What are you most proud of in our community?

“The people. Those living, working, volunteering and supporting everyone in our community to make us proud of being in Bellingham and Downham. Those who inspire children and teenagers to challenge stereotypes of being from these areas to achieve their potential.”


Simon Barlow

Simon Barlow has been involved in Phoenix for years. Beginning as a Mystery Shopper before spending time on our Resident Scrutiny Panel, Simon joined the Board as a Tenant Member in 2019.

While lockdown was initially a chance to enjoy a quieter pace of life, Simon misses the daily interaction with people in person and is determined that, when this is over, we do more to tackle social isolation and loneliness in our community.

Governance

How we are run as an organisation

  • We meet our Code of Governance (that means we run the organisation in the way we’ve set out and you would expect of us) and our Governance and Financial Viability Standard
  • We completed 13 internal audits to assess if we are meeting our internal controls

  • We continued to deliver our governance action plan to continuously improve the way we work
  • Our Resident Scrutiny Panel reported to the Board during the year how we were meeting the Phoenix Standards through their reviews and made recommendations on how we can improve.

Our Finances

Our financial plans and budgets allow us to deliver our services as well as our plans for the future. They are carefully monitored across the organisation and by our Board. We also test our financial strength by working out what could go wrong and how we could recover from it so we are confident of our ongoing financial viability. The Social Housing Regulator looks at our plans and financial returns and assesses our viability every year through an annual stability check. In December 2019 they confirmed we retained both our finacial viability and governance ratings at the highest levels.

The graphs below summarise where our income came from in 2019-20 and how we spent it. Full details including our income and expenditure account and balance sheet are included in our financial statements.

Our Financial Statements were approved by the Board on 30 July 2020. They were audited by KPMG and are available on our website. Print copies are available on request.

Sources of Cash 2019-20 £'000

• The grant funding was for the Fellowship Inn and development grant to build new homes • The movement in debt reflects our treasury management activity • The net income from sales of property reflect the sale of 10 properties through the Right to Buy

How we spent our money in 2019-20 £'000

Costs per home over time

The graph below shows our costs per home (calculated using the Regulator of Social Housing method) reducing over time. Our total cost per home fell by £72 in 2019-20.

In the previous financial year we saw an increase in our cost per home due to a full year of costs managing our new extra care scheme and additional safety works carried out.

Cost in £

Value for Money

We’re committed to working with you to deliver our services in a way that better delivers value for your money. Throughout this report, you will have seen our value for money symbol. And here are just a few extra examples.

  • We received sponsorship and donations worth £16,000 to support our resident events from some of our suppliers
  • We hosted Citizen’s Advice surgeries and made 233 referrals for residents
  • Our Energy Advice Service provided 335 advice sessions and saved residents £18,500 on their energy bills
  • By tackling fraud and letting homes to families in temporary accommodation, we created social value worth £24,100
  • By reducing the time properties are empty between tenants, we saved £13,000
  • 3 staff mentored young people with IT, presentation skills and communications over 7 months
  • We re-procured certain services, including making £36,000 savings through new mobile phone services
  • Improved how large print versions of our rent statements and resident newsletters are produced, saving £2,000 a year.

Phoenix Community Housing, The Green Man, 355 Bromley Road, London SE6 2RP.

Phoenix Community Housing Association (Bellingham and Downham Limited) is a Community Benefit Society (number 30057R). VAT number 162 4926 03. Regulator of Social Housing registration no. L4505.