Instagram that breeze block!

I’ve been having fun with Cadwyn’s newest development, a regeneration project for the local shopping parade in Pentrebane, a close knit residential area in the west of Cardiff. As well as setting up the targeted recruitment and training for the site, I’ve been experimenting with using social media and a blog to bring the development to life for local people.

I had the idea for this after my kids were fortunate enough to have a brand new school built for them last year. They were pretty excited about this, but apart from one site visit and the obligatory Ivor Goodsite poster homework assignment, they ended up not really feeling involved in the project at all. This didn’t stop them bombarding me with questions every time we walked past - questions about what was happening with that machine, and why, and how would they get the roof on, and how many bricks did I think would be needed all together, and did the person driving the digger need a special licence, and on, and on, and on….Some of these questions I could (sort of) answer, but for most of them I did what any self respecting parent does these days and relied on Google, and the site project’s occasional twitter feed.

This got me thinking that while there are obvious limitations to opening up actual building sites – health and safety, time, logistics, to name just a few – the internet and social media offers a big opportunity to do the next best thing by acting as a window onto the development. What I didn’t realise then was that I’d have the chance to put my money where my mouth is a year or so later…so, based on my modus operandi of assuming that anything is allowed unless someone specifically tells me it’s not, I’ve been busy getting Beechley Drive a social media identity!

This is what I’ve done so far…

Beechley Drive Blog - the development brief from Cardiff Council included a requirement to set up a website to keep the local community informed of site developments. I really wanted this to be more than a static website with a one way flow of information that nobody would ever return to a second time, so I’ve worked with Cadwyn’s Web Officer to set up a simple WordPress site, which has the required corporate boxes ticked (logos of funding partners, project timeline) but which also offers a more friendly voice to the development, with blog posts written in a (hopefully) chatty and informative tone. I’ve left comments enabled throughout the site in the hope that folk will interact with the site and suggest/contribute further content, and I’m also talking to the local schools about the children taking over parts of the blog, perhaps posting interviews with longtime residents, or other class projects related to the site.

Beechley Drive Facebook Page - the Pentrebane community already makes good use of Facebook with various groups set up for local residents, school parents, Communities First projects and so forth, so I am hoping that a FB page will offer a quick and easy window onto the development, but also of course be a forum for local residents to ask questions, raise concerns, and make suggestions. It’s also an easy way of sharing blog posts and project photos, and driving engagement to the website itself.

Beechley Drive Twitter Feed - I’m envisaging that most of the interaction with local residents will be via Facebook, because of the strong groups that already exist there. However, using Twitter gives us an opportunity to talk with people who don’t use Facebook – and also I think a more effective way of sharing what we’re doing with stakeholders and organisations who are not necessarily local.

Beechley Drive Instagram Feed - the Instagram feed itself does not have much traction; however, I’m using it primarily in conjunction with Facebook and Twitter to share photos and comments as the site progresses. The Instagram feed is also linked to the website, which means that even if there is a quiet week as far as the blog goes, there’ll be new content on the site to draw people back.

It’s early days for all of the above, and now the big challenge becomes keeping the website and social media channels feeling fresh and worth following; and of course to promote and encourage interaction so that this does not just become a one way stream of information blasted meaninglessly into the ether. This will be very much a learning process, and I’m sure there’ll be stuff that goes wrong. I would welcome advice and pointers from anyone who’s done anything similar!

I’ll be blogging progress and lessons learnt (and more than likely the occasional mistake) along the way, so please feel free to join me on the journey!

Michelle Davis
Targeted Recruitment and Training, Cadwyn HA

Your Big Book of Benefits

It was with mounting trepidation that I approached Llandrindod for the launch of Your Big Book of Benefits on 9 April. It was great to have the chance to explain myself and the book at CHC’s Welfare Reform Strategic Day and to witness Paul Langley’s shameless sales techniques, but thought I would explain a bit more about the book in this blog post.

Your Benefits are Changing is a way of acting together and I was delighted to join with the campaign to do something practical. The YBAC team liked our Big Book of Benefits and Mental Health for its practical toolkit content and friendly informal approach to give people the tools and knowledge to make a difference.

