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THE MAGAZINE FOR RESIDENTS<br />
<strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2018</strong><br />
Chinese<br />
New<br />
Year<br />
Celebrations at<br />
Hawthorn Mill<br />
Regulator of Social Housing<br />
awards top rating<br />
Win prizes for your<br />
thoughts with our survey<br />
1
In this issue:<br />
3 High Five<br />
Latest news and events<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
8<br />
10<br />
12<br />
13<br />
14<br />
15<br />
Assessment<br />
results<br />
The outcome of our<br />
inspection revealed<br />
Tenant<br />
involvement<br />
Ways to have your say<br />
Play your<br />
cards right<br />
Catch up with the CRF<br />
...and the<br />
survey says<br />
Win vouchers by telling<br />
us what you think<br />
Our Apprentice<br />
wins big<br />
Lisa Thomas cleans up<br />
at awards ceremony<br />
Repairs review<br />
Residents shape our<br />
repairs service<br />
Year of the dog<br />
Celebrations at our<br />
older people’s scheme<br />
Community spirit<br />
A schedule of events at<br />
our community space<br />
Walking in<br />
our shoes<br />
Find out what a day<br />
in the life of our<br />
Community Housing<br />
Officer – Alan is like.<br />
Welcome<br />
Happy Chinese New Year<br />
and welcome springtime!<br />
We’ve been celebrating<br />
the Chinese New Year<br />
with residents (read<br />
more on page 13) and are<br />
looking forward to warmer<br />
weather after a very cold,<br />
snowy winter.<br />
We’re delighted to announce<br />
the results of Homes<br />
England’s recent inspection<br />
of Connect. Find out what<br />
this means for you and us on<br />
page 4.<br />
We’d like you to get involved<br />
on page 5, by having your<br />
say about gardening and<br />
cleaning services.<br />
The Connect Residents<br />
Federation (CRF) is looking<br />
for new members, find out<br />
more on page 6.<br />
Grab a chance to win prizes<br />
on pages 8/9 by completing a<br />
survey about <strong>Get</strong> <strong>Connected</strong>.<br />
We’re proud of our apprentice,<br />
Lisa Thomas who scooped<br />
several awards at an awards<br />
ceremony. Read more on<br />
page 10.<br />
Thank you<br />
On page 14 we highlight<br />
a range of events that are<br />
happening at our community<br />
space, Thrive in Dewsbury.<br />
We round up with insight<br />
into a day in the life of a<br />
Community Housing Officer –<br />
Alan Metcalfe.<br />
We hope you enjoy this<br />
issue of <strong>Get</strong> <strong>Connected</strong> –<br />
happy reading!<br />
Share your<br />
thoughts<br />
<strong>Get</strong> in touch by<br />
phone, email,<br />
Facebook or Twitter<br />
0300 5000 600<br />
communications@<br />
connecthousing.org.uk<br />
/ConnectHousing<br />
@ConnectHousing<br />
Tenants, volunteers and community partners have all been<br />
involved in this issue of the magazine.<br />
We’d like to say a big thank you to the tenants in the Connect<br />
Residents Federation (CRF) and Sandy Smithen from Engage,<br />
the residents of Hawthorn Mill, the Connect Older People’s<br />
Strategists (COPS), and all the tenants on the Connect Scrutiny<br />
Panel (CSP) who have helped shape our repairs services.<br />
2
High Five<br />
News you can use<br />
Easter closure times<br />
Our offices will be closed on Friday 30th March and<br />
Monday 2nd April. We re-open at 9am on Tuesday 3rd of April.<br />
For all emergencies, including repairs or anti-social behaviour<br />
during this time, please call: 0300 5000 600.<br />
Universal Credit<br />
rent changes<br />
Changes to your rent payments will start<br />
on Monday 2nd April. If you are on the<br />
Universal Credit full digital service<br />
(managed through the online portal) you’ll<br />
need to update your rent details to make<br />
sure your housing costs are paid. If you are<br />
