Get Connect 10th Anniversary edition - Tenant Magazine

THE MAGAZINE FOR RESIDENTS
Winter 2016
10th
Anniversary
Edition
People’s homes, health
and happiness matter
Thrive at Connect
Winter Safety
1

2
In this issue:
3 High Five
Latest news and events
4
Taste the
difference
Find out about our free
Money Matters service
6 A word
from Eunice
Understanding the
CRF and how they
scrutinise Connect’s
performance
7 Open all hours
A quick guide to our Out
of Hours repairs service
8 Improving
services
Find out how we are
working hard to improve
the service Sure provide
10
Winter safety
A guide on staying warm
and safe this Winter
12 Older people
News and stories
from Hawthorn Mill
14
18
The launch
of Thrive
All about our new
community space
in Dewsbury
Supporting
communities
Introducing our new
Community Housing
Officers
Welcome
This year at Connect
we celebrated two key
milestones: our 10th
birthday and the launch
of Thrive, our new
community space
in Dewsbury.
Our vision and values have
always driven us to help
improve the lives of tenants
and communities through
housing and support.
Despite the challenging
circumstances over the
last few years, our passion
has grown and we’re
more determined than
ever to continue making
a difference.
Thrive, a new community
space based at our Dewsbury
offices is one way we hope
we can achieve this. We
welcomed over 150 people
including tenants, small
local businesses, community
groups and partners to the
launch in September.
Our Chief Executive,
Helen Lennon, spoke
about why our vision is
for a fairer society, where
people’s homes, health
and happiness matter.
You can read more about
Thrive on pages 14 -17.
In our latest Annual Review,
we have shared ten ways
to thrive with Connect.
You can read it here –
www.connecthousing.
org.uk/AnnualReview16
We hope you enjoy this
issue of Get Connected –
happy reading!
Share your
thoughts
If you’d like to be part
of the next issue or if
you’ve got a story you’d
like to share, then we’d
like to hear from you.
Get in touch by
phone, email,
Facebook or Twitter
0300 5000 600
communications@
connecthousing.org.uk
/ConnectHousing
@ConnectHousing
Thank you
Tenants, volunteers and community partners have all
been involved in this issue of the magazine and we’d like
to say a big thank you to Eunice Clarkson and Donna from
the Hidden Memories Dementia Cafe at Hawthorn Mill.
High Five
News you can use
Connect’s offices will close for the holidays at 5pm on Friday 23rd December
and will re-open on Tuesday 3rd January at 9am. For all emergencies
including repairs and anti-social behaviour incidents during this time
please call 0300 5000 600.
Clearing a house is never an
easy task. The British Heart
Foundation offer a free collection
service of any unwanted furniture
and working electricals.
Their service is professional,
reliable and friendly.
For more information please
visit bhf.org.uk
Value for
Money (VFM)
Holiday closure times
Here to help
VFM is a test we apply to check
that the maximum benefit has
been achieved from the money
and time we invest in delivering
services. Our annual VFM
report is available to read and
tells you how we think we have
done. You can read the full selfassessment
document here:
www.connecthousing.org.uk/
valueformoney
All aboard
The AccessBus is a dial-a-ride
bus service providing door-todoor
local transport, seven days a week
between 9am and 5pm. Anyone can
register for the service and it’s extremely
helpful to people who are unable to use
standard bus services. The buses are fully
accessible, fitted with seatbelts and the
most up-to-date wheelchair restraints.
For more information visit:
www.wymetro.com/BusTravel/
accessrural/AccessBus/
The CRF
needs you!
Connect Residents Federation (CRF) are
recruiting. The CRF works in many ways to help
improve services at Connect, one of these being
Tenant Inspection. They have decided the next
area for inspection in 2017 will be repairs.
Tenant Inspectors are volunteers who are
interested in improving services for tenants.
The CRF need more inspectors and will
make sure they are fully trained and supported
throughout the process. Being a Tenant Inspector
is a great way to learn more about how Connect works.
