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Miles Platting you decide 2012In November 2012 Adactus Housingin Miles Platting gave residents andagencies another opportunity to makedecisions on how funding is spent.Sixteen projects presented theirproject ideas to the Miles Plattingaudience at St George’s Community Centre. Residentsvoted on their favourite schemes and seven projects sharedthe £10,000 pot of money between them. The winnersincluded: a radio show project where residents will havethe opportunity to learn how to create and present a radioshow at North Manchester FM, Welcome Hands who willbe organising creative workshops, where residents canlearn how to crochet, knit and create clothes and YPAC andTaylor Made Fitness who will be running boxing and fitnesssessions for 12-19 year olds.Keep an eye on our Facebook page(Adactus Miles Platting) and future Spotlightnewsletter editions to see how the projects aredeveloping and to see how you can get involved.Hibiscus Court link with Good NeighboursThe Link Good Neighbours project recently receivedalmost £5,000 from the Adactus Neighbourhood Fundto deliver activities via a befriending service for olderresidents in Moss Side, Fallowfield and Rusholme andto recruit volunteer befrienders.Link have been to Hibiscus Court, an Adactus extracare scheme in Moss Side and invited residents toattend the activities. In November five residents andcarers went on a trip to Boundary Mill with the LinkProject. Residents in Moss Side and the surroundingarea also attend weekly activities at the Link where theyparticipate in art and craft and other social activities.Dyslexic by natureThis year the Adactus Neighbourhood Fund awarded£1,415 to the Dyslexic By Nature project.The group work with adults with dyslexia across GreaterManchester. The users of the project are those who haveremained undiagnosed until adult life and thereforemany have had negative experiences within theeducation system.The project aims to increase the confidence of its usersthrough social and emotional support.There are two parts to the project funded through theNeighbourhood Fund. The first part is a Walking Group.The aim of this is to act as a first step to increasingconfidence through shared experiences, peer supportand sign posting to other support networks.There will also be social events which include an artsession, delivered by a local dyslexic artist, developingthe visual literacy of the participants.On average there are 12 participants at each sessionand the participants have been really enjoying thewhole experience with feedback from evaluationssaying:“A wonderful experience, a chance to speak about otherpeoples experiences, with fresh air and exercise” and“A nice way of meeting a great bunch of people andtalking things through”.If you are interested in learning more about the groupyou can contact them by email at dyslexicbynature@yahoo.co.uk or call 07891 176 752.about us | 3

Injunction for a threatening tenantOn 30th November 2012 theManchester Tenancy Enforcementand Support Team were grantedan injunction against a tenant inGorton who had been continuallyabusing a member of the team.The tenant was leaving up to 10answer phone messages a day andthey were becoming increasinglyabusive and threatening in nature.Adactus staff are here to supportand assist residents but this typeof behaviour towards them willnot be tolerated. The injunctionwill remain in force for the next 12months and if the tenant repeatsthis behaviour he could go toprison.Restorative PracticeTenancy Enforcement andSupport Team trainingRestorative Practice brings those harmed by crimeor conflict and those responsible for the harminto communication, enabling everyone affectedby a particular incident to play a part in repairingthe harm and finding a positive way forward.The teams in Manchester and Chorley bothunderwent intensive training in December andare all now trained practitioners in this approach.The teams will be keen to use this approach,where appropriate, to enable a swift resolution inanti-social behaviour cases.Team changesThere have been a few changes in the tenancyenforcement team over the last few months, withofficers Sarah Keenan and Emma Bradshaw goingon maternity leave.Neil Kenyon has joined Anna Schickhoff Brownand Craig Bradshaw on the Chorley based team,Michael Lee has joined Mike Colvin on theManchester team and Selena Leeming is coveringthe Wigan and Leigh areas.If you are suffering anti social behaviour and needsome advice please call connect on 0845 5053355 or mobile connect on 0300 111 1133.fromthis...tothis...As a landlord we are often confronted with properties that are messier than we would like them to be.It is a condition of your tenancy agreement that you keep your property in good condition, so when weencounter properties like this one, we really have to do something about it.Tenants who have allowed their property to deteriorateto this extent obviously need help to solve theproblem. With the aid of support agencies we will tryand work with those in need.Tenancy enforcement and support assistant Tia Gordonworked wonders with one of our Southport tenantsrecently. Tia received a report that the tenant’s propertywas in an unacceptable condition.At first the tenant was reluctant to work with Tia butafter a couple of visits he accepted that he couldn’tcarry on living like he was. He carried out somecleaning himself and also employed a cleaner to helphim bring his flat up to the sparkling standard that yousee today. If you have a similar problem give us a calland we’ll see if we can help you to sort the problem outbefore it gets out of hand.4 | about us

