Hyde Life October 2012.indd - Hyde Housing Association

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Welcome So much has been going on since your last issue of HydeLife landed on your doormats, that it’s been hard to fit it all in for you! Firstly, there’s the great news about Caroline Benford who received the TPAS* Resident of the Year award. Caroline is part of a three-generation commitment to involvement in her community. You can find out more about this remarkable family in the Cover Story Keeping it in the family. Other residents have been recognised for their achievements too and you can read about this in Congratulations. You can find out more about some of the ways that you can get involved in your local community in the Inside and Out piece. As always, there’s been plenty going on in all three regions and there’s a flavour of some of it in Out and About. There’s also important news about Bedroom Tax or Under Occupancy in Changing rooms. This is one of the changes being made by the Government that will affect many people’s Housing Benefits. Hyde is currently asking suppliers to express interest in being considered for our repairs and maintenance contracts which will start next year. Residents are working closely alongside us to help make sure that the right suppliers receive the contracts for the work. Two members of the residents’ panel helping with this large project tell us more about it in Procurement Panel playing their part. You can find out more about our Customer Services team in At your service. There’s also a summary of the key messages from Hyde’s year in Residents’ Annual Report at a glance. As always, there are a couple of puzzles to try your hand at as well as a competition. This time there’s a chance to win £100 of Tesco vouchers – very handy for stocking up on food or to start planning for Christmas, so make sure you try your luck by sending in an entry. *Tenant Participation Advisory Service The Resident Engagement Team Contact the team by: Phone 0203 207 2767 Email hydelife@hyde-housing.co.uk or Post by writing to: The Editor, HydeLife, 30 Park Street, London SE1 9EQ The Hyde Group, 30 Park Street, London SE1 9EQ Telephone: 020 3207 2600 Fax: 020 3207 2780 residentengagement@hyde-housing.co.uk Contents HydeLife 3 Residents’ Round up Carol’s catch up. Homely or hazardous? 4 Cover story Keeping it in the family. 6 Get involved Inside and out. 8 All in a day’s work At your service. 9 Reports Residents’ Annual Report at a glance. 13 Coming soon Changing rooms. 14 Spotlight on Procurement Panel playing their part. 16 Out and about What’s been happening. 18 Congratulations and Competition Residents who have received awards or qualifications. Your chance to win £100 of Tesco vouchers. 19 For information Performance. Useful Contacts 20 ...and finally Word Search and a Sudoku. 6 9 14 4 8 13 www.hyde-housing.co.uk 18 facebook.com/hydegroup twitter.com/hydehousing Please recycle this magazine after you’ve finished reading it. 16 2 If you have any queries, call our Customer Services Centre on freephone 0800 389 3576 or email customerservices@hyde-housing.co.uk For text relay from a text phone add 18001 before the number you want to call or to use Text phone dial 0208 297 7501 19
Residents Round up Carol’s catch up Big changes are happening to welfare benefits as a asking us about, is something result of Government spending cuts. Some have already known as ‘under occupancy’ or started – such as increased deductions from Housing ‘bedroom tax’. Those who are Benefit for adult sons and daughters living at home – under retirement age who have a but most of the changes will come along from next year. spare bedroom (under new rules Our expert benefits and money advice teams are already where children up to a certain age are expected to share) and talking to some of our residents about what the changes who claim Housing Benefit will see their benefit reduced on might mean for them and helping them to plan and average by £14 per week per ‘spare’ room. You can find out prepare for these. Amongst other information available, more about this on page 13. they can explain to you about how Credit Unions can help you manage your bills without leading to large interest repayments building up. Carol Carter One part of the benefit changes that residents have been Group Director of Housing If you claim benefits and aren’t sure about how all the changes might affect you, please contact us now on 0800 389 3576 or email customerservices@hyde-housing,co.uk for free and confidential advice on what the Welfare Reforms might mean for you. Homely or Hazardous? Many of the properties that we own and manage have areas that are used by all residents who live in them: Areas such as entrances, hallways, landings, stairways, and gardens. These areas are known as communal areas and as your landlord we have a legal duty to make sure that they are kept safe and secure for the sake of residents, employees, contractors and other visitors alike. With the help of some of our involved residents’ committee known as Hydewide Residents’ Voice, we have recently updated our Communal Areas’ Policy. The resident input was really helpful. They raised the point that some items that residents put there are to improve the look and homeliness of a communal area. This led to a decision by Hyde that it would allow some personal items such as framed pictures and door mats in communal areas, rather than placing a total ban on all personal items in communal areas, as some housing associations do. However, we do have to balance a person’s rights or wishes to personalise communal areas with making sure that all residents, contractors, staff and visitors are kept safe at all times and that we’re meeting our responsibilities under various acts of the law. So for example, it’s vital that communal corridors and fire escapes remain free from items that would increase the chances of a fire starting, make a fire worse or make escape from the building more difficult in the event of a fire. Please make the time to read the full policy and find out more either by visiting our website or contacting Resident Engagement to ask for a copy. You can contact them either by calling 0203 207 2767 or by emailing them at residentengagement@hyde-housing. co.uk Captain Green is always on the lookout for ways in which Hyde looks after the environment. Here’s one of the ways in which it plays its part... HydeLife is available as both a paper copy and on the Hyde Internet. If you already view it online, or would like to start doing this and would prefer not to receive a paper copy, please let us know, either by calling 0203 207 2767 or by emailing residentengagement@ hyde-housing.co.uk If you have any queries, call our Customer Services Centre on freephone 0800 389 3576 or email customerservices@hyde-housing.co.uk 3 For text relay from a text phone add 18001 before the number you want to call or to use Text phone dial 0208 297 7501
Page 1: Hyde Life The Hyde Group Resident M
Page 5 and 6: Cover story family and influence Hy
Page 7 and 8: out... If you go down to the woods
Page 9 and 10: Reports Message from Steve White Ch
Page 11 and 12: Reports Repairs, maintenance and pr
Page 13 and 14: Coming soon... Changing Rooms In Ap
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Page 17 and 18: East Region Out and about Resident
Page 19 and 20: April 2012 to June 2012 This perfor

Hyde Life October 2012.indd - Hyde Housing Association

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