Your Big Book of Benefits is a broader, more comprehensive and more generic version of that same approach. Beneath its friendly cover – alternative suggestions included ‘Don’t Panic’ – there lurks 400 pages. BUT be not afraid – this is most definitely not a tome for the expert only.

Within it you will find full but simple explanations, practical page by page advice for filling in some of the trickier forms, sample completed forms, what to do next, Ten Top Tips, Benefits family trees (and I mean actual trees… well, pictures anyway) and case studies of a slightly mystical bent – Gandalf, Merlin and Hagrid all feature.

At the beginning you will find a useful overview of the system and the changes and a simple three step suggestion – with examples – as to how to navigate the complexities of an ever changing landscape of some 50 benefits.

This book is for the non expert with no prior knowledge assumed. It’s for housing officers and support workers, and tenants themselves. Of course, in this its first year, there may be the odd rough edge or something you feel could be better explained. If you have a comment, suggestion, spot an error, want to say what could be dropped or ought to be included, please let us know. There’s a feedback form in the back to make Your Big Book of Benefits truly yours.

And it’s not just a book! Dates will shortly be announced for a summer run of training days linked to (and using) Your Big Book. If you’ve read the book, why not see it live?

It’s been heavy going at times, with much cursing of Windows and Publisher 2013 in the wee small hours as .pdfs didn’t quite do their thing. However, though full of the ‘if only I had time to do this’ or ‘tweak that’ doubts of an anxious new parent, I allow myself some pleasure and small pride that it has got here.

I hope you and Your Big Book will be very happy together and that you can make a real difference in troubled times.

You can order your copy here. 

So long and good luck!


Tom Messere
Author of Your Big Book of Benefits

Welcome, Tomos!

I started at CHC in March 2014 as Energy and Sustainability Officer whilst Shea Jones is on sabbatical leave for six months. 

One of my primary aims over the next few months is to work with CHC's members to develop our EU Energy Funding bid and new partnerships. 

As part of my role, I oversee the Technical Services Forum, Social Housing Fire Safety Strategy Group and Energy Group. Over the course of the next six months, I will keep CHC members up to date with developments on the Future Generations and Housing Bills, as well as every changing policy development within energy, sustainability and fire safety. 

The most challenging aspect of my role will be to develop our EU Energy Funding bid proposal whilst also keeping myself and members informed of UK, Welsh Government and European energy and sustainability policies and developments. What I hope to enjoy most in the next few months is being re-acquainted with staff working in HAs across Wales, learning new skills and experiences. 

Tomos Davies
Energy and Sustainability Officer

Cycle4Nik – A Life Changing Weekend

The statistics below can be used to describe our cycle4Nik experience from North to South Wales over St David’s Day 2014 weekend:

• 14 hours cycled
• 3 days 
• 182 miles
• 2.6 miles climbed 
• 12,070 calories burnt 
• 15 full cyclists 
• 26 individual stage cyclists 
• £12,000 raised.
  
  

Pictures also tell their own story. 

However, I hope my few words will also add a different dimension to the ones above.

It was an epic weekend full of amazing memories, stunning scenery, challenging climbs and loads of laughs.

It had taken 4 months to plan and was Gareth Cole's idea, who works at the Seren Group. He suggested cycling from North to South Wales to raise funds for a former member of staff who has a rare form of cancer... and it snowballed from there. A frantic couple of months then ensued which saw budgets sorted, route agreed, accommodation and transport booked, a race night organised to generate more funds and lots of marketing and promoting of the ride. The support from the sector was immense. Lots of people were up for the ride and HAs also wanted to support us through sponsoring or helping out with refreshments en route. We couldn’t have done this without their support.

So we had a team, we had a route (which proved one of the most hardest things to sort) – and now we had to train. 30 December saw our first group ride and we experienced gales, driving rain and a massive ascent up Lyngynidor mountain to finish us off. I can remember the look on everyone’s faces as we all clambered back into our cars. They were not happy faces.

