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Aspiration • Independence • Pride in place eSpring 2014

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Celebrating

By working together we can have an immediate and positive impact on people’s lives, translating to educational achievement, increased employment opportunities, reduced crime, and a healthy and more inclusive community.

Together we can deliver the long term social and community benefits our tenants deserve. Read on to learn about some of our exciting and life changing partnerships.

Wulvern is committed to working alongside key partner organisations and supporting initiatives which will lead either directly, or indirectly, to the improvement of our communities, helping us to deliver our promises to our tenants.

Email: partnerships@wulvernhousing.org.uk Tel: 01270 506200

Talk to us today about partnership working or new

business opportunities!

We are proud to support the South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and are represented on their Board.

We have worked with partners to support older and vulnerable people to improve their health and wellbeing. This has included trips out, exercise classes, health workshops and social events.

We have worked with Catch 22 and Cheshire Young Carers, to provide opportunities for young people facing tough situations to have fun, socialise, share their experiences and raise their aspirations.

We have worked with partners such as the Police and Cheshire East to promote safe and peaceful neighbourhoods.

We continue to work with our contractors to develop employment and training opportunities, investing in local people as well as neighbourhoods.

Through grants and volunteer support, we support mentoring programmes for young people to increase their self-confidence, raise their aspirations, improve their academic performance and gain work experience. Wulvern employees have trained as mentors developing their skills, whilst investing in young people.

We continue to partner with local primary schools in our neighbourhoods, including taking an active role in their governance.

Through our partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University and Cheshire East, we continue to develop and implement work related programmes to help young people into training and work and reduce Anti Social Behaviour within our neighbourhoods.

Our support for the Christian Concern furniture recycling project has resulted in over 101 tonnes of furniture being donated, helping over 250 people furnish their homes.

Wulvern are working in Partnership with… Adullam HomesBlacon Community TrustBeechwood Primary SchoolCrewe LAPChristian ConcernCheshire East CouncilCheshire PoliceCheshire Fire & Rescue ServiceCheshire Probation TrustCrewe Alexandra Football ClubCheshire Academy of Integrated ArtsCrewe Womens AidCrewe Senior ForumCrewe Re-cycles CyclesCitizens Advice BureauxCrewe 175Catch 22Christians Against PovertyCruden ConstructionGalliford TryDuke of Edinburgh’s Award SchemeGreenspaces South Cheshire Community Interest CompanyInternet CentralKings Grove High SchoolMablins Lane Community Primary SchoolManchester Metropolitan UniversityNantwich LAPNantwich Football ClubNational Sales AcademyNew Testament Church Stewart StreetOCEANPathways Community Interest CompanyPetty Pool TrustRed Shift Community RadioSir William Stanier Community SchoolSurestartSouth Cheshire CollegeSouth Cheshire Chamber of CommerceSouth Cheshire ABC The Georges Community CentreTwista Sister/Twista Mister ProjectValley Community Action ProjectVine Tree Primary SchoolWishing WellYMCA

Turn over to discover some other exciting Partnerships

AwArd winning wulvern!

Our tenth anniversary year is proving to be very fruitful for Wulvern’s trophy cabinet! We are delighted to have been awarded with and amazing nine accolades which recognise our commitment to contributing to growing the local economy and attracting new employees to the region and demonstrates that we are truly delivering brilliant social housing! We are proud to share our recent successes with you.

Wulvern fought off stiff competition from the other shortlisted companies to be crowned Best Large Business at the South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry Awards 2013. The prestigious awards recognise South Cheshire’s best businesses. This years’ winners included companies who have helped to fight the economic downturn, invested in the local community, created wealth for the local economy and created jobs.

Christmas came early at Wulvern when we were awarded the prestigious Gold level at our first Investors in People assessment, making us part of the exclusive 7% of Investors in People in the country that have achieved Gold accreditation.

The golden accolade recognises Wulvern’s excellence in investing in staff, developing people and creating a positive, supportive culture in which to work. These attributes are a key tool in recruiting and retaining the very best of staff, making us a great organisation to work with!