To find out more please contact Lisa Longbottom,
Tenant Involvement Officer on 0300 5000 600.
3

MONEY
MATTERS
MONEY
MATTERS
Taste the
difference
Connect’s Money Matters Team ran the ‘Downshift Challenge’ at our Thrive launch
event in September. They were on hand to talk about the work they do helping
tenants with budgeting and debt advice, benefits, fuel poverty and finding work.
The team asked event attendees to take the
‘Downshift Challenge’ to see if they could
taste the difference between premiumbranded
and value-branded products.
The challenge wasn’t about forcing people
to drop down a brand level, but to ensure they
weren’t spending money for no reason. If you
can’t tell the difference with the lower brand
level goods, then why pay more for them?
Participants had to guess which the more
expensive product was by taste alone.
Then decide if the additional price was
worth it.
Over 100 people took part in the challenge
and couldn’t believe the price variations for
little difference in taste. Some people even
thought the non-branded items tasted better!
About the service
Money Matters is a free and confidential
service that provides:
Help with welfare reform and benefits
Budgeting and debt advice
Ways of reducing fuel costs and
improving energy efficiency
Digital skills training
Help creating CVs, job searching,
volunteer and apprenticeship
opportunities
Health and wellbeing support
Benefit cap update
In the Summer issue of Get Connected, we informed
you about the benefit changes announced by the
Government in July 2015.
If you are affected by these changes you should already have
received two letters from the DWP (Department for Work and
Pensions) advising of how these changes affect you. Below
are the dates that these changes start and the new proposed
maximum benefit amounts will be.
• If your benefits were already capped at the existing
maximum amount, then your entitlement will have
been reduced to the new limit from 7th November 2016.
• If your benefits are not currently capped but you will
be affected by the new amount, that will take place
on 19th December 2016 if you live in Kirklees and
9th January 2017 if you live in Leeds.
New weekly benefit cap
Proposed changes from Autumn 2016
£385
Two parent family
Single parent family
£258
Single person
Any cap in your benefit entitlement will be taken from your
Housing Benefit, which means that if you are affected you
will have a shortfall in your rent to pay.
Michelle Cox is currently contacting all tenants who are
affected by the benefit caps as she may be able to help.
Michelle can help you find out if you qualify for any additional
financial help through Discretionary Housing Payments,
if you meet any of the exemption criteria and help you
understand what you need to pay. If you are concerned about
the benefit cap or have any other financial worries, please
contact Michelle using the details on this page and the
Money Matters Team will try their best to help.
Get in touch ›››
To see how our free and confidential service
might be able to help you, or to find out
more about the benefit cap, please contact:
Michelle Cox, Money Matters Team
T: 0300 5000 600
E: moneymatters@connecthousing.org.uk
Money advice
this Winter
Winter Fuel Payment
You could get between
£100 - £300 tax-free to pay
your heating bills if you
were born on or before 5th
January 1953. Usually this
is paid automatically if you
get the State Pension.
If you qualify but don’t get
paid automatically, you
can make a claim. Visit:
www.gov.uk/winter-fuelpayment
Cold Weather Payment
You may get a payment
if you receive certain
benefits. Payments are
made when your local
temperature is recorded
as, or forecast to be, an
average of 0°C or below
over seven consecutive
days. You’ll get a payment
of £25 for each seven-day
period of very cold weather
between 1st November
2016 and 31st March 2017.
Visit www.gov.uk/coldweather-payment
Christmas
Christmas should be a
happy occasion spent with
family and friends, but for
some it can be a time of
financial worry and stress.
There can be a great deal
of pressure to spend
money on presents and
entertaining, even though
bills, including rent, have
to be paid. If you’re having
difficulty with debts or
struggling to pay your rent
please contact our Money
Matters team.
4
5

CRF
HOMES
A word
from Eunice
Open
all hours
The CRF (Connects Residents Federation) is an independent
organisation, run by tenants for tenants. This month we caught
up with Eunice Clarkson, Chair of the CRF, to talk about scrutiny.
