The best gift you can give this Christmas…a roof over your family’s head

I know it still feels a bit too early to start talking about Christmas but now the Coca Cola and John Lewis adverts are on, I thought I better start giving some thought to this year’s festivities.

Sadly, for some families in Wolverhampton – and across the whole country – Christmas is going to be a tough time where some will genuinely be debating whether they choose to heat their homes or buy a meal. In 2013 it’s heartbreaking to think that so many people still live in these conditions.

The homeless charity Shelter has just launched an emergency Christmas campaign. According to their figures, 80,000 children will be classed as homeless this Christmas. “One homeless child at Christmas is a tragedy…80,000 is a disgrace”. It’s a sobering thought.

Our Rent First campaign launches on Monday

Having a roof over our heads is one of the most basic needs any person can have. Yet sadly we still see people with nowhere to call home.

At Wolverhampton Homes, we’re just about to kick-start our annual ‘Rent First Please’ campaign.  For the next few weeks we’ll be knocking on hundreds of tenants’ doors, making thousands of phone calls and working flat out to speak to as many tenants as we can to encourage them to clear their rent arrears before Christmas. I’ve even got a call sheet of numbers so I’ll be mucking in to help the cause as well! We’ll be trying to sort out payment plans and collect owed rent - but we’ll also be showing people where they can get financial and debt advice too.

I saw on the news this week that, on average, people will spend around £29 on each present they buy this. The pressure to buy the latest gadgets and toys for children is overwhelming. For the first time this year, we’ve arranged a Toy Swap for tenants so they can come along and exchange one toy for another as a way of making Christmas more affordable.

Our message is simple – the best gift you can give your family this Christmas is a roof over their head and a place to call home. It might not be glamorous and you certainly can’t wrap it up in paper – but it’ll be there long after the toys and computer games have been put away in a cupboard, never to be seen again.

Our message couldn't really be more simple.

Rent arrears in Wolverhampton are up by nearly £250,000 compared to this time last year. Welfare reforms, a stuttering economy, unemployment and years of debts and credit spending are having a huge impact on the city and local people. But, sadly, the reality is; people are at risk from losing their home if they don’t pay their rent. 

The overwhelming majority of our tenants pay their rent, on time, religiously and have done for years. But we know it’s getting tougher. But we are here to help if people come and talk to us.

It’s going to be a busy few weeks for everyone here. But if we can help tenants clear their arrears so they can have a more relaxed Christmas then that will be a good job well done.

If you want to find out more about Shelter’s campaign or even donate a few pounds to the cause, visit www.shelter.org.uk.

Our Tenants' Got Talent

Our tenants really have got talent

Earlier this week I got the pleasure of being able to take a few hours away from my desk to pop down to the Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton to see some of the incredible talents our tenants possess. From singers and nail artists to cookery masters and photographers – our Flair Fair had the lot!

The stereo-type of council tenants still grates on me. A small minority who grab the unfortunate headlines have undoubtedly tarnished the reputation of council tenants across the country – but what about the silent majority who are simply getting on with their lives, working hard and providing for their families? The reputation hasn’t been helped in recent years by TV shows like Channel 4’s comedy, Shameless. Don’t get me wrong, Shameless can be really funny and has become a cult classic with viewing figures in the millions and spin-off series sprouting up across the world. But how many times have photos from Shameless been used to go alongside negative media articles about council house tenants?

How did I end up with Garfield?!

But are the antics of the Gallagher family really a true depiction of modern-day council tenants?

We launched our Flair Fair last year and it was a huge success. We’ve got a pool of exceptionally talented tenants. Earlier this week Flair Fair was back and I had the privilege of popping along to see for myself some of the tenants who were showcasing their talents.

We had singers, artists, photographers, nail technicians, cake makers, henna artists and clothes designers to name but a few!

I went along to the fair with the Chair of our Board, Sue Roberts MBE. Sue’s been a council tenant for more than 40 years, and with an MBE for her work in the community over the year I can safely say she couldn’t be further away from the Gallagher family!

It was wonderful to see so many tenants expressing themselves through their various talents and hobbies. For me, this is the story of social housing which, sadly, rarely gets told.

Proud: Our LEAP apprentices pick up another award.