We have also just entered two submissions into the UK Housing Awards so fingers crossed we can make it 10 awards in our 10th year!

We’re celebrating after making it into the Sunday Times top 100 not for profit organisations to work for this year!! Wulvern are straight in at number 58 - a fantastic achievement in our first year of entering! Great recognition for the support we give to colleagues and in turn customers. This follows our reaccreditation as a ‘very good’ employer by workplace engagement specialists Best Companies. 

Best Companies Accreditation, which recognises excellence in the workplace, follows the elite ‘Michelin style’ star rating system based on employee responses to a series of questions designed to examine the components of a happy and successful workplace, such as a company’s ability to provide leadership, wellbeing and personal growth, as well as canvassing people’s views on their management, colleagues and happiness.

Following the move, Greenspaces has been working with two Year 12 students from neighbouring Sir William Stanier Community School on the Sherborne Urban Garden project.  The project is being funded and supported by Wulvern, Sir William Stanier Community High School and the Cheshire East NEETs programme delivered through the Warrington Collegiate ‘Xpand’ project which provides off site education and training in a ‘real world’ environment in readiness for full time employment or further education.

The team has been busy transforming the back yard of the Community Bungalow, working towards the development of an urban market garden to be used for community engagement and training activities, based around the production of cost-effective, healthy fruit and vegetables for the dinner table. 

One element of the project has been the design and construction of six large raised planters which act as tidy, easily accessible growing units.  Valuable assistance has come from the Age UK project known as Men in Sheds (also based in Crewe) who have helped develop a sturdy and attractive design.

Sue Crum Wulvern’s Regeneration Manager said:

“We have been working in partnership with Greenspaces for over two years now and are really pleased they have chosen to take up residence at the heart of the Sherborne Estate, helping us deliver our regeneration goals to grow green, clean and vibrant communities.”

We’re delighted to have provided Greenspaces South Cheshire CIC with a base at the Community Bungalow on our Sherborne estate off Middlewich Street in Crewe.

Partnership puts down roots…

Grows…Thanks to a £25,000 grant from the Health Lottery’s Active Communities Fund, Greenspaces have been able to grow and have launched the ‘Sherborne Urban Garden Produce’ project, which aims to give residents the knowledge and practical skills they need to grow their own produce in a series of “learn and grow” sessions.

James Thompson, Executive Director at Greenspaces

said: “We are helping to make growing your own accessible to all, reaching out to share the many benefits of gardening, including fresh local food, better health and wellbeing, beautiful productive wildlife-friendly environments and stronger communities.”

And blooms…The Sherborne Urban project recently won a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) award following a visit by expert judges.

The ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ award is part of the wider Britain in Bloom campaign encouraging members of the community to come together and make a positive change to the place they live, work or spend their leisure time.

Residents of all ages and abilities have rolled up their sleeves and enjoyed cultivating vegetables and friendships, with the younger members creating a fairy den and ‘Sherborne Shirley’ scarecrow! 

Their hard work was honoured at a glittering awards ceremony in Southport.

Wulvern’s Regeneration Officer Clair Edwards-Steele commented: 

“To be recognised by the RHS is a fantastic achievement. We are delighted that customers are reaping the rewards of this exciting project, which is bringing the many benefits of growing your own to the whole Sherborne estate. Not only will this initiative help to enhance people’s skills and knowledge and get them eating healthy, fresh food, it is also helping to bring a community together.”

Thanks to funding, Wulvern has appointed KTP associate, Sarah Bloor to conduct a two year project looking at fuel poverty and sustainability, linking with the customers most affected by welfare reforms to help them cope with ever increasing fuel prices and with reducing their carbon footprint. 

She will also be helping residents adjust their lifestyles to maximise energy saving and get the most out of new technologies installed in their homes.  

