Southway Stories Spring 2025

Southway Housing Trust's customer magazine for Spring 2025, full of articles, news and events.

Southway Housing's tenant magazine Spring 2025 Southway Stories The future looks bright

Customers shape new plans for homes, communities and

customer voice Pages 2 and 15

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New housing update Great progress being made on homes to rent or buy

Tenant satisfaction on the rise

Staying safe at home How alarms, detectors and electrical checks help you

See our latest survey results

Southway Stories Spring 2025

Strengthening our Customer Voice: New tenant groups

Scan to find out more

It details how we’ll listen and respond to your feedback and how you can influence how services are run. All feedback is valued, and we encourage you to get involved. You can read the full strategy on our website by scanning the QR code above or ask us for a copy. New Customer Voice Panel We’re starting a new tenants’ panel to help hold us to account on our strategy and promises to you. We’ll meet or talk to you online every three months and you can challenge us if things are not where they should be and suggest ideas to help us make improvements. Join our Scrutiny Panel We want more customers to join our Scrutiny Panel which is another important group which reviews different services and reports findings and recommendations to our People and Places Committee. We can meet and work on projects together in person or online and if you don’t want to join the panel, you can still suggest services you’d like the panel to review. Customers are at the heart of everything we do, and we’d like to thank everyone who helped to produce our new Customer Voice Strategy.

www.southwayhousing.co.uk/get-involved

Service Improvement Groups (SIGs) We have three SIGs; repairs, complaints and antisocial behaviour and will be setting up at least two new groups; one for Customer Access focused on customer experience, and one for Assets focused on improvements to homes. We’ll always work with you to support you to get involved in a way that suits you and will reimburse any expenses. Chorlton tenant Debbie helped shape the new Customer Voice Strategy and has attended the Repairs SIG. She said: "Some customers may think becoming involved isn’t for them, but everyone has valuable opinions and experience, which can really help with plans to improve Southway’s services. There are so many different groups to join and the Customer Involvement Team are brilliant at helping tenants who want to have their say. I would really encourage people to contact them and get involved."

Want to get involved and have your say? To find out more, contact Maureen Ward on m.ward@southwayhousing.co.uk or call 0161 448 4229. She’s looking forward to hearing from you!

Southway Stories @southwayhousing.co.uk www.southwayhousing.co.uk

Get Cosy on Mondays all year round! For the past few years, we’ve been hosting Cosy Mondays, our weekly community get-together, at our office warm space throughout the year’s coldest months. In that time, we’ve held over 60 sessions, gifted over 1500 rugs and shared countless brews with our tenants and other members of the community. We’re excited to announce we’re now hosting Cosy Mondays throughout the whole year!* In case you didn’t know, every Monday morning, we host Cosy Mondays at our office on Princess Road, which is open not only to Southway tenants, but all members of the local community. Each week, there’s a different theme designed to support our communities with essential items, advice or entertainment. These range from back- to-school items, rug giveaways, employment support, spring-cleaning supplies and even the odd magic show! However, it’s not just about the giveaways, and one of the highlights each week is seeing so many people simply stop by to relax with a hot (or cold) drink and have a catch- up. We've really loved seeing how the Cosy Mondays community has grown, with tenants and people from across Manchester coming in every week, rain or shine. We’ve got lots planned for the rest of the year, including the opportunity to chat with staff from the Customer Involvement Team and share your feedback and ideas you have about our services. So, whether it's your first time or you're a Cosy Mondays regular, pop along this Monday and have a cuppa with us! There is parking, including spaces for blue badge holders, and a nearby bus stop for those using public transport. *excluding bank holidays Every Monday* (10am – 12pm) Southway Housing Trust 729 Princess Road M20 2LT

Contents

Latest on the Home Energy Improvement Survey

Are your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors working? Update on Housing Management Team

N ew scheme to help you if you are in rent arrears/We sign up to LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge

Tenancy successions

8 9

Spotlight on Mediation Service 10-11 W hat you have told us in the Tenant Satisfaction Measures Survey 13 U pdate on new homes we’re building 14 A pply now for Beautiful South Fund 15 What’s in our Five- Year-Plan 16 Embracing the new Consumer Standards

Government welfare reforms/New Employment Team initiative Sponsorship for junior football team

Find out more about Trishaw Rides and Burnage Walks

Southway Stories Spring 2025

Your Home, Your Safety, Your Future

Why our Home Improvement and Energy Surveys matter

We’re committed to keeping your home safe, comfortable, and energy-efficient — now and for years to come. That’s why we launched a Home Improvement and Energy Survey programme across all our homes in January 2025. What’s Happening? Friendly and trained surveyors from the expert team at Rapleys are visiting homes like yours to carry out important surveys which take 30-45 minutes , and cover: Inside your home — checking kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems, and more. Outside your home — reviewing roofs, windows, walls, and other external features. Communal areas — ensuring shared spaces are safe, secure, and well-maintained. Up to now, with your help, we've completed surveys of 1,200 homes. Why Does This Matter? By allowing us access to complete these surveys, you’re helping us to: › Keep you safe — ensuring everything in your home is working properly. › Plan improvements — so we can target investment where it’s needed most. › Improve energy efficiency — helping to reduce bills and improve comfort.

A Rapleys surveyor out on one of our estates.

What Do You Need to Do? Allow access for your Home Improvement and Energy Survey. When our team contacts you, please book your appointment as soon as possible. By working together, we can keep your home safe, comfortable, and efficient — now and into the future. Thank you for your support in helping us provide you with a home you can feel proud of.

For more information, take a look at our FAQs

Need to talk to us about your survey? Contact us at 0161 448 4200

Southway Stories @southwayhousing.co.uk www.southwayhousing.co.uk

At Southway, your safety is our top priority. We’re committed to making sure your home is a safe and secure place for you and your family. But to do this, we need your help. We’ve recently discovered through our Home Improvement and Energy Surveys that some homes are missing vital safety devices – smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. In some cases, these alarms have been removed or disabled! We cannot stress this enough: This is incredibly dangerous and could put you at risk. A Vital Reminder Staying Safe in Your Home

Electrical Inspections – Why They Matter We also want to remind you how important electrical safety inspections are. Southway is carrying out an electrical safety check in your home at least once every five years. Faulty wiring, overloaded sockets, and damaged chargers are some of the risks that can lead to fires, electric shocks, or serious injuries. These checks are designed to identify and resolve potential dangers before they cause harm. We understand that these inspections may feel inconvenient, but they are absolutely essential. When we contact you for an appointment, please give our contractors full access to your home – including all rooms. If you have concerns about the visit or need support to prepare for it, please let us know. We will do everything we can to make the process as smooth as possible. Working Together to Stay Safe Your co-operation is vital. By ensuring alarms are in place and allowing us to carry out essential safety checks, you are helping to keep your home – and your community – safe.

Smoke and CO Alarms – Your Lifesavers

Smoke and CO alarms are provided free of charge to help protect you and your family. If a fire breaks out or dangerous CO levels build up, these alarms give you crucial early warning – potentially saving lives. Please do not remove or disable these alarms. If yours is missing, damaged, or has been taken down, contact us immediately and we’ll replace it free of charge.

Thank you for working with us. If you need to talk to us about your detectors or your upcoming electrical system check? Contact Paul Muldowney via email p.muldowney@southwayhousing.co.uk or call 0161 448 4200.

Southway Stories Spring 2025

Members of the Housing Management Team planning their work for you.