in the live service, you don’t need to update<br />
as we have submitted your new rent details<br />
to the DWP. If you need help or advice on<br />
Universal Credit, please contact our<br />
Money Matters Team on: 0300 5000 600.<br />
Don’t worry,<br />
be appy!<br />
Allpay is a free smartphone app that<br />
allows you to make rent payments<br />
conveniently with the push of a button.<br />
It is available on the app store for<br />
Android, Apple and Google devices.<br />
The app is secure and only requires a<br />
payment swipe card to use.<br />
If you would like to know more or<br />
would like to order a payment swipe<br />
card, please ring: 0300 5000 600.<br />
Café sparks<br />
Hidden Memories<br />
May Bank<br />
Holidays<br />
We will be closed on<br />
Monday 7th May and<br />
Monday 28th May for the<br />
May Bank holidays. You<br />
can still contact us for<br />
emergency repairs or to<br />
report anti-social behaviour<br />
on: 0300 5000 600.<br />
Hawthorn Mill in Leeds hosts<br />
the Hidden Memories Café<br />
every month, which supports<br />
people who suffer from any<br />
type of memory loss.<br />
The café offers informal<br />
support, a range of activities and entertainment that<br />
aim to jog memories. Everybody is welcome to attend,<br />
especially carers and relatives.<br />
If you would like join, please call 0113 2311 561,<br />
email louise.clark@connecthousing.org.uk or<br />
visit www.connecthousing.org.uk/hiddenmemories.<br />
3
MONEY<br />
MATTERS UPDATE<br />
Outstanding<br />
result<br />
Connect’s Board and<br />
Management Team<br />
Join the CRF<br />
Following a recent inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing,<br />
we’re pleased that we have maintained our top rating for both Governance<br />
and Viability (G1 V1) – which is an outstanding result.<br />
v<br />
What does this mean<br />
for you?<br />
The rating gives you<br />
assurance that we are:<br />
• properly governed<br />
• good value for money<br />
• viable<br />
• sustainable<br />
We invest your rent back into<br />
new, affordable homes and<br />
services for the community<br />
that would otherwise not<br />
be available.<br />
Governance is all about<br />
making sure that we are<br />
4<br />
properly run, provide a good<br />
service for all tenants and<br />
that our plans are fit for<br />
the future.<br />
I’m delighted with<br />
the outcome, and<br />
with the thoroughly<br />
professional way<br />
that our team and<br />
the Board conducted<br />
themselves<br />
throughout the<br />
process. It’s a great<br />
result for Connect.<br />
Helen Lennon<br />
Chief Executive<br />
Did you know?<br />
We are managed by a<br />
Board of volunteers<br />
who work to ensure we<br />
provide good quality,<br />
affordable homes for<br />
local communities.<br />
If you’d like to find out<br />
more about our Board<br />
members and how we<br />
are run visit:<br />
www.connecthousing.org.uk<br />
/board
v<br />
INVOLVEMENT<br />
Gardening and<br />
cleaning standards<br />
If you currently receive a communal gardening and cleaning service from<br />
us, we’d like to hear from you. The services are set to change later this year,<br />
when we tender for new contractors.<br />
We believe that as you pay for<br />
the service (within your<br />
service charges), you should<br />
have your say in helping to set<br />
the standards of the service.<br />
In exchange for a small<br />
amount of time, you can have<br />
your say and help us to agree<br />
the service standards across<br />
our housing schemes.<br />
We would like to get as<br />
many people as possible<br />
to participate and give<br />
their opinions.<br />
If you’d like to be involved,<br />
please express your interest<br />
on our website:<br />
www.connecthousing.org.uk/<br />
consultation or call Lisa on:<br />
0300 5000 600<br />
Make a difference in<br />