Sarah said: “Even the most simple changes can help reduce costs and save energy. Wulvern has already started to invest in improving the energy efficiency of its stock, particularly in rural locations and I will be evaluating the success of these measures and applying for further funding to help us bring green technologies to even more customers. The KTP placement is an exciting opportunity for me to manage such a challenging project which is central to Wulvern’s commitment to reduce the carbon emissions from energy use.”

Sarah is also working in partnership with Eco Groups from local primary schools. At Mablins Lane Community Primary and Beechwood Primary in Crewe, Sarah is working with pupils on a range of ‘green’ issues; energy, the environment, recycling which they can put into practice at home as well as school.

Recently Wulvern teamed up with local Children’s Centres to hold a series of drop in sessions, where energy champion Sarah worked with families to see if they could be quid’s in by switching their energy provider and supporting them to make the switch.

Families also benefitted from advice and information about how to save energy around the home, money management, the recent welfare reforms and looking after your home and neighbourhood.

Sarah explains “With rising fuel bills, many families are struggling to pay ever increasing household bills and are facing tough decisions about prioritising their income. Many could save on around £254 by switching energy supplier. Suppliers are always changing their tariffs and prices so, regardless of which company you’re with, you might still be able to save a substantial amount. The process of switching is relatively easy and can make a huge difference to household bills”.

A Knowledge Transfer Partnership between Manchester Metropolitan University and Wulvern is supporting families to save money and be energy wise!

Supporting fAmilieS to Switch & SAve!

Supporting fAmilieS to Switch & SAve!

SuccessThanks to funding from Sports England, Wulvern and other organisations, the Leisure Development Team at Cheshire East has been able to bring Street Sports to our neighbourhoods.

The partnership has delivered a wide variety of a free sport and play activities which, as well as the health and wellbeing benefits, have engaged the local community, encouraged volunteers, offered training and helped to reduce Anti Social Behaviour by youths.

169 children attended the lively sessions held over nine weeks during the summer on the green space on Wulvern’s Claughton Avenue estate, with local PCSO’s joining in the fun helping to build relationships with young people, as well as providing the extra feeling of a safe environment.

The feedback from both participants and parents alike has been positive. Demand for sessions has grown with more schools and community groups taking part and a packed programme of events throughout the school holidays.

A winning partnership on all scores, we’re sure you’ll agree!

Following the expansion and modernisation of the YMCA on Gresty Road in Crewe, a new after school club has been launched offering children aged 10-14 years a safe, supportive place to complete their homework, enjoy a meal and have some fun with a variety of activities to choose from including music, arts & crafts and computer games!

Held at the YMCA base, the free homework club runs every Wednesday between 4pm and 5:30pm and is supported by Wulvern.

Regeneration Officer Clair Edwards-Steele says: “The club has proven to be a great success for the young Wulvern customers in the Gresty community, enabling them to complete their homework in a safe environment.”

The club supports the youngsters as they make the transition and to sustain engagement in high school with positive activities and healthier lives.

COMMUNITYbase

The multi-million grant funding from the HCA Affordable Homes Programme is helping Wulvern to build 426 new homes creating much needed housing for local people in Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester.

As one of only 69 housing associations and developers in the country to be awarded this funding, this is an extremely exciting achievement for Wulvern. 

Executive Director of Growth and Enterprise, Kevin

Williams said: “Wulvern is already well on the way to delivering one of the regions largest HCA funded programmes and we are delighted that the HCA has shown confidence in our ability to manage the financial health of the organisation by awarding us with the highest possible rating for Governance and Viability.”

Wulvern is currently delivering its largest ever affordable homes development programme thanks to our partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Building pArtnerShipS

Our work with construction company Galliford Try is building much more than a new Extra Care scheme, it’s laying down the foundations of a great partnership too!

The start of work on the £7 million development built on the site of a former nursery school was commemorated through a special bricklaying ceremony with staff from Wulvern, Galliford Try, representatives of Cheshire West and Chester Council, the headteacher and pupils from neighbouring Highfield Community Primary School all gathering together to lay one of the first bricks to mark the start of the construction process.

