We’ve been successful in securing a £2.1m grant from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to improve the quality of our homes.
The money, which has been allocated by the Government as part of a £15m package for social housing in the West Midlands Combined Authority area, will be used to tackle the potential hazards in homes including damp, mould and condensation.
The funding will help us deliver a programme of works to improve the quality of homes. This will include improved ventilation and the installation of environmental monitoring equipment so that it is able to collect information on the thermal efficiency of homes.
The works are to be completed by 31 March 2024.
We are working with leading data and insights company Switchee who are providing the smart devices that will measure the internal conditions of the homes where they are installed.
Switchee devices measure the average internal temperature, humidity, heat loss rate (how quickly a property loses heat once the heating is switched off) and the time to heat (the time taken for the internal temperature to increase by one degree Celsius when the heating is turned on).
The Switchee dashboard that we can access will also flag properties that are consistently below the Public Health England recommended temperature of 18 degrees Celsius and therefore at a higher risk of damp and mould.
Our chief operating officer Mads Nelson said: “We are so pleased to have been granted the full amount of funding to help our customers across the Coventry.
“Our new business strategy is focused on making sure that our homes are safe, sustainable and that we are investing in homes to improve their quality. It’s brilliant that we have secured funding to do this, and we are working in partnership with the Coventry City Council.
“The successful bid follows our other winning bid for Government’s social housing decarbonisation funding, where we were awarded a £24 million government grant to support a £68 million programme to retrofit over 2,000 homes in Coventry.
“I’d also like to say a huge thank you to the team who put the bid together as our success will have a massive impact on our customers.”
Switchee’s CEO, Tom Robins, said: “We’re immensely proud to be partnering with Citizen to bring real, tangible changes to the lives of residents by helping them use data to tackle damp and mould.
“This is a unique partnership for Switchee, as it is the first time we have worked with the installer network to complete other work outside of installing Switchee devices. In this case we will be improving ventilation in properties as we install our devices to further reduce their risk of damp and mould by reducing the level of humidity and measuring the effect of the works undertaken. The March deadline for all 1,087 installations also sets a tough challenge but one that we are thrilled to be part of.”
Cllr Ian Courts, the WMCA’s portfolio holder for housing and land and leader of Solihull Council, said: “This £2.1 million grant will help Citizen tackle the issue of damp and mould in their homes. This is not only a health hazard for those living in them but also a major contributor to people’s poor quality of life overall.
“I look forward to seeing Citizen invest this grant into measures that will make a positive difference for those people living in homes that are blighted by this problem.”
We are piloting a new video call application, Help Me Fix, offering our customers the option to live video-call an engineer to talk through their request for a repair.
We’re one of only three organisations in the UK to adopt the modern technology – offering customers a flexible approach to repairs.
The video-call application is optional to customers with simple plumbing and electrical repairs and does not replace a visit from an engineer – the home visit is automatically booked and will only be cancelled if the repair can be fixed during the video-call between the customer and engineer.
The video-call link is live for 24 hours and, during this time, the customer can make repeat calls to the same engineer about the repair.
If the repair cannot be fixed, the appointment is kept, and the information collected during the session will be passed to the engineer to continue with the planned home visit.
Director of maintenance operations at Citizen Steve Kirk said: “We’re always looking at ways we can use technology to improve our systems and services, as set out in our Business Strategy 2023-26. Offering a video call to customers is a great way to give a fast interactive response to a problem and to get an accurate diagnosis. We really hope that customer find this helpful.
“If a home visit is required, the video call means that we’ve already collected information about the resident and the fault – this is very useful when we’re visiting vulnerable residents and ordering parts.”
Robert, a Citizen customer piloting the service, added: “The video call was very convenient to use. The engineer explained what was required and how I should set about the repair. This was because I had elected to undertake the repair myself as opposed to needing an engineer to attend my property.
“I felt that it did save time because we were able to discuss the problem and systematically go through the steps required to afford a repair.”
The pilot will run from November 2023 and be reviewed, based on customer feedback, and impact on repairs programme, in the spring of 2024.
The application is designed to improve the Citizen customer experience, whilst at the same time, freeing up time for engineers to carry out more repairs, prioritising emergency repairs and lowering the numbers of vehicles on the road.
