1Spring Portcall 2017

PORTCALL

SPRING ISSUE 2017

Photo from left to right: Lucy Whittaker, Customer Services Manager, with Customer Advisors, Chelsea Smith, Jenni Gegan, Ann Robertson and Lesleyann Clark.

How our customer advisors can help you...

Inside this issue:

Special feature on the customer advice team

Meet our new facilities team

Latest mid market rent news

Sheltered tenants receive visit from the First Minister

PORT OF LEITHHOUSING ASSOCIATION

2 Spring Portcall 2017

KEITH’S MESSAGE A walk across the Links reveals some encouraging signs that spring has sprung in Leith. With the spring clean season now in full swing, the team at our new social enterprise Quay Community Improvements have been busy doing deep cleans in addition to the usual stair and floor cleaning. No doubt you have spotted them out and about in Leith.

This issue of Portcall brings you news about a new facilities team which has been set up to manage common areas and mixed ownership properties. It also gives you an overview of the important work of the Association’s Customer Advice Team, who put their knowledge of housing, repairs, private lettings and customer services to good use to answer your questions.

We are thrilled that all of the new mid market flats at Silverfields have been let and we are also excited about the Leith Fort development which is coming soon.

There is also a lot of exciting news coming from our sheltered developments in this issue, including book launches and a visit from the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

I hope you enjoy this issue of your newsletter. We’re always interested to hear what you’d like to see in Portcall. If you have any ideas, please let us know by emailing socialmedia@polha.co.uk or drop into reception.

Keith Anderson

Welcome

2

Another great year for TOiL

(Training Opportunities In Lothian)

At a graduation event at the City Chambers last November, 35 young people graduated following an 18 week training programme with a local employer. After completion, 21 of them have found jobs, apprenticeships or are continuing with further education.

Family and friends, as well as employers and partner organisations, watched the ceremony where certificates were presented to the graduates by Ben MacPherson MSP, Edinburgh Northern and Leith. Mr MacPherson commended the TOiL team on their work to provide opportunities for young people.

3Spring Portcall 2017

Our New Facilities Team

As part of a recent restructure to the Property and New Business Department, we have set up a new facilities team. This team will be responsible for overseeing the management of a number

of services to common areas and mixed ownership properties, and to ensure that we continue to deliver a high quality service to our customers. They will liaise with residents groups, tenants and private owners in order to deliver the following services:

Estate Management

Grounds Maintenance

Stair Cleaning

Factoring

Common Repairs to Multi Ownership Properties

Lift Servicing and Maintenance

Stair Lighting

Mechanical and Electrical Servicing and Maintenance

Legionella Management

The facilities team is keen for your feedback on how we can continue to improve its services. Please give them a call on 0131 554 0403.

News from Constitution Street

New Faces and Promotions

Alex BurnsMaintenance Officer

Melanie HueyDevelopment Officer

Jamie PattersonProject Officer

Kerry PeaceSheltered Housing

Cleaner

Charlotte McNeillCommunications and

Customer Engagement Manager

The facilities team from left to right:

Duncan Graham - Facilities Management Team Leader; Craig Ross - Facilities Administrator; Serena Selkirk - Facilities Administrator; Shona Maxwell - Estate Officer; Dee Shiels - Common Repairs Officer (not pictured)

Natasha Duckham - VentersCustomer Advisor

4 Spring Portcall 2017

Lucy When you contact us we aim to give you

the information you need right away to save you time and for you to feel confident that you can receive the help and advice you need without being passed to another staff member.

Team members have backgrounds in housing, repairs, private lettings and customer services, and a range of qualifications, including SVQs in business administration, Chartered Institute of Housing qualifications, Housing Law and Advice training and degrees.

On average we answer 2,400 calls, speak to 829 visitors at the reception and field 415 emails a month. The team also has a variety of administrative tasks to deliver to support other people in the Association. It can get pretty lively but

we’ll always prioritise your enquiry.

