Winter 2018 | Issue 60 RESIDENTS & TENANTS MAGAZINE

Find out why Zara and Yasmin from St Blazey have a reason to smile . . . see page 3

Meet Rose and find out why her feedback really counts . . . see page 5

Meet Carole and the residents from Prince Charles House who are making a difference . . . see page 4

Our offices will close for Christmas at 5pm on Friday 21st December 2018and will re-open at 8.30am on Wednesday 2nd January 2019.Out of hours emergency contact number: 01726 874450

Our Christmas Opening Hours...

from all at Ocean Housing Ashley, Dylan, Yanna and Ruby from Tywardreath can’t wait to celebrate Christmas as we celebrate our 60th edition of Street Talk. With thanks to the Britannia Inn and Waves Restaurant, Par.

Street

Happy Christmas

R E S I D E N T S & T E N A N T S M A G A Z I N E

Happy 60th Birthday Street Talk!

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Ensuring that as many people as possible have a good home is vital. My mum was an orphan who wasn’t adopted until she was four years old. I still remember the stories she told me about her life before she became part of a loving family in a council flat in Islington; suffice to say, she had a tough start in life. Unsurprisingly, my mum was a pretty resilient woman, determined to make sure her

children shared her values, which mirror many which Ocean has at its core: be honest, brave and ambitious with a positive attitude to life.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish every tenant, resident and colleague within the Ocean family a very happy holiday season and a healthy and successful 2019.

Debbie Wilshire, Chair of Ocean Housing Group

Debbie meeting Luca in the Summer at our new development in Penryn

As someone who’s also celebrating their 60th birthday this month, I’m delighted to contribute to this diamond anniversary edition of Street Talk.

I’ve almost completed my first year as Chair of the Group, so it’s a good time to reflect on what we’ve achieved during the last 12 months and look ahead to the challenges and opportunities of 2019.

This year has seen real progress in achieving our twin ambitions of increasing investment in our existing homes whilst, at the same time, developing new properties. We’ve achieved this through great working partnerships: staff teams working closely together across the companies within Ocean; tenants and residents taking more of a support and challenge lead in both development and service delivery, and external stakeholders - like Cornwall Council and central government - investing more in housing and communities.

Street

Join our new panel and have your say from the comfort of your own homeThere’s one thing that most of us seem to never have enough of - and that’s time. We know you all have busy lives and might not be able to attend the tenant panel meetings we hold at our St Austell office each month - but we rely on your feedback to help shape and improve the services we offer.

So we’re creating a new online panel for residents, the virtual internet panel (VIP), giving you the opportunity to have a greater say in what we do and how we do it, and influence the services which relate to the management of your homes. Your feedback is crucial to understanding how we’re performing and how we can improve.

We’ll be using Facebook and email to communicate with our new virtual internet panel, focusing on four major topics throughout the year, from repairs and complaints to customer engagement. Feedback will come in many forms including quick questionnaires and Q&As. This isn’t a ‘tick box’ exercise: your views matter to us.

If you’d like to be involved, email us at help@oceanhousing.com with your name and contact details, or call the tenant involvement team on 01726 874450, and we’ll be in touch. The first 100 people to sign up will be automatically entered into a £50 prize draw.

Winter 2018 | Issue 60

Michelle and her daughters, Yasmin and Zara, have been working with our family worker, Jo Hunt, since June. Michelle needed some extra help and support, so was referred with the help of her neighbourhood services officer, Becky.

Jo has more than 30 years’ experience in supporting people in the community and possesses a real passion to help people change their lives for the better. She helps families who may be stuggling with complex issues and simply do not know who to ask for help and support.

Jo told us: “I was able to help Michelle and guide her in the right direction, successfully appeal a decision regarding a school bus pass, and offer Michelle a non-judgmental ear, someone independent to talk through her worries.”

“The family only had a small amount of furniture and, with Christmas fast approaching, money is always tight. With mum’s permission, I put the family forward for a child’s bedroom makeover.”

St Blazey Recycle Reuse Resale CIC, at Middleway, was established to help people moving into social housing and families unable to afford household items from high street shops.