The development will provide 63 one and two bedroom self-contained apartments for the over-55s apartments for affordable rent, plus onsite care and fantastic communal facilities which will be open to the wider community. The new scheme, which has received funding of £2.5 million from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), is due to complete early in 2015.

Staff from Wulvern and Galliford Try have also joined the pupils at Blacon’s Highfield Community Primary School to talk about staying safe on building sites – along with Ivor Goodsite, the Considerate Constructors Scheme’s mascot, and Wully, Wulvern’s mascot!

Wulvern also invited pupils to enter a competition to win a family pass to Chester Zoo by creating artwork which depicts what they enjoy about living in Blacon.  The winning designs will feature on the site fencing around the new Extra Care site.

Wulvern’s Marketing and Partnerships Business Partner Ceris Esplen said:

“At Wulvern we are committed to investing in the communities we serve. As well as providing much needed affordable homes for those over 55, we are also working with local people in Blacon to make the new Extra Care scheme part of their community.”

firm FOUNDATIONS

With the troubled current economic climate and benefit reforms hitting people hard, Wulvern’s support for two local Foodbanks has never been so important.

Working in partnership with the Trussell Trust, Christian Concern and local churches, Wulvern are supporting two local Foodbanks who help to feed local people who are going hungry.

St Pauls Pantry, the Crewe Foodbank is based at Christian Concern at St Pauls in High Town with drop in centres based in local churches across the town.

Based at Market Street Church in Nantwich, the Nantwich Foodbank is part of the nationwide Trussell Trust Foodbank network.

Both Foodbanks provide emergency food to people in crisis who are referred by Wulvern, doctors, social workers, Citizen’s Advice Bureau, schools, Children’s Centres and other professionals.

Once referred to the Foodbank people receive a food parcel which contains three days of emergency food.

It works by members of the public, schools, churches and businesses donating non-perishable, in-date food such as tins of soup, tea bags or rice and it is sorted into boxes by Foodbank volunteers.

Nationally there has been a huge increase in demand for Foodbanks with new Foodbanks opening every week to feed those in need.

The single biggest reason that people were referred to Trussell Trust Foodbanks was benefit delay (29%), followed by low income (19%). Other reasons for referrals include delayed wages, domestic violence, sickness, unemployment, debt, benefit changes, refused crisis loans, homelessness and absence of free school meals during school holidays.

Marketing and Partnerships Business Partner, Ceris Esplen explains:

“Most Foodbank recipients are not homeless; they are low income working families who hit crisis, people who have been made redundant or people experiencing benefits delays. Rising costs of food and fuel combined with static income, high unemployment andchanges to Welfare Benefits means that many people are struggling to put food on the table and causing more and more to come to Foodbanks for help. Foodbanks help prevent crime, housing loss, family breakdown and mental health problems. A simple box of food makes a big difference.”

Since opening in January the Nantwich Foodbank has fed 383 people and given out over 5090 kilos of donated food. The Crewe Foodbank opened shortly after in February and so far they have fed an additional 355 people. With over 700 local people fed in seven months, the need for local foodbanks has never been more apparent.

BankingSUPPORTon OUR

A service of Christian Concern

Our support for the Christian Concern garden maintenance service has helped over 900 people who are unable to maintain their gardens due to physical or mental

health issues or long term illness, as well as providing employment and training for local people who have been out of work.

Here we meet Steven Powell, one of the garden maintenance team, who has secured a horticultural apprenticeship within Christian Concern’s training opportunities programme.

Volunteering has certainly paid off for Steven. During a period of unemployment he offered his services to Christian Concern, a charitable organisation which supports its local community in Crewe and Nantwich.

He volunteered to help in the organisation’s bike repair and recycle shop and moved on to collecting and recycling furniture. His enthusiasm and dedication were finally rewarded with the offer of a horticultural apprenticeship within Christian Concern’s training opportunities programme.

Steven is now one of a team offering a gardening service to local people who are unable to maintain their gardens due to physical or mental illness or disability, which is supported by Wulvern.

