Bursary boost for artist’s new business

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Sarah’s story

As a disabled artist starting up my own business, accessibility is important.

I was struggling to meet client and contractual needs and having to do way harder work by fingerpainting and editing on my phone screen. This meant it took a lot longer and was a lot more difficult to create and edit images than necessary, but I worked with what I had at the time.

Northern Housing Consortium via Livin Futures offered a £500 bursary and I applied for a drawing tablet to make it easier to edit, modify and create work to the professional standard required.

I was so pleased when I was successful with being approved for the bursary as it is very important that disabled individuals have access to accessibility when it comes to doing the jobs we have built a trade in.

This tablet won’t just make it more accessible to create stickers and meet client specifications, but it also allows me, as a disabled artist to modify and create art with ease.

Having successfully achieved a contract with a stock image website, I found it exceptionally difficult to meet their requirements of the contract without the correct software.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Lisa Newham from Livin Futures and Northern Housing Consortium for helping my business visions come to fruition.

A cut above the rest

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Livin Housing customer Kimberly Bell shares how an NHC Unlocking Success bursary has helped her get her hairdressing back up and running in the North East.

I would like to thank the Northern Housing Consortium for awarding me the £500 bursary which has been very useful in my ambition to once again become a self-employed hairdresser in the North East.

I recently relocated to the North East, due to personal circumstances. I had previously been a well-established self-employed hairdresser, where I had regular clients and income.  I recently secured a part time role at a local bar, as I felt this would help me to meet new people, and try and attract potential customers to my hairdressing business.

Livin Housing listened to my circumstances and understood I was eager to get back into hairdressing and mentioned the NHC Bursary.  This was an opportunity which I wanted to go ahead with, and I was extremely happy to hear that my application had been accepted.

When I received the £500, I ordered supplies to help me start back up. I have since been able to get new clients in my area and have started back up as a self-employed hairdresser.

Thank you once again to all those involved.

Heartwarming Homes – working together to make a difference

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The NHC, Placeshapers and Tpas came together to launch the Heartwarming Homes toolkit, to support housing providers to engage with residents about energy efficiency improvements. The project came about following the NHC’s Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury and Placeshapers and Tpas research Residents’ Voices in the Net Zero Journey. Both pieces of work had similar themes around importance of effective communication and engagement with residents.

Project lead Kathy Thomas explains more about Heartwarming Homes.

Tell us a bit more about the toolkit:

The Heartwarming Homes toolkit is an easy to navigate website which guides social housing providers through the process of communicating with residents about energy efficiency projects from start to finish.

There are some useful resources, such as template letters, a video tour of a retrofitted home, and template FAQs. However, it’s much more that – if you want to successfully engage with residents you need to look at your whole process, not just the materials you send them.

I worked with a group of tenants, and they were passionate about the need for tailored one-to-one engagement with residents, with someone they know and trust. Everyone has different circumstances, and you need to account for this. We looked at things from a Behaviour Change Perspective, so the toolkit identifies what potential barriers are to having work done, and how these can be overcome.

 

What do you think are the most important lessons from the toolkit?

That a ‘one size fits all’ approach to engagement doesn’t work. Having dedicated customer engagement officers and offering tenants tailored support, for example a loft clearance service for those that need it, requires additional investment but it’s well worth it. It will pay dividends in terms of customer experience, and those residents will share experience with neighbours, friends and family. It also helps avoid costly delays which come with not being able to access peoples’ homes.

 

Heartwarming Homes sounds a collaborative project, can tell us a bit more about who you worked with?

It was very collaborative – the original idea for the project came from the NHC, Placeshapers and Tpas, but a wide range of organisations and individuals were involved in the development and delivery.

As mentioned, I worked with a tenant advisory group which included people who had been involved in the other pieces of work and some new faces too. The insight they gave was invaluable. I also worked representatives from the social housing sector who shared what was working well, and lessons learnt. It was important to get input from both perspectives.

All this was overseen by a steering group, which alongside the three lead organisations included representatives from Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, the Carbon Literacy Project, Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission and West Yorkshire Housing Partnership and more.

 

Has the toolkit been a success?

The website’s had over 9,000 hits and this keeps growing which show’s it’s being used by the sector. Prior to launch we did a test and learn phase with a wider group of sector representatives and residents and the feedback was positive. The message was clear that the toolkit would be used, and the advice was realistic to implement.

What meant most though was the feedback from residents. I’ve pasted a couple of examples below.

“It makes such a refreshing changethat it’s written in ‘speak easy’ language, it’s understandable. It makes it sound totally different to most of the stuff I’ve read before that’s been put out.”

“It takes away any sense of “them and us” which people sometimes have at times of change. It allows opportunities for questions to be asked.”