And all this comes in the week where our LEAP apprenticeship programme beat of competition from companies like O2, Vodafone, NatWest and ASDA to be crowned overall winners of the Peer Excellence Awards for work in the community. Our tenant apprentices who come through LEAP have mostly either never worked, or are long-term unemployed. Perhaps it goes to show – our tenants have got talent – sometimes people just need to give them the break they need to realise how talented and successful they really can be.

Finally, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all of the tenants who came to the Flair Fair – it was fabulous to see so many people there and I’m already looking forward to popping down again next year!

Credit where it's due

Earlier this week I popped along to see our local credit union to help them celebrate ‘International Credit Union Day’. I’ve had an account for a few years now and have just signed-up to their new online account, which for me is ideal. 

 

It was great to see the work the credit union is doing in Wolverhampton. The Chair of our Board, Sue Roberts MBE even opened her first account...I'm proud to say I signed up years ago!

Credit unions have been around for years and years – but it’s only in the last year or two where they’ve been widely talked about in the press.

Almost one million people in the UK are members of credit unions but if the concept is new to you – they’re basically a non-for-profit financial organisation, set-up to benefit the local community. There aren’t any shareholders to satisfy or make profits for, so any profit they do make goes back to its members.

If you want to know more about credit unions then take a look at Martin Lewis’s Money Saving Expert website. He’s the chap off the telly who always talks a lot sense to me!

It’s got me thinking about the financial crisis over recent years and how we all, well, most people I think, simply started to live beyond our means. Credit was being thrown around like confetti and with technology moving on at such a pace, you can see why families wanted to have the latest gadgets and gizmos. 

It feels like credit unions are the one constant in the financial sector which have been saying for years ‘use us, we’re cheaper and safer’. It makes you wonder how much financial heartache could have been spared if the credit union voice had been heard sooner?

This of course comes just a week after figures released by the homeless charity ‘Shelter’ suggest that 1 in 59 homes in Wolverhampton are under threat from repossession.

But years of bad lending, even from reputable financial organisations, as well as the alarming growth of loans sharks and pay-day loan companies means people are now struggling to make ends meet. And it’s not just people ‘feeling the pinch’, some people in our city are relying on the local food bank to get regular meals and some are at a real risk of losing their homes.

It feels like we all need to – dare I say it – get back to basics. As a society, we need to adopt the mentality of ‘I need a roof over my head, I’ll pay my rent/mortgage first and anything after that is a bonus’. But of course it’s not quite that easy.

We’ll continue to team up with the council and the CAB to help as much as we can. But perhaps our first step is making sure people know there’s an alternative to loans sharks and extortionate pay day loan; and it comes in the form of your local credit union.

At the Wolverhampton City Credit Union, more than 1,300 of our tenants have an account – as do more than 100 members of staff. It’s wonderful to see those numbers rising all the time. And with new ‘jam-jar’ budgeting accounts being launched soon, there’s never been a better time to be part of a credit union.

If you live or work in Wolverhampton then pop in and visit them – or check out their website. With Christmas fast approaching, it could be one of the more sound investments you make.

Sue Roberts is the latest of more than 1,300 local tenants to sign up to an account with the credit union

The Apprentice

“Tackling long term unemployment”, “cutting the benefits bill”, “making work pay” – these are the big topics of debate right now amongst all of the major political parties. You can hardly pick up a newspaper or turn on the TV without these being right at the heart of the news agenda.

But sometimes it feels like we never really take the time out to celebrate the success of seeing someone taking those steps back into work – and how life changing that process can be.

Last year we launched our LEAP apprenticeship programme. Long gone are the days when managing council housing was just about bricks, mortar and rent collecting. They’re still our main business, of course, but we want to be more than that. We want to give something back and be a real player in helping our city thrive in the years to come. That’s why we set up LEAP; we wanted to give our tenants tangible skills and support to help them get back into work.

Twelve months on and more than 80 of our tenants have benefitted from LEAP in one way or another – we’ve even taken on seven of them full time. Of course the real benefit of apprenticeships is when they result in someone getting full time work. So far, 14 of those who enrolled on LEAP have now found work and we’re just about to appoint our 29th apprentice; we’re proud of that achievement.