When our offices are closed, we use an Out of Hours (OOH) service so that
you have a contact in the event of an emergency repair. The cost of using
this service is quite expensive so we would like to remind you to please
only use it when absolutely necessary.
I think it is really important
to have scrutiny at Connect
and the CRF take this part of
our job very seriously. A great
example of this is looking
at Connect’s performance,
– if there are any areas of
concern, working with the
relevant staff to find out
why, and what they’re going
to do to improve. Our role
is to ensure that as ‘The
Tenants Voice’ we can
hold Connect to account
and influence some of the
decisions they make.
One of the groups that the CRF
are members of is the Service
Improvement Forum (SIF).
The SIF meets regularly
throughout the year and
makes recommendations
to the Board and Directors
at Connect for consideration
to improve services. I think
this is the most valuable
of the groups we attend; it
allows us to understand what
is happening now, what the
plans are for the future and
represent tenants at a very
strategic level.
The CRF also use Tenant
Inspectors to review
services that are in need of
improvement. We use loads
of information such as survey
results, complaints and the
feedback from other tenants
to decide what area to look at.
Diary
dates 2017:
CRF general meetings
are not just for members
– why not come along and
see what it’s all about?
Tuesday 14th February,
1 - 3pm, Leeds
Tuesday 11th April,
6 - 8pm, Leeds
If you’d like to attend a meeting or find
out more about becoming a member
of the CRF contact:
Lisa Longbottom, Tenant Involvement Officer
T: 0300 5000 600
E: lisa.longbottom@connecthousing.org.uk
The Out of Hours service is a ‘make safe’ service which
means that our contractor will normally be instructed
to just make the repair safe; the outstanding full repair
then being carried out by us during normal opening hours.
Please only use this service for a genuine emergency repair.
If you call out an emergency contractor for a less serious
repair you may be charged.
We have included a quick guide so you can check if you
require the Out of Hours service.
Emergency repair
An emergency repair is
something which could
cause danger to health,
your safety or serious
damage to property.
This includes; severe roof
leaks, burst pipes, loss
of water, loss of power
or lighting, loss of heating
in cold weather or a
dangerous electrical fault.
Non-emergency repair
Non-emergency repairs are
things you can reasonably
live with for a short time
without immediate risk
to your safety, security
or health.
This includes; internal door
repairs, kitchen cupboard
repairs or plastering.
Before
you call
Before calling the service
you should consider the
following:
• Is this causing
damage to my home?
• Is my family at risk
of harm if this repair
is not fixed immediately?
• Could this issue
wait until I speak to
a member of Connect’s
repairs team?
• Is this repair my
responsibility?
• Is there anything
I can do to prevent
damage being caused?
If you would like to find
out more information on
the Out of Hours service,
please call 0300 5000 600.
6 7

HOMES
100
We know that in the past tenants have
reported dissatisfaction with our gas
contractor, Sure. We have since put
a number of measures in place to
improve their service.
Michael Boaler, our new Mechanical and
Electrical Services Manager and Bianca Roe,
the Technical Compliance Officer, have worked
hard to improve the service Sure provides.
of Sure’s repairs have
been completed on the
first visit.
boilers have been
replaced due to being
old and inefficient.
of repair appointments
with customers have
been kept.
of tenants have been satisfied
with the work Sure carried
out in their homes.
of reported unsafe appliances
were successfully repaired or
replaced by Sure.
They work alongside each other to ensure
Connect achieves compliance in areas such as
gas, electrical safety, Legionella and fire safety.
They act on any dissatisfaction reported by
tenants as well as new laws in this area to
ensure your safety.
The following facts give a flavour of how
well our gas contractor has been doing
since 1st April 2016.
of gas service
certificates are
up-to-date in
line with The
Landlord’s Gas
Safety Record.
Earlier this year
our internal
auditors checked
our systems and
confirmed that we
were effectively
managing gas
safety. Our gas
auditors who
monitor the
quality of the
work also confirm
that the work
is to a high
standard and your
safety is assured.
