Hello from Joe Garrod

This month I’d like to recognise and thank you all for the excellent work you’ve been delivering for our residents. Traditionally leading into the festive period is the season for industry / sector awards - this month was no exception. We were delighted to be shortlisted for several award nominations including the Affordable Housing Awards, the New London Awards and Architect Journal Awards for Sixty Bricks’ Jazz Yard development scheme. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but getting recognised in the housing sector is still a great achievement.

Talking of recognising fantastic achievements, I had the great pleasure of attending the Pride of Waltham Forest Staff Awards earlier this week, and what an incredible afternoon it was. Congratulations to everyone who was nominated and to our two finalists – I hope you had a brilliant time.

Now, further to the Chief Executive’s Blog on Monday you may have read that I’ll be stepping up to become Acting Strategic Director of Place, whilst Stewart Murray takes some time off. To ensure continuity of leadership within Housing, I’m pleased to confirm that Jane Martin, Director of Housing Management and Assets, has agreed to cover the role of Corporate Director of Housing. Jane has been at Waltham Forest since February 2019 and has over 30 years’ experience of working in social housing, mostly for councils in London.    

During this interim period, the Housing Assets and Compliance teams will report to Mark Crane, Director of Housing Delivery. Jane will be undertaking an internal recruitment process to fill her substantive post on an interim basis.

I know you will all support Jane in her new role as you did when I arrived, and please be assured that my door is always open should you need any support. Housing remains one of my absolute top priorities, and I look forward to continuing working with you all whilst I am acting up.

Best wishes 
Joe

Congratulations to our Pride of Waltham Forest

On Tuesday 5 December the Pride of Waltham Forest Staff Awards were held at Big Penny Social. Within Housing we had around 20 people shortlisted and two finalists. Congratulations to you all.

Henry Jackson-Koufie – Strategic Housing Project Manager Finalist – Driving success award category

John Ruffy – Caretaker Finalist – Unsung hero category

Winners of the Pride of Waltham Forest Staff Awards 2023

Councillor Ahsan Khan writes to the Chancellor ahead of the Autumn Statement

The Housing Strategy Team worked with Cllr Ahsan Khan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration, asking the Chancellor to uplift the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates to include the lower 30% of local market rents.

Following following extensive representations across the housing sector, in the Autumn statement the Chancellor announced he would be raising these rates from April 2024.

Read Councillor Khan’s letter

Acquisition of 197 new homes at Osier Way, Leyton

On Monday 27 November 2023, the Council completed on the acquisition of 197 new homes at Osier Way, Leyton from the developer Pocket Living. The acquisition forms a critical part of the Council’s Refugee Housing Programme, with 117 of these flats available to house eligible refugee households. Longer term, these homes can be made available for residents in general housing need on the Council’s Housing Register list, adding to the supply of much needed council housing in our borough. 

The acquisition was made possible through £15.4m grant funding from the Greater London Authority and contains:  Alba House: 117 self-contained one, two and three bed flats to initially be used as housing for refugee households and then to be made available as general needs housing.  Salix House: 80 one and two-bedroom Shared Ownership flats, acquired by the Housing Revenue Account for onward sale.

Waltham Forest has a long and proud history of welcoming people fleeing persecution or conflict and making them feel at home. As a Borough of Sanctuary, we have a moral duty to help people fleeing conflict or persecution in their home countries.  

Day in a life of a Caretaker…

John Ruffy, finalist of our Pride Awards and Caretaker of John Walsh plus a few other properties close by, tells us what it is like to work as a Caretaker on our estates. Show John's video some love on the Council's Instagram page. If you don't have Instagram you can use the link below.   Watch John's day in his life

Juniper House welcomes its new residents

On Wednesday 29 November Councillors, Hill Group and local residents were invited to attend the completion event at Juniper House, Walthamstow. The first residents have moved into their new homes in the Skyline building opposite Walthamstow Central station.

The new build contains 91 homes and is 50 per cent affordable, including three- and four-bedroom properties for local families. As well as new homes, the development includes two floors that will be dedicated to part of the new University of Portsmouth campus, due to open in spring 2024, that will bring more learning and job opportunities for residents and complement wider plans for Walthamstow as a cultural destination. The site also provides more facilities for families, with the development containing a 53-place pre-school nursery with its own play area, perfect for residents looking for childcare. Further works to put the finishing touches on the commercial spaces will continue into next year and is due to open in late 2024.

The transformation of old vacant Council offices into one of Waltham Forest’s flagship developments is part of the aim to build more high-quality homes in the borough and improve the lives of residents. It’s the third residential building by the Capital Delivery team to be completed this year.

Forest Connect: Our Housing intranet pages are live.

Forest Connect, our new corporate SharePoint intranet, is coming in a phased approach. Behind the scenes we have been doing a lot of work to transfer all our information over from Forest Hub, the old site to the new site.

Our Housing intranet pages are now live. The site hosts lots of information this includes news, events, induction information, service plans, Speak Up Champions to name a few. As it’s a SharePoint site, it is incredibly clever plus the search functionality is brilliant. Save the link in your favourites and check them out.