Improving housing management

To ensure we are delivering services in the best way and responding to customers enquiries, we’re recruiting an additional Housing Manager who will manage half the current Housing Officer team and take the lead on our approach to anti-social behaviour. When are they in our community? We know you want our Housing Officers to be out and about and they will be doing more planned visits to people to check that everything is OK and that our records are up to date. The team currently receives a high number of telephone call back requests, an average of more than 300 a month. We’re always happy to talk, but we’re also improving the information on our website www. southwayhousing.co.uk which may help answer a query. Or you can pop in to see your Housing Officer in person at their surgery instead.

officers deal with matters outside as well as inside the home, working alongside other teams like our Environment and Caretaking Teams. They also provide a lot of support and advice to help people sustain their tenancies and work in partnership with statutory agencies, most notably Social Services, and signpost people to local support. What’s new with the team? To help with our plans to keep improving the service we’re recruiting more Housing Officers to reduce the size of the patches they manage, to around 600 homes. We’ve also introduced Housing Officer surgeries so you can go and see your officer closer to where you live. They also have regular estate walkabouts that you can join them on to have a chat about your community.

We’re working to make more improvements to our Housing Management teams so that we can support all of our customers. We have made significant changes to enhance the service provided by our Housing Officers over the past 18 months, with a new management team and improved policies, procedures and guidance. What do our Housing Officers do? Housing Officers have a varied and busy role. The team deal with all tenancy-related matters from allocating and letting homes, processing changes of tenancy such as mutual exchanges and successions, to monitoring adherence to tenancy conditions. They receive and investigate complaints of nuisance and antisocial behaviour and other matters like untidy gardens. The

Southway Stories @southwayhousing.co.uk www.southwayhousing.co.uk

We’re trialling a project with Manchester City Council to help you move to a smaller home and clear rent arrears up to £2,500. Managing any home can be challenging and we understand that when you’re living in a home that isn’t right for you, it can be stressful and sometimes an added financial strain. A new home might be more suitable for several reasons including: › Medical and mobility needs › Saving money on bills, including rent › Less cleaning and household maintenance New scheme for tenants with rent arrears Are you living in a home that's become too big for your needs?

If you’ve fallen into rent arrears and are living in a home with two or more bedrooms that aren’t being used, please get in touch.

How does it work? You’d need to be registered on the city council’s Manchester Move website so we can help you find and bid on suitable homes. After moving to another home, you would receive a £2,500 incentive which would be used to clear your rent arrears, and any remaining balance would be credited to you. The city council’s rightsizing team would also help you with removal costs.

› Avoiding the bedroom tax › Moving to a different area

If you are in rent arrears and want to find out more, email: incomecollections@southwayhousing.co.uk or call us on 0161 448 4200.

We’re proud to sign the LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge

of diverse sexual and gender identities. To strengthen our commitment further, we have proudly signed the HouseProud LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge in collaboration with Stonewall Housing. Southway is dedicated to fostering meaningful change by striving to achieve the HouseProud Pledge Pioneer Accreditation. This involves fulfilling three core commitments aimed at engaging residents of varying sexual orientations and gender identities in decision- making and policy development. The accreditation highlights housing providers who ensure

these groups are actively involved in shaping the housing experience for members from the LGBTQ+ community. Through these actions, we aim to create an environment where all residents and colleagues— regardless of

At Southway, we are deeply committed to supporting the LGBTQ+ community and promoting equality for all individuals. We believe that everyone deserves a home where they can freely express their sexual orientation and/or gender identity without fear or prejudice. We are now committed to participating in the HouseProud Northwest Scheme, which provides inclusivity and support for colleagues and active allies

their sexual orientation or gender identity— feel valued, respected, and empowered within their communities.

Find out more about the LGBTQ+ Housing pledge at: www.houseproud-lgbt.com/pledge

Southway Stories Spring 2025

If someone living in one of our homes passes away it may be possible for a family member to take over the tenancy through a succession. Someone can only succeed to a tenancy when the tenant passes away and the new tenant, or successor, can’t pass that tenancy on to anyone else. There are three types of succession and applications must be made within three months of a tenant’s death. 1. Statutory Succession Joint tenants can apply for Statutory Succession when the other joint tenant has passed away. 2. Contractual and Special Succession This only applies to those people who became a tenant before 2016. The potential successor must be a family member and have been living at the home for at least six months before the tenant passes away. Tenancy succession after a loss We know grieving for a lost loved one is very difficult and becomes even harder if you’re worried about what will happen to their home, particularly if you share it with them.