Michael Boaler
Meet Larry
Riseley – your
new Estates
Officer
Your feedback has
consistently told us
that the appearance
and upkeep of your estate
is very important to you.
At the same time,
Connect is obliged to do
all we can to make sure
fire safety equipment
and escape routes in an
emergency are properly
maintained. To meet
these demands, we have
created the new post
of Estates Officer in the
Property Services team.
Larry took up his post
in November and
will be visiting all our
estates every few weeks
specifically to check the
following:
• Regular cleaning and
gardening works are
being done to the
required standard
• Fire safety
arrangements are
working as they
should
He will also deal with
questions and queries
about landlord services
from you. So make sure
you look out for him on
your estate!
INTRODUCING GERTIE
If you would like further information
about gas safety please contact:
HOMES
You’ve heard of Henry the Hoover. Well Connect now has
Gertie the Gutter Vac. It’s a brand new piece of equipment,
that makes cleaning out mud and leaves from roof gutters
and drain gulleys so much quicker, safer and cheaper than
the old manual method of ladders or scaffolding.
The Property Services team have been trying it out, and are
ready to start clearing blocked gutters over the winter months.
Bianca Roe, Technical Compliance Officer
T: 0300 5000 600
E: bianca.roe@connecthousing.org.uk
8 9

SAFETY
Stay safe
this Winter
We want to share some practical tips and advice to help
you stay warm and safe in your home this winter.
1 KEEPING WARM 2 FROZEN PIPES
4 GRITTING AND SNOW
• Set your heating timer so that
it comes on early in the day and
switches off when you go to bed.
• The recommended temperature
is between 18 to 21 degrees.
• If you can, keep well stocked with
food in case bad weather prevents
you from getting to the shops.
• Wearing several layers of clothing
will keep you warmer than one
thick layer.
• Keeping active, especially if your
mobility is restricted, will keep
your circulation flowing.
• Make sure that you test your
care and smoke alarms.
3
• If your water pipes have
frozen and you’re without
water, follow the guidance
provided by Yorkshire Water.
• Turn off your stop tap. In most
homes you’ll find this under the
kitchen sink, but it could be located
in a cellar, garage or outbuilding.
Visit: www.yorkshirewater.com/
winterready for more information.
BE HEALTHY
• If you feel unwell but it isn’t an
emergency you can call the NHS
free phone on 111 for medical
help. The hotline is available 24/7.
• The flu vaccination is available on
the NHS to help protect people
who are at risk. Visit www.nhs.uk
to see if you are eligible for a free
flu jab.
• If you have repeat prescriptions
delivered, make sure you order
them in plenty of time, especially
if severe weather is forecast.
We take reasonable steps to maintain
safety by providing grit for use on
key footpaths and communal areas
required for access. We have to risk
assess estates to ensure we get grit to
where it is most needed.
Low Risk: If there’s no grit bin on your
estate you can collect self-help bags
from our offices during prolonged
periods of bad weather.
Medium Risk: During severe winter
conditions we’ll replenish grit bins on
your estate every two weeks. We can’t
spread the grit or clear footpaths.
High Risk: We’ll top up grit supplies
and clear footpaths for older people
and designated supported housing
schemes.
If access by car is directly to your front
gate, the surrounding footpath won’t
be gritted.
We’ll grit high risk estates when
temperatures will not rise above
0°C for three days in a row. Our
staff will visit high risk areas every
three working days depending on
the weather conditions.
5
6
CRIME PREVENTION
• Don’t leave presents under your
Christmas tree if they are visible
from windows or doors.
• If you’re going out, make sure
your house looks occupied by
using a timer switch to operate
lamps as it gets dark and leave
a radio on.
• Keys should always be kept out
of sight and not left near doors
or windows.
INSURANCE
Although we insure the structure
and fittings of the building, your
belongings are not insured by us.
You will need to have home contents
insurance to cover this. If the
unexpected happens, can you afford
not to have insurance?
