In this newsletter:
- Are your details up to date?
- Housing Committee decisions
- Facebook Group
- Community Fund
- NAPA Awards
- Property of the month
- #HousingDay
- World Homeless Day
- National Home Security Month
- Halloween
- Stay up to date with changes
Are your details up to date?
If you are one of our Housing customers, you may receive a call from our Housing Team, the call will come from our 0115 917 7777 number.
We are calling customers to gather up to date information we need to manage your tenancy and keep in contact.
The information being asked for is:
- Ethnicity
- Date of Birth
- Mobile Number
- Email Address
- National Insurance Number – used for verification purposes
As we are aware of scams taking place, if you are unsure of the caller please ask for the caller’s name and job title, you can then contact the Council on 0115 917 7777 to confirm this is a genuine call.
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Housing Committee Decisions
The Housing Committee met on Wednesday 2nd September 2020. The agenda included:
- Housing Strategy 2020-2024
- Garage strategy 2020-2024
- Sanctuary Scheme
- Fuel Poverty report
- Community Living Network
- Homelessness Service in Broxtowe
You can find all the decisions on our Twitter moments or visit our website for agendas and reports.
Community Facebook Group
 Our Housing Community Facebook group is now LIVE.
Follow the link below to request to join and start getting involved! There’s already posts, polls and activities to do in the group, once you enter.
A reminder that you MUST answer all the questions to join the group. If not, your request will be declined.
The questions:
- Your full name that the Housing department knows you by?
- What is your date of birth?
- What is your house number and postcode?
- Do you agree to adhere to the group admin rules?
This will make sure only our Housing customers are accepted and help to ensure the group is a safe and welcoming environment.
If you have requested to join the group but haven’t had confirmation that your request has been approved, please check you have answered all the questions so you can be verified as a Housing customer.
(Note: The group will not enable you to resolve issues personal to yourself and this must be done through contacting the Council in the usual way.)
Community Fund
We are pleased to announce that we will be launching our Community Fund in October!
What is the Community Fund?
It offers small grants for projects that benefit Housing customers and their communities.
Who can apply?
- Broxtowe Housing customers, over the age of 18 year
- Or a recognised community group with a constitution
Note: You need at least two people to submit an application.
What can it be used for?
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Improving Health & Wellbeing: this can be creating a calming garden area for people to enjoy
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Neighbourhood Improvements: for example installing knee rails to prevent cars parking on the grass
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Empowering Communities: Set up a group to deliver a project. With social distancing in place of course!
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Reducing Loneliness and Social Isolation: Bring people together in your area. The more creative the better in COVID-19 times!
Over the next few weeks we'll be posting all the information including how to apply on our website and social media accounts.
So get those thinking caps on!
Got an idea and want to chat? Call us on 0115 917 7777 or email housingengagement@broxtowe.gov.uk
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National Activity Providers Association Awards
Exciting news! Our Independent Living Activities Coordinators in Housing, Nicolette Gilmour and Lindsay Carter have been shortlisted for a national award from National Activity Providers Association aka NAPA.
They have the chance to win the Service Improvement Award. This is for a team or individual who’s demonstrated a proactive approach to improving individual’s wellbeing regularly through meaningful activities that are person centred. Creating an environment where individuals are engaged, stimulated and fulfilled.
Lindsay said ''It was so exciting when we found out that we had been shortlisted for a NAPA award, it's so great that our hard work has been recognised. Fingers crossed we do get the award, it will be great to celebrate this win with our team"
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 Why have they been shortlisted?
- They have built strong working relationships with tenants, housing colleagues, activity partners and each other
- Offer a bespoke service and can design activities around the needs and interests of Independent Living tenants
- Organise activities around residents’ concerns. Having partners like Fire safety, Crimestoppers and the Police along to run an activity
- Receive referrals from colleagues who have picked up on issues around social isolation. They are then able to make contact with these tenants to discuss activities
- From April 2019 to the end of March 2020, Lindsay and Nicky have delivered 603 activities, with a total of 3,992 tenants attending across all the activities
These are just a few of the many reasons why they've been nominated and we are looking forward to hearing the results at the award ceremony.