2a. Contractual Succession If the family member can show they have the right to the tenancy through a Will or Intestacy* they may be able to stay in the home. 2b. Special Succession Right If the criteria above are not met, then a tenancy may be provided through the Special Succession

criteria at the discretion of the Trust. 3. Discretionary Tenancy

For tenants who entered into a tenancy agreement from 2016 onwards a Discretionary Tenancy may be considered for family members and carers of the deceased tenant who lived at the home for 12 months before the time of death. (*When a person dies without leaving a valid will, their property (the estate) must be shared out according to certain rules. This is called an Intestacy).

Find out more about successions on our website www.southwayhousing.co.uk/successions.

Southway Stories @southwayhousing.co.uk www.southwayhousing.co.uk

What is Mediation? Mediation is an effective way of resolving disputes by involving an independent and impartial third party mediator. Mediation provides a safe, structured, and positive environment for people in dispute to come to a mutually acceptable agreement and better understanding of each other. The people involved in the dispute will ultimately decide the terms of an agreement between themselves, with help from their mediator.

Mediation seeks to: › Change behaviour › Resolve conflict › Make realistic, workable agreements

Mediation is a proven method of dispute resolution that can save those involved time and suffering by avoiding the need for lengthy legal processes. It empowers individuals to find their own solutions which ensures that problems are resolved for the long term. If your relationship wit h your neighbour has broken down and you can’t find an effective way to communicate and raise your matters that are affecting you, please speak to your Housing Officer. We will explain the process and the benefits of engaging in mediation and then speak to the other party. Once both parties agree, we will refer to an independent mediator - meaning that they do not work for Southway. This service is free for Southway tenants involved in a dispute, including if one party is not a Southway tenant. We can also arrange for community mediation, involving a number of parties who are impacted.

We want all our residents to live in a safe and peaceful environment. We understand the impact that disputes between neighbours can have on individuals, families, and communities. To settle disputes between neighbours, at the earliest opportunity we will recommend that both parties engage in mediation. Making our communities safer with mediation

You can see your Housing Officer at surgeries in community venues across our estates, check our socials or website for locations and dates: www.southwayhousing.co.uk/surgeriesandwalkabouts

You can also contact us on 0161 448 4200 or via our website at: www.southwayhousing.co.uk/about-us/contact-us-find-us

Southway Stories

Spring 2025 10

Overall tenant satisfaction with Southway as a landlord has increased this year. Tenant satisfaction on the rise Results for our 2024/25 Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) show improvements in all but one area when compared to how tenants felt last year. We’re really pleased with the improvement in satisfaction on treating people fairly and with respect and the condition of the home.

TSMs were introduced by the Regulator of Social Housing in 2023. They give tenants a say on homes and services and show customers how their landlord is doing across several areas including keeping homes in good repair, dealing with complaints effectively and responsible neighbourhood management. We have seen a slight drop in satisfaction levels with repairs and there’s lots we still need to do to improve complaints handling but we are heading in the right direction. Satisfaction with complaints and antisocial behaviour are low across the housing sector and while we’re performing well on antisocial behaviour, we recognise we need to keep improving. We’ve collected these results through online, telephone and face-to-face surveys with tenants and are pleased to see that the work we’re doing to provide better services is being recognised by tenants.

Tenant Margaret Georgiou with Community Feedback Officer Rachel Renshaw.

Southway Stories @southwayhousing.co.uk www.southwayhousing.co.uk 11

A more detailed look at our latest tenant perception survey results below.