Watch the video explaining the service and what customers can expect when they use the application:
The Help Me Fix application is designed in partnership with Trade Innovations a software solutions company that specialises in driving change in the construction industry, through innovation and the use of technology.
We’ve recently welcomed four new people to Citizen’s Board.
The Board oversee the strategy and direction of our organisation and make sure our Executive Leadership Team is working effectively.
Our new members are now in place and will each bring their own expertise to the role. Those who have joined us include Joan Allen, David Blower, Angela Carpenter and Stephen Russell.
Find out more about our new board members here:
Joan Allen
Joan is currently a member of the Customer Assurance Committee and has also recently been appointed chair of the committee. She has been a social housing customer for over 40 years, where she has had the opportunity to work with various landlords to give all customers a voice.
She said: “I wanted to work with Citizen to raise customer’s issues or concerns and highlight and build on the successes that I have seen them make over the years, as well as using my lived experience to be an effective spokesperson for customers at all levels of the business.
“My experiences give me the ability to empathise, engage and communicate with others, irrespective of differences or life challenges; additionally, this enables me to interpret policy, procedures, regulation and appropriately challenge when and where required.”
David Blower
David has 30 years’ experience in social housing. He is a qualified accountant and holds an MBA from Warwick Business School. During his career he held a range of senior roles across the sector and has been executive lead for finance, treasury, risk, technology, people and culture, governance and EDI.
He said: “Our vision that home is the foundation of life is compelling. Everyone deserves a safe, secure home and I want to help us deliver our vision. I’m driven to support organisations achieve more by helping them maximise their capabilities and take better risks. Resulting in better outcomes for customers and wider stakeholders.
“I’m looking forward to working with a great group of colleagues to help us deliver even better services to our current and future customers.”
Angela Carpenter
Angela is a qualified accountant and is currently the executive director governance and compliance at the ExtraCare Charitable Trust, a not-for-profit retirement village developer.
She said: “I was looking for an opportunity to join the Board of a social housing provider and what I really like about Citizen is the clear messaging. The core purpose – providing homes that are a foundation for life – and engaging values all resonate with me.
“I’m also a Coventry kid (Radford born and bred) so being able to get involved with an organisation which is having an impact on my local community and the wider Midlands area was also very attractive. It will be exciting to be part of a Board supporting our Executive team and I am especially keen on us hearing the voice of our customers and staff to inform our services.”
Stephen Russell
Stephen is director of data, strategy and technology at Warwickshire Police and also has 10 years’ experience working at Midland Heart.
He said: “I am from the midlands and have worked and lived across the areas where Citizen has a significant presence.
“Whilst I left the sector to work elsewhere, I remain interested in the work of housing associations and always kept an eye on what was happening. The fact that Citizen has recently launched a new ambitious strategy and is clearly committed about its social purpose was attractive and important to me. I am most excited to be part of an organisation that has a really ambitious plan and one that I am convinced it will achieve.”
At the end of September, three people also stood down from the Board. This included John Cresswell who was our senior independent director. He was at the end of the maximum nine-year term. Sue Brooksbank-Taylor will take on his role and she will step away from being the chair of development board.
Rich Nowell who was our chair of audit and risk committee and Helen Scarrett who was our chair of the customer assurance committee are also both stepping down after completing nearly eight years with us. David Blower will be the new chair for the audit and risk committee and Joan Allen is the new customer assurance committee chair.
At the end of the year Janice Nichols will also step down from the board after eight years in post.
Claire Williams will be stepping down from the audit and risk committee and will be taking over as chair of the development board.
Chief executive at Citizen Kevin Rodgers said: “Congratulations to our new Board members and welcome to Citizen. We are looking forward to working with you all and seeing the impact you make.
“I’d like to thank all the Board members who are stepping down for their hard work and service throughout their time at Citizen.
“I’d also like to thank all of the colleagues who have been involved in this recruitment campaign and took part in the interview process.”
Care leavers in Coventry have been congratulated after graduating from the House Project.
A ceremony was held at the HMV Empire in Coventry and awards were presented to some of the leavers, who are aged between 16 and 18, in categories including future leader and sports hero.