your community<br />
We are looking for volunteers to complete an annual well managed estate<br />
checklist for the estate or scheme that you live on. You can make a massive<br />
difference to where you live in three simple steps:<br />
1 TRAIN<br />
2 ACT<br />
3<br />
Attend a free informal training<br />
session about how to complete<br />
your checklist.<br />
Complete the checklist on your<br />
estate/scheme once a year<br />
(in Summer).<br />
DEBRIEF<br />
Attend a 90 minute meeting to<br />
discuss your findings with the<br />
other volunteers and us.<br />
The process is easy and we’ll<br />
keep your time to a minimum.<br />
We do these checklists to<br />
capture tenant’s feedback<br />
about where they live and<br />
develop action plans for any<br />
issues that may arise.<br />
If you’d like to volunteer to<br />
complete an estate checklist<br />
or find out more, please<br />
contact Lisa Longbottom on:<br />
lisa.longbottom@<br />
connecthousing.org.uk or<br />
0300 5000 600.<br />
5
v<br />
CRF<br />
CRF Engages<br />
The Connect Residents Federation (CRF) recently held their bi-monthly<br />
general meeting at Hawthorn Mill in Leeds, which included special guests<br />
from Engage Leeds support service, quizzes, raffles and games.<br />
v<br />
The CRF welcomed special<br />
guest speaker Sandy<br />
Smithen from Engage Leeds<br />
(which Connect is a part of).<br />
Sandy spoke about the<br />
broad range of housing<br />
support services they<br />
offer which help prevent<br />
homelessness and provide<br />
long-term housing solutions<br />
to 1500 people in Leeds.<br />
She explained how Engage<br />
works with communities<br />
to develop activities to help<br />
people get into employment.<br />
Members held a charity raffle<br />
raising £87 for the Children’s<br />
Air Ambulance.<br />
After catching up with each<br />
other over lunch, members<br />
showcased their knowledge<br />
at the specially designed<br />
Valentine’s Day quiz.<br />
The meeting ended with Play<br />
Your Cards Right, where<br />
five members won some<br />
glamorous prizes. It was an<br />
enjoyable afternoon<br />
and the CRF invites any<br />
Connect tenant to come and<br />
join them.<br />
If you would like to know<br />
more about Engage Leeds<br />
call: 0113 380 7615 or email:<br />
referrals@engageleeds.org.uk<br />
If you’d like to attend a meeting or find out<br />
more about joining the CRF, please contact:<br />
Lisa Longbottom, Tenant Involvement Officer<br />
T: 0300 5000 600<br />
E: lisa.longbottom@connecthousing.org.uk<br />
Join in<br />
The CRF is run by<br />
tenants for tenants and<br />
are always looking for<br />
new members.<br />
Diary dates<br />
<strong>2018</strong><br />
General meetings:<br />
Tuesday 10th April, 6-8pm<br />
Leeds<br />
Tuesday 12th June, 6-8pm<br />
Huddersfield<br />
AGM <strong>2018</strong>:<br />
Tuesday 10th July, 4-7pm<br />
Venue TBC<br />
6
Taster session<br />
The CRF is having a taster<br />
session and you’re invited.<br />
You’ll be able to mingle<br />
with other Connect<br />
tenants, try out activities<br />
and find out about the aim<br />
of the group.<br />
Food and transport are<br />
provided. All you need to<br />
do to book a place<br />
is call Lisa Longbottom<br />
on: 0300 5000 600.<br />
The deadline to book is<br />
Tuesday 8th May.<br />
The session details are:<br />
Tuesday 15th May<br />
11.30am – 1pm<br />
Hawthorn Mill, Leeds<br />
Helping<br />
communities<br />
The CRF Community Priority Fund is a pot of money<br />
available for tenants to make improvements in<br />
their areas to benefit the wider community.<br />
The CRF Committee<br />
approve small bids all<br />
year round (under £1500),<br />
with larger bids being<br />
considered annually by a<br />
panel of tenants.<br />
The priority fund is £10,000<br />
and applications must<br />
meet at least one of the<br />