Tenant Satisfaction Measure

2024/25 2023/24 Change

Overall satisfaction with Southway

71% 69% 2%

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the overall repairs service from Southway Housing Trust over the last 12 months? How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the time taken to complete your most recent repair after you reported it? How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that Southway Housing Trust provides a home that is well maintained? Thinking about the condition of the property or building you live in, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you that Southway Housing Trust provides a home that is safe? How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that Southway Housing Trust listens to your views and acts upon them? How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that Southway Housing Trust keeps you informed about things that matter to you? To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following "Southway Housing Trust treats me fairly and with respect"? How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with Southway Housing Trust´s approach to complaints handling? How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that Southway Housing Trust keeps these communal areas clean and well maintained? How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that Southway Housing Trust makes a positive contribution to your neighbourhood? How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with Southway Housing Trust's approach to handling antisocial behaviour?

69% 68% 1%

63% 65% -2%

67% 63% 4%

75% 69% 6%

60% 56% 4%

71% 65% 6%

76% 72% 4%

32% 26% 6%

71% 66% 5%

66% 64% 2%

59% 55% 4%

What’s next? We have plans in place to improve services which will be reviewed every three months by our Tenant Scrutiny Panel, and People and Places Committee. We’ll communicate our full action plan soon via our website, socials and regular newsletters. Some of these improvements include: › Improving the time it takes for us to complete your repairs › Making sure we know more about the condition of your homes through Home Improvement and Energy Surveys

› All emergency repairs to be completed on time › Setting up a new Customer Experience Team to improve how we handle complaints › A new Customer Voice Strategy to strengthen customer involvement and influence and how we listen to you › More tenant groups including one to oversee our new Customer Voice Strategy and one to look at how we improve homes in the future › Improving how we communicate with customers across all our services.

Southway Stories

Spring 2025 12

Scan to view

Say hello to Shared Ownership. If you thought that buying a home where you want to live was out of your reach, then you could be wrong. Shared Ownership through Gecko Homes is a product designed to assist buyers in getting on the property ladder, where ordinarily they might not be able to afford to. Who are Gecko Homes? Gecko Homes are part of Southway Housing Trust and have a dedicated website where you can search all the homes they have available to buy as well as reach out to their dedicated team with any questions you may have. Part rent, part buy, all yours. It’s not always possible to save up for a deposit to buy your own home, but renting means you’ll see no return on all that money you’ve invested over the years. With the unique way that Shared Ownership works, you’ll be able to part rent and part buy a home where you’ll want to live. Deposits can be as low as just 5% of the share you are buying.

The story of Shared Ownership. Imagine a new property as a pie. The full market value is £450,000. And for most, particularly first- time buyers, that’s an unaffordable pie. But what if you just buy the pie by the slide, say one quarter? Watch our Story of Shared Ownership by scanning the QR code above to find out more. How does Shared Ownership work? Gecko’s Shared Ownership homes in Manchester and Cheshire give you the same rights as a regular homeowner, but instead of a full mortgage and high deposit, you part rent, part buy. If you’re trying to understand how Shared Ownership works, our video above explains exactly how it works.

How do I contact Gecko Homes? Web geckohomes.co.uk Call 0330 995 1333 Email sales@geckohomes.co.uk

where you’ll want to live.

Southway Stories @southwayhousing.co.uk www.southwayhousing.co.uk 13

Building programme creates even more opportunities for home ownership and rent

community, offering one and two- bedroom homes, 46 for shared ownership and 30 for social rent and a GPs’ practice on the ground floor. Funding has been given to all of these projects by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, through the Brownfield Housing Fund (BHF), and Homes England from the Affordable Homes Programme. If you are interested in one of the homes for social rent at Francis Road or Two Didsbury Point we will be letting these through a Local Lettings Policy. We are particularly interested in hearing from you if you want to move to a smaller home in your area. Francis Road is due to be ready first, in autumn, so do make contact with your Housing Officer if you are interested. The shared ownership homes can be reserved later this year. To find out more and see how affordable a shared ownership home could be, visit www.geckohomes.co.uk. Representatives from Southway Housing Trust, Gecko, McGoffs, and Trafford Council at the Warwick Road South site.