Gaining an apprenticeship has been a win-win situation for Steven. He’s outside in the fresh air doing jobs that he enjoys like grass cutting, tidying flower beds and trimming hedges. He gets tremendous job satisfaction from making a real difference to his local community. He’s also earning a wage – and he’s studying at Reaseheath College one day a week for a recognised horticultural qualification.

Steven is no stranger to Reaseheath, as he’s already gained useful diplomas in brickwork with us. He’s now looking forward to combining both qualifications to expand into garden landscaping as well as maintenance.

He says: “Qualifications in horticulture and brickwork go really well together. They give you a wide variety of skills which will last you for life. “I’m really glad that I got a horticulture apprenticeship in the public sector. Gardens are so important to people. My team looks after about 30 gardens a week for people who would otherwise struggle and they are so appreciative. It’s great knowing I have a job which makes such a difference, and I’m getting paid a regular income and learning new skills.“I’d recommend volunteering to anyone. You never know where it’s going to lead.”

of EdEnGarden

FamiliesTroubled

Working in partnership with Cheshire East on the ‘Troubled Families Programme’, we are helping some of our most vulnerable families.

Troubled Families is a central government initiative personally championed by David Cameron to turn around the lives of 120,000 troubled families across Britain over the lifetime of the current parliament.

Troubled families are considered to be households experiencing compounding difficulties at any one time that, with the right support from services at the right time, could be helped to deal with the difficulties and move on. Typical difficulties the programme seeks to tackle are:

Poor school attendance

Crime and anti-social behaviour

Worklessness

Two colleagues from Wulvern have been seconded to the Troubled Familes programme to work in partnership with representatives across wide spanning organisations who have an interest in and influence on the impact of the programme in terms of improving outcomes and reducing costs.

The multi-agency partnership that includes representatives from education, police, job centres, probation, and voluntary, community and faith agencies, work together to recognise Cheshire East families that may be experiencing difficulties so that support and services can be offered at the earliest opportunity.

Our partnership with the Sure Group has resulted in top marks!

As part of our commitment to making sure our homes are safe and secure, we carry out regular gas safety checks. To do this we work with our contractor, the Sure Group.

Nicole Kershaw, Wulvern’s Executive Director of Customer and Homes said: “We are delighted that within the last 12 months, all properties that have gas for heating and/or cooking have had a Gas Safety Check making us 100% compliant under the Gas (Safety Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.”

Teams of fully qualified, gas safe approved engineers pay a visit to every tenant to carry out a visual inspection of their central heating system, including boilers, radiators, cold water tanks and cylinders as well as an inspection of all gas appliances and internal gas pipes.  During this check we will also test any smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and record the results.

Gas checks are a vitally important part of our work to help keep tenants safe.  This level of performance is fantastic. Visiting every single one of our properties is a huge achievement and something that most social landlords only aspire to.

Darren Cunningham, Chief Executive of the Sure Group said: “The Sure Group is fully committed to ensuring that all customers know that the gas services are safe in their home, and that they feel respected and listened to. The Sure Group Gas Servicing Standards have been developed to reflect this commitment and I am confident that Wulvern customers will continue to receive the best possible service from the Sure Group team”.

Partnership receives top mArkS

Families

Following the success of the ‘Back 2 the Future’ community initiative last year, Wulvern is once again working with local company, NSA, to ‘Back Britain’s Youth’ and support its customers into work.

The aim of the ‘Back Britain’s Youth’ campaign is to encourage more employers to employ apprentices within their business and help young people to take their first steps on the career ladder.  Apprenticeships and work based learning are a fantastic way for young people and adult learners to learn new skills, gain confidence in the workplace and earn a wage whilst gaining a nationally recognised qualification.

Businesswoman and founder of the NSA, Heather Carter, is engaging with employers locally and nationally to create apprenticeship vacancies in sales or related roles for jobseekers, particularly aged 16-23 years, where significant funding is available for vocational learning. 