Keeley Close is in bloomOn 15th November the GardeningClub at Keeley Close won yet anotherhonour at the North West in Bloomawards. For the third year in a row,the gardeners along with the GroundsMaintenance team have achieved the‘It’s your Neighbourhood Award ofLevel 4: Thriving’.The Gardening Club which was setup three years ago by the residentsof Keeley Close has gone from strength to strength. Along with Phil andthe grounds maintenance team, they have transformed an unused pieceof land into a place which all residents can now enjoy. The changes havetransformed the environment and have brought wildlife back into thearea.Ged Glynn Chair of the Gardening Club noted, “It is thanks to the hardwork of the club members that we have been given this award. Thegarden has become a much nicer place for residents to walk round or sitand watch the wildlife. We would like to thank Phil and his team for theirsupport and are aiming for Level 5 next year.”£140kLottery fundingfor Miles Plattingcommunitygardens.Growing TogetherMiles Platting is to benefit fromtwo community gardens thanksto a grant of £140,463 from theBig Lottery Fund’s Local FoodScheme.CrookeVillage isoutstandingThe residents have known this fora long time, but now the RoyalHorticultural Society have cometo the same conclusion and havegiven the Crooke Village ResidentsAssociation the 2012 North Westin Bloom top-level award at aceremony in Southport.Crooke village was described as“a very impressive oasis, withan outstanding standard ofmaintenance and cleanliness.... Acredit to all involved”.Just three miles from the centreof Wigan, Crooke Village is seton a bend of the Leeds Liverpoolcanal; it is a hamlet of sixty-fivehouses, a pub, marina, nursery andchurch, with just one road in andno through traffic, making Crooke a‘peaceful backwater’.A huge thank you to Adactus; their‘Neighbourhood Fund’ providedvital financial support. The fundpaid for the tools and equipmentwhich have proved invaluablewhen carrying out work on villageprojects and helped us achievethe high standards set out by thejudges.For more information please visit:www.crookevillage.co.ukBy Jim HaynesCrooke Village ResidentThe project, known as GrowingTogether, will allow localresidents to grow fruit andvegetables in two brand newgardens to be built early in 2013.Adactus are contributing £35,000to the project which runs untilMarch 2014. While Adactus willcontinue to support the gardensafter this date it is hoped thatday-to-day management of thegardens can transfer to localresidents.The gardens are open for allAdactus residents to use. To findout more come along to thenext Miles Platting Area Panelmeeting.For more information, contactVicki on 0800 234 6826 (option2) or email: Victoria.greer@adactushousing.co.uk toregister your interest.about us | 5

Clayton House Macmillan coffee morningThe McMillan Nurses are a charity that nobody ever wants to have to call on, but in times ofneed they are an invaluable resource for both practical and emotional support.On the afternoon of September 12th last year the residents and friends of Clayton Housewere proud to hold a coffee morning for this worthwhile charity and they raised £150 byselling a variety of cards, bric-a-brac, homemade cakes and scones as well as the obligatorytea and coffee.Thanks to everyone who pledged their support.Reindeer,Santa…Dash!The evening of November 22ndwas awash with more than justrain when over 100 colourfulSantas ditched their sleighs andgave the reindeer the night offso that they could run throughthe streets of Lancaster to raisemoney for cancer care.Amongst the white beardedmass were residents and stafffrom our Lancaster projects. Theloud cheers from the crowdsspurred on the dashing Santasand every one of the 100 strongcrossed the finish line. Adactusresident ‘Santa Natasha’ puffed,“I can’t believe I actually ranmost of the way…I will definitelydo something like this againas this charity is close to myheart.” Thanks to everyone whodonated and took part.On therighttrackMatthew Johnston moved into the Hardybutts project in April this year(Hardybutts is supported accommodation for young people between 16 and25). Prior to moving, Matthew was unemployed and had no direction in life;he found it difficult to commit to work plans because of problems at home.These problems resulted in him having to move from one place to anotherand eventually into foster care. As a direct result of his unstable home lifeMatthew was asked to leave two apprentice schemes for being ‘unreliable’.As soon