old police station and new-build on the site of the former Masonic Lodge. The new homes are in the centre of desirable Sale, within walking distance of Stanley Square and the catchment area for local schools. Emerald Way, in the Chorlton area of Manchester will offer 29 one and two-bedroom apartments for shared ownership in a beautiful location overlooking Beech Road Park. In Trafford at Boundary View, which overlooks the Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground there is a mixed development, with 57 homes available for rent and 23 homes available for shared ownership. On Francis Road in Withington, there are 24 new one and two- bedroom apartments being built and all of them will be available for social rent. Two Didsbury Point is being built in a quiet part of West Didsbury in Manchester. It will become home to a diverse

Five new developments across Manchester will create 239 affordable new homes, available to buy through shared ownership including 111 for rent with Southway Housing Trust. We have lots of modern developments in the pipeline across south Manchester. The shared ownership homes offer a way to buy part of a home and rent the rest, with the opportunity to buy more shares and eventually own the whole home, if you want to. Shared ownership makes saving for a deposit much easier – you only need a deposit based on the value of the share you’re buying, not the whole property, with deposit amounts as low as 5%. At Tatton Place in Sale, GECKO is creating 6 houses and 24 apartments for shared ownership through the redevelopment of the

Southway Stories

Spring 2025 14

Children take a look at what is on offer at the Christmas Swap Shop, which was supported by the Beautiful South Fund.

Boost community spirit with The Beautiful South Fund

Info on how to apply

Help your community, join the Beautiful South Fund When individuals or groups apply for the Beautiful South Fund to bring their ideas to life, awards are made by The Beautiful South Fund Decision Making Panel. This panel is made up of Southway customers and supported by Southway colleagues. We want our customers involved at every stage of building our communities, so we’re looking for new members to be on the decision-making panel. The panel meet every two months to assess applications.

Want to do something to help local people connect with each other or give back to the community? The Beautiful South Fund could bring your project to life! South Manchester is a beautiful place, full of people who look after and support their communities and one another. We want to do what we can to support those people to make South Manchester even more beautiful, and somewhere that people are proud to live. The Beautiful South Fund was set up to help those of you with a community initiative or idea to bring your project to life! You can apply for funding of up to £1,500 for any group or individual with a community initiative or idea, whether they are big or small, that help improve and bring people together within your neighbourhood.

Application deadline Monday 12th May 2025 Monday 30th June 2025 Monday 29th September 2025

Panel meeting

Monday 19th May 2025 Monday 7th July 2025 Monday 6th October 2025

If you’re interested in joining The Beautiful South Fund Decision Making Panel and would like more information, please email Diane at d.roege@southwayhousing.co.uk.

Come and explore Nature with us! On Saturday 10th May you can join one of our urban rangers

There are two sessions to choose from, the first is between 10.30am and 12.30pm and the second between 1.30pm and 3.30pm. No need to book, just meet on the grass area on Wintermans Road opposite the entrance to Marham Close five minutes before either session. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

The patch is by Wintermans Road, Chorlton, and a new nature space with bug hotels, beetle banks and minibeast shelters. Together we’ll search for birds, bees, butterflies and minibeasts and you can use our magnifiers for a bit of extra wow!

to explore a little woodland patch.

You’ll also discover some wildflowers and trees too.

Southway Stories @southwayhousing.co.uk www.southwayhousing.co.uk 15

The next five years A new plan

Our new Five-Year Plan which sets our future priorities for homes and communities is here! We received over 1,000 responses from customers and colleagues as part of the feedback sessions we held to gather people’s views on our plan which is great and thanks to everyone who gave time to have their say. Your views have helped to shape the services we’ll run for our customers and how we’ll develop the business over the next five years. Our vision is to ‘Provide excellent customer service and quality homes where communities thrive’ and we’ll do this by focusing on six themes; Customers, Neighbourhoods & Communities, Homes, Sustainability, Colleagues and Growth. We also have new company REACH values to strengthen our relationships with customers and to help us to continually improve the services we offer. These are Respect, Equity, Ambition, Compassion and Honesty.