“I felt I needed to help uplift families, and save them from getting into debt by supplying items for their home,” said Pauline Giles, St Blazey’s ward member for Cornwall Council.

“I asked Jo if she could recommend a deserving family who could do with a makeover, to make their life that little bit better.”

Michelle’s youngest daughter Zara, 6, couldn’t stop smiling about her new look bedroom. “I love my room, it has space for my toys, a soft carpet and I can’t wait to have my friends around to play,” she said.

Michelle feels she has been very lucky, “I was able to relax with Jo immediately and the girls have found her so easy to get on with.”

“She doesn’t judge us in any way and has given us lots of great advice. I didn’t realise my landlord offered this kind of service and could be so supportive.”

“Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone to ask for help, Jo has completely changed our lives for the better.”

If you would benefit from Jo’s help then please contact your neighbourhood services officer in confidence, and they’ll be able to advise you on the next steps.

We can help to change people’s lives

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These days, more of us are discovering the benefits of getting online. My Ocean is a personalised online service which allows you to access your account at any time.

Sign up to My Ocean by visiting our website, www.oceanhousing.com, click ‘Sign in/Sign up’ at the top of the page, and follow the link to ‘Register’. You’ll then have access to your rent balance, repairs requested, planned upgrades, and news/events in your community.

For more information, contact our customer services team on 01726 874450 or email help@oceanhousing.com

Getting online with My Ocean

R E S I D E N T S & T E N A N T S M A G A Z I N E

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Making the most of your night storage heatersAround half of Ocean properties are fitted with night storage heaters - and one of our most frequently asked questions is how to make the best use of them.

Storage heaters work by drawing electricity during the night and storing it as heat before gradually releasing it the following day. Their controls can be a bit confusing, so we’ve produced a guide to help you make the most of your heating:

During the winter months, you may have to adjust your storage heaters more than usual. The INPUT control – determines how much heat is stored overnight.

The OUTPUT control – determines how much heat is released during the day.

Think of the storage heater as a tank: the more you input during the night, the more the tank fills up. The higher you set the output, the quicker the tank empties.

During the winter months, set your input at a higher number and your output on a lower setting until you need the heat.

Community spirit blossoms at Prince Charles House

Street

TOP MONEY SAVING TIP

Remember to set your output to ‘1’

when leaving your home

Green-fingered residents have helped to transform the communal garden at Prince Charles House in St Austell into a rainbow of year-round colour.

The 31 apartment building, built by the Ocean Housing Group in partnership with Cornwall Council, one of the first eco-communities projects in the UK and designed to showcase examples of low carbon living through the use of green technologies.

Its communal garden is well kept by the grounds maintenance team, but its residents were teeming with ideas about sprucing it up on a budget - and set to work fundraising to create an outdoor living space everyone could enjoy.

They held coffee mornings, raffles, bring-and-buy sales, and barbecues, raising enough money for a water feature, garden ornaments, benches, and pot plants.

“It’s brought a real sense of community spirit to the house, and we’ve had a great summer social life where we all enjoy a glass of bubbly,” said resident Carole.

“It’s really brightened up the garden and made Prince Charles House an even nicer place to live.”

After successfully applying for treasure chest funding, the residents are now planning to plant fruit trees and create a vegetable patch and herb garden.

“The residents here are a lovely bunch of people and I just love their community spirit,” said Danny, the on-site caretaker.

“What they’ve done here, on such a small budget, is fantastic; it’s transformed the garden.”

Do you have a communal area which you’d like to brighten up like the residents of Prince Charles House? If so, why not apply to the treasure chest for funding? The tenants and residents panel can grant up to £400 per application per year. For more information, contact the tenant involvement team on 01726 874450 or visit www.oceanhousing.com/treasure-chest

Winter 2018 | Issue 60

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Staff across the Ocean Group have been busy collecting and packing food for local people facing hunger this Christmas. It’s one of three annual collections we make for St Austell Foodbank - in the run-up to Easter, the summer holidays, and the festive season. There are around 170 non-school days each year where children can’t access free school meals, putting increased pressure on the families which rely on them.

