Making an impact across Westminster

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CityWest Homes social impact review 1

Making an impact

across Westminster

CityWest Homes social impact review

How we make a difference

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CityWest Homes: helping to create a city for all

CityWest Homes is about more than providing good quality housing. We are passionate about delivering services that support and enrich communities across Westminster.

Our goal is to create neighbourhoods where residents feel safe, have a genuine say in how things work and where they have opportunities to improve their lives.

In 2014, we gained our best ever customer satisfaction score, with 88% of residents satisfi ed with our service. It’s one of the highest satisfaction ratings in London, but we won’t be resting on our laurels. We will continue to demonstrate our commitment to Westminster communities through our strategic plan. We’ll help deliver Westminster City Council’s ‘City for All’, creating an unrivalled city of choice and aspiration where the connections amongst

residents get stronger as everyone plays their part in, and benefi ts from, our city’s continued success.

2015 / 16 will be a year of change to transform our service so that we can achieve our aim of being one of the best service companies in the UK.

This report highlights some of our achievements and we look forward to working with you in the coming year.

Marc Wolman

Director of Customer Services and Business Transformation, CityWest Homes

Employment

Community

Environment

work placement hours

given to residents on the Westminster employment scheme

given to empower residents to take on the delivery of specifi c housing services Westminster residents

who have found jobs by the Westminster Works team awarded from Area Management Committees to support local projects and

675 £2

million+

120 £19,000+

square feet of land turned into allotments for Westminster residents to enjoy kilograms of extra recycling collected across our estates by resident recycling champions

in repairs costs saved thanks to cooking oil recycling

3,904

76,000

£9,200

Inclusion

households represented by 40 resident engagement groups. children attending 10 youth clubs.

11,000

315

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CityWest Homes: helping to create a city for all

What they say…

I’m happy that I have a job that I really enjoy. I always had in mind what I wanted to do but had no idea where to start. I was delighted to be referred to Westminster Works. I can’t thank them enough for finding me the perfect job.

Mary Babirye, CityWest Homes west area receptionist

It’s great to see the estate involved in Silver Sunday. I’m having a wonderful time and it’s good to see events like this for our older community. A big thank you to all the volunteers who have helped make it a great day.

Residents during Silver Sunday

We’ve been given some good ideas for food to grow and I’ve been growing radishes and green beans. I’m really looking forward to cooking with these vegetables.

Rushna Begum, Westminster resident

I decided to get involved with the area management committee so I could help improve the system in a constructive manner.

Alex Liang, south area

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Employment

We want to give people in Westminster the skills and

opportunities to have a successful career.

Mark’s story

Mark Pratt, a father of two, was tired of his catering job. The hours were late and long and he wanted to spend more time with his young family. After a CityWest Homes job fair and with the help of the Westminster Works team, Mark now has his dream job as a football coach for young people, working 35 hours a week.

Lindsay’s story

Lindsay Brian spent a year struggling to find work despite having great experience in administration with a large company.

The Westminster Works team placed Lindsey in a temporary position as an assistant coordinator for the CityWest Homes resident relations team. Her dedication and enthusiasm impressed her manager and she was made a permanent member of staff.

“I’ve be en able to make a positive impact at CityWest Homes using my administrative skills.”

Need support

to find work?

Helping local people find local jobs

How we can help

• Job fairs so you can chat to employers directly • Dedicated employment advisers

“I never dreamt I would get work doing something I loved.”

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Environment

Recycling with a difference

Blocked drains are a drain on resources and cooking oil is the main culprit. In 2012, we spent £17,400 clearing drains on the Lisson Green estate. But in 2013, we saved 53% of that cost (£9,200) by introducing an award-winning cooking oil recycling facility on the estate. Oil is collected in a 500 litre tank and converted into biodiesel – a non-toxic liquid that is more biodegradable than petrol or diesel.

Community

allotments

We created 3,940 square feet of allotment space and ran grow, cook and eat sessions to give residents tips on what to grow and how to cook their produce.

Leap into

action

CityWest Homes staff who are usually office based spend a day leaping into action on our estates, gardening, painting and generally tidying areas which wouldn’t usually be a high priority under our repairs budget.

We carried out 17 leaps in 2014-2015, which marked our fifth year of making a great impact on small pockets of London.