If you would like help finding
or switching insurance, contact
our Money Matters Team on
0300 5000 600 and they can help.
10
11

OLDER
PEOPLE
Festive
fundraising
Full
of life
On Monday 10th October, tenants and staff at our older people’s scheme,
Hawthorn Mill in Leeds, celebrated the International Day of Older
Persons (which they do every day, in all honesty!)
The International Day
of Older Persons is an
opportunity to highlight
the important contributions
that older people make to
society and raise awareness
of the issues and challenges
of ageing in today’s world.
Each year, since 1998,
Leeds has celebrated
the International Day
of Older People on
1st October. Celebrations
span for around a week
and a half with a different
theme each time. This year
the theme was Health and
Wellbeing with a focus on
arts and culture.
On the day participants
enjoyed a range of crafty
activities including drawing
and painting on canvases,
a quiz about world culture
and dined on a healthy
lunch.
The participants were
then challenged to make
animal models using only
fruit as materials. The final
creations were fantastic.
The day concluded with
a mini awards ceremony.
Connect’s Chief Executive,
Helen Lennon, joined the
event to judge the creations
and awarded trophies and
medals to her favourite
art pieces.
I wasn’t confident
about my drawing
so I was pleasantly
surprised when
I won first place!
I want everybody
to know that it
was a ship on
the sea and not
a submarine
though! I’ve had
a good day, itwas
lovely coming here.
Margaret,
Hawthorn Mill Resident
Hidden Memories is a monthly event held
at our older people’s scheme, Hawthorn Mill.
It’s designed to help people who suffer with
Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or any form
of memory loss. Everybody is welcome to join
these sessions throughout the year.
We have a generous
participant, Donna, who
attends the cafe regularly
with her mother, Winifred.
She found out about the
cafe through a Community
Health Advisor six months
ago and has been attending
with Winifred ever since.
Donna fund-raised for
the Christmas event by
completing a women’s 10k
run at Temple Newsam
and having a bake sale at
her workplace. She raised
£200 which she has donated
towards the entertainment,
activities and banquet at the
annual Christmas party.
I find the cafe
great and very
supportive. My
Mum loves it.
She has made
friends that she
recognises each
month. It’s really
good for people
with dementia
and carers too. It’s
an opportunity to
reduce loneliness
and isolation.
Donna, Daughter
of Cafe participant
If you would like to find out more about
the Dementia Cafe please contact:
Sandra Clibbens, Scheme Manager
T: 0113 2311 561
E: sandra.clibbens@connecthousing.org.uk
The Hidden
Memories Cafe
The Hidden Memories
Cafe runs on the first
Thursday of each month
from 1pm - 3pm at
Hawthorn Mill Sheltered
Housing, Cobden Road,
Lower Wortley, Leeds,
LS12 5HQ. Get in touch
if you would like to
attend but please RSVP.
Dementia
Friends
Programme
Connect has signed
up to the Alzheimer’s
Society Dementia
Friends programme.
It aims to change
people’s perceptions
of dementia and intends
to transform the way
the nation thinks, acts
and talks about the
condition.
At Connect we are
committed to providing
a helpful and reassuring
service to anyone
experiencing dementia.
12 13

Thrive
COMMUNITY
Last year we held Connect the Dots – a pop-up festival that gave people
a sneak peek of our new venue in Dewsbury. A year later that space has
become Thrive! We used feedback from tenants, staff and partners to
shape its design.
A let’s get
together
and make
things
happen
community
space.
Music is well known
to be good for our mental
and physical health and
the club brings people
together to sing and play.
All musical abilities
(including beginners)
are welcome.
Guests at the launch learned
from a local knitting group
who are part of The Crafting
Club, which happens every
Friday at Thrive. If you like
sewing, card making and
crafts in general, then this
friendly group is the one
for you!
