Cost of living crisis

In March, we wrote to all our tenants to announce a rent increase of 4.1% (in line with the Government’s rent formula), which came into effect on 1 April 2022.

Chief Executive Michael Newey recorded a video for tenants, explaining the background to the rent rise. He explained how Broadland’s costs for building homes and providing services have also increased, for example the the price of maintenance materials is rising by almost 10% this year.

Michael acknowledged that the rent increase coincided with other cost of living increases, including fuel price rises, and the impact this would have.

We added a dedicated webpage where tenants could make a direct enquiry about their rent increase. We also listed an extensive list of local and national support organisations, with signposts to ways for tenants to save money on their daily living expenses.

Michael Newey, Chief Executive, recorded a video to tenants about the rent increase in April

Staff sleep out raises £2,000 YMCA

In March a team of 10 Broadland Housing employees slept out overnight to raise funds for YMCA Norfolk’s Sleep Easy 2022 event. The staff team bedded down in the cold and rain in the car park of the YMCA’s new Community Hub on Aylsham Road in Norwich. The team raised nearly £2,000 in sponsorship from friends and supporters.

In total the Norwich Sleep Out raised around £5,500. The money will help Broadland and the YMCA deliver a Housing First project to buy furniture for formerly homeless young people setting up in their own home.

YMCA chief executive John Lee said:

“The partnership between the YMCA and Broadland is helping to deliver a really worthwhile project aimed at homeless young people who have difficult or chaotic backgrounds.

“For a number of reasons, these young people find hostel accommodation difficult, so the aim of Housing First is to skip that step and get them established in their own homes, with a support package to help them succeed in their tenancies and get their lives back on track.”

Broadland staff at the YMCA Norfolk sleep out in March

Michael Newey, Chief Executive, who was part of the Broadland team, said:

“Most of us will fortunately never know what it is like to be sleeping rough on the streets. Although tonight is going to be cold and damp, all of us know that tomorrow we have homes to go to. For those on the streets, this is what they face night after night.

“Broadland Housing is absolutely committed to tackling the problem of homelessness, and we are delighted to be working with the YMCA to be delivering the Housing First project with them, the first of its kind in East Anglia.”

Housing First is an approach which aims to tackle homelessness among people with particularly complex needs by aiming to get individuals into their own home as quickly as possible and providing them with the support they need to make it work. It involves minimising the amount of time spent in temporary accommodation and the number of moves someone has to make before they move into a permanent home.

Helping workplaces and communities to #Flourish

Broadland is supporting #Flourish, a new campaign by Independent East to promote equality, diversity and inclusion in our workplaces and communities. Independent East is an informal alliance of 5 community-focused housing associations in the East of England.

#Flourish is designed to raise awareness of inclusivity and create an environment where everyone can be themselves, grow and flourish. The campaign is based on the idea that just as every plant needs a different environment, treatment and conditions to thrive, so do we as individuals.

Independent East members are working collaboratively to raise awareness about the importance of inclusion through surveys, training and events. Each organisation will also commit to scrutinise their internal processes to see how they could be improved.

Supported and included

In March, Broadland sent a pack of wildflower seeds to all staff, inviting them to plant them and share pictures of the flowers naturally ‘flourishing’. The campaign dovetails with the Challenge & Change staff development programme that Broadland has been running for the last 9 years.

Michael Newey, Chief Executive, said:

“We are very excited to be part of this initiative with Independent East, growing our already strong programme of EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] activities. Our strong commitment reflects that of the other members of Independent East and we look forward to working together to bring even more opportunities to our staff team.”

Catherine Hodds, Director of People & Culture at Saffron, said:

“We are all really passionate about this work. We want our workplaces and our communities to be totally inclusive places, that accept everyone for who they are with no judgement and provide an environment where they can be free to be who they want to. We know that there are so many benefits to having a happy workforce, so why wouldn’t you put in place the things needed to enable that to happen?”

Wendy Evans-Hendrick, Chief Executive, Orwell Housing Association, said:

“While it’s important to remain professional, employees that feel comfortable being themselves are likely to be happier and more productive. This, in turn, influences the service that we can provide to our customers and the experience they will have when they interact with us.

“By working in partnership with our Independent East partners, we hope this campaign will have a positive effect on all our customers across the East of England.”

Gracie Symon – plumbing apprentice prize

Apprentice Gracie Symon with Ian Willis, gas engineer.

In March our apprentice Gracie Symon won first prize in Lewisham College’s plumbing competition. The competition, which celebrated International Women’s Day, was a chance for women construction learners and tradeswomen to showcase their skills in the plumbing trade.

The 8 competitors were given a timed, industry-standard task to complete by the end of the day. Gracie said:

“None of us completely finished the task, as it was quite big, but it was a good challenge and I enjoyed meeting other girls with the same interest as me.

“It was great to be announced the winner, but I think the part that really benefited me was actually turning up to the day, even though I was quite nervous. Just being there was a huge confidence boost, as this would normally be way out of my comfort zone!”

Gracie decided to go into plumbing after she left school.

“I felt that full-time college wasn’t right for me, so I chose to go to work with my Dad, who is also a plumber. From there I started to look for an apprenticeship in my area.”

She joined Broadland in 2020, because as a housing association, it offered a wide range of work and plenty of opportunities to learn. Since joining Gracie said she has enjoyed meeting people from a range of different backgrounds. She is due to qualify in 2024. Gas engineer Ian Willis is Gracie’s supervisor. He said:

“It’s a pleasure to train Gracie. She is enthusiastic and excited about learning new things, and always willing to give things a go. Gracie was fairly inexperienced and not overly confident before joining the heating team. Ten months later she has won this competition. This is a huge achievement and I am very proud of her. Gracie’s positive can-do attitude shines through - she is a credit to Broadland. Hopefully we can produce more apprentices like her in the future! Well done, Gracie.”

Gracie said:

“I think females who are thinking about getting into the trade should go for it. Gender shouldn’t come into the question when considering career options in construction. Yes, there are challenges, but there is always a way round every obstacle and you learn to adapt.”

Picture credit: Lewisham College