as Matthew was welcomed into Hardybutts it became obvious thathe was a polite, well mannered, clean and considerate young man; Matthewquickly became a valued member of this small community.With one or two understandable bumps along the way and after lots ofgentle encouragement from staff and other residents, Matthew is nowcompleting his rail engineering course with KJ Rail and will be a qualifiedtrackman soon.Matthew is excited to qualify and is hoping that his time at Hardybutts hasbeen the beginning of a new chapter for him. Staff will continue to supportMatthew until he is ready to move on and manage his own tenancy.Matthew said “I think Hardybutts is a good place for young people to comeif they need help, I’ve benefited from the help that staff provide and Idon’t think I would have managed to stay on my course if I had been livingelsewhere.”6 | about us

Silver Line service launched in ManchesterA new helpline was launched in Manchester in November 2012 – theSilver Line.It is a helpline for Older People. The original concept was thebrainchild of Esther Rantzen – the face more commonly associatedwith ChildLine.Her recent experience of being widowed was the first time she reallybecame painfully aware of loneliness – and her original idea was to setup a helpline to combat loneliness in older people. However the ideagrew and the tag line for the Silver Line is “No question is too big. Noproblem is too small”Silver Line aims to provide information for services such as, benefitsadvice, luncheon clubs, healthcare, activities, and befriending.The free phone number for the service is 0800 328 8888 and it ismanned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please visit the website if yourequire more information. www.thesilverline.org.ukSupported residentshave their say!15 young residents from the Wigan,Leigh and Lancaster SupportedHousing Projects attended an away dayto discuss the future of the YPRF (Young Persons Residents Forum) andhow they could get involved and have their say about amendments topolicies relating to their tenancies at the projects.Members of staff who had successfully completed the AYUPP course(Adactus Young Unemployed Persons Programme) were also on handto give a presentation about AYUPP and talk about their experiencesof being without work and living in the projects and their journey intofull time employment with Adactus.The day was a success and lots of information was gathered aboutresidents’ thoughts on the impending changes to policies. Residentswere rewarded for their input and given a chance to get to know eachother better by being invited to an afternoon bowling session andbuffet at AMF.CAN’T FIND A JOB?Citizens Advice BureauNeeds youManchester CAB’s phone advice centre islooking to recruit and train new volunteersto help take calls on their phone lines in2013. As well as assisting people acrossManchester you can learn useful skills forlife and work, plus gain the satisfaction thatyou’ve made a positive difference.The role, which requires a minimumcommitment of four and a half hours perweek and won’t usually affect any benefitsyou may receive, is also a great way tohelp yourself. No formal qualificationsare required, but good reading, writing,numeracy and I.T. skills are required, and asvolunteers will be working on the phone,a good command of spoken English isessential.Training is provided, plus the on-the-jobexperience of working on a busy phone line,many volunteers have found their skills haveimproved. Mary Brown, a volunteer whojoined the CAB after being made redundant,says: “My skills are now much broader.It’s a very positive, confidence-buildingexperience!”Improve your employment skills.Simply email volunteering@manchestercab.cabnet.org.uk or visitwww.manchestercab.org or telephone0161 203 2510 to find out more.Have you considered working for yourself but don’t know how?Would you need a grant to get you started?Adactus has launched a new programme: B.E.S.T. (Business Enterprise Start-up Training).We have linked up with experts in the field to offer a comprehensive training package alongwith attractive grants to assist you in making your dream job a reality!We will help you to:• generate business ideas • understand business jargon • create a business plan• help you to make money from your business.For more information please contact the programme manager Jayne Allison, Employment & Skills Manager on 01942 267756or 07803256197 or email jayne.allison@adactushousing.co.uk.about us | 7

