P7 Flexicare supportP4 New window cleaningP2 Tackling homelessness

Partnering up for DIY See page 3

Summer 2019

News and Viewsfor our tenants and leaseholders

Nuisance parkers face £100 chargeIf you park a vehicle on amenity greens or garage forecourts you may be issued with a Community Protection Warning.

This could lead to a Community Protection Charge, which can result in a fine of £100. We do not allow skips on our amenity greens, so if you need a skip and you’re not able to place it in your own garden you must apply to Hertfordshire County Council for a licence.

Want to report an issue? If you see a vehicle or skip left on a garage forecourt or amenity green, please contact your tenancy officer or email housing@dacorum.gov.uk

We cannot deal with illegal parking on footpaths or Public Highways.

Rough sleepers won’t get left out in the coldWe gained £10,000 extra funding to make sure no one in Dacorum has to sleep outside in freezing conditions.

This money for ‘cold weather provision’ means that the DENS day care centre was able to extend their hours last winter and employ a part time outreach worker to encourage rough sleepers to access the support they need. This funding also allows DENS to arrange transport, including a taxi service to take those in need of food and overnight accommodation to The Elms crash pad.

From January to April, 16 people who were rough sleeping in Dacorum accessed these services. Several ‘Outreach Nights’ were organised, when staff set out to find people who were street homeless. They offered advice and handed out clothing and sleeping bags. Staff will also be using the ‘Outreach Nights’ as an opportunity to track how many people are rough sleeping in Dacorum.

The Strategic Housing Team has been proactive in delivering our homelessness strategy and working to eradicate rough sleeping through its successful 'No Second Night Out' campaign.

To report a rough sleeper please go to: www.dacorum.gov.uk/rough-sleeper

For more information about The Elms crash pad, visit: www.dens.org.uk/how-we-help/the-elms

2 News www.dacorum.gov.uk/housing

Do you have a story? Call Housing Engagement on 01442 228000

£200,000 Homelessness Grant Fund AwardWe’re always keen to look at opportunities to develop the services we offer, including applying for external funding.

We worked with St Albans City and District Council to put in a joint bid for a share of the Government’s Rough Sleeping Initiative Fund for 2019-2020. We were awarded £100,000 to provide outreach services and £100,000 for Housing First, a new national project to improve the lives of, and support for, some of society’s most excluded people.

We are committed to tackling homelessness. Last year we achieved the ten local challenges set out by the National Practitioner Support Service and as a result were awarded Gold standard status for our services. This grant funding will allow us to expand our activities at no cost to Dacorum’s Council Tax payers and will fund initiatives to help those most in need on our streets. We will signpost rough sleepers to the services that can help them overcome their problems, as well as making contact with the growing number of street beggars who already have a home of their own.

If you have a question about homelessness prevention, please email homelessnessprevention@dacorum.gov.uk or telephone 01442 228000 and ask for 'Homeless Prevention'.

Partnering up for DIY courses Tenant Academy and our partners Osborne are running basic DIY courses to teach tenants how to do the small jobs that are their responsibility.

Ten local tenants took part in our most recent course and learnt how to fix minor repairs in their homes. They found out how to change toilet seats, plugs, light bulbs, fuses and door locks as well as unblocking a drain, fitting a door bell, hanging a curtain pole and fitting and checking smoke alarms.

None of them had any previous experience, but with the help of three expert and friendly Osborne staff, they were able to improve their basic DIY skills. All our tenants told us they enjoyed the course and would find it very useful for daily life, with one tenant already fixing a new toilet seat in their own home!

We want our tenants to feel confident carrying out these small tasks, but we understand some people may find it daunting. These DIY courses are the perfect way to learn from the professionals and have fun with other tenants.

If you are interested in attending the next DIY course, or want to find out about other courses our Tenant Academy offers, you can find more details on our website: www.dacorum.gov.uk/tenant-academy or email tenant.involvement@dacorum.gov.uk

housing.engagement@dacorum.gov.uk 3Involving you

Aiming high in

We’re looking for enthusiastic residents to join our Tenant and Leaseholder Committee (TLC).

In 2017 we became the first landlord in the country to achieve tpas ‘Pro Landlord’ status for our resident engagement. We want to repeat this success in 2020, so we need your help! If you’re interested in taking part in focus groups to work towards further improvements, please email tenant.involvement@dacorum.gov.uk or call 01442 228000 and ask for ‘Tenant Involvement’.