criteria: Enhance Security,<br />
Communal Car Parking<br />
Enhancements, Benefits the<br />
Wider Community.<br />
This past year, the CRF have<br />
approved and completed 31<br />
applications, which included<br />
such as security lighting,<br />
fencing and line painting in<br />
communal car parks.<br />
If you have an idea for<br />
improving the area you live<br />
in, contact Lisa Longbottom<br />
for an application form or for<br />
help to complete one.<br />
7
MONEY<br />
MATTERS SURVEY<br />
Connect<br />
to win<br />
We want to make sure that the information and stories<br />
that we deliver in <strong>Get</strong> <strong>Connected</strong> are relevant and interesting<br />
to you. We’d like to know what you think about the content of the<br />
magazine and the way you receive it. We’re offering you the chance to<br />
win shopping vouchers in a prize draw for telling us your thoughts.<br />
To enter, simply fill in this short survey<br />
and post it back to us using the freepost<br />
envelope enclosed with the magazine.<br />
If you would prefer to give us feedback<br />
digitally, (you can enter the prize draw<br />
either way) you can complete it online at:<br />
www.connecthousing.org.uk/gcfeedback<br />
Please make sure that you complete all<br />
of the questions, as only fully completed<br />
surveys will be entered into the prize draw.<br />
There are three Morrison’s shopping<br />
vouchers up for grabs. Winners will be<br />
drawn on Monday 14th May so get your<br />
entries in fast.<br />
Prizes<br />
£20<br />
VOUCHER<br />
£30<br />
VOUCHER<br />
£10<br />
VOUCHER<br />
Silver<br />
Gold<br />
Bronze<br />
8
The survey<br />
Name<br />
Age<br />
Gender<br />
email<br />
What articles do you like the most in this issue of <strong>Get</strong> <strong>Connected</strong> and why?<br />
Are there any articles that you don’t like in this issue, if so why?<br />
What would you like to see more of? (Please tick below - maximum three)<br />
Current affairs<br />
Competitions (eg. photo captions)<br />
Housing<br />
Interactive pages, such as publishing<br />
letters, photos, poems<br />
Other (please specify)<br />
Financial hints and tips<br />
Sport and leisure<br />
Building Developments<br />
Domestic/cooking hints<br />
and tips<br />
How would you prefer to receive the magazine?<br />
On our website<br />
Paper copy through the post<br />
Other (please specify)<br />
On social media<br />
Through email<br />
Any other comments?<br />
9
HOMES<br />
Lisa<br />
wins<br />
big at<br />
awards<br />
event<br />
Our Apprentice plumber, Lisa Thomas was the star of the show at a<br />
gleaming awards ceremony held by Bradford College Group. Out of 30<br />
candidates, Lisa won both the awards for overall Apprentice of the Year<br />
and Apprentice of the Year in construction.<br />
v<br />
Lisa has a busy life that<br />
combines training, raising<br />
her two children (aged seven<br />
and three) and working at<br />
Connect. She was ecstatic<br />
when she found out that<br />
she had won the prestigious<br />
awards and said:<br />
“I have always been<br />
interested in a career<br />
in construction but was<br />
hesitant when I was younger<br />
as I feared it was too male<br />
dominated. When I became<br />
a mum, I decided to follow<br />
my dream career and do<br />
something I enjoyed, while<br />
setting a positive example<br />
to my young children.<br />
I was able to do this working<br />
at Connect.”<br />
10<br />
Winning was<br />
overwhelming,<br />
I am so<br />
humbled.<br />
It means so<br />
much to me<br />
to win and<br />
set a positive<br />
example to my<br />
kids, women in<br />
construction<br />
and other<br />
single parents<br />
out there.<br />
Lisa Thomas<br />
Apprentice Plumber<br />
Apprenticeships<br />
We think it’s important<br />
to invest in young<br />
people and regularly<br />
