News

 

Partner organisations from across Norfolk attended our exclusive screening of I, Daniel Blake, followed by a Q&A with social housing experts.

Broadland Housing organised the event to highlight the growing issue of homelessness, and encourage joint initiatives to tackle it.

Representatives from Shelter, Norwich City Council and other local organisations watched Ken Loach’s award-winning film at Stage Two, Norwich Theatre Royal.

The screening was followed by a Q&A session, chaired by Broadland Housing Patron, Caroline Pickering. The panel of experts included:

• Cllr Karen Davis, Labour City Councillor and cabinet member for social inclusion
• Lesley Burdett, Hub Manager, Shelter Eastern Counties
• Dr Simon Hibberd, Board member, Broadland Housing, a local GP for 30 years
• Ivan Johnson, Executive Housing Director, Broadland Housing

 

The discussion covered issues such as:

• The impact of Universal Credit roll-out and how many tenants are falling into arrears due to payment problems, sanctions etc, and becoming vulnerable to loan sharks
• The 30% increase in foodbanks use since April 2017 and the amount spent by the NHS (£29 billion last year) on conditions allied to poverty (“a sick system causes sickness,” said Dr Hibberd, pictured above)
• The number of people with mental health issues, particularly anxiety, being passed as ‘fit for work’ and losing their ESA (Employment and Support Allowance), even though more than 50% of ESA claimants win their case on appeal
• How some local GPs are charging £50 to write a letter in support of an ESA appeal
• The lack of free, digital access for rural communities in Norfolk. (“Norwich City Council’s digital inclusion hubs are working well in Norwich,” said Councillor Davis)

 

Two main actions were agreed from the evening:

• Broadland to liaise with the Local Medical Committee, and to request that they write to GPs asking them not to charge for letters supporting ESA appeals, as claimants often have no money to pay for them
• Broadland to prepare for Universal Credit roll-out throughout Norfolk in 2018 by working more closely with credit unions and encouraging tenants to join and save with one.

 

Commenting on the event, Lesley Burdett (pictured, far left) said:

“Ken Loach has put into focus how difficult it is for people to get through the welfare system. Daniel Blake can’t get in because it’s digital access only. The film highlights that it’s real people behind these systems – one size doesn’t fit all. It’s saying we need less ‘systems thinking’ and more human kindness.”

 

Michael Newey, Chief Executive of Broadland Housing, added:

“We are pleased to see so many of our partner agencies here today. This is a powerful film with a very topical message. It’s a great opportunity to raise awareness of the impact of changes in the benefit system and the, sometimes, disastrous consequences for families and individuals.  Often this leads to homelessness and organisations need to work more closely together to address the issues and find answers that will mitigate the potentially damaging impact.

 

In 2016 Broadland hosted a special screening of Ken Loach’s Cathy Come Home to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the influential television drama. Like I, Daniel Blake today, Cathy Come Home provoked an outpouring of public sympathy that translated into support for new homelessness charities Shelter and Crisis.

Read more about the panel members.

Read more about how Broadland Housing’s Better Together campaign is working to raise awareness of loneliness and the impact of social isolation.

 

Broadland Housing Association recently underwent Homes & Communities Agency (HCA) in-depth assessment. We are pleased to report that we have been graded as G1 for governance and V2 for viability.

The V2 represents a regrade for the Group, which was previously V1. It indicates that we are still compliant with HCA viability standards for registered providers, but that we have significantly increased our risk appetite and stretched our financial plans to deliver on our considerable development ambitions, while also looking after our existing properties and protecting services to our tenants.

Chris Ewbank, BHA Chair and CFO of St John’s College Cambridge, commented:

“I’m pleased that the HCA recognised our compliance with their standards and particularly the strength of our governance arrangements. Since I joined the Board in April, I’ve been impressed with the Board’s rigorous approach to governance matters and the proactive way it goes about maintaining sound governance.”

Michael Newey, Group Chief Executive, commented:

“After several years of low-development delivery, in 2016 our board and executive team committed the organisation to a much larger programme to contribute to meeting the significant housing needs of families and individuals in Norfolk and north Suffolk. As a result, we have now committed plans to deliver 600 new affordable homes over the next 4 years, supported by the development and sale of 200 homes in the open market.”

Read the HCA’s regulatory judgement on Broadland Housing.

Read about how the HCA regulates its standards.

