Annual Review 2015

Annual Review
2015

HELLO,
Most of us, as children, have completed ‘connect the dots’ pictures, carefully linking
seemingly random points together to create a bigger picture that meant something.
Community-based organisations, like Connect and our partners, have continued to join
the dots in the communities in which we work, adding to the picture over the last five
years as other services have been cut back or disappear.
The Board. Image right: (Left to right)
Alison Leech (Vice Chair), Ben Aspinall,
David Wolverson (Chair), Tracey Bell,
Susan Waterson, Jubar Miah,
Robert Chamberlain, Kath Dalby,
Nigel Craddock, Karen House,
Gillian Pickersgill, Graham Wingfield
(not pictured).
CONNECT THE
ones who give
their time
We have countless examples of how our efforts have made a difference, which you can
read in the pages of this review. A difference to children (who will sustain this country in
the future) having a better start in life, young people starting out on their career journey,
those on low wages struggling to make ends meet, the increasing number of people
experiencing mental health problems regain hope, and pensioners feeling safe in worry-free
retirement housing.
Recent policy changes will make our work
more challenging but will not make us retreat.
We will continue to connect the dots.
In fact, we have an exciting new project about to start – a new community space in
Dewsbury to replace our office in Huddersfield. We hope that you are reading this at
the mini-festival we are holding there on 22 September 2015 but if not, don’t worry,
from April 2016 there will be a festival of art, education, free advice, good health and
happiness there every day… just pop in and be part of the bigger picture.
None of this is possible without the enthusiastic support and commitment of our
partners, as you can see throughout this review. We sincerely thank them all.
From everyone at Connect
The Management Team.
Jenny Brierley, Chief Executive
Martyn Broadest, Director of Regeneration
Helen Lennon, Director of Neighbourhoods
and Communications
Sean Flynn, Director of Finance and Resources
Christine Fox, Director of Social Investment
Our passion is for a fairer society, where
people’s homes, health and happiness matter.
We are privileged to have the support of
people who share this passion and who
generously give their time to help Connect.
The Board is responsible for making sure
Connect is properly managed and for setting the
future direction. It plays a key role in business
planning and helps us keep our vision and values
at the heart of everything we do.
This year we wanted to build the talent pool of
the Board and we recruited new members to add
to the range of experience we need and reflect
the communities where we work. As part of this
open recruitment process, we were delighted to
the connect
residents federation
The CRF is an independent organisation,
run by tenants for tenants. It prides itself
on being Connect’s ‘critical friend’ and
its role is to make sure tenant priorities
are taken into consideration across
everything Connect does. You can read
more about how the CRF has helped us
over this last year to build communities
on page 9.
appoint our new Chair of the Board, David Wolverson
and bring our Board membership to a total of 12.
We recognise the Board is working in a rapidly
changing social and political environment and
that the challenges and responsibilities of being
a Board Member are increasing. One of the first
things we did with the Board this year was to
run training sessions with consultants Campbell
Tickell – covering governance and individual roles
for the journey ahead.
volunteers
Youth club helpers, artists, befrienders,
digital buddies – just a few of the many
volunteers who give their time to
Connect. Volunteer work placements
enhance our services so that we can
do things we are not usually able to
do – they do not in any way replace
the work that staff are paid to do.
We aim to offer a great volunteering
experience for people to build up their
CVs and access training and references
for future career progress. This year we
launched our volunteer befriending
service and you can read more about
this on page 7.
2 3