With their credentials as a specialist sales organisation, the NSA has been appointed as the sole strategic partner to learndirect, the largest skills provider in the UK, to deliver the first nationally accredited sales Apprenticeships.

The NSA have recently helped 70 young people to find work in our local community, providing them with a career development path through work based learning. Nationally, the Academy have supported hundreds of individuals to find employment and have developed those currently working in sales to learn new skills and achieve a national sales qualification to recognise their professional development.

Employers across the UK are reaping the benefits of the service provided by the NSA, recruiting talented sales apprentices who are not only resourcing their business cost effectively but supporting companies to achieve their growth ambitions and lowering staff attrition through a clearly defined career development path in Sales.

During National Apprenticeship Week (3rd-7th March2014), which celebrates the valuable contribution that apprentices make to UK businesses, the NSA will be visiting young people in local schools and colleges to raise awareness of sales and apprenticeships and engaging directly with young people in our community who are looking for a career opportunity and supporting them to find work.

Wulvern and the NSA are encouraging all employers in the local community to pledge your support and ‘Back Britain’s Youth’ by providing career opportunities for young people in our community that are looking for

work.

Wulvern’s Marketing and Partnerships Business Partner,

Ceris Esplen said: “We are delighted to be working with the National Sales Academy to promote this fantastic opportunity to our customers, supporting them into employment and training which is a key to enabling them to prosper. We are also encouraging our partners, suppliers and contractors to get behind us and ‘Back Britain’s Youth’ by pledging your support to create career opportunities”.

Heather Carter, founder of the NSA said, “It is massively important that young people feel valued and involved in society. Back Britain’s Youth is really all about giving people that one opportunity that sets them on their way to a rewarding future in business. We are supporting communities across the UK to create local sustainable economies; supporting young people to establish a rewarding career in sales and building solid teams of sales professionals through work based learning which aims to support businesses to grow as a result of securing more sales and increasing turnover.”

If you are currently recruiting for sales, customer facing, retail or office based roles or you would like to find out more information on the community initiative and how you can support young people in your community, please contact the National Sales Academy’s employer engagement team on 0844 998 1201.

BACK

YOUTH

When approached by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, we were more than happy to provide Underwood Court for the setting of a BBC television programme ‘Mayhem & mishaps – Britain caught on camera’.

The show looks at the science behind every day disasters. Its presenter Mark ‘Chappers’ Chapman unpicks the causes of catastrophe by setting up stunts and demonstrations, and by visiting testing institutions around the UK where experts devote their lives to disaster prevention.  

Mark made himself at home at in an apartment at Wulvern’s Underwood Court to demonstrate the perils of a grill pan fire.

This is not the first time that the partnership between Wulvern and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has made the accommodation go up in smoke, last year the Service set fire to two identical rooms to show the differences sprinklers can make in the event of a domestic fire and demonstrated the effects of wheelie bin fires.

pArtnerSin crime

preventionOur partnership with the emergency services has seen former sheltered

accommodation in Crewe open its doors to film crews, a famous presenter

and four-legged friends whilst it awaits redevelopment into family homes.

Underwood Court has also been put to good use by teams of handlers from the Cheshire Police Dog Section carrying out vital training with their four-legged colleagues.

Police Dog Instructor Mike Jones explains:

“The general purpose dogs undertake an intense three month initial training course to equip them with the skills they will need in order to serve as police dogs. They have to pass 13 different exercises before they are allowed out on operational duty.”

The main jobs for the German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois are searching for people, including criminals and missing people, providing a reassuring presence at public events, such as football matches, tracking people using scents from the scenes of crime and chasing fleeing criminals.

Mike comments: “Underwood Court with all its bedsits over three stories is perfect for us to recreate real-life situations. It’s a fantastic opportunity as buildings like this give the dogs and their handlers a great challenge and the chance to experience different environments.”

Wulvern’s Development Officer Adele Sumner, who was instrumental in setting up the partnership said:

“This exercise has been mutually beneficial – empty buildings can attract crime and anti-social behaviour but we have not had any reported since the Police have been in residence. Having met the dogs and witnessed first hand their capabilities, I can understand why!”

