Callpay Rent System Introduced at Severnside
Severnside Housing have introduced a new way of taking payments over the phone, making it easier for tenants to pay their rent.
Until now, Severnside tenants had several ways of paying their rent - including by payment card at supermarkets, post offices and shops, via the internet, by direct debit or standing order, or by cash at its offices. There was no facility to pay over the phone.
Following consultation with tenants, Severnside has joined forces with Callpay to offer a telephone payment service. This means that tenants can call Severnside directly and pay their rent quickly and easily by debit or credit card.
__________
Trust Improves Services for Deaf Customers
Halton Housing Trust is improving its service to deaf customers in the Borough. Staff at the Trust have been learning sign language as part of a training course to help them better understand the needs of deaf people living in the area.
Sue Walkey, Customer Services Officer for Halton Housing Trust said:
"The day after I received my training I went to interview a family applying for a property with the Trust with a profoundly deaf son and a partially deaf father.
"The training meant I felt completely comfortable interviewing them."
The Trust appointed Kate Boddy, from the Deafness Resources Centre, in St Helens, to provide a workshop and give advice on how to support deaf customers.
Mike Adamson, Executive Director of Individual Services at charity, RNID, who promote and provide deaf awareness training for employers, said:
"It's vital that housing associations become deaf aware to help people with hearing loss - whether tenants, customers or employees - to access information and advice.
"Hearing loss affects 55% of people over 60 and, with the ageing population, it's particularly important that organisations serving older people know how to communicate with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing."
Staff at the Trust are now being given the opportunity to study for a British Sign Language qualification.
Property Care Contract in Birmingham Goes Live
Willmott Dixon Partnerships, the repair and maintenance wing of the Willmott Dixon Group, started its £95 million five-year contract with Birmingham City Council to provide a repairs, maintenance and 24-hour call out service to 40,000 homes and properties in south Birmingham.
Some 170 vans were collected by Willmott Dixon Partnerships engineers ready to begin work on properties owned by the Council in Edgbaston, Hall Green, Northfield and Selly Oak. It follows an intense period of mobilisation, including transfer of engineers under TUPE from the previous contractor.
The new contract will make the Willmott Dixon Group is one of the most visible brands in Birmingham. The company already has 130 vans in the City supporting a team providing a similar repair service to 20,000 homes and properties in Ladywood, Erdington, Peribar and Sutton Coldfield.
__________
Black Country Awards Repairs Contract to Wrekin Housing Trust
The Wrekin Housing Trust has won a five-years contract worth £4.7 million to provide the repairs and maintenance services and gas servicing for Black Country Housing Group (BCHG).
The new contract, which will see The Wrekin Housing Trust provide a repair and maintenance services for all of BCHG's 1,800 homes across Birmingham and the Black Country, was recommended by a steering group that included tenant representatives.
As part of the new service, BCHG tenants will be able to call a dedicated phone number to report problems, receive simple maintenance advice over the phone or book an appointment. Confirmation of when repairs will be undertaken can also be sent to tenants by SMS text message.
This is the third significant maintenance contract that the Trust has secured since 2008. It already provides repairs and maintenance services for Waterloo Housing Group and Epic Housing Limited.
__________
Apollo Secures Further Term for Decent Homes Contract
Having successfully completed a five year programme of Decent Homes upgrade work with Milton Keynes Council, the social housing contractor Apollo Group has won a new four-year contract to continue the project for the same client.
The new contract, which runs from April 2010, is valued at between £2 million and £4 million each year. It will involve demolition and asbestos removal, in addition to internal upgrades and Disability Discrimination Act adaptation work.
This all comes at a time of buoyant growth for The Apollo Group, which recently launched a new build social housing division and opened a new Midlands regional office.