CONNECT THE
LINKS BETWEEN
HEALTH &
HOUSING
Using a previously vacant property was excellent and it made
good use of resources. The issue of providing suitable care for
people leaving hospital is increasingly important these days
and this scheme shows an imaginative solution which provides
a possible route away from institutionalisation. It was an
intelligently worked out scheme and could be replicated,
so should certainly be considered as an example of good
practice for others to follow.
Judges’ comments, National Housing Awards
We aim to help people enjoy healthy and
fulfilled lives. For us that starts with a good
home, but often that is not enough, so we
also offer support that is shaped for the
existing and future needs of our tenants.
The country needs more affordable homes so
we continue to build. During 2014/15 Connect
invested £3.1m in buying or building new
housing. This included purchasing 18 properties
that had been empty for a considerable time and
refurbishing them to a high standard. Some of
these have been used to provide accommodation
for a mental health supported housing project.
Even completing improvement works can offer
opportunities to have an impact on wider
Being re-housed with Connect in
a good flat, in a peaceful area, has
had a positive impact on my health
and wellbeing as I continue with my
recovery. The flat is just the right size
and I’m looking forward to receiving
support to find employment.
tenant
issues. During the year we carried out
comprehensive improvement works to 32
of our older people’s properties at Pennwell
Garth in Leeds to improve energy efficiency.
As part of the eight week improvement
programme, all tenants were invited to ‘chill
and chat’ sessions put on by our community
services team. Feedback from tenants was
so positive that we will be continuing to run
these regularly.
community
collaboration
We have recently started a new
12-month pilot project with Locala
Community Partnerships, employing
a health and wellbeing worker to
collaborate with the community health
service teams in North Kirklees. Our
worker will help people with long term
health conditions tackle non-medical
issues that if not addressed could lead
to unnecessary admission to hospital.
future focus
We have planning permission for
six wheelchair accessible bungalows
with a ‘carers pod’ at Knowl Grange
in Mirfield. Alongside these, we
will be developing 10 new flats,
including five wheelchair accessible
ones, at nearby Siggot Street.
Both these developments are part
of the Kirklees Care and Specialist
Supported Housing Scheme.
Renting a home from Connect
has made a very big difference
to our health with my husband
having Parkinson’s and I had lung
cancer… being on one level and
having no stairs, the flat is so
easy to manage and we are very
happy to be living here.
tenant
award-winning
Heatherstones Court has been
named the ‘Most Innovative
Solution’ at the National
Housing Awards 2015 and was
highly commended at the
Empty Homes Awards.
Heatherstones
court
In partnership with Calderdale Council, Calderdale
and Huddersfield Foundation Trust and Calderdale
Clinical Commissioning Group, we have brought a
previously derelict site back into use and created a
new hospital-discharge facility – the first of its size
and style in the country.
The award-winning Heatherstones Court has
been designed for people who are ready to leave
hospital but may not be ready to go home yet. The
12 self-contained apartments provide the space,
support and comfort to help people recover fully.
This new service offers an alternative to a longer
stay in hospital or a temporary move into a care
home and since it opened in January 2015 it has
welcomed 36 residents.
4 5

CONNECT THE
paths to good
mental health
Mental illness affects 1 in 4 people in England.*
At a time when resources are shrinking
nationally, we are even more committed to
investing in health and wellbeing services to
address mental ill-health, loneliness and isolation.
*Rethink Mental Illness 2015
This year we launched a new way of delivering
one of our long standing mental health services.
The Crackenedge project, which provided
shared accommodation for people with mental
health issues in Dewsbury, had become an
out-dated model for support. We have replaced
it with six newly refurbished self-contained
properties (part of our portfolio of 18 supported
flats for people with mental health issues) with
a tailored package of support for each person.
Good housing like this has a positive impact on
people’s mental health and wellbeing by giving
space and privacy within their own home. This
helps with recovery and stability, and is often
the first step into fully independent living.
Connect has helped me get bursary
places on further training in Mental
Health First Aid and Self Harm
Awareness. Both of the courses are
recognised in all sorts of work places
and will really enhance my CV.
Sophie, volunteer befriender
a taste of
happiness
Our new community space in
Dewsbury will feature a ‘happy café’,
affiliated with Action for Happiness,
promoting health and wellbeing.
Whilst the space is being developed,
we have been running a pop-up
happy café at Sensory World in
Dewsbury, giving everyone a taster
of what we’re planning. This has
featured a weekly Five Wise Ways
to Wellbeing course for tenants,
run by Laughter in Mind.
Tom, co-ordinator of our volunteer
services, with Sophie and Natasha,
who were shortlisted for ‘Volunteer of
the Year’ awards at the Huddersfield
Student Union Awards.
Recent research shows that social isolation is
equivalent to the health effects of smoking 15
cigarettes a day.* In the autumn of 2014, we set
up a new befriending service to help address
the issue of social isolation.
*Campaign to End Loneliness 2014
Our new volunteer co-ordinator runs the service
and so far over 20 befrienders have been
recruited and trained, with over 170 hours
dedicated to volunteering so far. The befriending
service benefits not only our customers, but also
the people who volunteer.
I really appreciate the help I am
getting – it has made my
confidence grow!
Befriending client
the
survivors
group
The Survivors Group is a warm, friendly and
non-judgemental group for people who
have experienced mental illness, based in
Kirklees. This year we have received funding
from the Scurrah Wainwright Charity,
which has enabled us to offer activities
such as circus skills, cooking sessions and art
workshops. The group has also benefitted
from help from one of our volunteers.
the right
assistance
for you
We now run a service for people
seeking to purchase assistance
from their personal budgets. The
service enables people to choose
the support that’s right for them
and also reduces reliance on
primary and secondary care.
6 7

