rent and shared ownership in Phase 2 and Sainsburys’ has announced it will be starting work on a new supermarket here, alongside a purpose-built healthcare facility for local GPs.

One new resident told us: “Windsor Park is an attractive, safe estate. My son and I feel lucky to live here. It is a quiet, friendly place to live. I love it.”

Executive Director of Business Development Andrew Main said: “We are really pleased to be working in partnership with Aylesbury Vale District Council, the Homes and Communities Agency and with developers, Bovis, Barratt and David Wilson Homes to provide a better mix of affordable housing than could be provided through the planning system. We are developing 232 affordable homes in this high-quality new community.”


communities your homes

NEW HOMES HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Joyce Kelly and Azara Ahmed are just two of the residents delighted by our new way of carrying out maintenance work. Rather than fi tting a bathroom, or

kitchen and other improvements on separate visits, we are now targeting homes within the same post code with low energy-effi ciency ratings, needing two or more upgrades, so we can do all the work at the same time.

This new way of working reduces time lost travelling between jobs, our tenants get the

work done more quickly, and we know that our properties are maintained to a high standard.

This work includes fi tting new boilers, kitchens, bathrooms, windows and doors, cladding and insulation. Improved insulation will make these homes warmer and cheaper to heat – we will be monitoring heat loss in

the homes and cost savings for residents.A new wet room and kitchen have made life

so much easier for Joyce Kelly – who has lived in her Chesham home for 61 years. Mrs Kelly (top left) said: “Paradigm suggested I had a wet room rather than a new bath and it’s marvellous. I also had a new kitchen, which is lovely and there was

very little disruption as the workers were fantastic and really looked after me. It was great to be able to choose the colours. I love pink, I’ve got some lovely pink tiles in the kitchen.”

Mum-of-three Azara Ahmed is also delighted with her new kitchen and bathroom. Mrs Ahmed, who has lived in her home for seven years, says the work to her property took about a month to complete.

“They were planning to do the kitchen fi rst, but then they found a leak in the bathroom so had to do that

fi rst. The workers were all really good and the work has been done to a really high standard.

“We are so pleased with the end result, we now have more cupboards in the kitchen which has really helped and all the family liked it when they came to visit.”

We have carried out work to 65 homes in the HP5 postcode area, which contains many of our older properties. Residents will be informed by letter if their homes are included in the next phase.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Paradigm has provided £28,000 towards the � tting of 88 solar panels to the roof of Hanwell Fields Community Centre in Banbury. The centre is owned by Cherwell District Council, which leases the

building to Hanwell Fields Community Association (HFCA), and is used by a large number of Paradigm residents. The money came from a community fund set up for the estate.

Cherwell District Council’s deputy leader, Cllr George Reynolds, said: “This installation will come as a welcome boost to the community centre, not only cutting the need for it to pay for its power, but also enabling it to sell electricity back to the National Grid.”

Peter Goode of the HFCA said: “We greatly appreciate the work carried out by Cherwell of� cers on the project and the funding provided by Paradigm. The project will help us maintain the building and provide a long-term contribution to the running costs. Currently we have 25 regular user groups who hire the centre each month, and up to 700 people coming into the centre each week.”

Claire Morton, Regional Team Manager for Paradigm added: “We’re so pleased to have been able to help fund this project, which will help the community centre with the cost of bills and bring money back in to the centre.”

in Vale � Aylesbury

DURING PHASE 1 WE HAVE:● replaced windows and doors in 24 properties● upgraded consumer boards in 20 homes● installed 16 kitchens● installed nine bathrooms● fi tted three cloakrooms● fi tted 33 new boilers

WATER, WATERWatersure is a scheme to help some

people with their water bills. To apply for

the scheme, you must be on certain bene� ts

(see www.ofwat.gov.uk for a list) and need to

use a lot of water, either because someone in

the household has a medical condition, or your

household has three or more school-age children.

You also need to be on a water meter or be

waiting to have one installed. You cannot apply to

watersure if you pay for your water with your rent.

To apply, contact your water company and ask

for an application form to � ll in.