We’re a tpas Pro Landlord www.dacorum.gov.uk/get-involved

Leaseholder Service ReviewWe’re reviewing the service we offer to our 1,800 leaseholders.

A leaseholder’s legal status means that they are a tenant in the block that we own, but as a home-owner they are responsible for contributing their share of the cost of repairs and maintenance. Over the past few years, Right To Buy sales have increased the number of DBC leaseholders by around 50%, so it’s important that we make sure that our leaseholder service remains fit for purpose.

As a first step, we asked leaseholders to complete a satisfaction survey. We also interviewed staff to find out what problems they face. We then produced a report to take to the Tenant and Leaseholder Committee and ask for their views on our findings. We will continue to work on the service review over the coming months. You can watch a short video summarising the results of the leaseholder survey in the ‘Housing Service Consultations’ section of our website or on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/QKiK16twUhY

The housing cleaning service deals with all cleaning issues on housing land.

4 Your home www.dacorum.gov.uk/housing

This includes a routine clean of internal communal areas in blocks of flats and sheltered schemes, fly tipping on housing land and - more recently - window cleaning. The window cleaning service covers all communal areas as well as external window cleaning of all supported housing flats and bungalows.

Please help us to keep the areas around your home clean. Our Estates and Cleaning Lead Officer, Jonathan Carrington-Dunn, told us:

“We do the best we can with the time we have. The more residents can do to help, the better the standards will be. Our cleaners have a set time for each site and prioritise tasks based on the condition of the block.”

The easier you make it for the cleaners, the better the cleaning standard will be.

Please remember to:

• Follow the correct recycling procedures

• Clean up after pets

• Clear up any spillages

• Keep your things off stairs and landings – even shoes

• Report maintenance problems or damage, for example:broken door handles, damaged glass and other faults

• Report communal area repairs to Osbornes

• Report graffiti

• Use footpaths not grassed areas to avoid muddyfootprints in communal areas.

Changes to window cleaning serviceWe've listened to feedback from residents and brought window cleaning back in-house for a trial period of 18 months. The window cleaners will be focusing on quality over speed, to make sure all window frames and sills are cleaned thoroughly, using water fed poles and purified water. They will be working from a DBC vehicle and can provide identification on request.

To report a housing cleaning issue, please email housing.cleaning@dacorum.gov.uk

For all other cleaning or fly-tipping issues including graffiti and dog waste, please go to: www.dacorum.gov.uk/report-it

Would you like to swap your home? Dacorum Borough Council's housing service is subscribed to House Exchange, the mutual exchange site for social housing tenants.

If you are a DBC tenant it's easy to search for a home to swap with another tenant.

Just create your free account and start looking for your perfect home.

Visit www.dacorum.gov.uk/mutual-exchange for more information on how to register with the House Exchange website.

Housing Cleaning Service

Universal Credit update Tenants on Universal Credit now have average rent arrears around three times higher than tenants on Housing Benefit. Universal Credit is paid monthly in arrears, with a five-week wait for the first payment - and there have been some problems with the system. We now have more than 500 Council tenants claiming Universal Credit, so many households are facing difficulty.

Universal Credit applies to all working age claimants as well as ‘mixed age’ couples, where one person is working age and the other of pensionable age.

We want to help our tenants who are struggling with Universal Credit or other financial problems, so we have appointed a specialist income officer, Anne Perera. You can find out more about Anne’s role in ‘Behind the scenes’.

If you are worried about being able to pay your rent, please speak to your Housing Income Officer, or just call 01442 228000 and ask for ‘Housing Income’.

#UKHousingFast supports your local foodbank! The #UKHousingFast campaign aims to raise awareness of food poverty in the UK.

We organised a working day fast, wrote supportive pledges on empty plates and donated food and cash for our local DENS foodbank.

These donations will benefit people in Dacorum who are struggling and cannot afford to feed their families.

You can also contribute to local families in need! To find out how you can help, visit: www.dens.org.uk/how-we-help/foodbank

housing.engagement@dacorum.gov.uk 5Your money

Behind the scenes Who are the people who make up Dacorum's Housing service?