have apprenticeships in<br />
repairs, maintenance,<br />
neighbourhoods, support<br />
and housing.<br />
Sign up<br />
You can sign up to<br />
be alerted when<br />
apprenticeships become<br />
available at:<br />
www.connecthousing.org.uk/<br />
apprenticeships
v<br />
A guide to<br />
safe gardening<br />
As the evenings draw out and the flowers start blooming, we thought that a<br />
short guide on gardening safely would be handy.<br />
Dress<br />
sensibly<br />
Keep young children<br />
and pets safe<br />
Prepare and<br />
maintain equipment<br />
Wearing rubber soled<br />
footwear will increase your<br />
protection against electric<br />
shocks. Never wear sandals,<br />
flip-flops or loose clothing<br />
that could get caught or<br />
cause you to trip over.<br />
Don’t allow young children<br />
to operate gardening<br />
machinery such as lawn<br />
mowers or dangerous<br />
tools. We advise keeping<br />
pets indoors whilst using<br />
machinery to avoid accidents.<br />
Make sure that your gardening<br />
kit is safe and secure with no<br />
damaged electrical cables or<br />
components. Always switch<br />
off and unplug appliances<br />
before lifting, adjusting<br />
or cleaning them.<br />
Flush<br />
only<br />
the<br />
three<br />
Ps<br />
We are urging all tenants to<br />
only flush the three Ps down<br />
their toilets – paper, poo<br />
and pee.<br />
There has been an increase<br />
in pipe and sewer blockages<br />
across our homes due to the<br />
flushing of baby/wet wipes,<br />
fats and other unsuitable<br />
objects down the toilet/sink.<br />
Toilets are designed to<br />
dispose of human waste and<br />
toilet roll. There are some<br />
wet wipes that say they are<br />
flushable, but they can take<br />
many years to biodegrade<br />
and contribute to blocked<br />
pipes and sewers across our<br />
water network.<br />
If you flush wipes and other<br />
items such as cotton buds<br />
down the toilet, you are<br />
increasing the risk of causing<br />
a blockage in your pipes and<br />
across the wider network.<br />
Washing leftover cooking<br />
fat, oil and grease down your<br />
sink can cause blockages.<br />
If you would like more<br />
guidance, visit:<br />
www.yorkshirewater.com/<br />
blockages<br />
11
SCRUTINY<br />
Tenant volunteers<br />
review repairs service<br />
We involve residents in scrutinising our services via the Connect Scrutiny<br />
Panel (CSP) who look in depth at the different services we offer.<br />
The CSP recently<br />
scrutinised our<br />
Responsive Repairs<br />
Service, which was<br />
identified as the top<br />
priority for tenants.<br />
The review focussed on the<br />
changes to the service since<br />
repairs were brought inhouse.<br />
It involved looking at<br />
satisfaction and complaints<br />
data, and how we perform<br />
compared to other Housing<br />
providers.<br />
The CSP carried out some<br />
reality checking exercises<br />
like hosting focus groups<br />
and interviewing key<br />
staff members.<br />
The Panel produced a report,<br />
which was presented by<br />
the tenants to the Board.<br />
The result of the review told<br />
us that the repairs service<br />
has become more efficient,<br />
more cost effective and that it<br />
was the right choice to bring<br />
it in-house.<br />
The report identified eight<br />
areas of improvement<br />
for tenants and staff.<br />
One of these was how<br />
we capture and record<br />
expressions of dissatisfaction<br />
from customers.<br />
We are taking all of these<br />
recommendations on board<br />
and are tracking the<br />
progress accordingly.<br />
I loved sitting<br />
with the<br />
hotline staff<br />
and finding out<br />
more about the<br />
work that they<br />
do, it was really<br />
interesting.<br />
CSP panel member<br />
Great news<br />
The CSP’s findings<br />
reassured us that the<br />