CONNECT THE
ones who want
to build
communities
In partnership with other community-based
organisations, we aim to help people to create
for themselves the lives and neighbourhoods
that they want.
We have invested in the purchase and
refurbishment of two buildings in Dewsbury
town centre – 21 and 23 Bond Street. As well as
providing eight flats, we are creating office space
for our staff who will relocate from rented offices
in Huddersfield. What is really exciting us though
is the ground floor, where our aim is to create
a vibrant, welcoming space for our tenants
and the people of North Kirklees to use.
To help turn this vision into reality, in October
2015 we appointed a community networker who
has spent the last year building links with other
local community organisations. Together we
hope to create a calendar packed full of useful
educational and enjoyable activities.
We came to the rally to be seen
and to be heard standing up for
social housing.
Nicky and Chris, Tenants & Connect
Residents Federation Officers
homes for
britain
In March 2015, our tenants,
service users, staff, volunteers and
members of the Board all joined
together in support of the national
Homes for Britain campaign to
highlight how the housing crisis is
affecting people from all walks of
life and all parts of the country.
the connect
residents federation
Tenants play an active role in deciding
how and where we invest in our
communities. This year members of
Connect Residents Federation (CRF) have
been part of the group planning the
investment in the Dewsbury space.
The CRF is also helping us pilot a new
community reporter scheme that we will
be launching this year. This project offers
a new way of ensuring community voices
are heard.
We have been running pop-up events in the new
building to bring people together to get a sneak
peek of the venue in the raw and to explore
ideas, share stories and start conversations.
In partnership with Creative Scene and Chol
Theatre company, during the summer we played
host to over 150 people ranging in age from
four months to 87 years – who sewed jellyfish
and created fabulous beach huts as part of the
Dewsbury on Sea festival.
A big thank you to all our partners
– none of this would be possible
without them.
inspiring
youth
Beyond Dewsbury, our community
services team focused on helping
young people to broaden their
horizons. Over 300 children accessed
our out of school activities and we
helped 25 children and young people
more intensively with issues such as
bullying, truancy, preventing youth
homelessness, and home making.
‘Life’s a Beach Hut’ photographs
courtesy of Chol Theatre and
Paul Floyd Blake.
8 9