The House Project is a programme in which we have partnered with Coventry City Council. Young people move into one of our homes and receive support from the council with things such as budgeting. The programme allows young people in care to live independently in a well planned and supported way.
Caydon Smith is one of this year’s graduates. He said he found the project so useful as he received so much education and support to do things for himself.
He said: “The project has helped me with my budgeting skills and living independently which includes washing clothes, cleaning and cooking and it’s helped me become the adolescent I should be. The support has been amazing.
“I feel a bit nervous graduating, but everyone who is part of the project is caring so it will be good. I’m so proud of everyone who has graduated from the House Project, I’m proud of you all and I’m proud of myself – we’ve done it!”
Chloe Coffey hosted the graduation and awards ceremony, having herself graduated from the House Project last year.
She said: “I took part in this project because I needed somewhere that I could call home. I wanted to experience what it was like living on my own. I had a lot of trauma growing up and I wanted to escape from that and live my own life and start my own career path. The House Project helped me gain confidence, helped me live independently without struggles – no one goes unsupported in the House Project.
“I now successfully live on my own, it’ll be coming up to two years next year and I wouldn’t have been able to do it if it wasn’t for the House Project and the support from my social worker.
“I’d like to say well done on your success to everyone who has graduated, you’ve smashed it and I wish you the best for your future.”
Our director of care and support Peter Gill congratulated everyone who graduated.
He said: “The House Project is a great initiative as it supports young care leavers and we’re really proud to be part of it.
“We take part in this project because it’s the right thing to do. Young people don’t always get a great start in life and sometimes they need some support and some additional help, so what we’re trying to do by working with Coventry City Council is give them somewhere to live and the council are providing support to help them sustain their tenancies.”
Cllr Patricia Seaman, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Coventry City Council, said: “Our Care Leaver Awards are so important because they give us a chance to take time and congratulate our young people in person, and repeat our promise to support them as they enter the next exciting stage of their lives.
”Coventry is so proud of its care leavers and the way they overcome the obstacles in their young lives to achieve so much.
“The awards mean a great deal, not just to those receiving them, but to everyone involved in their young lives so far, and to us as a Council. The amazing stories we hear deserve to be celebrated, but we also congratulate all care leavers – whether they have won an award or not they have all done amazing things and worked so hard.
“Leaving care and striking out on your own can be a daunting prospect and young people have to learn a lot of new skills very quickly, and the House Project does such great work in teaching those skills and giving support.
“Congratulations to all our care leavers. We are very proud of them all and we wish them well for the future.”
Homes planned for our Windmill View development in Upper Lighthorne, Warwickshire, have been given the go ahead and £2m will be invested in the local community.
Countryside Partnerships has worked together with Homes England to finalise the purchase of land near Leamington Spa to build 259 homes – 130 of these will be affordable homes owned and managed by us and the remaining 129 will be sold by the Linden Homes brand.
As part of the development, £2m will be invested in healthcare, education, roads and other local services for both current and new members of the community.
Permission has been granted to build the first phase of homes at the development and work is expected to start on site, later this year.
Our executive director of development Nick Byrne said: “We are proud to be involved with this exciting new scheme, delivering much-needed new affordable homes for the local community.
“Having worked with Countryside on a number of other projects, we’re pleased to be partnering with them once again on another high-quality development. We’re looking forward to seeing this development progress once work starts.”
Managing director South West Midlands Countryside Partnerships, said; “Having secured this site as part of a procurement process with Homes England in 2022, it’s exciting to have received planning for the first phase and to have Citizen on board for the affordable homes.
Residents here will enjoy the opportunity to be part of a thriving new community, close to the history and amenities of Leamington Spa, with a wealth of green space on the doorstep and transport links via the M40 within easy reach.”
Senior planning and enabling manager at Homes England Ragu Sittambalam said: “This is an important milestone for Countryside’s Windmill View development and is the next step towards the creation of 259 new homes, many of which will be affordable, in an area of unaffordability.
“We have worked with Countryside to ensure critical infrastructure can be built to support the development and wider area, and our investment will help to accelerate the delivery of new homes. We’re looking forward to seeing the new community taking shape over the coming years.”
As part of the second phase, the site is expected to deliver 280 homes and this means the wider development will eventually provide around 1,000 homes.
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