But in the case of one apprentice in particular – just being given the chance to come to work has transformed her life and last week, I was delighted to hear that, she’s been named as an Apprentice of the Year for the West Midlands – and now has a shot at being crowned a national champion.

Michelle’s now 41 and up until twelve months ago had never worked. She left school at 16 with no qualifications and then went on to raise three kids. At the age of 40 – she got the chance to frame her very first pay packet – and she’s still beaming with pride one year on. The Michelle who walked through our doors a year ago is unrecognisable to the Michelle who went on stage last week to claim her award.

As the Chief Executive of a company, nothing fills me with more pride then when you see how much of a difference you can make by offering someone an opportunity. When the opportunity is there and they grasp it with both hands it can be truly life changing. Michelle’s testament to that.

Yes, there are people who abuse the system – but there are plenty out there who just need that chance and opportunity to build their skills and build their confidence. That’s why apprenticeships are so important and why more and more companies need to embrace them.

There are success stories out there, like Michelle and our other apprentices, and I’m proud that we’ve been able to give something back.

Proud to be part of PRIDE

Earlier this year I posted a blog about gay rights. With the debate about same-sex marriage high on the national and media agenda, it seemed like a good opportunity to put down some thoughts and ideas about gay and lesbian issues.

With same-sex marriage now finally working its way on to the statute book, it got me thinking a little more about the cloak of invisibility which still seems to surround LGBT issues in the public sector – and I suppose in society at large. Even here at Wolverhampton Homes, where I like to think we have a culture of openness and acceptance, I still get the impression that there’s a reluctance from some colleagues to be open and comfortable at work about who they are.

I’m very much of the opinion that people who are free to be themselves at work will perform better – it seems like a no brainer to me.  Of course, some colleagues will say ‘my work is my work and my private life is my private life – never the two shall meet! I get that – and I totally understand that. What worries me is that there could be colleagues who feel they can’t be themselves because they don’t know how others will react. I’ve no evidence to suggest this is the case – but if it were, that really saddens me.

Wolverhampton Homes staff taking part in the PRIDE parade

Last weekend I was really proud to see a dozen or so of my colleagues parading through Wolverhampton City Centre, taking part in the city’s second annual Pride festival. Some of our contingent were gay – but what I found heart-warming was seeing other colleagues who aren’t gay turning up to support the cause. What a wonderful show of unity and support.

It was interesting to speak with one straight colleague who took part in Pride who’d been a bit wary as to how the crowd and passers-by may react. But he said the shoppers in Wolverhampton were great. It was also really heartening to see our local newspaper, The Express & Star, covering the Pride parade in such a positive light.

Being gay isn’t a scandal anymore for people in public life. There are openly gay senior police officers and openly gay politicians. Even in sport, the barriers are coming down slowly. Rugby star Gareth Thomas has helped and perhaps some time in the not-too-distant future, perhaps football will follow-suit? The Justin Fashanu fallout lives long in the memory but I hope in time one high profile footballer comes out and they’re shown the support and respect that their courage deserves.

Our people perform better when they can be themselves

I’m proud that we’ve been able to team up with Stonewall, the gay-rights charity, as we bid to become an accredited gay-friendly place of work. I’m proud to be supporting the LGBT community in Wolverhampton and I’m proud to be supporting gay members of staff here at Wolverhampton Homes. Attitudes seem to be changing – and although there’s a long way to go, I want Wolverhampton Homes to be leading the way and want our colleagues to be proud of who they are.

Giving something back

As I sit down and write this blog entry I have to admit I’m aching a bit, I’ve got a few blisters and, I have to say – I feel great!

Today I’ve not been ‘Lesley Roberts, Chief Executive of Wolverhampton Homes’ – I’ve been ‘Lesley, getting my hands dirty (literally!) and mucking in’ to help bring a piece of overgrown waste land back to life as a wonderful community garden.

Later this month, we’re going to be officially opening a brand new community garden and play area at Poet’s Corner in Fordhouses. It’ll bring to a wonderful close a project which we kick-started last year.

Last year, some colleagues brought to me an idea which they said would help the company give something back to the community. It really got me thinking. I came into social housing many years ago to do just that – make a difference and give something back. And when I speak to colleagues and ask them what motivates them, time after time I hear the same answers – ‘I want to make a difference’ and ‘I want to give something back’.