For other schemes which may be able to

help if you are struggling to pay your

water bills, see:www.water.org.uk

Helen (left) and Noreen Boudry enjoy a Residents’ Forum away day


paradigm peopleparadigm people

New faces at ParadigmWe’d like to welcome two new staff members, just settling in

Kevin Dean Senior Health and Safety Of� cer

Kevin joined Paradigm in January, having worked for � ve years at Welwyn Hat� eld Community Housing Trust. Prior to that he worked for the property services division of Johnson Controls. He says: “I

hope that my experience will help me to continue to keep Paradigm and all those associated with the organisation, both safe and healthy!“My focus so far has mainly revolved around the property services team because this is where there can be a higher proportion of risk, although my role covers all departments, externalsub-contractors and residents. I am looking forward to trying to improve safety standards and to continue the excellent work already achieved.

Abdalla Mohammed Temporary Housing Of� cerAbdalla completed a four-year Housing Studies Course at university before joining us. He has settled in quickly and

proved eager to learn and develop a career within housing. Abdalla has already received compliments from our customers on his manner and caring nature. He says: “It feels great to see that I have a compliment so early on. It takes me from feeling like a zero to hero”. Abdalla’s approach perfectly complements the Paradigm philosophy that excellent customer service begins with excellent staff.

CUSTOMER SERVICESDAY IN THE LIFE:

Courtney is one of our hard-working Customer Service Advisors, taking your calls about repairs.

What does your role involve?I answer calls that come in from customers reporting repairs. They may be reporting a broken boiler or want to make an appointment for a technician to check out a problem in their home. We have to log every call that comes through and detail the action we have taken. We make appointments for technicians to visit the resident’s home, and arrange for other staff to call the customer back, if necessary.

What skills do you need to do your job?I think you need to enjoy talking to people and have a genuine desire to help people. You also need to be able to keep calm under pressure as it can be quite stressful at busy times. Computer skills are a must, as all our calls have to be logged on a housing system, but we do get training on how to do this.

Describe a typical dayI know it’s a cliché but there really is no such thing as a typical day - we never know when we answer the phone what type of queries people will have. It’s also diffi cult to predict when we’ll be busy – although we know that when we have a cold snap the phones will be busy.

What do you enjoy about your job?I love talking, so this job is perfect for me! Also, it’s really satisfying when you help a resident sort out a problem.

What are the main challenges?It can be frustrating as we really would like to sort out everyone’s problems straight away, but this really isn’t possible. We have set guidelines we have to work to, for instance, when prioritising which jobs are urgent. We do have to manage customer expectations, but we always do our best to chase things up and give them the best possible service. Our main aim is to make sure customers have a good service and are not kept waiting too long for their call to be answered.

What makes you happy at work?I love it when a customer says thank you, or tells me to have a nice day. Sometimes we have a bit of a laugh

on the phone which is lovely. It’s nice when people realise we are humans trying to do a good job! Also, my colleagues help to make the job enjoyable as we all support each other.

HELEN BARNETT

Personal experience of homelessness and many years of working in the housing sector make Helen Barnett the ideal candidate for the role of Vice Chair of the Residents’ Forum.

Helen has lived in her Paradigm home in Prestwood for nine years and has three children. She was elected into her new role in November – and she is already enjoying making a difference.

“I fi rst joined the Forum almost two years ago and became addicted,” she says. “I was delighted to be elected Vice Chair. I know it’s diffi cult for Paradigm to reach all residents and I like to think I can act as a go-between for them. I am able to take problems from residents to Paradigm, but I can also explain to people the way things work and the reasons why they can’t always get the things they want. ”

Personal developmentHelen gave up work to look after her family, including a son with special needs, and she says, as well as helping others, her work on the Forum has helped her personally. She has suffered from mental health problems, as well as being homeless herself, but her work on the Forum has given her confi dence and improved her social skills. She says: “I just love it, I’ve learnt so much and it really is interesting. I’ve picked up lots of skills like talking in public, listening and doing presentations that will help me when I come to look for work again.”

Helen was pleased to discover that the Residents’ Forum was not just a talking shop. She says: “Paradigm really does value what the Forum does, I have had great results with several issues I have raised on behalf of other residents – and the senior staff are so approachable and so knowledgeable about housing.”