We’re planning Thrive’s
calendar for 2017. This is
a space for you and your
communities and we would
welcome any ideas about
events and activities you
would like to see, or even
For more information about Thrive, what’s
on or to hire the space please contact:
Nuala Reilly, Community Networker
T: 0300 5000 600
E: info@thriveatconnect.org
better, like to run there.
The CRF are also planning
to have a regular presence
to recruit new members and
join in existing activities.
Could we do something
similar in Leeds? There is a
lot more happening in Leeds
than in Dewsbury and we
never want to duplicate what
others are doing. However,
we are considering how we
can make better use of our
Leeds office and we will keep
you informed of any changes
there.
The September launch
was an opportunity to
show Thrive’s potential
to support tenant and
community activities. We
were delighted to welcome
over 150 people, including
local Councillor, Eric Firth
and MP Paula Sheriff.
In the Creative Space, Lindsey
from Connect and Simon
from the Recovery College
promoted a Happiness
Course now being hosted
at Thrive. It focussed on
uncovering the simple,
cost-free habits that help
us live happier lives and
contribute to a more caring
and compassionate society.
We hope to re-run this course
in 2017, so keep a look out for
details of the next sessions
and a future Happy Cafe.
Entertainment was provided
by the Commoner’s Choir
and a young dance group
from Nouveau Wellbeing, a
community interest company
that encourages fitness
and healthy living. They are
running two exercise classes
at Thrive every Thursday;
Buggy Fit: Is a low-impact
postnatal exercise class that
helps ease mums back into
shape from behind a buggy
or pram.
Pre-School Dance: A great
way to prepare under 5’s for
school by singing, dancing
and playing games.
Inspired by the Commoner’s
Choir, every Friday afternoon
Thrive is being filled with
music through a music
club open to everyone.
What’s on at
Thrive at Connect
We are hosting regular
activities such as
fitness classes, reading
and writing lessons,
craft clubs and music
sessions.
If you would like to know
what’s happening over
the next few months at
Thrive please visit:
www.connecthousing.
org.uk/whatsonthrive
Get Social
/thriveatconnect
@thriveatconnect
14
15

COMMUNITY
What a
wonderful
community
space in
Dewsbury
– so many
activities
and creative
things
happening
Simona Manni
HOMES FOR CATHY
The 16th November 2016
marked the 50th anniversary
of the first showing, by the
BBC of Ken Loach’s film
Cathy Come Home.
It shocked a nation into
action. Within months
Shelter and Crisis had
been formed and housing
associations had been set
up all over the country
(including the two
associations that came
together as Connect) with
the aim of helping homeless
people access affordable
housing.
Many of those housing
associations are still around
50 years later, having built
hundreds of thousands of
affordable homes to rent
– but still there are people
living on the streets and in
Bed and Breakfasts. Shelter
estimates 120,000 children
will spend this Christmas in
temporary accommodation.
23 of those original
1960/70s housing
associations, including
Connect, have come
together to form the Homes
for Cathy group, aimed
at raising awareness of
the homelessness crisis
and to highlight the need
for more homes and
support for homeless
people. To commemorate
the anniversary, Connect
showed the film at Thrive
on 7th December 2016
and alongside other
organisations in Leeds
on 10th December 2016.
Available
for hire
If you are looking for
a space to base your
activities or hold an
event – whether it’s a
meeting room, cafe or
community event then
Thrive is available to hire
for you! We have three
unique spaces available
which are:
A sharing, inspiring,
have a go creative space
A Happy, friendly,
get a brew cafe space
A talking, thinking,
try it out meeting space
Get in touch for more
information.
Contact us
hello@thriveatconnect.org
/thriveatconnect
@thriveatconnect
16

Supporting
Communities
Supporting communities has always been one of our priorities. This year, we’ve
created a new approach to neighbourly places. Our vision of a neighbourly place is
where tenants are sociable, approachable and respect each other’s privacy and quality
of life. It is a place where differences are tolerated and misunderstandings or disputes
are tackled by practical conversations.