And so it continued. Week after week, regular weekend training rides. We were all busy. We all had full time jobs, families, other priorities, but there was not one member of the team that did not take part in any group ride – such was the commitment of the team. I can recall out of 10 weeks of training that there were only two sunny days. We cycled in snow, ice, driving rain, 40 mph winds against us and hailstones – but it did make us stronger. I know that the North Wales team also made it out on a number of training rides.

We were really sorry to lose Tony Clark from Monmouthshire Housing who broke his hip ball joint on an icy training ride, and also Sean Davey (UES Energy) had to pull out in the final week due to a serious health scare (he is now thankfully OK).

After many miles of training, we were ready to set off and we left Newport with the knowledge that severe yellow weather warnings were in place for North Wales – our day 1 start. If ever we needed the weather gods to be kind to us, it was now.

We all awoke on Day 1 to find the amazing sight of no snow and glorious sun. Yes – our prayers had been answered. Final checks to our bikes and a few words of thanks and final route plans took place, and then we were off. I remember looking at Gareth as we started with 31 riders and thinking - yes, this was really happening – we both smiled knowing that after all the months of planning, we were about to start our amazing journey. It was great to ride off with the North Wales team and others from Mid Wales HA and CT Clwyd. The day was full of stunning views, one steep climb and lots of smiles. We all finished the ride with just one puncture and celebrated in the Royal Ship Inn with a pint (or two).

Day 2 saw the only day rider from Mid Wales HA join us for what was going to be one of the most challenging rides we had all faced. Our breakfast had barely had a chance to go down when we were climbing half a mile into the start of the ride. That was tough. We then faced the longest climb up a snow topped mountain. That was lung busting. And to finish us off, another three hours of big climbs and few descents on a cycle route back to Llandrindod Wells. When hardened cyclists remarked that they found that day one of the most difficult rides they had cycled, it made the aches and pains a little easier. It also made the Stella go down easier too!

Day 3 saw driving rain and harsh winds welcoming us for our last day, along with three full day riders. They were horrible conditions but it was fitting that we had trained all winter – why shouldn’t we finish off the ride in rain and gales? This was our longest day and we faced Lyngynidor mountain again before our lunch stop. We all found it hard, but again completed it and knew that it was literally downhill all the way to Newport. We were joined for the final 26 miles by a further 10 cyclists and it was an amazing feeling to see the long peloton of cyclists all focused on getting to Newport. These last 26 miles should have been the most straightforward route of the three days, but somehow we lost a few cyclists and someone also came off – maybe it was just the adrenalin and knowing that the finish was in sight. I have to mention Richard Thomas from Cardiff Care & Repair  – he got lost and I took a call from him saying “I lost you all but managed to find Bannatynes. I’m hiding behind a tree – I’ll come out when I see you coming!”. That was a funny moment.

And so we ended our journey at Bannatynes Newport at 4.30pm on 2 March where we were noisily and proudly greeted by friends and family. The sense of achievement at what we had actually achieved was so overwhelming. We had cycled from North to South Wales for Nik and raised £12,000. Her dad (Terry) was there to meet us and he moved us all to tears with his words about his daughter and what we had done for her. Truly unforgettable.

Reflecting on the journey, team members have written messages for Nik. Here are two of my favorites which encapsulate how we all feel:

Nik, without realising, you’ve changed our lives and made us better people. Thank you so much.

It was an honour to be able to ride for you from North to South Wales. Having not met you but hearing the kind words people have said about you and the impact you have had upon their lives made this challenge special. It was a pleasure to be part of the experience.

So what is the legacy of the ride? Well, over £12,000 was raised and will be handed to the Hope for Nik fund this month. This money will be used to help support Nik and her family. North Wales HA are setting up their own bike club. Mid Wales HA are also looking to do regular rides, and the South Wales team are planning more rides and social events. The Cycle4Nik journey didn’t stop on 2 March... it has simply continued.

On behalf of the Cycle4nik team, thank you everyone for your support, good wishes and generosity.