Could you join Helen?We have vacancies for Residents’ Forum representatives from Aylesbury, Hemel Hempstead and Welwyn and Hatfi eld. Helen says: “If anyone is interested, I would advise them to come to a meeting and see what goes on. It does take a while to get into it, but the staff are very supportive.”If you are interested, just give Morgan Allsworth a call on 01628 811862.

IN THE (VICE) CHAIR:

FIVE FACTS1The call centre is split into two

sections – housing and repairs.

2Up to 20 Customer Service Advisors take more than 160,000

calls per year.

3About 3,200 calls come in during an average week.

4Mondays and Fridays are the busiest times of the week.

5Most of the calls are reporting new repairs and rent payments.

Contact the call centre on 0300 303 1010 – but don’t forget you can also pay your rent or report a repair by going to our website www.paradigmhousing.co.uk

EARN AS YOU LEARNAs a part of the ongoing success of the Apprentice scheme, we are offering the

opportunity for four new apprentices in the maintenance department starting late summer 2015.

We are looking for self-motivated young people to work as a gas or multi-skilled technician. While you would be helping to maintain many of our homes across London and the south east, the roles are based in Chesham.

Paid apprenticeships allow you to earn while you learn new skills in a supportive environment. The aim is to give you the chance to develop into a fully quali� ed maintenance operative and we are working with East Berks College to ensure you get a good education as well as excellent training.

You don’t need any formal quali� cations to apply however, it would help if you have grades A-C in Maths and English. Call Human Resources on 01628 811817, or email [email protected]

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letters & advice

PARADIGM PEOPLE SPRING 2015 15

“What a nice surprise, I never � pe� ed to win!”

WINNERSJennifer Howlett from High Wycombe won £200 Derek Ajose from Leyton won £75Tamsyn Martin from Hat� eld won £50

Complete the coupon below to enter our fabulous prize draw. The prizes are £200, £75 or £25 in high-street shopping vouchers

HOW TO ENTERAll Paradigm residents may enter, but if winners are in arrears, the equivalent money will be paid into their rent account.Please send form in a stamped envelope to:Carol Levin, Paradigm Housing Group, 1 Glory Park, Wooburn Green Buckinghamshire HP10 0DFYou can also enter on our website.Closing date for Winter prize draw was January 5Closing date for Spring prize draw is April 10

How many calls do our Customer Service Advisors take per year?

50,000 160,000 180,000

Name:

Address:

Postcode:

Contact number:

Email:

Terms and conditions are available from Carol Levin at Paradigm Housing Group, details below

Complete the coupon below

WIN

£200 IN VOUCHERS

PRIZE DRAW

WRITE TO: Carol Levin OR EMAILParadigm Housing, 1 Glory Park Ave your comments to:Wooburn Green, Bucks, HP10 0DF [email protected]

A HELPING HAND FOR WILDLIFESpring is here, so surely the wildlife in your garden must be giving a sigh of relief? In fact, early spring can be a tough time for animals and birds. By early April, natural food stocks are at their lowest. Fruit, berries and seeds have been exhausted and invertebrates, such as � ying insects, are only just appearing.

If it’s a very cold year, insects come out later, and worms and other invertebrates stay too deep in the soil for ground-feeding birds such as robins and blackbirds to reach them.

Putting out high-energy bird foods in your garden can literally be a life-saver for many species. The RSPB recommends black sun� ower seeds, soaked sultanas or raisins, or good seed mixtures for the smaller species, while mealworms may help birds such as the blackbird or song thrush.

Peanuts, fat and bread should be avoided in spring, because large pieces can easily choke nestlings being fed by mum and dad. Keeping your cat in at night will give nestlings a better chance of survival.

As always, a ready supply of water will ensure you’ll see plenty of birds taking advantage.Spare a thought for hedgehogs coming out of hibernation, too. They need to top up their depleted reserves. Put out peanut granules, dried mealworms and sultanas on the ground – they will love them.

ank youJust want to say a big thank you for such a prompt response during the holiday period. My wife Linda recently suffered a pneumonia infection which was complicated by a virulent cold infection. On top of her MS this has been a long couple of months. You can imagine my despair when an electrical failure shut down our boiler.