Our plan runs up until 2030. Read it in full here.

We received lots of invaluable feedback during our customer consultations and we will keep you updated on how we’re using your comments to continue improving and investing in your communities.

Respect

Equity

Ambition Compassion Honesty

A new look .

We’ve also refreshed our logo and branding. You’ll start to see our new look appear in your communities, in information we send to you, and on our digital channels like our website and social media. Southway’s old identity began when the company first formed 17 years ago, so we thought now was a

good time to update this in line with our new Five- Year Plan and to reflect the services we offer today.

16 Southway Stories Spring 2025

Embracing new Consumer Standards The new Consumer Standards became part of the Social Housing Regulation Act in April 2024.

Improvements we’re making: Repairs Deliver repairs to a high standard within timescales and taking on board your feedback to improve Home Improvement & Energy Surveys By March 2026 we will have surveyed every Southway home so that we know what improvements they need Tailoring services to customers Improving how we use customer information to improve and tailor our services. Website We are improving our website, making it easier for you to find the information you need, get in touch with us and access services. Complaints Since November, we have responded to 100% of complaints on time. We have more to do so that we learn from your complaints and our mistakes. We're currently undergoing an inspection and will keep you updated on the results. If you want to know more about inspections, the Regulator’s website has lots of information.

Inspections happen every four years and cover Consumer Standards as well as the governance and financial viability of a housing provider. The judgements for Consumer Standards are:

1. Transparency, Influence, and Accountability Standard:

Tenant influence, equality, complaints, Tenant Satisfaction Measures and being transparent with and accountable to tenants. 2. The Safety and Quality Standard: Ensures that repairs, property safety, and home improvements are managed well. 3. Neighbourhood and Community Standard : Antisocial behaviour, hate crime, domestic abuse. 4. Tenancy Standard: Lettings, housing allocations, and mutual exchanges. Regulatory inspections and judgements Inspections happen every four years and result in the following judgements: › C1 (meeting standards) › C2 (meeting most standards, but some room for improvement) › C3 (serious failings and significant improvement required) › C4 (very serious failings that require fundamental changes).

Scan here for to visit the Regulator's website.

Southway Stories @southwayhousing.co.uk www.southwayhousing.co.uk 17

Help and support available Government changes to welfare reform

Zeke, Andy, Karen and Leslie from the Emlpoyment Support Team are here to help you

In March, the government plans to invest £1 billion in employment support measures to help disabled and long-term sick people back into work.

Find your way forward with our Employment Support Team Did you know that all Southway tenants can access free career support with our dedicated Employment Support Team? Together, Karen, Zeke, Leslie and Andy work to help our tenants begin their employment journey, look at their options or make a career change. Lisa, a Southway tenant who recently secured a job with the NHS after speaking to our team told us. “I was really nervous because I’ve not had an interview for ten years, maybe more… but they put me at ease straight away.” Every Thursday, you’ll find our team at Westcroft Community Centre for drop-in sessions where you can get help with: › CV writing › Job searching › Interview skills › Employment courses and events › And more… Simply drop in to 26 Westcroft Road, M20 6EF between 10am – 12pm for a chat, no appointment needed. Tenants can also access 1-to-1 Career Support every Wednesday and Friday by appointment.

Welfare Reform changes are still at the consultation phase and won’t come into effect until 2026. The aim of these changes is to cut the growing amount the UK spend on the welfare system by helping people to help themselves, whilst protecting the most vulnerable in society.