Countdownto changeAdactus Housing is now startingto receive information from allLocal Authorities where they ownproperties. This information hasbeen granted ‘special data sharingpermission’ from the Governmentwhich all Social Landlords mustadhere to. This means that we canuse the information to contact ourtenants affected by under occupation(bedroom tax) but we cannot sharethe data provided to anyone else.Those affected will have to pay14% (1 spare room) or 25% (2 sparerooms). So if you are of working age(under 61), on housing benefit andare under occupying you are goingto have to either:• Increase your income to pay for theextra rent• Increase hours at work• Find employment• Take in a lodger - with ourpermission• Move to a smaller home - seeHomeswapper below• Apply for Discretionary HousingPayment from the Council to helpwith the shortfall - this is onlyavailable in special circumstancesand is time limited. Talk to ourWelfare Benefit Action Team to findout more.The Welfare Benefit Action Team(WBAT) have been contacting alltenants affected to help you finda solution that meets your needs.They have been be asking a lot ofquestions aimed at ensuring thatyour income is maximised and youroutgoings are reduced. We have beenworking hard behind the scenes tolocate sources of additional fundingthat our tenants may be able to tapinto to help them.So when we ring you to discuss yoursituation please try to be patient withall the questions being asked; theyare designed to help you.Beat the ‘Bedroom Tax’Are you under occupied andaffected by bedroom tax?Are you over crowded and needmore bedrooms?Do you have a clear rentaccount?Well Adactus Housing can helpyou to move; we have joinedHomeSwapper.It is a quick, easy and hassle freeway to search for a new home.You can do it on line or our staffcan help you register.The service registers yourhousing needs and identifiesmatches for you to consider.There are a number of Social8 | about usLandlord tenants registered onthe site just waiting for you toenter your details and swap yourhome for one that meets yourneeds.• Once registered you will receivematches immediately• On average there are 130matches per registrant• There are 260,000 tenantshomes registered• Last year 26,000 tenantssuccessfully swapped theirhomes.To register simply log onto www.homeswapper.co.uk or call us on0845 505 3355 or 0300 111 1133.Adactussigns up tonew benefitcalculatorAdactus have teamed upwith EntiltedTo.com to offerall our tenants and prospective tenantsa free self service benefits and underoccupation on line service. The calculatorwill help you to identify if you are receivingthe correct benefits, how you can maximiseyour income, how much better off youwould be if offered paid work and howunder occupation affects you. The servicealso offers advice and guidance on how youcan deal with under occupation and howyou are going to be affected by the newCouncil Tax Support Scheme due to comeinto force in your area in April 2013.Check the calculators out at:• Welfare Reform calculator andinformation www.welfarereformcalculator.co.uk/adactushousing• Benefits Calculator www.adactushousing.entitledto.co.uk• Or if you need help, contact us on 0845505 3355 or 0300 111 1133.

Charitable Trusts thatcan help to clear debtA number of energy companies have registered charitable trusts whichhave been set up to help vulnerable people to get back on their feetfinancially. The Trusts can provide grants to clear domestic utility debts andin exceptional circumstances clearing other priority household debts andpurchasing essential household items.Applying for a grant is easy. TheTrusts operate within a sharedprogramme with a commonapplication form and assessmentprocess. The quickest and easiestway to apply is via the onlineapplication form at:https://bget.app.charisgrants.com/home/indexAlternatively application forms canbe downloaded via the websitesbelow or you can request a formby leaving a clear message on theapplication request line 01733 421060.• www.britishgasenergytrust.org.uk• www.anglianwater.co.uk/awaf• www.edfenergytrust.org.uk• www.npowerenergyfund.com• www.southeastwater.co.uk/your-account/paying-yourbill/difficulty-paying-yourbill/helping-hand• www.affinitywatertrust.org.ukUnited Utilities also have anumber of assistance programmesavailable• Arrears Allowance2 years arrears they will match yourpayments £ for £• Trust FundA grant available to help you getback on track – may also help withwhite goods replacements up to£250• Water SureIf you have a water meter and needto use large amounts of waterbecause you have a large family or amember of the family has a medicalcondition which results in the useof significant amounts of water youcould have your bill capped at £395per year from 2012 – 2013• Single Occupier ChargeIf a water meter cannot be fittedyour charge may be capped to£272.60 per year• Saver FlushIf you have a water meter and haveone of the older cisterns this simplebag saves a litre of water each timeyou flush.For more information contact United Utilities on 0845 309 3001 or Textphone 0808 143 1195Winter adviceBe prepared, are you ready for winter?Start making preparations now to stay ahead of the bigfreeze.It’s easy to make sure you’re ready for the cold weatherand avoid possible frozen pipes, bursts and damage toyour property. A few simple steps could help protectyour home and family.