September / October 2010 - Hounslow Homes

Hi,
What a busy
last couple of
months it’s
been. What
with fun
days all over
Hounslow, it
being HFTRA’s 40th year and
events to celebrate tenants,
there is just so much going on!
I am also happy to announce
that we recently had an event
where we renamed the Benson
Close Tenants Resource Centre
the Alf Chandler Centre. It is
an honour to name the centre
after someone who has done
so much for all of us, making
certain that tenants living in
social housing are not treated as
second class citizens.
I would also like to
congratulate Hounslow Homes
One of the
election
pledges of our
new Council
administration
was to
deliver 2500
affordable homes for sale
or rent. To do this we are
dependent on funding from
the Homes and Communities
Agency (HCA). Our next
planned scheme is Elmwood
Avenue in Feltham.
Earlier this year we were
awarded funding from the HCA
for the scheme but at one stage
we were told that with cuts to
Government programmes, this
News from HFTRA Chair,
Julie Brooker
and LBH for the work they put
in with the burst water main.
They were able to show that
working in partnerships does
work and in such a devastating
situation they really came
together.
On a sadder note, I was
talking to a neighbour of
mine who had been robbed
by a trickster. She let him into
her home because he said he
was from the water board. He
backed her into the kitchen
and began checking her water.
She started to feel there was
something wrong and when he
left she went in to her bedroom
and found stuff missing. She
said she felt stupid about
what had happened but this
was not her fault. I cannot
understand how someone can
do this to an older person. How
Message from Lead Member,
Ruth Cadbury
money could have been lost.
Luckily the HCA have agreed
to continue to part fund this
scheme and the Council will be
funding the remainder.
Having secured planning
permission for the nineteen
homes in July, construction on
the site is due to start in January
2011. This is in partnership with
Hounslow Homes and leading
social housing contractor
and developer, United House
Limited. All homes built will
be to high energy efficiency
standards meeting Level Four
of the Code for Sustainable
Homes. It is hoped that 95%
of workers on the scheme will
would they feel if it was their
mother, father, grandparent,
or someone close to them who
was vulnerable? This needs
to stop! Our most vulnerable
tenants and neighbours need to
be protected because tricksters
like this will continue to take
advantage of them if they can,
so we all need to look out for
our neighbours.
If you are suspicious about
anyone who comes to
your door, always ask for
identification. If you are still not
sure, even if the identification
has been provided, call the
company they say they work for
and double check what they are
telling you.
If you need to contact me on
anything please call
07948 401584 or email
julie1958@fsmail.net
be recruited locally and that
there will be at least one trainee
employed.
The scheme will provide a
range of one and two bedroom
flats and two, three, four and
five bedroom houses including
two homes designed for disabled
residents. New family housing
is a key priority for the Council
and the majority of the new
homes will be three bedroom
or larger properties. These new
Council owned homes will be
available for affordable rent and
managed by Hounslow Homes.
The first homes are expected to
be complete by the winter of
next year.
Welcome to our two new tenant Board members:
Bill Gallup
Bill intends to
be an active
member of
the board and
together with
the board and
tenants will be able to enhance
the quality of our estates and
Robert
Charig
Robert is a
Chiswick local
and has a
background
in media
although his experience with a
sibling with a learning disability
also led to him working with
people in the community with
Our Service Standards
Hounslow Homes has been consulting residents over the
summer at our Have Your Say events to help us develop our
standards – that is to make sure the standards of service we
offer are what you want
We’ve asked you what you
think in a variety of ways,
including over the telephone, at
fun days, focus groups and at
special roadshows.
We’ve been doing this
because the regulator for social
housing, the Tenant Services
Authority (TSA) now requires
the Council to issue an annual
report to tenants every year.
This annual report gives
tenants an honest and helpful
view about how well the
Housing Service (Hounslow
Homes) is doing against the
standards the TSA has set for all
instil a community spirit to all.
Bill has lived in Hounslow all
of his life, has been a council
tenant for 34 years, has run
a successful neighbourhood
watch scheme for more
than fifteen years and has
always been interested in the
community and local politics.
disabilities and mental health
problems.
Robert has always been very
active in the community and
is also involved and supports
a number of charities. After
suffering a serious sports injury
he took time out to study law at
the University of West London
before attending law school.
Robert has a broad depth
registered housing providers. It
is different to the Annual Report
to shareholders Hounslow
Homes produce which you may
have seen in the past.
The first report will be
published on our website
on 1 October at www.
hounslowhomes.org.uk
He is a no nonsense and
plain speaking individual and
hopes that during his term as
a tenant board member he will
be an asset to the tenants of
Hounslow and his fellow board
members.
of knowledge and wider
understanding of social issues
and the overall needs of the
community. His outgoing
personality, openness and
willingness to get to the root
of an issue make Robert the
perfect representative for the
tenants of Hounslow Homes.
Hounslow Homes’
contract to manage and
maintain the Council’s
housing stock will
expire in March 2012.
The Council’s Executive have
now commissioned an options
appraisal to consider the
advantages and disadvantages
of either extending the contract
(subject to a review of the
management agreement) or
abolishing Hounslow Homes
as a separate organisation and
running housing services directly
from the Council.
It is likely the options appraisal
will involve consultation either
with tenant representatives
from HFTRA or with tenants
direct. The exact details have yet
to be decided but we will keep
you updated.
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