Working with our customers: engagement update January-April 2023

Engaging with our customers and listening to their views is very important to us. Customer feedback makes a difference to the way we deliver our services, drives improvements for everyone who lives in a First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) home and local communities, and helps us as we strive to be an excellent landlord.

On this page you can see all the ways we’ve worked with our customers to make positive changes January-April 2023…

Our Customer Voice Panel (CVP) is made up of customers from across our neighbourhoods and has been set up to give a real voice to those who live in our homes, so they influence our services and bring about improvements.

• CVP membership has increased to 171, from 146
• 8 CVP meetings and other engagement activities held this quarter
• Review of damp and mould policy held with CVP members, and feedback shared with Head of Assets Investment Strategy
• 3 customers participated in the latest 'customer call listening' group

Customer void inspections

As part of our work to improve the standard that you can expect when you move into an FCHO home - from gardens to cleanliness as well as the general condition of your property – we have recruited volunteers from our CVP to be Customer Void Inspectors.

• 8 Customer Void Inspectors completed the sixth round of inspections.
• We now have 12 trained Customer Void Inspectors.

Performance Challenge

• 9 customers took part in the first Performance Challenge meeting held, this time focusing on Neighbourhood Care service delivery.
• Colleagues from our Community Services teams also attended this session to share information about support services they can offer customers, particularly around managing cost-of-living pressures.

Our Neighbourhood Champions carry out quarterly neighbourhood inspections and report back on the condition of their neighbourhood including grounds maintenance, communal area cleaning, litter and fly tipping.

• 24 customers took part in the February Neighbourhood Champions inspections. Customers are very happy with the friendliness of the staff however the number of gold responses did reduce.

Customer Sustainability Champions

Our Customer Sustainability Champions are helping us on our journey to make our customers’ homes and communities, and our business, more sustainable and fit for the future.

• This quarter we held our fourth meeting with our Customer Sustainability Champions.
• The February meeting was held online and focused on ways our Neighbourhood Care team is working to improve our green spaces and increase sustainability, and future plans.

We support community and voluntary groups in Oldham with a number of funding streams.

ROCA (FCHO Funding)

ROCA (Respect Our Community Awards) is our grant scheme which offers funding to community and voluntary groups in Oldham.

• One grant in pipeline - £750 for improving streets and spaces.
• One funding application submitted - £15k for improving natural spaces.

Funding & Partnership Development

Currently we have applied for a total £52,750 of funding from various funders to support community and partner projects.

We have social value commitments to our customers and communities outside of the normal financial considerations. We have delivered a community event in Royton South, and we have been creating connections with schools across Oldham to develop our social value offer.

Community Groups/Networks

We are involved in multiple community partnerships and networks and support community groups with activities like grant funding applications outside of ROCA and our Community Awards.

• Apfel Lane Community Centre has continued to offer a variety of sessions including community activities, youth provisions, health and wellbeing classes, surgeries and support sessions with partners including The Feminine Hygiene Bank, Manchester Mission, The Jazz Club, Oldham Council and Greater Manchester Police.
• Barker Street Community Centre has hosted a wide range of activities including bingo, an affordable food service, youth provisions and digital skills training, delivered by partners including Keyring, Oldham Council and The Bread and Butter Thing.
• Work with Oldham Council and the voluntary sector to create even more Warm Spaces across the borough has continued. Warm Spaces were available at Daisy Hill, Ridgefield Street, Alt Café and Apfel Lane community centres Jan-Feb, and at Daisy Hill and Alt Café from March onwards.

• Consultation work with residents at Tensing Street Community Centre has progressed and sessions are planned to begin in March.

West Vale is our project set to transform the area where tower blocks Crossbank House and Summervale House once stood. On the vacant site we are building 88 high quality, new homes to help meet local housing need. We are working with local people and organisations for the benefit of the community as the West Vale project progresses.

The Towers: A history of Summervale and Crossbank project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund

• Digital skills sessions continued at Barker Street Community Centre on Monday mornings,10am- 12pm.
• Digital Historians project has continued, and the final place history platform is nearing completion.