• Locate and label your stop tapIf you do not know the location of your mains waterstop tap you could:- Ask your neighbours; generally stop taps are locatedin the same position in similar properties- Check, under your kitchen sink- Check in the meter cupboards- Check near the rear door.If you are unable to locate your stop tap, please contactour call centre and one of our staff will try and assist youKeeping your property warm• Keep your heating on low.You don’t have to make your home into a sauna toprevent pipes freezing.If you are going awayIf you are planning on leaving your property empty forany period of time, leave the heating on low to preventpipes from freezing.Frozen PipeShould one of your pipes freeze make sure your stoptap is turned off, you can apply a hot water bottle to thepipe or use a hairdryer in short bursts. (DO NOT USE ANOPEN FLAME NEAR THE PIPES). If you are able to defrostthe pipe you can then apply some form of cover as atemporary solution such as a blacken to help preventthe pipe from freezing again.Water SupplyFor drinking/cooking purposes purchase bottled water.10 | about us

Website, Wiki, BlogThis title is made up of words that would have meantnothing at all until the mid to late nineties and yetnow there are over 100 million blogs in existence. Thishighlights just how quickly we have embraced theinternet into our daily lives; in fact, most of us would behard pressed to live without it.At Adactus we listened when you told us how you wantto access and how you want us to provide informationand we developed our website so that it has all theinformation that you need, in a format that is welldesigned and simple to use.On the website you can:• pay rent and report repairs• view and apply for properties available to rent or buyon our find a home page• find information on welfare reforms including abenefit calculator• view and apply online for our latest job vacancies• view our latest news on our blog, comment and sharethrough social media• view and print our wiki information articles.If you register for our Online Services you can also accessyour rent account balance and rent statements, viewprogress of your current repairs and past repairs history,setup direct debits and manage your account. Toregister visit www.adactushousing.co.uk/request-loginIf you have a smart phone, visit our mobile site andaccess all this information on the go.m.adactushousing.co.ukThe wiki contains Information on how all our servicesare delivered and you have the option to contribute onall of them, for example:• our repairs service• the resident involvement framework• how we tackle Anti-social behaviour• information about the Adactus Group.With the blog you can:• find out the latest news about the group• read and download the latest newsletters• view our latest developments• find out what’s been happening at board• view the results of our Adactus500 consultations• find out about our performance, spending and readour annual reports• give us your feedback on all our blog articles.Our services under Scrutiny... by you!We are currently working on a review of our Resident Involvement Framework which sets out how we engagetenants through our Local Area Panels, the Adactus500, our website and connect.Last summer, we commissioned independent consultants to take a look at our framework and tell us if we aredoing things right. They praised the work of our Local Area Panels and the Adactus500, but they felt we coulddo more to allow residents to scrutinise our services.Since the report was published we have been working hard to revise our Framework. The cornerstone of ourreview has been consultation with tenants and we have carried out Adactus500 surveys, consulted our LocalArea panels, and conducted a telephone survey with 500 callers to connect. Thanks to everyone who has takenpart.We are currently putting our finishing touches to our new approach and it will be considered by our Boards ofManagement in February.We are aiming to launch our new approach in the next edition of “in-house” due out in April. There will be newand exciting ways of getting involved and we hope, something for everyone. In the mean time, check our blogfor consultation results.about us | 11

Getting the best from connectWe are constantly coming upwith ways to further improveour Connect service to tenants;for example we recentlystarted taking rent payments,dealing with the initial reportsof low level ASB and answeringqueries on Welfare BenefitReform. Our Connect contactcentre is our ‘first impression’and we want to make sure it’sas good as it can possibly be.With this in mind, our AHAnewsletter tenant editor, KevinDempsey wanted to write an articleabout getting the best from Connectbut from a tenants point of view.