Other highlights

• Two estates with Green Flag Awards, putting them in the same league as the Royal Parks • 2,000 solar panels in the west area

• Community district heating scheme providing clean, green energy to over 3,000 homes, schools and businesses in south Westminster • Innovative sustainability projects that also

help reduce energy bills

• Dedicated green team to manage estate gardens and improve biodiversity.

Contact your local estate team

to find out about allotments in

your area.

We want to make sure everyone in Westminster

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Community

We want everyone in Westminster to feel more involved

in their local community. CityWest Homes promotes a

number of ways for customers to get involved and have

a say about decisions where they live.

Realising community ideas

Hayley McAvoy, pictured above, got involved in her local community after being inspired by an event at her local community hall. Realising the opportunities the hall provided, she helped set up ‘Pimlico Picassos’, an arts and crafts group. It was set up using a £590 grant from CityWest Homes’ community chest.

Got a great community idea or

want to get involved in your local

Get involved in your local

community

Residents can help us to make a real difference in the service we deliver to you. You can choose how and to what extent you want to get involved. This can range from a simple survey to taking on the management and delivery of your own housing service.

Make a difference • Area Management Committees • Resident Associations • Resident panels • Major works steering boards • Leaseholder working party. Local facilities • Community halls Community projects • Community allotments • Parent and toddler groups • Fun events

• Summer clubs and programmes • Homework clubs.

“Becoming a mum was a wake up call. I wish I had got ten involved in my community sooner. Mums can fe el a lot of isolation, but by coming together we can share our knowledge and suppor t each other.”

Hayley McAvoy, resident

Pimlico Picassos

• £590 to set up • Relax with

neighbours

• Learn new skills • 30 children a week • Meet new people.

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CityWest Factor

CityWest Homes and our Area Management Committees (local residents who help scrutinise and improve services) invited young people at our youth clubs to apply for funding for community projects in a Dragon’s Den style competition.

The young people had to present business plans and make their own pitches to the ‘judges’. Over £10,000 was awarded to various projects in the city.

Giving young people

a head start

• Learn business skills • Increased attendance

at youth clubs

• Caring for the community • Celebrating creativity • Social media engagement.

Sports and play facilities

CityWest Homes manages 18 sports pitches in Westminster, including a state of the art football pitch at Churchill Gardens estate. Up to 300 children use the pitch every week. A range of activities are also provided, from football to parkour (free running).

Homework clubs

Two hundred children benefit from homework clubs we operate around the city. The clubs help tackle the effects of overcrowding and allow children to complete their homework in a quiet, supportive environment so they do not fall behind their peers. Currently one in four London children are affected by overcrowding.

West Area Management Committee member Michael Wills (pictured above) volunteers at a homework club, as do many of our staff, who read and play educational games with the children.

“Our bid for gym equipment will not only benefit the young but people of all ages. We looked at what

equipment we ne eded and based our decision on what would benefit the community most.”

Sidney McDonnell, 16 years old

given to young

people to help

them benefit the

community

£10,000

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Inclusion

We want to make it easier for people to make

connections with one another and to feel more

connected to services and information.

Bringing superfast broadband and TV to

Westminster homes

CityWest Homes is working with Community Fibre as part of a groundbreaking scheme to install superfast fibre link directly into Westminster homes.

Connected residents can enjoy broadband speeds ten times faster than the UK average, no peak hour slow downs or buffering. Residents will also receive Freeview TV channels and free access to some government websites. You can also sign up for Sky Sports and Movies packages, over 30 other UK and channels, and low cost calling rates.

Support for older people

CityWest Homes provides many opportunities for older people to connect with others. From special war time music events to clubs for over 60s, there is something to suit everyone.

We also support Silver Sunday and this year held a gala film screening and tea dance at the Lillington

Support for young people

We have teamed up with EPIC, a youth based charity, to offer 60 local teenagers a place on a nationally renowned programme called ‘Team’, every year. The programme is a 12 week full time course for 16-25 year olds offering personal development, team working activities and work experience.

“We went to Community Fibre af ter months of poor service f rom another company. I wish we had done it sooner. The internet spe ed is so fast it has to be se en to be believed.” Roeld Casantosan, Westminsterresident