Annual Report 2021-22
Creating thriving communities
Customers and the communities we operate in are at the heart of what we do. As the challenges of the pandemic continued to be felt, we focused our support in the areas it was most needed.
We have ensured that the collective voice of our customers shapes our services so we can make the biggest impact through our work, and support groups and initiatives that make a difference in our communities. Our teams have assisted customers in financial difficulty, supported local people into work, training and volunteering, helped tackle social isolation, and worked hard to make our neighbourhoods great places to live.
Our Stronger Communities team delivered…
Customer Voice Panel (CVP) members
customer engagement activities
Neighbourhood Champions
Customer Void Inspectors
community centres reopened
awarded to community projects though our Respect Our Community Awards
community partners supported to apply for external funding
Case study
Funding secured to create a digital history of iconic tower blocks
In May 2021 we successfully secured a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to create a digital history of the area where Oldham tower blocks, Crossbank House and Summervale House stood.
Plans for our West Vale development are moving forward, but we don’t want to forget the history and people that have made the Coldhurst neighbourhood such a vibrant place to live, work and play.
We have received a £54,685 cash boost to fund The Towers: A History of Summervale and Crossbank project. This is training local people to become community historians and tell their stories of life in the area. These are being recorded for posterity on a dedicated website developed as part of the initiative.
Community development and digital inclusion are central to the two-year digital history programme that is accessible to all and is being delivered together with community partners Oldham Council, community group OL1, Oldham Coliseum Theatre and Geeks for Social Change.
Our Community Impact team delivered…
new support cases open
average increase in disposable income per customer
total disposable income improvement for customers
average debt reduction per customer
total debt reduction for customers
in energy vouchers issued
The Bread and Butter Thing affordable food hubs
collectively saved by customers through The Bread and Butter Thing
Case study
Supporting customers to prepare for the end to £20 Universal Credit uplift
This year our Community Impact team used data to identify customers who may benefit from extra support to manage their finances and wellbeing, ahead of the end to the £20 Universal Credit uplift in the autumn.
Our colleagues engaged with 741 customers known to have made a new claim for Universal Credit during the pandemic, and consequently would only have known the higher rate payment, to offer advice and assistance.
As a result, we opened 85 new support cases for those worried about financial hardship. Our Community Impact team then provided tailored advice on a range of matters including accessing affordable food, finding employment, managing debt, paying rent and other bills, and accessing other services and benefits that our customers were entitled to.
While most customers did not feel that they needed our help, we were there for those who did want a bit of support, and may have even had some digital challenges.
Our Live Well team delivered…
Service relaunched in September 2021
customers supported
customers contacts made since September 2021
support referrals to help tackle loneliness
financial gains made for customers
Our Directions employment service delivered…
customers supported into work
training sessions held
volunteer opportunities arranged
young people provided with work advice
Kickstart recruits
Case study
Giving the young people of Oldham a Kickstart
This year we have provided employment opportunities to 46 local young people through the government’s Kickstart scheme designed to support those aged 16-24 into employment after the pandemic, enabling them to start their career and gain vital work experience.
We grouped together with other housing providers in Manchester to bid collectively for Kickstart funding via the Kickstart Athena Gateway, and agreed to subsidise the salaries of the young people selected to that of a real living wage.
Of the 46 recruits who joined us here at FCHO, 32 have gone on to secure full-time employment, with 18 young people going into substantive roles at our organisation.
Contact Centre Advisor, Sam West, secured his current role after joining us through Kickstart in May 2021. Sam told us: “My Kickstart placement gave me a huge confidence boost after being made redundant during the pandemic. It exceeded all my expectations, and I’ve had so much support and inspiration from the people I’ve worked with. I can’t thank them all enough!”
Our Neighbourhood services teams delivered…
neighbourhood plans launched
customer visits
cases opened by the Community Legal Team
injunctions
Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) and warnings issued
Case study
Neighbourhood Plans are here
In August we launched our Neighbourhood Plans - carefully designed to include everything that customers told us they wanted to know about their area.
We have FCHO homes in 21 neighbourhoods across Oldham and we work together with local partners including Oldham Council, NHS organisations, Greater Manchester Police and voluntary and community groups to jointly achieve the best outcomes for our customers in all these areas.
In March 2021 we launched our Customer Perception Survey asking customers for their views on theirneighbourhood, and their feedback has shaped our Neighbourhood Plans.
In each plan there are details about the neighbourhood team and how customers can get in touch with them. There are also statistics about each area, from the number of homes, to local investment in properties and community initiatives. Customers can find information about what others who live in their area think about their homes and what we’re doing to make neighbourhoods great places to live, too.
Our Neighbourhood Plans are updated quarterly, in line with your feedback and work by our Stronger Communities and Neighbourhood Services teams to make sure they stay up-to-date and relevant for each area.
Our Neighbourhood Care team delivered…
invested in battery operated steam cleaning equipment
incidents of fly tipping removed
spent on removing fly tipping
m2 communal grass cut at least 10 times
invested in tree planting programme
trees planted
m2 wildflower planting introduced into our neighbourhoods
Case study
Pilot projects launched to tackle fly tipping hotspots
In October our Neighbourhood Care team launched three pilot schemes to clamp down on fly tipping on FCHO-owned land and to support Oldham Council’s “Don’t Trash Oldham” campaign.
We know the negative impact that waste and litter have on people and their neighbourhoods – many customers told us it was a cause for concern when they completed our Customer Perception Survey and tackling fly tipping is a focus in a number of our Neighbourhood Plans.
In response to this we put the spotlight on fly tipping in the Coldhurst - Clarkwell area by turning it into environmental crime scenes. The design of bin stores in town centre neighbourhoods was reviewed, and in Derker and Holts we trialled community waste collection days. We also joined up with Oldham Council teams to understand customer attitudes to waste disposal and recycling.
Results of the pilot projects were very informative and they are influencing how we manage fly tipping and rubbish in the future.