For the last three years, school council representatives from primary and secondary schools have gathered in the Council Chamber of the Municipal Buildings to present issues on topics that they care about.

This year the focus of the Crewe Youth Voice, Annual School Council Debate was ‘health and this house believes it is our own duty to be healthy”.

The children took part in lively discussions around this broad subject including healthy eating, traffic congestion, cycling, internet safety, drugs and alcohol.

The school council debates, which are supported by Wulvern, give children and young people in Crewe a chance to air their views, develop their presentation and discussion skills, and listen to each other’s views about issues that are important to them. It is also an opportunity for officers from Crewe Town Council and other organisations, such as the Health and Wellbeing Board, to hear children and young people’s views so they can respond to any concerns about local issues.

Wulvern’s Regeneration Manager Sue Crum said: “The pupils debated extremely well and raised a great number of key points on related topics. All the students had a tour of the municipal buildings with the mayor. It was such an honour for them and a great learning experience.”

It was very difficult task for the panel to judge the winners, but coming top of the class were Underwood West Community Primary School and Ruskin High School who were each awarded a trophy and £50.

Pupils from Underwood were keen to invest in an allotment to grow their own produce and Ruskin elected to donate their hard earned cash to the Philippines disaster fund.

supportsA+ debAte

With rises in the cost of living, funding cuts to the advice sector and welfare reforms, we want our customers’ money worries to be dealt with swiftly, confidentially and of course, for free! Our partnership with two specialist debt charities is just part of our strategy to help tenants who are faced with real financial difficulty, and will ultimately help prevent them losing their homes.

chriStiAnS AgAinSt poverty The Christians Against Poverty (CAP) branch in Crewe has helped hundreds of people who are struggling to cope with the fall-out of the economic downturn. CAP offers a free, in-depth service to support clients become debt free, contacting creditors and setting a workable household budget.

Wulvern recently helped expand the service by funding an additional debt advisor resulting in CAP being able to offer even more appointments.

Centre Manager Tim Oakley commented: “Contrary to popular opinion, debts are rarely caused by overspending alone. The most common reason is a change in circumstances, for example job loss, relationship breakdown, accident or illness in the family.”

CAP’s debt counselling is a free service available to all regardless of age, gender, faith or background. It is a UK-wide charity which has partnered with 200 local churches to bring hope and a solution to people in debt.

StepchAngeWulvern has launched a new partnership with StepChange Debt Charity, the UK’s leading debt help organisation to provide free, impartial help to any resident with money problems.

Last year alone the charity helped over 410,000 people with problem debt through offering free debt advice, budgeting help and benefits advice both online and over the phone.

StepChange has worked closely with Wulvern to develop a bespoke partnership that builds upon our existing in-house services. Our staff have received training to identify customers that may be struggling financially enabling them to make referrals where appropriate and intervening at an early stage to support customers experiencing difficulties for whatever reason in paying their rent.

In January Wulvern supported the first ever Debt Awareness Week to get people talking about the money worries that keep them awake at night. The campaign was built around the charity’s clients and their experiences, after it found that 41% of clients in debt wait a year before getting help.

During Debt Awareness Week there was a daily focus on a different danger sign with expert advice on how to notice it and deal with it before debt becomes a serious problem.

StepChange Debt Charity chief executive, Mike O’Connor said: “People in debt struggle for months, sometimes years, before getting help. Once they get help our clients tell us they wish they’d come to us for help sooner. Through Debt Awareness Week, and with the support of our partners, we hope more people in debt will recognise the danger signs and know that truly free, impartial debt advice is available.”

Offering residents debt help

At Wulvern we want to be a great organisation to partner with and are committed to improving how we work with other organisations. We’d love to know how you find working with us, please take a few minutes to give us your feedback on working with Wulvern. All entries received before 14th March 2014 will go into a free prize draw to win a personalised Lego MiniFig!

 

Thank you for your feedback. We look forward to continuing to work with you!

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