Your community
Thriving communities
Our customers are our greatest asset in the communities we serve, and we’re using your feedback to drive real change in our neighbourhoods service.
During 2021-22, we have been bedding in a more specialised approach to the issues you talk to us about so that when you need us, we put you in touch with the right people to help.
We know that it can be frustrating when there are issues in your community which don’t seem as though they’re getting sorted, and we have also had some challenges to overcome in the shape of staff shortages with our contractors and partners. New systems have been implemented so that we have a better grasp of your cases, and we’re working more closely with the rest of the business and our contractors so that we have a better view of the issues that are affecting you.
We’ve also brought new people into our organisation to help us provide the specialist support in these areas. Experts in waste management, boundaries, mediation and more have joined the team and are working with you to get issues resolved. New partnerships to help regenerate bin stores and parking areas have been running throughout 2021-22 and we’ve also been working with our new Community Champions to identify projects to help improve where you live.
In addition to these specialist roles and better links with our communities, we've also been listening to customers that have told us that, sometimes, what they really need is to see someone in person from Stonewater to discuss their issue. Our new Mobile Associates, a network of staff based all over the country, have been recruited who are able to come out and see you if the issue your having needs some extra feet on the ground.
Visits to our communities so far
Support in your community – our new Mobile Associates
We know things have felt a little different in the last two years. We’ve heard loud and clear that you’ve missed seeing us out and about in your area so often. Whilst our colleagues are still visiting when they need to, we know it’s not always possible to get the full picture virtually, and sometimes you need someone to come around and just check everything’s okay.
To help us solve this challenge we’ve set up a network of 39 mobile associates all over the country. They’ve been tasked with visiting Stonewater homes and neighbourhoods in their geographical area.
So far, the team has completed more than 1,300 visits to our communities so that we can listen to you, find out what issues you have and take action to support you.
What do they do?
Our mobile associates will have a range of responsibilities, including visiting customers and building and neighbourhood maintenance. On any given day your local mobile associate might be:
- Sorting out an abandoned vehicle
- Issuing new communal area keys
- Doing an estate inspection
- Helping customers to sort out their rent
- Inspecting a home for a mutual exchange
How do I contact a mobile associate?
You don’t need to do anything different to what you do now. If you contact us with a problem to solve, our dedicated team will send it to the right person to complete. This might be one of the colleagues you’re used to seeing out and about such as one of our specialist customer partners, a surveyor or it could be a new mobile associate.
Look out for more information on our Mobile Associates on our Customer hubb.
Tree gets new life to house birds in Bournemouth
Trees are beautiful, but they can sometimes be a nuisance if they grow too big.
When an older customer from Poole, Dorset, called us to tell us about a tree outside his home that had grown so big that it was blowing against his windows and keeping him awake at night, our external environment team looked into it.
Knowing that the tree causing all the trouble was under a protection order, our specialist team had to go through the proper planning process to make sure we were safeguarding the environment as well as looking after the wellbeing of the customer.
Once approval was given. We worked with the customer and our partners at idverde to successfully remove it and help our customer get a better night’s sleep. What’s more, the wood from the tree was donated to Bournemouth Council, who have used it to build a new aviary for a park in the town.
Communities Can
In 2021-22, we’ve worked closely with social enterprise organisation Community Catalysts to empower customers to make real changes where they live.
Known as Communities Can, the project put 80 customers and Stonewater colleagues together to come up with ideas and pool resources to improve communities. The project also helped to discover the kinds of skills and time that are available in these communities and how these could be used to benefit the people who live there.
Within the group were artists, writers, gardeners, builders and other tradespeople who, through their discussions, were able to share their skills and experiences to find out how they could help each other. Also within the team was a campaigner who gained support to continue their inter-generational work in their community.
Some of the outcomes included:
- £3,000 of funding for a customer led gardening project in Southampton, with the support of Stonewater colleagues
- A new bench at a bus stop in Copley giving residents somewhere to sit, rest, chat and connect
- Transforming a communal lounge in Putnoe into a local community resource led by customers
By working together, the group found that their perspectives of “community” started to shift and that they were able to develop new friendships with people across the country, with new channels of support open to them through Stonewater.
One member of the group said: “From our project that came from this, they will have improved the area which will have put an additional value on the look of the scheme which will increase the people who want to take up the properties on the scheme. You know if you go to a site, and you look at it and there’s a beautiful garden, a shed and all of this stuff going on, people are going to want to take those properties. All we’ve done is provided residents with tools to look after the area.”
Anti-social behaviour
Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure at home, but we understand that the disruption caused by anti-social behaviour can be a very difficult problem to live with.
In 2021-22 we handled almost 1,600 ASB cases, each with their own unique set of circumstances. Sometimes we have been able to resolve these issues with a few simple steps such as installing a video doorbell for added security, whereas sometimes it requires some help from local authorities, police and other agencies.
With added specialists in our team, such as people with knowledge on safeguarding, legal interventions and community disruption, we are providing more accurate support to customers experiencing difficulties where they live.
Like other services, we have seen challenges with resources for both us and our partners, leading to longer waiting times and backlogs for court action which we know this can be frustrating. As well as new systems and more specialist staff, we’re working hard to improve communication for your cases so you don’t feel like you’re alone, and we’re passing on more customers to other areas for additional support when they need it.
Following a Scrutiny Panel review of our service, in 2021-22 we launched our customer guide to ASB, which explains more about what we do with your case, how we handle it and who we work with to support you.
I’m glad to have her on my team
For someone living with domestic abuse, home can be a scary place and full of bad memories.
When the police told us that they were supporting a customer who was too afraid to come home after enduring abusive and controlling behaviour from her partner, we worked with our partners to get her to safety.
Working with specialist domestic abuse staff at Stonewater, the police, the council and even the victim’s family, we were able to get them away from her former home, and then on to more permanent accommodation for a fresh start somewhere new.
"I cannot thank (Stonewater colleague) Kate enough for the empathy and kindness. Any queries were dealt with straightaway any problems I had were explained in a way I could understand them. I over panic about everything and Kate went above and beyond to reassure me and help me in every situation. My case was a domestic violence case and it was so traumatic but with Kate’s help I now see a light at the end of a tunnel. I’m glad to have her on my team." - Stonewater customer
Community Investment Grants
In 2021-22, we made almost £200,000 of grants available for groups and individuals to help improve lives and communities.
Customers were able to apply for up to £5,000 for a community project, or £500 for an individual grant when they weren't eligible for support from Longleigh Foundation.
Supporting projects or individuals that tackle specific challenges, these grants were able to help customers improve health and wellbeing, ease stress caused by financial worries or anti-social behaviour, improve community areas and facilities, battle social isolation, enhance skills and training, build better links with support partners and more.
of grants awarded to communities projects and individuals
Clean Sweep
Our Clean Sweep project is aimed at improving areas that need a bit of special attention to get them back up to scratch. Using your feedback feedback and input from team members to identify where it can help, we invested in more than 30 communities during 2021-22, with more planned for the next year.
Projects have been completed all over the country, including this one in the West Midlands
Social value generated through projects and initiatives in 2021-22
Using the Housing Associations' Charitable Trust (HACT) methodology, we analyse the value of the projects we deliver to work out the benefit to our communities.
As well as the projects we've completed in the community, this includes the work we've done in helping people to become more digitally able, employability, volunteering, support for victims of domestic abuse, supported and retirement living, tackling fuel poverty and much more.