A 2am visit by your electrician traced it to a faulty circuit breaker and we were back up and running. You came through for us two years ago in the Christmas period when we had a boiler failure and you had a replacement � tted in two weeks. Linda and I are eternally grateful, given your � nite resources, for the

amazing support you give. With Linda’s on-going health issues it’s a huge relief for me that we have that back up. A huge thank you to your electrician for venturing out at such an unearthly hour.”

Mr Luck, Uxbridge

Jennifer Howl�

We know we are not perfect, and are always striving to improve our services. It’s good to know we do get things right sometimes, though. In the � rst three quarters of 2014/15, Paradigm logged 492 complaints, but 699 compliments.

THE LINDENGATE

PROJECT Lindengate is transforming four

acres of wasteland into a social and

therapeutic horticultural resource to

help people with a wide range of

mental health issues. The project is

supported by the Paradigm

Foundation see page 4.

SPRING INTO ACTIONNothing is more heartening after a long, cold winter than the sight of a snowdrop peeping through the undergrowth. If you do not have any bulbs already in your garden, maybe buy some already in bloom from the garden centres and put them in your beds and pots to brighten your day. If anyone gives you some for inside, once they are over, you can plant them in the ground outside to enjoy next year.

If you have a lawn, choose a dry day for the � rst mow, and ensure the blades are set higher than usual. Then cut every other week throughout the growing season. Don’t forget to water it if there is a prolonged dry spell, and remember to keep the edges tidy.

From May onwards you can start to think about getting more colour into your garden with bedding plants and other shrubs and plants that you might like. Tubs and pots with seasonal planting can make a huge difference, and you don’t

need to spend much on the pots. A little bit of imagination with recycling and you will be amazed how cheaply

you can produce something really quite spectacular. Always plant in odd numbers and make sure that

you regularly water and give a good liquid feed every 4-6 weeks.

If you are feeling ambitious, why not try some container vegetables such as tomatoes, courgettes and salad crops? Or dedicate one of your recycled pots for some fresh herbs for that special extra � avour in the kitchen.

GARDEN EXPERTOUR NEW REGULAR GARDEN COLUMN IS PROVIDED BY THE LINDENGATE PROJECT

1 If you have a bank account, the most convenient way to pay is by Direct Debit. Call us on 0300 303 8048 for details.

2 On our website at www.paradigm housing.co.uk

3 Pay at any shop that displays the Payzone symbol.

4 By phone, please call 0300 303 1010.

5 You can pay at your local post of� ce.

6 Post a cheque to: Paradigm Housing, 1 Glory Park Ave, Wooburn Green Buckinghamshire HP10 0DF

SIX WAYS TO PAY YOUR RENT

0300 303 1010

EMAIL US: [email protected]

WRITE TO US:Paradigm Housing Group, 1 Glory Park Avenue, Wooburn Green, Buckinghamshire HP10 0DF

VISIT US:1 White Hill, Chesham, Bucks HP5 1ABOf� ce hours Monday to Friday 9am – 5.30pm

OUT OF HOURS SERVICE

WEBSITE www.paradigmhousing.co.uk

Facebook Paradigm Housing, or Paradigm Foundation Community

Follow us on Twitter we tweet as @paradigmhousing

PRESS 1 for repairs

PRESS 2 for rent and housing

PRESS 3 for corporate queries

Our Customer Services team are available 8am - 6pm

If you have an emergency, call us as above and you will automatically be put through to Centra. If, for any reason, your call is not automatically connected, you can call Centra direct on 02070 936405.If it is not an emergency, please call us during the hours above to speak to a Customer Services advisor

You can call our Customer Service on:

We are here to help

PARADIGM FOUNDATIONCould the Paradigm Foundation help you or your community? See page 4, or contact 01628 811835www.paradigmfoundation.org.uk [email protected]

RESIDENTS’ FORUMThe Residents’ Forum works with Paradigm to make sure residents’ views are taken into account.

To share your ideas or concerns, or to find out more about the group, email [email protected]

paradigm people spring 2015

Documents

new chief executive

paradigm people spring

new challenges

repairs team

repairs service

new senior health

new vice chair

new solar panels