‘Better Together’ is our new campaign to raise awareness of the impact of loneliness to our tenants, staff and stakeholders. The campaign, led by our Tenancy Support team, will run from 27 November-1 December 2017.

Better Together is being launched in the run-up to Christmas – a time when many people, regardless of age or situation, can feel alone and isolated – but will continue throughout 2018.

The campaign will highlight the wide range of services, events and activities available in our local communities that can help tenants make new connections, find support networks and meet new friends.

Loneliness is as big a health risk as smoking and obesity. It can harm your health, physically and mentally. It can also increase your risk of premature death by 30%

 

Connecting people

During ‘Better Together’ week, our Tenancy Support team will:

• visit tenants in some of our more rural schemes, such as in the Forest Heath area and north Norfolk
• hold drop-in sessions at Broadland area offices, offering tenants and staff the chance to learn how to Skype and FaceTime to keep in touch with friends and family
• host Christmas craft activities at St Katherine’s Court, King’s Lynn, bringing older residents together with local Brownies
• raise awareness of the issue of loneliness on our social media pages and internally to Broadland staff
• place foodbank collection boxes in our area offices to help those in need this Christmas
• support the Salvation Army’s Toys and Tins Appeal in Norfolk

Going forward, Broadland will be working closely with Norfolk County Council, supporting its award-winning In Good Company initiative.

Alison Thomas, Deputy Leader of Norfolk County Council said: “People who are lonely are more likely to suffer ill health, more likely to be reliant on public services and more likely to lose their independence. Recent research* also suggests that loneliness is a particular challenge in Norfolk.

“In Good Company is designed to combat loneliness by galvanising individuals and organisations to do as much as they can to ensure no one spends a lonely day in Norfolk if they don’t want to.

“We know that there are many organisations and businesses that are working hard to tackle this problem across Norfolk, so we’re delighted that Broadland is reaching out to its tenants and communities to do just this through its Better Together campaign.”

 

Charity sleep out

A group of Broadland staff will also be taking part in the Benjamin Foundation Sleep Out on 17 November. The event is to raise money and awareness of the ever-increasing issue of youth homelessness.

“This issue links strongly into our Better Together campaign,” explains Kevin Gee, Tenancy Support Manager (pictured, far right), who is one of the team sleeping out on 17 November. “Homelessness can often be a very lonely, isolating and traumatic experience, which can have a major effect on somebody’s mental health.

“The event is not meant to replicate the hardship faced by those who are homeless. However, it will highlight the difficult challenges of sleeping outside in the elements.”

UPDATE: The Broadland team, which included Kevin Gee, Jess Kent, Daniel Nolan, Sarah Cook (pictured above) and Sophie Wiles, doubled their fundraising target, raising more than £1,000 for the Benjamin Foundation. The team’s fundraising link is http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Broadland63.

 

*Research by the Campaign to End Loneliness and London School of Economics

Broadland Development Services held a successful information event for local residents in Binham recently (25 September 2017).

Neighbours and members of the wider community had the opportunity to view the  finalised designs for a mixed-tenure development of 27 dwellings on Walsingham Road, as well as the associated infrastructure improvements and construction schedule.

Representatives from Hudson Architects and H Smith & Sons (Honingham), the main contractor, were also on hand to discuss the detailed proposals and run through any concerns raised.

The affordable homes are being developed for people in housing need who have a strong local connection. Broadland Development Services will be inviting members of the community interested in the affordable homes to an event nearer to completion. This will explain the application process via North Norfolk District Council’s ‘Your Choice Your Home’ website.

Off-site highway improvements to the Binham scheme are due to start in October, followed by the main construction works in December 2017. The open market sales are due to be launched early in 2018.

‘Getting started with digital skills’ is a FREE 2-hour taster session for Broadland tenants, part of our programme of activities to celebrate Get Online week 2017 (2-8 October).

The session will be held at our King’s Lynn office, from 1.30-3.30pm.

‘Getting started with digital skills’ will support tenants to develop their digital literacy, whether they want to set up an email account, manage their money online or be able to log onto government websites.

The aim is to give tenants the confidence and knowledge to explore and benefit from digital technology in everyday life. Participants will also find out where to access and use digital equipment for free and what support services are available.

To book, telephone 0303 303 0003

Broadland is running a week-long programme of free digital taster events, 2-8 October 2017, for tenants across the region.