Last year, St Austell Foodbank, which is based at Brunel Business Park, gave emergency food supplies to 2,784 families in crisis. So far this year, it’s given out 2,488 food parcels.

The foodbank works with a wide range of care professionals, including doctors, health visitors, social workers and the police, to identify people in crisis and issue them with a voucher. Vouchers can then be redeemed for three days’ emergency food.

As well as office collections, staff have been supporting the foodbank collection at St Austell’s Tesco superstore, and have raised more than £400 at monthly ‘dress down days’. Last year, we collected more than 214kg of food; we’re determined to top that this year.

Supporting our local foodbank this Christmas

Tell us what you think . . .Rose from St Agnes did just that - and won a shopping voucher after completing the annual grounds maintenance survey.

The grounds maintenance teams have a raft of responsibilities, from grass cutting and pruning to hedge maintenance and remedial works. Each year, we ask a sample of residents who benefit from the service to complete a short survey to help us identify any areas for improvement.

“I was delighted to give feedback on the services; the team is really friendly and does a cracking job,” said Rose, who’s pictured with Ian and Rees from the estate services team.

“You can make a real difference from your own home. Ensuring my voice is heard about the service I receive and pay for is really important.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever won anything and it will definitely help towards Christmas.”

Rose is one of more than 75 residents who act as grounds maintenance monitors and we’re looking to increase this number to cover all Ocean sites which receive these services. Regular monitors are given a £20 supermarket voucher each year to thank them for their support. If you would like to volunteer to become a monitor please contact the tenant involvement team on 01726 874450 or visit www.oceanhousing.com/tenant-monitors

R E S I D E N T S & T E N A N T S M A G A Z I N E

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Street

Universal credit is the biggest welfare reform we’ve seen in many years, and a huge change for people who aren’t used to living on a monthly budget or who are not in a secure financial position. Ocean created a specialist welfare team in readiness for the rollout of the new benefit, aimed at supporting our customers through the application process.

We’ve developed a strong working relationship with our local Department for Work and Pensions colleagues, and are currently trialling a scheme where two of our welfare advisors, Gemma and Rebecca, work from local job centres once a fortnight.

Gemma is based at St Austell job centre every other Thursday, and Rebecca is in Newquay on alternate Mondays. This gives them both immediate access to the information they need to help our customers make the transition as smooth as possible, as well as offering residents greater opportunities for one-to-one support.

Universal credit replaces six weekly and fortnightly benefits - including jobseekers’ allowance, tax credits, and housing benefit - with one monthly payment. A phased introduction started in 2013, and more than 300 Ocean customers are now in receipt of the new benefit. The majority of our customers have welcomed the new online account and most find it easier to manage.

Gemma and Rebecca can also help with queries about bedroom tax, the benefits cap, council tax debt, or water tariffs. Why not pop in and see what they can do for you?

Working to support universal credit claimants

Gemma will be at St Austell every other Thursday

Rebecca will be at Newquay every other Monday

A new deal for social housingThree of our residents recently attended a meeting with senior Government officials to discuss the so-called ‘new deal’ for social housing.

The green paper, published in August, aims to empower social housing residents to hold their landlords to account, as well as driving up standards and tackling stigma. The measures were announced in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

The event, held in Bristol in November, was one of 12 meetings across the country attended by almost 1,000 housing association residents at which they were invited to voice their concerns and experience of living in social housing. And although the housing minister Kit Malthouse didn’t make the meeting as planned, he sent senior civil servants to gather residents’ views.

“Being among tenants of other social housing providers reinforced what we already knew: Ocean’s tenants are valued and listened to,” said Jan Faulkner, chair of the tenants and residents panel.

“Our repairs are sorted quickly, the complaints process is being streamlined to become faster and more efficient, and Ocean’s door is always open. They want to help.”

“Communication is essential: we are talking to Ocean and they are talking to us. What we need now is for more tenants to join in the conversation: the more people who get involved the stronger the links become.”

Winter 2018 | Issue 60

We recently secured a closure order for a house in Newquay where the tenant is believed to have been the target of ‘cuckooing’.