 

What have been your personal highlights?

I worked with a very supportive manager and was given the freedom to take the project in the direction I felt was right.

I also stepped out my comfort zone and ended up speaking at dozens of events about the project. It was a real confidence booster and has helped me develop new skills.

 

Find out more about Heartwarming Homes at https://heartwarminghomes.org.uk

Meet our Matthew

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NHC Member Engagement Officer and GEM programme graduate Matthew Johnson shares his experience of joining the housing sector, and what the challenge and opportunities are.

What’s been your highlight?

The highlight from doing the GEM programme, was meeting others from across the sector. I interacted with a range of different colleagues in housing and a diverse range of staff from different organisations. From Policy Officers to Housing Officers, our fellow GEM students were the highlight for me. Talking to others who had just came into housing and their ideas for the sector through the activities we did was really insightful.

What’s the biggest challenge in housing?

For me, it’s capacity and resourcing. In the housing sector there is new regulation being introduced that housing providers are having to react to. Improvements in housing quality, creating better neighbourhoods and safer communities are some of the great areas of work housing associations are investing in to improve the lives of their tenants. However, this, along with the changes in regulation from the Regulator of Social Housing and the Housing Ombudsman means that housing providers are being asked to do more and more which there may not be resources to fully facilitate. This, along with recruitment difficulties (particularly in trades skills) and funding restrictions, means there may be difficulties around capacity and resourcing in future.

One thing I’ve learned:

My main takeaway from GEM is that the housing sector is changing and the relationship between tenant and landlord isn’t as straightforward anymore. In the past, it seems that the relationship was more transactional, there was a tenant who paid rent to a social landlord and in return, they had a house. Conversations in the sector are changing as to what exactly a “home” is. Ideas such as 20-minute neighbourhoods and the necessity of green spaces are changing what social landlords are being asked to do for their tenants. The idea of “placemaking” is a lot more prevalent and is leading the sector to look at what they can do for their more.

What I’m excited for:

I’m excited about the election. Maybe “excited” isn’t the right word, but I’m interested to see what the future of housing could potentially look like. I think regardless of who wins, there will be a slew of ideas coming forward about housing in the coming months, and social housing is going to be a large part of it. It’ll be interesting to see what is implemented post-election.

Wellbeing at the heart of the NHC

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NHC staff (Left, Kate Maughan, Tracy Harrison, Drew Frame, Rachel Mersh)

From recipe calendars to laughter yoga, wellbeing at the NHC is no laughing matter! Guided by results from an all-colleague survey a volunteer group of employee advocates have put in place a range of initiatives. This includes support for colleagues to get their brains and bodies active, look after their mental health and financial wellbeing, and to have some fun!

The NHC takes a holistic approach to wellbeing with campaigns to encourage colleagues to get outside, sessions to improve sleep, and time to review personal finances, sitting alongside flexible working, health insurance and an employee assistance programme. With support to buy a standing desk, volunteering days in the local community and buddy catch ups there really is something for everyone.

Kate Maughan, Director of Member Engagement and wellbeing group member, said:

“It’s so important to give people time for fresh air and fresh thinking – I think sometimes we underestimate the positive impact it has. Being part of our internal wellbeing group has allowed me to do my part in making sure everyone can get involved. I’ve loved all of our activities this year, but I think my favourite was the year-long exercise campaign: it had something for everyone (no matter how much they love or hate exercise!) and culminated in some of us taking part in the Sunderland City Runs 10K and half marathon, where we raised £635 for the NHC’s Unlocking Success Bursary.”

Kay Wiseman, HR Manager and wellbeing group member, said:

“Promoting employee wellbeing plays a huge part in enabling individuals to thrive both physically and mentally. Being part of the wellbeing group has enabled us to raise awareness of a number of important mental health and wellbeing topics.

“I have really enjoyed being part of all of our campaigns but one of my favourites was our ‘Get Moving’ campaign, the main aim of this campaign was to encourage habit-building of moving throughout the day to encourage people to move away from their screens and desks. Throughout this campaign we organised several activities including team walks and a laughter yoga session.”

Last year the NHC achieved a Better Health at Work Silver Award. This followed a bronze award in 2022 and our HR Manager Kay Wiseman winning Health Advocate of the Year for Sunderland as part of the award.

The Better Health at Work Award (BHAWA) recognises the efforts of employers in the North East and Cumbria in addressing health issues in the workplace.

Hear from 2 of our successful bursary winners

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John Martin

John Martin, a Livin tenant, has passed his HGV road test after receiving a £500 bursary. 

