Plymouth Community Homes News Issue 13 (1.3mb)

plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk
Helping tenants get jobs
Residents who have been out of work have been given a
helping hand getting into the jobs market.
We’ve been running a free course for
tenants who want to get their CSCS
(Construction Skills Certification Scheme)
card.
Anyone who wants to work on
a building site needs the card
and some cleaning jobs also
require it.
Twenty three tenants booked
to do the test this summer
with PCH, with most passing.
It’s a good deal as the CSCS
test, the card itself and the
study material normally costs
nearly £100.
Those who’ve passed have been telling
us the card has given them greater
confidence and has led to some of them
getting full-time jobs.
Ryan Canby, of Efford, passed the test
and was offered a job soon after at
Devonport Dockyard. He said: “I had just
recently come back to the UK from South
Africa and was looking for work.
“I phoned up about
the course and I knew
that it would lead to
me getting work.”
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tenants booked to
do the test this
summer with PCH,
with most passing.
The leaflet about it came
through my door and I
phoned up about the
course. I knew when
I got the card it would
lead to me getting
work.”
We’ve run the course
– and many more –
through our Learn for
Free programme.
The quarterly series of free
training is offered to all tenants. More
information can be found in the insert in
this newsletter.
Are you interested in
becoming a member of the
Plymouth Community Homes
Board of Management?
The Board has overall responsibility for
the running and future direction of Plymouth
Community Homes. Tenants on the
Board of Management have a real voice to
influence decisions.
We will be running elections for tenant
board members during the spring of 2013.
To register an interest in applying to be
a Board member, please contact either
Janine or Belinda, details below.
We are running a series of sessions which
will give people the opportunity to find out
more about the role of a Board member
and the work that they do. These sessions
will cover aspects such as the Board
member’s role, business plan and financial
planning and monitoring and measuring
performance.
The first session is due to begin on 10
January 2013.
If you are interested in attending these
sessions please contact Janine Hems on
388364 or Belinda Pascoe on 388360.
Customer Focus
Committee
10 January 2013
Community PCH News
Tenants and leaseholders are welcome to
come and observe the committee meeting.
If you are interested in attending, please
contact Janine Hems on 388364 by 7
January 2013.
Rents latest
Rents charged by Plymouth Community
Homes continue to be among the lowest
for housing associations in the country.
Figures from the Homes and Communities
Agency show that nationally, average rents
for our general needs homes are the third
lowest in the country.
In both the South West and Plymouth, our
average rents are the lowest. Our average
general needs rent is £65.17 per week
which is £2.57 below the next lowest rent
in Plymouth and £37.52 below the highest
rent.
Our average rent charged for Housing
with Support (£60.68 per week) is the
seventh lowest in the country
and the lowest in the South
West and Plymouth.
Of course where we are
building brand new
homes the rents are
higher. The average for
new homes in North
Prospect is £97.05 but
still represents good value
for money for a high-quality
home.
Our average rents
are the lowest in
Plymouth and the
South West!
know our tenants want more affordable
homes for future generations –
because you have told us so.
To do this we will have to
look at further increasing
the rent that existing
tenants pay.
We will be actively
looking at this over the
next few weeks and we
will get back in touch
with tenants in the
New Year.
Rents for privately let properties in
Plymouth average at £130 per week.
We are considering how we fund more
new affordable homes in the future. We
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