Here we meet: Anne Perera, the Council’s new Universal Credit Officer.

I joined the Housing Income Team in June this year, in a new role created to support tenants in receipt of Universal Credit. I have always worked in Welfare benefits, most recently for the Building Better Opportunities in Hertfordshire project, which helps people to maximise their income and work to solve any budgeting or debt issues. I have also worked for Age UK, helping people with benefits issues and setting up Lasting Powers of Attorney.

The main focus of my current job is to resolve any complications our tenants face due to Universal Credit. I can liaise between tenants and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and try to make sure that these problems do not start to affect tenants’ health and wellbeing.

I am here to help and support you to resolve the complicated issues that can sometimes arise due to Universal Credit. I can help you to liaise with other service providers, give you useful information and make sure that you know how to protect your tenancy by managing your income well and keeping up with your rent payments.

The best thing about this job is that I’m able to help people to take control of their finances and become more independent, so if you’re worried about Universal Credit please email me at anne.perera@dacorum.gov.uk or call 01442 228000 and ask for Anne Perera or ‘Housing Income’.

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Hoarding is no joke How often do you hear someone say “I’m such a hoarder!”? Hoarding is a recognised mental health disorder that can effect anyone no matter what their background. People who find it difficult to get rid of items, or who collect too many unnecessary objects, can end up suffering from loneliness and mental health problems. Hoarding is more than just being very untidy – it can pose serious health and safety risks.

If you are worried that someone you know has so much clutter in their home that it’s interfering with their everyday life, for example if they are unable to use some of the rooms in their home, then it's really important to encourage them to ask for help. Many people who hoard do not see it as a problem and may become very upset if someone tries to clear the clutter or get rid of their things, even if it’s items that most of us would call ‘rubbish’, such as old carrier bags, junk mail or even stale food.

Some sufferers do realise they have a problem, but are reluctant to seek help because they feel ashamed, humiliated or guilty about it.

Our Tenancy Team and Tenancy Sustainment Team are here to help. We are working in partnership with mental health charity MIND to offer a support package of non-judgemental practical help, including signposting to counselling. Our priority is to improve health, safety and wellbeing, so we work at a pace to support the resident with the aim of empowering them to make positive changes.

If you need help with a hoarding issue, either for yourself or someone else living in a Council home, please email details to tenancy.sustainment@dacorum.gov.uk or call 01442 228000 and ask to be put through to the Tenancy Sustainment Team.

Keep your Communal Areas safe Your housing service works to ensure the health and safety of everyone who lives in, works in or visits any of our properties. Our Neighbourhood Support Officers regularly inspect our estates and blocks of flats and will take action to remove anything left in communal areas. These areas must be kept clear so that if there’s a fire or other emergency, everyone can get out safely and the emergency services can come in quickly without fear of trip hazards.

It’s also important that our cleaning service staff can carry out their job effectively and that it’s safe for repairs and maintenance workers to access all areas. Our zero tolerance approach to items left in communal areas helps to prevent fire hazards, allows us to carry out essential repairs and maintenance and makes our residents’ homes safe and enjoyable places to live.

Fire safety is everyone’s responsibility. Council staff work hard to keep our blocks free from clutter, but we need your help! Please keep communal areas clean and clear. If you see a problem let us know. You can email compliance@dacorum.gov.uk but if it’s something urgent then please speak to a member of our Compliance Team on 01442 228488.

6 Home safety www.dacorum.gov.uk/housing

Important Reminder – NO barbecues on balconies!We would like to remind all residents in blocks of flats that barbecues and other sources of heat and flames must not be used on balconies. This is a serious fire risk and could put your own and others’ lives in danger.

Staying independent with Flexicare Our Flexicare service at Evelyn Sharp House offers a higher level of care than our other sheltered schemes.

The dedicated team of carers delivers daily care to tenants who need extra support, whilst promoting independent living within their own home. Although the service doesn’t include regular night time care, residents have the peace of mind of knowing that there are carers on site 24 hours a day to handle an emergency.

The care staff work alongside our supported housing officer to run group activities in the comfortable lounge area, making sure that all tenants have the chance to join in. The residents contribute their ideas for activities so that there’s plenty of variety.