Forest Connect Housing homepage

Our Housing staff induction has launched

Earlier this month we launched our Housing staff induction programme, this included:

• Housing Senior Leadership Team (HSLT) welcomed our new starters to the first face-to-face induction presentation at Cedar Wood House.
• Managers have their own accompanying documents including a checklist to help during the recruitment process and their own presentation to take their new starters through.  
• A dedicated area for new starters on our new intranet – a one stop shop with useful links.

The next face to face staff induction in Cedar Wood House will be held in January and based on your feedback we will be making it a bit more interactive. If you are a new starter or have a new starter joining your team, please remember you can book a place by emailing Rachael Bowey. 

Congratulations to our Independent Living Officers on their recent success

On Friday 3 November the Independent Living Officers held their graduation ceremony at Longfield House for completing their Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Level 2 in Housing Practice. Karen Bellamy, the Mayor of Waltham Forest, Cllr Elizabeth Baptiste, Jane Martin and Cate Evans were among the many to congratulate Margaret Ezike, Alvin Thomas, Lorraine Kalicharan, Linda Savage, Juliet Bridger-Simms, Natalie Rodriguez and Atiye Simsek on their fantastic achievement.

Carlynne Preville, Independent Living Service Manager, spoke on behalf of the ILS Management team and said, “I’m incredibly proud of the team, I recognise working full time while studying can be very challenging, but your determination and commitment is a shining example to us all.”

Our Speak Up Champions are available if you need support or help

Our Housing Speak Up Champions have now all completed their training and are available if you need a friendly ear to speak to.

Sharon Louison, one of our Speak Up Champions, also explains why she signed up to become a Champion and how the Champions can help you. Watch Sharon's video

Damp and mould during the winter months

Moving into winter it's vitally important residents know the importance of taking control of any potential issues that could cause damp, mould or condensation in their homes. Damp and mould can be caused by lots of different things, but can be prevented by reducing moisture, improving ventilation and draft proofing as well as heating homes efficiently. Download our leaflet

In January 2024, we’ll be starting our new partnership with AICO to install environmental sensors in 100 pilot properties across the borough. These sensors will detect levels of humidity and temperature where there are risks of damp and mould for early intervention. This is new technology will support us on managing out damp and mould in residents’ homes.  

Policy corner with Dena Rafati

Dena Rafati, Housing Strategy and Implementation Officer, will share key policy updates to help keep you informed and updated about issues which could impact the Housing service. The first virtual lunch and learn session was earlier this month, it covered housebuilding under the next government. Her next session will be in January - once confirmed more information will be added to our event page on the intranet.  Download the lunch and learn slides

Our latest Resident News magazine

Check out the latest edition of our Resident News, this has gone out to all council tenants and leaseholders. Read our latest newsletter

Raising awareness of Housing at the Climate Action Network

Recently Eoin Quiery, Head of the Housing Strategy Team and Emma Osmundsen, the CEO of Sixty Bricks, presented a lunch and learn session to the Climate Action Network on the work we are doing to promote sustainable and climate positive housing in the borough.

Watch the recording of the session

Nominations open for the Waltham Forest Design Awards 2024

Passionate about local architecture and design? Nominate a project for a Waltham Forest Design Award! We want to hear about brilliant buildings and amazing spaces that look great and meet the needs of people who use them like making them safe, environmentally friendly, and inclusive.

To enter, read the criteria and submit a nomination for a project worthy of a Waltham Forest Design Award on the Let’s Talk website by Friday 5 January 2024.

Nominate a project in the Waltham Forest Design Awards

Cost of living support for our residents

We know that many residents will continue to struggle with the cost-of-living crisis during the winter. Please check our website for the latest information available to help residents. Find more information on our website

Our Community Living Rooms have expanded

We now have an expanded network of 27 Community Living Rooms across the borough. These are spaces that anyone can drop in and use – to get warm, socialise, get food, and take part in activities. Many of the spaces will also offer information, support and guidance – e.g. Citizens’ Advice Bureau drop ins, sessions with our Digital Champions, or advice from representatives from the London Renters’ Union.

View our living rooms and their offerings on the website

Check out the lower bills calculator

To help bring energy bills down, this year we have a Lower Bills Calculator. Residents can put their information into the short form, and it will show them what kind of support they can access to help bring down their energy bills.

Some residents will be able to collect free DIY materials to install themselves, and certain households will be eligible for free energy efficient upgrades installed for them.

Read more about our winter energy support

There's still time book a session - 16 Days of Activism campaign

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence annual international campaign started on Saturday 25 November until Sunday 10 December.

This year marks the 32^nd anniversary of its inauguration, and to help commemorate this occasion a series of free virtual sessions have been arranged.

Book on a session today

Our resident engagement activities update

Our Engagement Team has been forward planning this month, they have focussed on Building Safety Champion recruitment, STAR Panel, setting up new TRA’s on our estates and focus groups on our complaint procedure.

With support from the Engagement Team, during December the Independent Living Service will be hosting 14 Christmas parties across the Sheltered Housing Schemes. The residents will celebrate by enjoying fun games, winning some incredible prizes and sharing delicious food together. 

Pictures are from 2022 festive parties

Our upcoming staff events and training

All our housing events are held on our new SharePoint intranet page. Our next event is on Thursday 14 December from 2pm - Bring and Share with music - remember if you have a song request pls let Don Riley know and if you are bringing a dish pls let Sharon Louison or Andrea Kufuor know. Events

Welcome to our new starters