Meet our Customer Advice Team

AnnMonday is generally our busiest day. We

access voicemails to pick up any emergency repairs or housing issues that have been logged over the weekend. Over the course of a day the team might check rent accounts, log antisocial behaviour complaints, give advice on applying for social and mid market housing, and make appointments for other departments (including housing and maintenance). We also take referrals for our tenancy support team.

RachelToday I have been carrying out a training

induction with our new Customer Advisor, Natasha. It takes around six months to cover the basic training, be proficient in the tasks and have good general housing knowledge. I will be highlighting the core values of being welcoming, friendly and professional. I have also been arranging a POLCAT event to paint an office for a local charity. POLCAT is a group of PoLHA staff who volunteer to help local causes.

SamI have had a lot of involvement with allocating

eight mid market flats at our new development at Stanwell Street. I help with the adverts, shortlisting, viewings, tenancy sign-ups and check in to properties. We now have these allocated with tenants living in their new homes.

Our Customer Advice Team offers a whole range of services to meet the

needs of our customers. Read on to get to know the team members a bit better...

Photo (back: left to right) Ann, Lesleyann, Rachel, Chelsea(front: left to right) Christine, Sam, Jenni, Natasha, Sharyn

NatashaJust having recently started with the Customer

Advice Team I’m still in training, but am thoroughly enjoying my new post. The team have been great and are so lovely and welcoming. It’s such a friendly environment to work in.

5Spring Portcall 2017

Jenni The second reception desk can be just as busy as the main

desk. We take payments for rent, recharges and factoring fees. It can be particularly busy on the first of the month when rent is due. We also deal with all general enquiries and if we can’t help here, we will refer you on to organisations that can help. We also make sure the contractors’ insurances are up

to date.

ChristineWe keep in mind when people call that they

may be upset about other things happening in their lives. We want our customers to feel listened to and that their needs are being met. Occasionally, we may need to challenge angry or aggressive behaviour but will always do this in a professional and respectful way.

LesleyannAs well as what my colleagues have

already mentioned, we also go on courses to further our skills within our jobs to ensure that we always give the best service we can to our customers. As these courses are usually during office hours, it means that we have to be able to manage the day job as well as committing to furthering our knowledge and skills.

ChelseaOn top of the day to day duties, we have a rota

each month that requires us to share other tasks. This month I dealt with rent postings, contacted gas and electric suppliers about void bills and contacted tenants about annual gas servicing. I have a strong passion for customer service and I love solving customers’ issues smoothly and leaving them satisfied or even happier than when they originally called.

SharynEvery day in the Customer Advice team brings something new.

We strive to provide the best customer service experience for everyone and deal with enquiries promptly and efficiently or signpost customers to the relevant staff for more specific enquiries. We process invoices for a variety of contractors and regularly update information to be able to answer any customer queries regarding new developments, heating upgrades or

cyclical painting works.

6 Spring Portcall 2017

Update on Quay

Tenant News Development Updates

Our new social enterprise Quay began delivering stair and office cleaning to PoLHA properties in October, and by now our branded

vans and uniformed staff will be a familiar sight in your area.

The last few months have flown by while we trialled a new floor cleaner, started to collect dumped items, cleaned carpets and stair entrance door mats, begun the deep cleans and now we’re also valeting the PoLHA electric cars. Since January Dr Bells Family Centre in Leith has been part of our cleaning schedule and other contracts are in the process of starting.

Some Quay stair cleaning staff will be familiar faces as they transferred to us from the previous contractor, while others are new, getting to know the area and properties.

An official launch event was held in early December at our new office at Lochend Butterfly Way (pictured above: members from the Quay Board) and our meeting room is being used regularly by PoLHA staff for training sessions.

We are also delighted that Chelsea Smith and Wendy Chan, who are both longstanding PoLHA staff members, have joined Quay part-time to kick start our community initiatives which will focus on the social, economic and physical improvement of Leith and the wider north Edinburgh area.