CONNECT THE
new generation
to jobs
We understand the importance of investing
in young people and helping them get
started on their career journey: they will help
shape the future of our communities.
We have made a commitment that apprentices
will account for 10% of our workforce.
We’re already well on the way to hitting this
goal – with just over 6% of our staff in 2015
being apprentices.
It’s not just about numbers though. We are
committed to making sure our apprentices have a
quality experience and we are proud to have been
named Medium Employer of the Year at the
Leeds Apprenticeship Awards 2015.
future focus
We are constantly looking for new
ways to create new apprenticeships
within our staff teams to achieve
our 10% goal.
We have just recruited two new
NVQ maintenance apprentices
who will start in early October. The
maintenance apprenticeship will give
them a general grounding across skills
including plumbing, joinery, plastering,
bricklaying, decorating and tiling.
Connect has made it an easy transition for me
to start a new career in the housing sector.
Not only was the wage more than some
organisations will pay for apprenticeship
schemes, which allowed me to maintain my
household responsibilities, but the training,
the experience, the respect and the trust
they have provided has exceeded all my
expectations. At the end of each day when
I put my head to rest, I know with each task I
have accomplished, it has made a difference
for the better in someone’s life and the
communities we work in.
Luis, neighbourhood project officer
We have expanded the scope of apprenticeships across
all areas of our business and roles now include plumber,
joiner, painter and decorator, administrator, support worker,
neighbourhood assistant and building surveyor.
Bringing our repairs service in-house gave us the opportunity
to create five new maintenance apprentice posts and build
a workshop at the new repairs building. The workshop
provides a training space for our apprentices to practice their
joinery skills – they also helped build the workshop to get
experience of constructing a traditional pitched roof.
Apprenticeships are clearly embedded in the
culture of Connect… their apprenticeship
programme makes a real difference to the
lives of individuals and local communities.
Judges’ comment
different
routes
We provide different routes into Connect
for young people – volunteers get valuable
experience with our community services
team, casual paid workers can fit their
hours around other work or study, and
our apprentices gain a qualification while
earning a salary at the same time.
success
stories
We’ve seen some great success
stories as apprentices take their
next career steps with Connect.
Beth has been recruited as a
full-time repairs administrator,
Luis as a neighbourhood project
officer and Gemma as a
permanent support worker.
10 11

connect the
friends of
dementia
the
herbert
protocol
This year we have been working
with West Yorkshire Police to
promote The Herbert Protocol –
a scheme that encourages carers
and family members to compile
useful information about a
vulnerable person which could
be used in the event of them
going missing.
By 2025 there will be 1 million people with
dementia in the UK.* We want our homes
and communities to be good places for
those of us who are affected by dementia to
live well.
*Statistics provided by Alzheimer’s Society
Connect is committed to providing a helpful
and reassuring service for anyone experiencing
dementia. We have signed up to the Alzheimer’s
Society’s Dementia Friends initiative and are
members of the Dementia Action Alliances in
Leeds and Kirklees.
Dementia friendly improvements have been made
at four of our older persons schemes this year –
including anti-glare lighting, new colour schemes,
plain carpets in communal areas and helpful
signage. Feedback has been very positive with
people saying the changes have made them feel
safer and less prone to tripping.
We have built these considerations into our
planned maintenance programme and whenever
we are changing communal areas we consider the
dementia friendly implications of any re-design.
In April 2015, our Hidden Memories Café
opened its doors at Hawthorn Mill, our sheltered
housing scheme. Run in partnership with the
Alzheimer’s Society, the café has served up
more than just hot drinks. Visitors have made
new friends and joined in activities specially
designed to spark memories – such as creating
‘life scrapbooks’ and listening to old vinyl on the
café’s record player.
The café runs from 1pm to 3pm on the first
Thursday of every month and welcomes anyone
experiencing dementia or caring for someone who is.
I enjoyed some ‘me time’ while
my husband attended the café –
thank you so much.
wife & Carer
future focus
Over this next year our aim is to train
at least one more dementia champion.
We will also be launching another
Hidden Memories Café at our new
community space in Dewsbury – this
will be run in partnership with other
local organisations in Kirklees who
share a common purpose in tackling
the issues of dementia.
taxi!
We now have an approved
list of dementia friendly
taxis to take people to
Connect events.
connect
older people’s
strategists
Our COPS group has around 40 members
and meets quarterly to help us improve
services for our older people. This year
COPS gave their time to give us insight
into how they access services online.
12 13