Phillipa Knowles
Director of Central Services
Community Housing Cymru Group

Homeless prevention - at the heart of what we do

In the summer of 2013, Community Housing Cymru commissioned research in partnership with the WLGA, funded by Welsh Government, to explore the opportunity for greater collaboration between housing associations and local authorities.

Reflecting on this, it's fair to say that the research challenges the sector and local authorities by, to some extent, putting the writing on the wall over what works and what doesn't. It highlights some issues around consistency, roles and responsibility and some contrasting priorities. But it also demonstrates the high volume of innovative projects that local authorities and housing associations have worked on together in using housing stock and the generally positive relationships that exist between housing associations and local authorities in Wales.

The workshop sessions conducted for the research revealed that some local authorities are concerned that with increasing pressure on housing association rental income, this will increasingly become the focus of business. It's important that we put such concerns to rest.

We've always said we're more about bricks and mortar and we've consistently shown this to be the case - you just need to look at the regeneration, innovative care provision, financial and digital inclusion initiatives, employment and skills projects provided by the sector to understand what housing associations are about. It's more than tackling homelessness - for our members it's about supporting individuals to build fulfilling, rewarding lives.

We know that Supporting People funding will also continue to be an important part of how we provide accommodation and support and the new collaborative arrangements which drive how this funding is used should be an opportunity to build and spread the highly positive practice that exists, much of which is highlighted in the report.

Welfare reform continues to be a shadow over the sector which, in the context of homelessness, undermines the ability of local authorities to house individuals quickly and reduce demand on temporary accommodation due to the 'bedroom tax'.

CHC will continue to challenge and support our members to deliver more, and explore new ways of delivering projects to meet increasing demand on both our own and other sectors. It's clear that the homelessness challenge facing Wales will continue to require dynamic thinking from housing, health, the third sector and Welsh Government to drive improvement in how we do things. It’s true that public services in many instances have no option but to change, so if we can’t control that then we should seek to control how we change in an informed way. This research is a stepping stone to doing that in the context of homelessness.

You can read the full report here.


Matt Kennedy
Policy Officer: Care, Support and Health

Hopkins v Hopkins... the debt debate

I watched the recent Channel 5 Debt Debate, shouting at the TV like so many others. Is the country full of irresponsible borrowers who are too ‘stupid’ to know what they’re doing and too ‘irresponsible’ to care? Katie Hopkins thinks so, but Kath Hopkins knows differently.

Debt is not just about reckless borrowing for PS4s and Christmas presents. It’s about life events that cause a drop in income; about struggling to pay rent, council tax, utility bills and food; about not being able to save because you have so little to live on and about lack of availability of advice services at an early enough stage to help prevent debt.


Here are the details of my last five clients... Are they the people portrayed on the debate?

Client 1 – Ill health meant this person could not work and had to claim benefits. He fell into mortgage arrears. His mortgage company said they would only accept interest only payments for six months, so now he has to pay £375 per month to cover the repayment part of his mortgage. He receives £303pm Employment Support Allowance. He hopes to be able to return to work but cannot afford to pay priorities at present from the £5.77 a week he has left.

Client 2 – Her husband suffered a stroke. He had been self-employed for many years, but is now unable to work. She has had to cease working in order to be his full time carer. They have mortgage and utility debt. They do also have non-priority debt, but have taken responsibility for it and have a payment plan via Step Change, but are still struggling to pay for essentials.

Client 3 - Worked solidly since leaving school until a mental health condition meant he was unable to continue working at age 47. He is managing to pay all of his priority bills but has catalogue debt and a very high oil bill as he is not on the mains gas supply. He tried to get advice, but had only heard of the Citizens Advice Bureau and, as his local office had closed, he thought there was nowhere else to  go.

Client 4 – Her husband was made redundant then, shortly after, found he had a critical illness. She needs to care for him full time so is unable to work. They have utility arrears only and are struggling to pay bills.

Client 5 – Separated from her husband, she is unable to work due to a disability. She applied for PIP in September, but is still waiting for a decision. Meanwhile she is surviving on £70 a week ESA. She only owes the council for dinner money as no-one told her she was eligible for free school meals.