service is meeting its<br />
aims and objectives:<br />
• Efficient, affordable<br />
and sustainable<br />
• Fair and meets the<br />
needs of customers<br />
• Supports Connect’s<br />
values<br />
Join the CSP<br />
We are actively recruiting<br />
tenants to be a part of<br />
scrutinising our services.<br />
The CSP don’t just<br />
scrutinise repairs, they<br />
look at many areas of<br />
Connect.<br />
For more details about<br />
what it requires or how<br />
to join the CSP, contact<br />
Lisa Longbottom, Tenant<br />
Involvement Officer<br />
on: lisa.longbottom@<br />
connecthousing.org.uk<br />
or call: 0300 5000 600<br />
12
v<br />
OLDER<br />
PEOPLE<br />
Year of<br />
the dog<br />
Friday 16th February <strong>2018</strong> marked the Chinese New Year. Our older people’s<br />
scheme – Hawthorn Mill celebrated in honour of Jie, a Chinese resident.<br />
v<br />
The scheme was decorated<br />
in traditional colours and<br />
Chinese delicacies were on<br />
offer from spring rolls to<br />
fortune cookies. Chinese<br />
music filled the room<br />
and created a fun and<br />
authentic atmosphere.<br />
Scheme Manager, Sarah<br />
Lumb, led fun oriental<br />
activities including Chinese<br />
bingo and card games.<br />
Jie was happy to teach<br />
the other residents about<br />
Chinese culture and show<br />
them what their animal signs<br />
were. <strong>2018</strong> is the year of the<br />
dog, which is the sign a<br />
few residents shared.<br />
Jie was overwhelmed by the<br />
event, it made her day for<br />
us to embrace her culture.<br />
The community and inclusive<br />
spirit at Hawthorn Mill is<br />
designed to make tenants<br />
always feel welcome,<br />
at home, supported,<br />
surrounded by friends and to<br />
enjoy life.<br />
Christmas COPS<br />
Connects Older People’s<br />
Strategists (COPS) ended<br />
their 2017 in style with a<br />
fantastic Christmas party<br />
at Hawthorn Mill. They’re<br />
recruiting members to<br />
join in the strategising<br />
and fun for <strong>2018</strong>. If you’re<br />
over 55 and interested,<br />
contact Sarah Lumb.<br />
If you’d like to find out more about our older<br />
people’s scheme and COPS, please contact:<br />
Sarah Lumb, Senior Scheme Manager<br />
T: 0113 2311 561<br />
E: sarah.lumb@connecthousing.org.uk<br />
13
THRIVE<br />
Thrive is bustling<br />
Situated in the heart of Dewsbury, our community space<br />
Thrive, hosts a variety of community groups, exhibitions, work<br />
space and a brand new café.<br />
CAFÉ OPENING<br />
We have some exciting<br />
news about our Thrive<br />
café. From early April,<br />
we will be open to all,<br />
serving freshly ground<br />
Bean Brothers coffee,<br />
hearty wholesome<br />
breakfasts and nutritious,<br />
delicious lunches.<br />
We’ll make sure that all of<br />
the food and drink is locally<br />
sourced and affordable<br />
with vegetarian, vegan,<br />
halal and coeliac options.<br />
Why not pop in for a drink<br />
and bite to eat?<br />
GROUPS AND ACTIVITIES<br />
Thrive has become home to a number of exciting<br />
community groups and activities. Below are just a few<br />
diverse groups that use our versatile space:<br />
KIRKLESS VISION<br />
IMPAIRMENT NETWORK<br />
Music taster workshops for<br />
the visually impaired.<br />
Every Tuesday, 10am - 12pm<br />
Free (50p refreshments)<br />
Contact Martin: 07974 603699<br />
info@kvin.co.uk<br />
PAIN PEER<br />
SUPPORT GROUP<br />
Relaxed activities to help<br />
people in physical pain.<br />
Every Tuesday, 11.30am - 2pm<br />
£2 donation (50p refreshments)<br />
Contact Amanda: 07543 579843<br />
amandabailey67@icloud.com<br />
NATIONAL<br />
VEGETARIAN WEEK<br />
Help us to mark Vegetarian<br />
Week on 14th-20th May.<br />
Our menu will be completely<br />
vegetarian serving healthy,<br />
nutritious food. We’ll give<br />