The reforms are based on five key principles:

Protecting disabled people who can’t and won’t ever be able to work and supporting them to live with dignity Delivering better and more tailored employment support to get more people off welfare and into work Stopping people from falling into long- term economic inactivity through early intervention and support Restoring trust and fairness in the system by fixing the broken assessment process that drives people into dependency on welfare Ensuring the system is financially sustainable to keep providing for those who need it most

If you're worried about these changes, please get in touch. The best thing you can do is get advice early, so you know what to expect. If you’re worried about your benefits or just want to check you’re getting everything you’re entitled to, get in touch with Southway Housing’s Advice Team.

To find out more email EmploymentSupport@southwayhousing.co.uk or give us a call on 0161 448 4200

Call us on 0161 448 4200 or email adviceteamreferrals@southwayhousing.co.uk

Southway Stories

Spring 2025 18

Players from St John's Football Club with their new training tops

Supporting young footballers and building lasting benefits for communities Southway’s Assistant Director of Development

We’ve recently kitted out young footballers in Chorlton with new training tops to help them get match fit.

Jonathan Turner explains how the homes Southway is building are helping communities across Greater Manchester: “We support our local neighbourhoods during the building phase, by offering skilled apprenticeships or employing local people on site as much as possible. There are other ways we can help by reaching out to schools, charities and community groups, or giving presentations to young people interested the construction field. Or in this case, donating to sports clubs like St John’s Football Club.”

St John’s Football Club’s under 7s, 8s and 9s are now sporting new jackets thanks to sponsorship from Southway and its sales and management company Gecko Homes. The sponsorship is an example of how Southway and Gecko are investing in communities beyond homes to help improve people’s health and wellbeing, the local economy and the environment.

Southway Stories @southwayhousing.co.uk www.southwayhousing.co.uk 19

Different ways to contact us

Gorton Mill Resident Diane enjoys a trip on the Trishaw with Vanessa Lam, Southway's Age Friendly Wellbeing Officer and a trained trishaw pilot.

southwayhousing.co.uk The online form on our ‘Contact Us’ page sends an email to our Customer Hub with your enquiry my.southwayhousing.co.uk Book routine repairs, check your rent account, and update your details 24/7 on our tenant portal Connect with us On Facebook, Whatsapp channel and Instagram. Direct messages on Facebook are monitored from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday Visit us Our Southern Gate reception is open from 9am-3pm, Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays Write to us Our address is Southway Housing Trust, Southern Gate, 729 Princess Road, Didsbury, Manchester M20 2LT Call us Our phonelines are open 8am-5.30pm, Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays

All Southway tenants aged 50+ can book a free ride in the Trishaw to get out and about around the neighbourhood of Gorton and Abbey Hey. The ride starts and ends at Southway’s Gorton Mill House and is steered by one of our trained volunteer Trishaw Pilots. Tenants Diane and Kevin had enjoyable rides to Debdale Reservoir and Station South café along the Fallowfield Loop. Kevin tried the route heading to a café called Station South using the local cycleway Fallowfield Loop. He stopped there at the café where he enjoyed a brew! Rides are Getting Out and About

available for: › All Gorton Mill House tenants › All Southway tenants aged 50 or above › Residents of Gorton and Abbey Hey aged 50 or above

Another way to get out and about is to join the Burnage Weekly Walks. Every Wednesday at 11am, the walking group meets at Dahlia House, has a one-hour community walk, and ends at Dahlia House. After the walk, many walkers enjoy a brew or lunch at Dahlia House café. Everyone is welcome, so simply drop by and join the weekly walks to enjoy fresh air, green spaces and connect with people. One attendee was initially unsure about his ability to complete the walk due to his disability but was pleasantly surprised not only finish but to become a regular member of the group. For more information contact Vanessa Lam on 07826 946115 email v.lam@ southwayhousing.co.uk or Miu Tsui 07857 652738 m.tsui@southwayhousing.co.uk.

When you next contact us, please make sure your contact details are up to date and tell us who lives in your home. This makes it easier to contact you in an emergency and process any tenancy changes you ask for. If you want to give permission for someone else to speak to us on your behalf, please let us know.

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