pennies to the pound
connect the
At a time when many people are under huge
financial pressure, we have prioritised supporting
individuals and families to maintain tenancies
and take control of their finances.
We include in this our commitment to creating
truly affordable homes, taking into account the
whole cost of running them. As such, value for
money is at the heart of everything we do.
During the year our Money Matters team gave
debt advice and welfare benefit guidance to 238
tenants, securing a total of £354,000 for them in
extra money and debt relief.
We added a temporary Universal Credit officer
in 2014 to help tenants and Connect prepare for
the transition to the new Universal Credit benefit
and lower benefit cap. So far 190 tenants have
told us they are ready for the change and we
have started working with a further 227 who
need our help.
from
small
seeds
Our Locally Grown partnership
came to an end in June 2015.
Of the 34 tenants referred to
the project, four started their
own businesses and have been
trading for over a year now. We
wish them every success!
The energy switch article was
really helpful – my mum saved
£146 by doing this.
Get Connected reader’s letter
Improving the energy efficiency of our homes is
important – it helps to lower tenants’ energy bills
and improve health and wellbeing. This year we
have invested in improving over 500 properties
with new boilers, doors and windows. These
changes should save each tenant between
£265 and £485 per anum.*
*Figures estimated by The Energy Trust
We have promoted My Home Energy Switch
(a free, impartial switching service) and helped
tenants receive £15,700 from trusts to pay off
fuel debts.
future focus
We will be offering evening and
weekend repairs appointments
and launching a range of paid-for
maintenance services.
Purchasing materials as cost-effectively as possible
has been helped by the appointment of our new
procurement officer. So far we have entered
into a purchase agreement with Integrated
Services to run our maintenance van stocks.
As well as offering significant financial savings,
it has reduced the administrative burden on our
staff and saved time.
We also changed to a new window supplier
during the year, who has added value both
financially and environmentally. They manufacture
with 80% recycled content, minimise waste by
providing skips free of charge and recycle any
existing PVC windows removed from a property.
our new
in-house
repairs service
Our new repairs service went live in
October 2014. Its aim is to be lean, efficient
and flexible to meet the demands of our
customers, reducing the overall repair bill,
whilst increasing customer satisfaction.
Repairs consistently rank top of our tenants’
priorities and a high level of satisfaction
with the repairs service has been maintained
this year – over 93%.
future focus
The Money Matters team will
have to shift emphasis to more
work-related support as the
only real alternative for those
affected by the benefit cap is to
find paid employment.
every
£1
counts
Holistic
For every £1 Connect has invested
help
in the Money Matters service this
year, £3.40 of social value has
Money Matters is a holistic
been generated – which is a total
service that also helps our
of £788,000 of social value for
tenants secure employment.
our tenants and communities.*
This year we have invested
*Results from indicative study using the
in MyWorkSearch – online
Housing Associations’ Charitable Trust
wellbeing calculator.
software that helps tenants
create a CV and apply for jobs.
14 15

CONNECT THE
NUMBERS
3289 Total homes
1703
33
51
a LOOK at
our homes
Sub-market
rent
‘Affordable’
housing
751
Social rent
general needs 321
186
244
Housing for
older people
Supported
housing
Low cost home
ownership
Student
housing
Connect’s average weekly general
needs gross rents across West Yorkshire
As at March 2015
Bedsit 1 bed 2 bed 3 bed 4+ bed
Rent £63.11 £80.12 £91.27 £96.71 £104.89
Properties 18 275 633 563 214
Void loss
DELIVERING
homes
In 2014/15...
We delivered 47 new homes – of these 41 were
‘affordable’ and 6 were social rent general needs.
162 households moved into an independent
rental home of their own offered by Connect,
plus 573 into our supported housing schemes
and 62 into our housing for older people.
We helped 4 households get on the
property ladder.
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
1.1% 1.2% 1.1% 2.1% 1.6%
Total rent arrears
as % of gross rent
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
5.4% 4.2% 4.4% 3.7% 4.0%
Complaints performance
We received 154 complaints
about our service in 2014/15,
90% of which were resolved at
the first stage of our complaints
procedure. 1 was referred to
the Housing Ombudsman, who
found no maladministration.
16 17

contact us
0300 5000 600
www.connecthousing.org.uk
hello@connecthousing.org.uk
www.facebook.com/ConnectHousing
@ConnectHousing
Connect Housing Association Limited is a charitable housing organisation registered under the
Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 (No. IP17445R) and with the Housing
and Communities Agency (No. L2285). Registered Office: 205 Roundhay Road, Leeds, LS8 4HS.
Summarised or full accounts are available on request.