A tenant explains that ‘Living on your own can be lonely, so the classes are great for being able to chat with other people and we’ve already seen an improvement in our physical fitness, with less aches and pains.”
The virtual award ceremony will be on Friday 3rd October at 3pm. Please keep your fingers and toes crossed for them. They’ve worked so hard and we are all proud of them.
Property of the Month
Gutersloh Court
Close to Stapleford Town Centre and 30 seconds from the local shop!
Private accommodation with fitted kitchen and bathroom
Onsite Parking
Lift
24 Hour Tunstall Call System
Social Activities delivered by Activities Co-ordinators
Laundry Room and Quiet Room
Communal Lounge with kitchen facilities
Personalised contact with Independent Living Co-ordinators
Properties available now!
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Housing Day- 7th October
On Wednesday 7th October a 24-hour social media event will take place to celebrate #HousingDay.
The theme for 2020 is ‘The importance of home’ in support of the national ‘Homes at the Heart’ campaign and coalition calling for a once-in-a-generation investment in social housing.
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The tenants know the importance of their communal garden at Cloverlands Court. It has really made a difference to the tenants and their homes.
They spend time together in the garden building friendships, swapping stories and enriching lives. As people say 'home is where the heart is' and you can definitely see that here!
Follow #HousingDay on twitter to get involved and interact with other tenants and leaseholders.
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World Homeless Day - 10th October
What is the purpose of World Homeless Day?
It is to draw attention to homeless people’s needs locally and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness, while taking advantage of the stage an ‘international day’ provides.
How To Make a Difference
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celebrate and support local good works
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highlight local issues in the media
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donate to local service providers
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volunteer and provide hands on help
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Tweet #WorldHomelessDay @homelessday
Our Housing Options Team work very hard to assist people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. Currently the Housing Options Team are dealing with 55 homeless applications at present: 40 verified as threatened with homelessness in the next 56 days and 15 verified as already homeless.
A further 25 applicants are currently being supported under triage/early intervention as it has not yet been verified they are threatened with homelessness but it is likely they will be.
Are you homeless or threatened with homelessness? Call the Housing Options team on 0115 917 77 77 for advice.
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National Home Security Month
This October sees the return of National Home Security Month (NHSM), urging you to consider the way you keep your family, possessions and home safe by creating awareness around the importance of home security.
Here's 5 top tips on how to keep your home and valuables safe.
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Befriend your neighbours: On these long autumn nights, it’s good to know that someone you trust is keeping an eye on your home, and listening out for any strange sounds.
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Be Responsible: It is your duty to make sure your personal items are secure.
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Avoid hiding your spare keys under a doormat or plant pot. Instead give them to a person you trust.
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Traveling: We don’t always want to part with our favourite items, but when traveling, it’s advisable to leave them behind. For example Laptops, diamond rings etc...
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Social media: It’s so tempting to make public that you are away on holiday but, as much as it seems like a good idea, it’s not. Why not share your photos after you've been away?
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Halloween
Halloween maybe be a little different this year with many people not feeling comfortable going out trick or treating. But don't fret we've got a few ideas to keep your day fun!
- Watch a scary movie together
- Turn your home into a haunted house
- Paint pumpkins
- Host a virtual Halloween party (with a costume competition)
- Deliver festive treats to loved ones
- Pop a mask on if going out trick or treating and decorate it to match your costume
- Create a candy shoot to give out sweets
There may be still families who wish to go out trick or treating. If you do not want them to visit your house remember no pumpkin, no knocking or pop up this poster in your window.
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Staying up to date with service changes during COVID-19
The easiest way to stay up to date is by checking our dedicated Coronavirus webpages.
They contain useful information on:
We also share updates on our social media accounts.
Share this bulletin
Please share the information in this email bulletin with friends, family, neighbours and colleagues to help us pass on these important messages, particularly if they're not online.
Please also encourage anyone who isn't already subscribed to this Email Me Service to sign up at www.broxtowe.gov.uk/emailme so they can receive these updates.
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