Yes, Katie Hopkins, in an ideal world we would all work in well paid jobs. We would all save up for non-essential purchases. We would all insure against ill health and redundancy. However, I live in the real world and this just isn’t possible for most people who live here too. Wages are stretched too thin to be able to think about saving. Sickness and redundancy insurance are non-priorities and not available to the self employed.

Not all debt is due to reckless spending and irresponsible lending, it’s also caused by not having enough money to be able to manage day to day. Are people who work and borrow from the bank to buy a car so they can travel to work any better than the person who buys a sofa from Brighthouse? No, they are just the same. They are just luckier to have more options available to them.

Saving is even harder for those on benefits. How can you save when you have £70 per week to live on and are not able to find work or are not in a position to look for work due to ill health or caring responsibilities? How can you save when out of your £70 a week you have to pay £23 'bedroom tax', £10 gas, £10 electric, £10 water, £3.50 TV licence and £5 child support, leaving £8.50 for food, travel, phone and clothes?

What were your thoughts on the Debt Debate? Do you agree with Katie Hopkins or with Kath Hopkins?


Kath Hopkins
Money Advisor 

Support Nick Bennett at the CEO Sleepout in Cardiff

On 27 March I’ll be joining more than 70 business leaders including five chief executives from the housing association sector, namely Michelle Reid - Cynon Taf, Duncan Forbes - Bron Afon, Andrew Lycett - RCT Homes, Cathy Davies - Hafan Cymru and Chris O’Meara - Cadwyn, sleeping rough as part of the first ever CEO Sleepout in Cardiff.

Every penny from our first hand experience of living on the streets will help the homeless, stock food banks and genuinely reach out to those facing severe hardship. A wide range of projects will benefit from the event including Llamau and Cardiff Foodbank.

As Chief Executive of Community Housing Cymru (CHC), campaigning on behalf of our members and their tenants throughout Wales, I know only too well that welfare reform is placing a huge financial burden on some of the poorest in society.

Reforms have meant that people pay for 'spare' bedrooms with no alternative accommodation available, it has removed disability benefits from those in need, and imposed sanctions on those who don't find a job despite the shadow of economic downturn still looming over many of our communities.

We know that 350,000 people are affected by welfare reform in Wales, 35,000 of which are affected by the ‘bedroom tax’, so it is inevitable that placing these pressures on those most in need will lead to more homelessness.

When you think of homelessness, you may have an image of someone sleeping rough in a shop doorway and sadly, for many, this is still the case. However, there are lots more people who are homeless in the non-traditional sense, who spend their time sofa-surfing on a friend’s or family member’s settee because they can no longer afford a bed nor a home of their own anymore.

The day before the CEO Sleepout and my taste of homelessness, I’ll be at the Tai 2014 Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru (CIH Cymru) Conference. I’ll be launching the CHC and the Welsh Local Government Association joint research report on ‘Partnership Working and Homelessness’.

The research was commissioned to specifically focus on identifying opportunities to develop partnership working in light of the new homelessness duties set out in the Housing Bill. It seeks to highlight best practice and address some of the key challenges partners face in delivering homelessness services. The report is intended to act as a toolkit for Local Authorities and Housing Associations and we hope that, by highlighting how barriers have been overcome in a variety of areas, this will increase consistency and help in meeting the needs of the growing homeless population in Wales.

Another real cause the CEO Sleepout raises money for is to stock food banks, which have become a vital way of life for many. Food bank usage has grown dramatically due to a cost of living crisis with stagnant wages, inflation and increasing fuel and food costs.

In 2011/12 a total of 16,000 people sought help from a food bank, and latest figures (2013/14) have seen an increase in usage to 67,000.

The reality is that many more people in Wales are one step closer to homelessness, and many more are living in poverty, than ever before.

We’d all like to think that we could turn to someone for help, so if you are in a position to donate to a cause which helps makes a difference to real people’s lives, please donate to the CEO Sleepout.

I’d be grateful on behalf of those whose lives will be enriched by your generosity if you would sponsor me online at: https://www.justgiving.com/nick-bennett13


Nick Bennett
Chief Executive, Community Housing Cymru Group