There are coffee afternoons every weekday and bingo three times each week for those who like to go ‘eyes down for a full house’! Every Tuesday the chair-based 'Let’s dance' sessions run by qualified dance instructors get everyone joining in with some fun exercise to music. These sessions are open to tenants from other sheltered schemes too, so everyone can enjoy themselves whilst improving their physical health, even if they are chair-bound or have very limited mobility. Other activities include exercise classes led by qualified trainers, as well as afternoon buffets, live singers and Halloween and Christmas parties.

For more information on how to apply for a flat at our Evelyn Sharp House Flexicare scheme, please visit: www.dacorum.gov.uk/flexicare

Keep in touch with Lifeline A lifeline is the affordable way to gain the peace of mind of knowing that you can call for help 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even if you have a fall or can’t get to the phone.

Recent enhancements to the options available include:

• Fall detector pendant • Bed/chair pressure sensor

• Medication dispenser • Door sensor.

• Carbon Monoxide or Natural Gas detectors

Find out more about the lifeline service on our website: www.dacorum.gov.uk/lifeline

Raising awareness of Elder Abuse To mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, our Supported Housing Team organised a fun-filled event at Phyllis Courtnage House.

To highlight the serious and often hidden issue of elder abuse, Hertfordshire Adult Care Services gave a helpful talk about how to recognise the warning signs. Following this thought-provoking session, everyone settled down to enjoy afternoon tea and entertainment. Singing along to favourite songs got the toes tapping, with some residents and staff even taking to the dance floor!

Guests included Social Services, Dacorum’s Anti-Social behaviour team and the Police. Tenants made comments such as “I had so much fun, thank you. I hope you do this again!”

For more information about supported housing and future events, visit www.dacorum.gov.uk/supportedhousing

housing.engagement@dacorum.gov.uk 7Supported housing

Last Chance for Warmer Homes Grant If you’re one of our tenants, the housing service makes sure that your home is well insulated and that your boiler is serviced and maintained regularly.

However, home owners, leaseholders and private tenants could benefit from a Hertfordshire Warmer Homes grant. The scheme offers free or discounted energy improvements for eligible homes. Our funding to take part in this scheme ends this September, so if you know anyone who might benefit, please take a look at our website: www.dacorum.gov.uk/housing-grants

www.dacorum.gov.uk/housing8 News in brief

Dacorum reviewed by its peersAs part of our commitment to learning and improving the way we work, we invited the Local Government Association (LGA) to carry out a corporate peer review of our strengths and areas for improvement.

The peer review explored our understanding of place, partnerships, leadership, capacity and service delivery.

The LGA report highlights many positive findings on what we do well and what we’ve achieved. It also contains recommendations on where we could do things differently to improve outcomes for local people. The peer review is a useful reminder of what we need to do to ensure that we’re in the best shape to be able to deliver our long term strategy.

Work is now being done to identify how the LGA recommendations can be best implemented.

The full LGA report with findings can be found at: www.dacorum.gov.uk/peer-review

Contact us If you would like more information, want to give us some feedback or would like this issue in another format such as large print, CD or in another language, please contact us:

email housing.engagement@dacorum.gov.uk

website www.dacorum.gov.uk/get-involved

phone 01442 228000 - say the name of the person you want to speak to or simply ask for Housing Engagement

Please like us on facebook.com/dacorumhousing to receive notifications of housing news and consultations

Follow us on Twitter: @DBCHousing

Have you signed up for MyDacorum?Over 1,800 Dacorum residents have already created their MyDacorum account.

You can access Council services online even when the Council offices are closed. The benefits of signng up to MyDacorum include:

• Bin collection reminders - never miss a bin collection by activating our text/ email reminders, which include information on which bins to put out

• Quick-fill forms - just fill in the bits that need reporting and we'll do the rest

• Quicker payments - pre-filled with your contact details

• Online statements - view your Council Tax statements online anytime you want

• Local information - find out information about your local area, including your local councillor.

You can sign up to My Dacorum at: www.dacorum.gov.uk/MyDacorum

Next year, Hertfordshire Year of Culture 2020 (HYOC2020) will be a year to celebrate, share and explore the arts, culture and heritage of your county.

Look out for news of exciting events and activities to celebrate and promote all that Hertfordshire and Dacorum have to offer.

If you would like to find out more, please email our Community Partnerships and Wellbeing Officer, annie.smith@dacorum.gov.uk