‘Cuckooing’ is a term used to describe the

actions of criminal gangs which befriend vulnerable people and turn their homes into places to keep and supply drugs. Their victims are often people with mental health or substance abuse issues living in rural and coastal areas.

The closure order, in partnership with Devon & Cornwall Police and Cornwall Council, was taken as a result of regular and persistent anti-social behaviour at the address. Under the terms of the order, only the tenant, certain family members, and support workers are now allowed inside the house.

“The successful application of this closure order is a stark warning to those people who target the vulnerable and those who deal drugs from their own home or others,” said PC Alex Allen, Newquay’s neighbourhood beat manager.

“By allowing drug misuse, supply and associated crime from your home, you are at risk of it being closed by the police.

“I would urge any members of the public, if they suspect a person is being cuckooed at a property or dealing drugs from it, to report it to the police via 101 or anonymously via CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Signs that ‘cuckooing’ might be going on at a property include*:

• An increase in people entering and leaving

• An increase in bikes or cars outside

• Possible increase in anti-social behaviour

• Increasing litter outside

• Signs of drug use

• Lack of healthcare visitors.

If you have any concerns in your area, you can also speak to your local neighbourhood services officer or to Stephen Williams, Ocean’s tenancy sustainment co-ordinator, on 01726 874450 or help@oceanhousing.com

* Information from crimestoppers-uk.org

Closure order for Newquay property targeted by drugs gang

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Delivering the services you expectWe always strive to deliver the best service possible and use your feedback to gauge our performance and make improvements. During the first six months since April this year, we have:

Answered Completed

and 78% were dealt with at first point of contact

Received 33 complaints of which were either upheld or partially upheld

31,888 calls

61%

6,829 day-to-day repairs with customer satisfaction rating at

56Welcomed compliments

98.1%

If you would like to offer feedback on our services please visit our website www.oceanhousing.com/complaints or call our customer services team on 01726 874450.

R E S I D E N T S & T E N A N T S M A G A Z I N E

email: help@oceanhousing.com www.oceanhousing.com 01726 874450

Out of Hours Numbers Emergency Repairs: 01726 874450 Anti-Social Behaviour: 01726 874450

Contact us for a Large Print or Audio CD of this newsletter

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The first three correct entries drawn will win: 1st Prize - £60 Shopping Voucher2nd Prize - £40 Shopping voucher3rd Prize - £20 Shopping Voucher

The competition is open to anyone living in our properties. Only one entry per household.

Closing date is Friday 25th January 2019

Happy Hunting!You don’t need a stamp, just cut out this slip and pop it into an envelope addressed to: FREEPOST RSES-LCCA-EJUJ Diamond Bauble Competition Ocean Housing, Stennack Road, St Austell, PL25 3SW.

Note: The bauble on this page does not count towards the total.

How many Christmas diamond baubles have you spotted?

Free hessian bag voucherTerms and conditionsLimited to one small and one large bag per household.Vouchers are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for cash.Valid for the month of January 2019 only.Photocopies will not be accepted.

To celebrate our 60th edition, we are giving away one large and one

small free reusable hessian bag which come in handy for a packed lunch or the weekly shop to the supermarket.

Simply cut out the voucher below and take it to our offices in St Austell to collect your free bags.

Avoid using the incorrect lighting product in an unsuitable environment. For any decoration you’re planning to put up outside, it is essential that you only use lights that are designed for this purpose.

Avoid overloading. Never plug in more than 13A or 3000W and avoid using unfused block adaptors.

Always check that plugs, cables and lights are undamaged before use.

Make sure you use the correctly rated fuse for the item you are using.

Avoid trip hazards. Position your extension leads in an appropriate place.

Do not position real Christmas trees close to any heat sources, eg: a fireplace or heat vent. Water your tree regularly, as dry trees are more susceptible to catching fire.

Christmas Bag Giveaway

Stay safe at Christmas and all year round with our top tips

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As we celebrate this 60th birthday edition, can you help us find the diamond Christmas baubles hidden in this newsletter?

60th Edition Competition - Spot the diamond Christmas bauble