The first mid market flats of the year have recently been completed at Silverfields near Pilrig Park. The eight 2 bed/3 person flats built by Persimmon Homes East Scotland are part of the affordable housing contribution for the wider development.All the flats were allocated prior to completion and the new residents have now moved into their homes. Mid market rent is for people who have a household income level between £17,000 and £39,000 per year and who are not in receipt of housing benefit.

The eight flats are all in one stair and are fully carpeted, and equipped with an electric cooker, gas hob and Sky services.

Silverfields properties all let

7Spring Portcall 2017

First Minister pays tenants a visit

Tenants of Port of Leith Housing Association’s Jameson Place development welcomed a special guest in December when First Minister Nicola Sturgeon paid them a visit as part of Pilmeny’s Generations

Project which brings together older people, carers and young people.

Tenant Kathleen Waldman also gifted the First Minister with a tea set created by residents at Jameson Place to mark the occasion.

Maureen Tait, sheltered housing services manager at PoLHA, said: “Our tenants at Jameson Place and across our sheltered housing developments very clearly enjoy participating in the Generations Project. Intergenerational support groups like those run by the Pilmeny Development Project help us build a stronger sense of community and enable us to prevent and address loneliness among older members.”

News from our Sheltered Developments

Tenants launch book about working in Leith

Women at Work: Stories and Memories from the Women of Leith shares stories from 11 women who have worked and lived in Leith for most of their lives.

Children from the local Gaelic school Taobh na Pàirce visited Jameson Place sheltered housing development to celebrate the launch of a book by a group of tenants. The children presented each of the women with a piece of artwork inspired by their stories and performed a traditional song for the audience of Jameson Place tenants.

Norah McKenna (pictured bottom right) one of the women involved in the Women at Work project, said: “It was a wonderful experience to be involved in the Living Memories project. The other ladies and I greatly enjoyed getting together to share our memories with one another. Looking back over the years, I was reminded of all the ways Leith has changed since I was young, and it is lovely to think that we were part of it.”

8 Spring Portcall 2017

Don’t miss the special Leith Market event!The weekly Leith Market in Dock Place is hosting a special ‘Celebration of all things Leith’ event on Saturday 29 April, 10am to 5pm. Just next door to the market, Custom House will also be open and a great selection of local groups and charities will be there to share in the fun, explain what’s happening

with them and what they can do for you.

There will be hot street food, space hopper races and lots of market stalls with more great activities to be announced. It’s shaping up to be a good opportunity to find out what’s happening in our area.

Bring your copy of Portcall with you to receive a discount at participating stalls, including Au Gourmand French bread stall (10% discount on breads, croissants and tarts) and Caithness Smokehouse (10% discount on all hot and cold smoked products).

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line two 20 cm / 8 in sandwich tins. Place all the cake ingredients, except boiling water, into a large mixing bowl and beat the mixture with a wooden spoon or electric whisk until smooth and well combined.

Add boiling water to mixture, a little at a time, until smooth and runny. Divide cake mixture between sandwich tins and bake in oven for 25-35 minutes, or until top is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the cake centre comes out clean.

Run a round bladed knife around the inside of the cake tins to loosen the cakes and carefully remove from tins. Spread a little chocolate icing over the top of one cake then carefully top with the other cake. Transfer cake to a serving plate and ice all over with the chocolate icing, using a palette, or other flat, knife.

Port of Leith Housing Association Ltd,108 Constitution Street, Leith,Edinburgh EH6 6AZ

Congratulations to our winners of our Winter Portcall word search competition - Margaret and Alfie Case won a £25 Tesco gift voucher

225g / 8oz plain flour

350g / 12½oz caster sugar

85g / 3oz cocoa powder

1½ tsp baking powder

1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 eggs

250 ml / 9 fl oz milk

125 ml / 4½ fl oz vegetable oil

250 ml / 9 fl oz boiling waterIcing: 200g / 7oz plain chocolate

200 ml / 7 fl oz double cream

Easy and delicious chocolate cake

If you need to have Portcall in another format, please contact our Customer Advice Team on 0131 554 0403.