He had been a long-term carer for his partner for over 10 years but felt that it was the right time to find a career for himself now his children have grown up. Being a HGV driver has always been a dream for John and he’d like to become a tanker driver one day. John applied for the £500 bursary to sit his road driving test, having already passed the other modules. 

John is delighted to have passed his road driving test and to have his HGV licence. The last we heard is that Livin are supporting John to find work with local HGV employers.

Peter Summers 

Gateshead tenant, Peter Summers applied for a £500 bursary to go towards a Security Industry Authority (SIA) license which should help him secure full-time work. 

When Peter was chosen to receive the £500 bursary, he said: 

“I would like to start off by saying thank you so much for accepting my application. Being successful has had a huge impact on my mental health already. I know that once the payment comes through for the training, things will start improving for me in terms of financial stability, more work, better mental health, and I can eventually start reducing my rent arrears.

“The licence should mean I can go full time.  I won’t have to rely on universal credits and have the uncertainty of shifts which I have without my SIA license. I would have never of been able to save up for this training myself and pay for other costs such as travel expenses.” 

For more information and to apply visit: https://bursary.northern-consortium.org.uk

An exciting future in housing

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Policy & Public Affairs Officer Joe Bews joined the NHC nearly two years ago and has recently completed his CIH Housing Level 4 qualification, through the GEM programme.

As part of the NHC’s 50 stories celebration, he reflects on his first year in the sector and how GEM has supported him to develop as a housing professional. He’s picked a few highlights from the past year as well as what he’s excited to see in the sector going forward.

What was your highlight of the year?

Through both the GEM programme and with the NHC, I’ve had the opportunity to get out and about visiting a range of different sites, from Passivhaus certified developments to MMC innovation factories.

I’ve particularly enjoyed getting to visit homes where you can see the tangible positive effects home upgrades such as insulation have had on residents’ lives. It’s brilliant to hear people say how much warmer and happier they are in homes that have been retrofitted, while also benefitting from cheaper bills.

One example of this was a visit I helped to organise with a local MP to an estate in Oldham which had had green home upgrades. I was delighted to see residents explaining the impact it had on their homes and bills to their MP who was able to see the great work of the housing association to improve constituents’ quality of life.

What is the biggest challenge for the housing sector going forward?

It’s well documented that there are various major challenges facing housing at present, but I feel a core challenge we as a sector need to tackle is ensuring there is the political will from policymakers to spur change. At the start of April, YouGov’s poll on the most important issues facing the country showed housing as the public’s fourth most important issue. It’s vital we illustrate that safe, affordable and good quality housing is intrinsically linked to other key issues facing the country such as health, which the public see as the second most important issue facing the country.

Our recent Living in Fear report highlighted the negative impacts living in poor quality housing – particularly during a cost of living crisis – can have on people’s health.

We need to communicate effectively to ensure the sector’s asks are heard and good housing is seen as a pillar of societal development. I think we should also focus on highlighting the ‘successes’ as much as possible to prove what can be done when the sector is supported. 

What do you think is the most important lesson from the past year?

That nothing should take place without listening and consulting with residents first. They are closer to the issue at hand than anyone and know what’s best for them, as one resident said ‘it’s not my house but it is my home’.

What are you most excited about for the future of social housing?

I’m excited about the opportunity we have to position housing at the forefront of a programme of national renewal. By linking health, net zero, levelling up and the cost-of-living to a large-scale initiative of building and upgrading high-quality sustainable homes, we can achieve a huge amount in a sector that is ready to lead the way.

I’m also excited about the prospect of encouraging more diversity in the sector. It’s clear to see that the housing sector could be much more diverse and representative of the residents it serves. I think improving diversity at all levels will only result in positive impacts for people living in social housing and should be a key focus for the sector going forward.

Dream career in the ambulance service for Bursary winner Simone 

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Torus tenant Simone is now working for the ambulance service after a £500 bursary helped her complete her training.   

Simone is a single mum of two children who both have special needs. Having regularly attended to her children’s emergency medical needs, she developed a passion and drive to pursue a career in the ambulance service. She applied for the £500 bursary to support her to do a First Response Emergency Care (FREC) course and C1 License training to drive an ambulance.   

After receiving the £500 bursary, Simone said:   

“I have applied for the C1 on my license now, and I can’t wait to start my driver training, which wouldn’t have been possible any time soon without this bursary! I am so happy and grateful to have people supporting and believing in me, and to be chosen for it.   

“I am definitely on the right path now and will soon be working and training with North West Ambulance Service as an EMT or training to be a paramedic at Warrington Vale.”  

Simone came to speak at our Unlocking Success Bursary lunch to explain how the bursary has helped her. She later updated us that she’s got the job and is now working for the ambulance service – congratulations Simone!