‘Getting the best out of the Adactuscontact centre is easy. Simply answerthe security questions without beingsarcastic, tell the call taker yourproblem as clearly as possible andthey will direct your call to the bestperson to help you.Don’t shout at the call taker ifsomebody fails to attend anappointment on time, it is not theirfault. Treat call centre staff with therespect that they deserve and theywill go out of their way to help you.They really are a caring team, so usethem but don’t abuse them.If you demand respect from Adactusstaff, you must show them the samerespect. It is your right to complainif things go wrong, but a call to theirmanager when they get it right wouldbe a great morale boost.’By Kevin Dempsey, tenantThere are many reasons why youmay want to move from your home;one of these is downsizing. In thecurrent economic climate and withwelfare benefit changes loomingmany of you will consider moving toa smaller property for financial peaceof mind, others whose children havemoved out may feel isolated in a largeproperty, some will downsize for easeof mobility, or simply to be nearerto family and friends; whatever yourreason for moving, its vital that yournew home fits you and meets yourcurrent needs and lifestyle.If you are over 55, have youconsidered modern retirement living?All the benefits of our purpose builtretirement accommodation satisfymost reasons for moving and offer somuch more in addition.Adactus has retirement livingopportunities all over the North West;we offer fully self contained studios,one or two bedrooms apartmentsand bungalows. So, if you want to liveclose to your current property, or ifyou want to move further afield, thereis plenty of choice.Our retirement housing providesthe following (exact facilities varydepending on location):• the privacy of your own home withyour own front door but with thesecurity of being in a scheme• independence, with the peaceof mind of having a scheme coordinatorand a scheme caretakeron hand to help if necessary• an emergency call system (tailoredto your specifications) to ensurethat there is provision for even themost unexpected events• peace of mind with a 24/7 repairsand maintenance service• companionship and regular socialactivities and events for those whowish to participate• laundry facilities• guest suite for your friends andfamily to use (family can also stayin flats)• communal lounge where you canmeet with other residents socially• landscaped communal gardenswith grounds maintenance.For more information please callConnect on 0845 505 3355 or03001111133. Or, go to our websitehttp://www.adactushousing.co.uk/Information/12412 | about usabout us | 12

Performance informationAdactus Housing Association (Quarter 3)Performance matters at Adactus and we are passionate about improvingour standards. We continually monitor performance to assess how weare doing, see whether changes to service delivery have resulted inimprovements and find out where we need to focus our attentions.The table below presents key performance information for AdactusHousing Association for the third quarter of the financial year, October-December 2012, along with target and trend information (e.g. whetherperformance is improving, remaining stable or declining).PerformanceareaPerformance Indicator Target TrendQuarter 3Repairs andMaintenance% of repairs completed at firstvisit> 75%98.4%=% satisfied with completed repair> 90%99.6%=Average completion time for nonemergency repairs< = 10 days7.89 daysRentCollection% of rent collected> 99%102.46%ConnectContact Centre% of calls answered in less than 15 seconds85.8%> 80% =% of calls resolved at first point of contact> 70%74.4%Voids andLettingsRent lost through vacant lettable generalneeds stock> £360per void(median)* Benchmarks: Housemark data 2011/12 Quarter 3 (upper quartile) unless indicated otherwise£239Performance in quarter 3 has been extremely encouraging, with each of these key targetsmet. For the first time this year, the target for letting vacant properties – measured as therent lost while the property is empty – was achieved.Repairs and contact centre performance remain strong. Rent collection is always a crucialmeasure and the Income Team managed to improve the collection rate in quarter 3.about us | 13

Planned DLO supportFriends of FamiliesIn October 2012 The Adactusplanned DLO departmentdecided that they would like tostart supporting a local charityor community project for a 12month period. The idea behindthis was that continued supportfor 12 months would not only helpa charity or community Projectfinancially through fundraisingevents but also support themphysically by donating labour, timeand materials.After a lot of suggestions frommembers of staff, Planned DLOdecided that the charity “Friends ofFamilies” would be the first charityof choice to receive our support.Friends of Families is a registeredCharity which was established in1991, the charity primarily providesshort breaks to children who aredisadvantaged or disabled, adultswho are carers and families inpoverty. They currently have 2 xcaravans and 2 x lodges at RibbyHall Village, near Blackpool. Inaddition to the caravans andlodges Friends of Families alsorun a sensory, soft play and libraryresource at Olympic House inPlatt Bridge. These resourcesprovide development in speech,language, sight, touch and tasteas well as developing social andcommunication skills and buildingself confidence and motivation.Since October 2012, Planned DLOhas been successful in securing thefollowing for Friends of Families:PTS (Planned DLO heatingsuppliers) kindly donated over £200worth of duvets and pillows. Asyou can imagine these need to bechanged on a regular basis and costthe charity hundreds of pounds ayear to replace.SIG (scaffolding contractor) andAdvanced Aerials (aerial andsatellite movement contractor)both donated vouchers to a totalof £250.00, these were then raffledat the Adactus staff christmas partyraising over £500.Procare (bathroom adaptationequipment suppliers) kindlydonated a shower unit.Crown Paints (paint supplier toPlanned DLO) donated £100worth of crown paints decorationvouchers.Planned DLO will also be providinglabour and materials over thewinter months to make sure thatthe caravans and lodges will bespick and span and ready to let inthe new season.Adactus Planned DLO will now bededicated to providing supportto this worthwhile charity untilOctober 2013, we would howeverlike to invite suggestions fromour residents for our next charity /community project who would nodoubt benefit from our support.Please email your suggestions tovicky.andrews@adactushousing.co.uk.More information on the Friendsof Families Charity can be foundat www.friendsoffamilies.org.uk14 | about us

ZERO TOLERANCE ANDPLANNED MAINTENANCEIf you are due to receive home improvements in2013/14 and you owe rent arrears you will not receivethe improvements. The rents and planned maintenanceteams will be working closely together to identify thosetenants that owe rent. Those tenants who are expectinga new bathroom or kitchen for example will have tohave a clear rent account or have paid at least 75% ofthe debt at least six weeks prior to the works starting.However, if there is a Health and Safety issue or avulnerability issue then this will be addressed on anindividual basis.Contact us now to discuss your rent account on 0845505 3355 or from a mobile 0300 111 1133.Pete is prosperous in big coatcollectionPeter Woods, Senior Programme Coordinator forPlanned DLO had massive success with his Big CoatCollection in the run up to Christmas.Pete and Planned DLO in aid of Mustard Tree collectedover 100 coats from Adactus staff to donate to thehomeless.Last winter 5,000 excess deaths occurred in the NorthWest, many because of lack of heating and warmclothing. That’s one person every 30 minutes.Pete’s actions will play a part in helping the homelessand the destitute through the winter months by simplyasking staff to bring in that coat that’s been hanging onthe back of the door or waiting for a fashion revival inthe wardrobe.Peter Woods said “I am very familiar with the Manchesterbased Mustard Tree Charity and heard their plea on theradio for coats, the uniqueness of this charity drive wasthat they were not looking for a new coat or even moneytowards a new coat, all they were asking for was simply acoat that you no longer use”. Peter added “I am extremelypleased with the amount of coats that were donated byAdactus staff and I am sure that Mustard Tree will be overthe moon!”You can find out more about the Mustard Tree charity atwww.mustardtree.org.ukPlanned DLO new initiativesAdactus Planned DLO department are not onlydedicated to providing excellent service to ourcustomers but strive to show the same dedicationto our staff, and following discussions with all staffand operatives within Planned DLO we now have thefollowing initiatives in place:Planned DLO employee forumThis forum is made up of an operative from each workstream (Internals, Externals, Decoration and Heating),administration staff and senior staff. Meetings are heldmonthly and site issues are discussed such as Healthand Safety.Site Manager training programmeInterviews are now being held for the Site Managertraining programme that has been devised by the DLOdepartment. All operatives currently working withinDLO have been invited to apply.Once the successful candidates have been selected theywill attend courses such as first aid, and managementand supervision, they will also complete competencymodules.Staff communication and incentives are extremelyimportant to the Planned DLO department, not only dothey ensure communication and longevity of staff butthey inevitably improve the service to our customers.about us | 15

For all enquiries please use the following numbersAdactus Head OfficeTurner House, 56 King Street, Leigh, Lancs, WN7 4LJFor the out of hours emergency service please use the connect numbers.0845 505 3355 0300 111 1133West Regional OfficeAnn James House, 32-34 St Thomas Road, Chorley PR7 1HRFor the out of hours emergency service please use the connect numbers.0845 505 3355 0300 111 1133Miles Platting Neighbourhood OfficeBaker House, 542 Oldham Road, Miles Platting, Manchester M40 8BS T 0800 234 6826 F 0161 203 2600For the out of hours emergency service please call Orbis on 0800 234 6826.Which number should I ring? Callconnect vs MobileconnectIf you are calling us from a BT landline please ring CallConnect t: 0845 505 3355 for low rate calls.Calls cost 1p to 10p per minute (plus standard connection charge).If you are calling us using a mobile or non-BT landline and BT landline with a third party contract(e.g. TalkTalk, Virgin, Sky etc.) please ring MobileConnect t: 0300 111 1133.Calls cost 5p to 30p per minute and can be included in your free or discounted calls package.www.adactushousing.co.uk