We are pleased to introduce
our new Community Housing
Officers, who are part of the
Neighbourly Places Team, and
will have a regular presence
in your community. They
manage smaller areas than
in the past which means they
have more time to get to know
local tenants better, deal with
general enquiries and help
build community relationships.
Their priority is to enable
tenants, and other people
living and working in your
local area, to contribute in
creating a neighbourly place.
This is a new approach to
the way that we support
communities by encouraging
and supporting co-operation
and neighbourliness.
It means we won’t be
stepping in to resolve issues
– we’ll be supporting you and
your community to resolve
more issues for yourselves
and provide opportunities
for people in your area to
get together and make
local connections. We still
have a small team that will
deal with the most serious
anti-social behaviour cases
where matters can’t be
resolved in any other way
and will take
tenancy enforcement action
where appropriate.
Over the coming months the
Community Housing Officers
will be in your area finding out
as much as they can about the
local facilities and resources,
the people and organisations,
and the things that matter
to you and the community
where you live. If you have any
questions about this new way
of working and how you can
contribute please ask your
Community Housing Officer.
If you would like more information on our
Neighbourly Places Strategy, please contact:
Ceri Lewis, Neighbourhood Services Manager
T: 0300 5000 600
E: ceri.lewis@connecthousing.org.uk
INTOLERANT
OF INTOLERANCE
Intolerance is the unwillingness to accept views,
beliefs, behaviour, or indeed, people different
to you and yours.
It seems that intolerance is on the increase
in our society. It can show itself in many ways
including what is known as ‘Hate Crime’ which
is harassment or intimidation based on disability,
race, sexual orientation, gender-identity, religion
or belief.
We understand that people may be under a lot
of pressure in the current economic climate which
can make us all less tolerant, but intolerance
ultimately hurts us all.
If you see, or experience hate crime, please let us
know. As well as working with the Police and Local
Authorities, we view hate crimes as a breach of
tenancy which could lead to legal action against
the person committing the act
For information on Hate Crime visit:
www.connecthousing.org.uk/hatecrime
WRAP UP FOR WINTER
Connect are proud to be taking part in the Wrap up for
Winter project alongside Leeds and Yorkshire Housing,
Yorkshire Housing and Leeds City Council. The aim
of the project is to collect winter clothes and coats
for homeless people.
We will be accepting donations from now until
Monday 16th January 2017. If you want to help make
a difference and donate some warm clothes, items
can be left at either of our offices in Leeds or Dewsbury.
205 Roundhay Road, Leeds, LS8 4HS
21 Bond Street, Dewsbury, WF13 1AX
The collections will be shared with several charities
at a special event on Friday 20th January 2017 so
that they can distribute to the people who access
their services. The charities who will benefit from
the generous donations are: Leeds Street Outreach,
St George’s Crypt, St Anne’s and Emmaus.
If you would like to know more, please contact
Lisa Longbottom, Tenant Involvement Officer
on 0300 5000 600.
COMMUNITY
While we celebrate
our diversity, what
surprises me time
and time again
as I travel around
the constituency
is that we are far
more united and
have far more in
common with each
other than things
that divide us.
The late
Jo Cox, M.P
18

Get in
MONEY
MATTERS
touch
0300 5000 600
www.connecthousing.org.uk
hello@connecthousing.org.uk
Connect Housing is
a charitable housing
association.
Our passion is for a
fairer society, where
people’s homes, health
and happiness matter.
/ConnectHousing
@ConnectHousing
Leeds Office
205 Roundhay Road
Leeds, LS8 4HS
This office is open as usual:
Mon, Tues, Thurs: 9am - 5.30pm
Weds: 10.30am - 5.30pm
Fri: 9am - 5pm
Dewsbury Office
21 Bond Street
Dewsbury, WF13 1AX
This office is open as usual:
Mon, Tues. Thurs, Fri: 9am - 5pm
Weds: 10.30am - 5pm
We can help you understand this information in your language. We can also provide
documents in large print or audio. Please contact us.
This magazine has been printed on FSC certified paper by a
Carbon Balanced Publication Printer using vegetable-based inks.