out tempting free samples<br />
too. All welcome.<br />
DIFFERENT STROKES<br />
Supporting stroke survivors<br />
of working age.<br />
Second and fourth Thursday<br />
of each month, 2pm - 4pm<br />
Free (50p for refreshments)<br />
Contact Sue: 07597 805056<br />
sue.lerums@gmail.com<br />
MUSIC AND MEMORY<br />
Music is used to rekindle<br />
hidden memories.<br />
Every Thursday, 10am - 12pm<br />
Free (50p for refreshments)<br />
Please book in advance<br />
Contact Rebecca: 07526 723488<br />
rebecca@sakuramusic.co.uk<br />
CONTACT US<br />
0300 5000 600<br />
hello@thriveatconnect.org<br />
/thriveatconnect<br />
@thriveatconnect<br />
VOLUNTEER AT THRIVE<br />
We’re looking for volunteers to help in<br />
our café. We offer valuable work based<br />
experience and ‘on the job’ training. If this<br />
sounds like something you’re looking for,<br />
please register your interest by visiting:<br />
www.connecthousing.org.uk/thrivevols<br />
14
COMMUNITY<br />
Meet our<br />
Community<br />
Housing<br />
Officer<br />
v<br />
Our Community Housing Officers (CHOs) work with our tenants to ensure all<br />
our communities are the best they can be. Here’s a day in Alan’s shoes.<br />
v<br />
Hello, my name is<br />
Alan Metcalfe and I am a<br />
Community Housing Officer<br />
in the North Kirklees area<br />
for Connect and this is<br />
what I do.<br />
My role is very varied, I<br />
never get two days that<br />
are the same. Today I<br />
started planning my day<br />
at 9am, mixing the<br />
unexpected alongside<br />
pre-booked appointments.<br />
I met up with a few tenants in<br />
Hightown, Dewsbury.<br />
It’s always interesting hearing<br />
how people are getting<br />
involved with their community<br />
and neighbours.<br />
Tenants’ ideas<br />
and insights are<br />
essential when I<br />
am thinking about<br />
the ways we can all<br />
work together to<br />
improve local areas.<br />
Alan Metcalfe<br />
Community Housing Officer<br />
Then on to Batley to help<br />
deal with persistent rubbish<br />
dumping in communal<br />
areas and discuss a parking<br />
problem with local residents.<br />
I returned to the office to<br />
book some visits with our<br />
new tenants. I aim to visit new<br />
tenants in the first week of<br />
joining Connect to introduce<br />
myself, welcome them to<br />
the neighbourhood and<br />
explain what I do. I finish the<br />
day with my team, working<br />
through our new Anti-Social<br />
Behaviour toolkit that’s<br />
launching soon.<br />
If you would like to have a chat with your<br />
Community Housing Officer, please contact:<br />
Helen Gallimore<br />
Service Manager - Neighbourhoods<br />
T: 0300 5000 600<br />
E: helen.gallimore@connecthousing.org.uk<br />
One of the best bits of<br />
my role is getting to help<br />
different people every day.<br />
I get satisfaction from helping<br />
our communities and my<br />
involvement can mean a<br />
positive outcome all-round.<br />
15
<strong>Get</strong> in<br />
MONEY<br />
MATTERS<br />
touch<br />
0300 5000 600<br />
www.connecthousing.org.uk<br />
hello@connecthousing.org.uk<br />
Connect Housing is<br />
a charitable housing<br />
association.<br />
Our passion is for a<br />
fairer society, where<br />
people’s homes, health<br />
and happiness matter.<br />
/ConnectHousing<br />
@ConnectHousing<br />
Leeds Office<br />
205 Roundhay Road<br />
Leeds, LS8 4HS<br />
Mon, Tues, Thurs: 9am - 5.30pm<br />
Weds: 10.30am - 5.30pm<br />
Fri: 9am - 5pm<br />
Dewsbury Office<br />
21 Bond Street<br />
Dewsbury, WF13 1AX<br />
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 9am - 5pm<br />
Weds: 10.30am - 5pm<br />
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documents in large print or audio. Please contact us.<br />
This magazine has been printed on FSC certified paper by a<br />
Carbon Balanced Publication Printer using vegetable-based inks.