Sue Roberts MBE, Chair of our Board and two of the team before we started work

We’re one of the biggest employers in Wolverhampton with just over 700 members of staff, responsible for more than 23,000 homes across the city. We’ve got a responsibility to leave a legacy for future generations. That’s why we’re involved with really exciting apprenticeship programmes – and that’s why we’ve embarked on this Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project.

Poet’s Corner is about more than just the day job. It’s a project thought up by staff at Wolverhampton Homes and built by staff at Wolverhampton Homes. And when I say built by staff – I can vouch for that – I’ve just spent seven hours planting shrubs and moving concrete slabs!

I’ve seen the photos of what the site looked like before we started - and it, if I’m honest, it was grim; overgrown grass and weeds, needles, a hive of anti-social behaviour and blot on the scenery which residents had to live next to. So when I arrived this morning (hard hat, high-vis jacket and steel toe-cap boots aren’t my normal attire!) I was taken aback by how remarkable the site now looks.

Now things are really starting to take shape...

Over the past few months more than 80 members of staff have volunteered to be part of the project. It’s been wonderful to see colleagues from across the company working together, some of them having never met each other before. From housing managers to brick layers, from the Director of Finance to plasterers, from the Chief Executive to customer service advisers – we’ve all mucked in and the fruits of our labours are nearly there for all to see.

So not only can you literally feel the beaming pride amongst everyone who’s been involved, but with some hard work, some determination and some exceptionally talented people, Wolverhampton Homes has helped give something back. We’ve made a difference – and there’s something quite humbling about that.

We're a happy bunch...and we even managed to build a pirate ship out of some left over timber

In spite of the blisters and the aching back I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved at Poet’s Corner. It’s the first time we’ve done a CSR project like this and will it be our last? You bet it won’t.

I have to finish by thanking all of the staff who have helped make this project a reality, the contractors who have kindly donated materials and, of course, the local residents who have welcomed us so warmly over the past few months and some of whom have even been out helping us along the way too!

Let's Do It Online

You can’t go anywhere right now without being reminded about how much money you can save by doing things online. For some it’s a double-edged sword. We’ve seen this week that in some circles they’re predicting that one fifth of high street shops could disappear in the next five years – and analysts are putting that down, largely, to the impact of online shopping.

Whether it’s cuddly meerkats or opera singing Welshmen offering to save you money on your car insurance or downloading music –it seems cheaper and far less hassle when you do things online. They say that doing more and more via the internet could save a household more than £500 a year which, in this financial climate, and in the wake of welfare reform, is a really significant sum.

I guess the reality is that people’s habits and customer service expectations are changing. Of course, it’s not for everyone, but we know there’s a sizeable number of out tenants who have, for want of a better phrase, gone digital. For example, our figures show that around 6,500 people visit our website every month whilst more and more people have got access to the internet through smart phones and tablets and are contacting and engaging with us through Twitter and Facebook.



Our Web Wizards are helping to get tenants online



So as our customers’ habits change, we need to change too. Long gone are the days when people have to call us during working hours on Monday-Friday – or, dare I say, write us a letter! We’re investing in online technologies so tenants can report repairs, pay their rent and check their accounts whenever, and wherever they want. It also frees up our phone lines so we can help those who can’t use, or who don’t have access to, the internet. It’s better customer service, simples!



But it’s not just about offering better customer service. With the introduction of Universal Credit on the horizon, the stark reality is people are going to have to get online because for most people, the Universal Credit will mean having to apply online and manage their claim through an online account.

That’s why we’ve got a team of dedicated ‘Web Wizards’ who are working with tenants to help get them online. They’re in our one-stop shops across the city showing people who are queuing up to pay their bills that there’s another way to pay and it doesn’t involve standing in queues!

If you’re reading this already then the chances are you’re already part of the digital revolution. In which case, don’t forget to sign up and register for your ‘Do-it-Online’ account. But if you know someone who’s a tenant or leaseholder of ours and you think they need help to get online then ask them to get in touch with our Web Wizards who’d be more than happy to help.

The times they-are a-changin’ – we need to make sure we do too.