Excellent services delivered with empathy and openness
As we navigated out of the pandemic, services continued to be delivered wherever was most appropriate based on a risk assessment. We have learnt lots of lessons and staff now work in an agile way, in homes or on estates, from The Green Man, from the WG Grace Centre or other community centres, and from home. The Green Man was reopened to the public in July 2021 .
Transforming the way we work
Last year, we launched our MyPhoenix resident portal to provide more choice in how you engage with us. We now have 1,500 resident users!
We know that it’s important to provide in person and telephone contact, so offering quicker services for those online means more time to dedicate to those in person and on the phone.
Residents who register an account with us can book repairs online, make payments, set up a direct debit, keep up to date with news in their area, contact us 24/7 and access their information.
“It was great to get involved in the whole process and to share ideas with other residents and the portal developers. We looked at the overall page set up and different features to make it as accessible as possible. I’m very pleased with the final outcome - the portal is great and so easy to use. I pay my rent by direct debit so I log in every now and then to keep an eye on my payments.”
Phoenix resident, David Owen.
Safety at home
Domestic abuse
The welfare of our residents is important to us, and we work in partnership with external agencies to take appropriate action where people are at risk of abuse or neglect.
Domestic abuse is physical, psychological, sexual or financial abuse that takes place within an intimate or family-type relationship and forms a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour. In 2021-22, 10 cases of domestic abuse were reported during the year.
If you are suffering abuse or are threatened by someone you are in a relationship with, please report it to the police and to Phoenix. We can support you to ensure you receive the appropriate help and guidance.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding means protecting vulnerable adults, young people and children and enabling them to live free from abuse and neglect.
In 2021-22, we had 41 open cases where residents had been identified as ‘at risk’ and four safeguarding referrals to Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub or Adult Social Services.
If you have concerns about the welfare of a neighbour or relative, please contact your local authority and ask to speak with the social care team who will be able to help.
Safety and compliance
“It’s not just about being safe, it’s about feeling safe."
Lia Green, Building Safety Programme Board Tenant Member
In January 2022 we started our regular fire risk assessment programme to survey all blocks and align our risk assessments with the latest standards. The programme also allows us to review the previous fire risk assessments for Grove Park homes and helps us identify priority areas.
Following the tragic fires at Grenfell in 2017, the Government introduced a new Building Safety Act and Fire Safety Act.
In August 2021, the Board approved the establishment of a new programme board to oversee our Building Safety Programme and ensure we are doing everything we can to keep residents safe now and in the future.
Our programme board is chaired by the Chair of Phoenix, Carmen Simpson and supported by Lesley Johnson, Director of Property and New Business, as Vice Chair.
The programme board have met 11 times. In these meetings, 57 actions have been raised and 55 have been closed so far.
Anti-social behaviour
We want everyone to feel safe and proud of the community we live in. Anti-social behaviour (ASB) can make it difficult to enjoy your home and, in some instances, can cause serious danger.
The number of residents who said they were satisfied with how we handled their ASB case fell from 61% in 2020-21 to 51% for 2021-22. We know we can do better and are aiming to improve how we respond to reports of anti-social behaviour.
Letting properties and moving home
There were 34 long term voids (empty homes) in March 2022 of which 27 are due to be demolished as part of plans to build new homes. It took an average of 92.09 days to re-let all voids due to an increase in the number of voids post-pandemic, a common feature across the sector, problems with a sub-contractor and changes to the Council’s choice based lettings system.
We have put a service improvement plan and cross team working in place and there has been some improvement, but it remains an issue to manage closely.
Pride in your home and neighbourhood
Our major works and improvements programme continued in 2021-22, with a total expenditure of £4.3 million, principally on external works to street properties, fire safety works to blocks and kitchen and bathroom replacements.
The Decent Homes Standard requires our homes to be in a reasonable state of repair, have reasonably modern facilities and services, a reasonable degree of thermal comfort and be free from serious hazards. The proportion of homes meeting the government's Decent Homes Standard has been maintained at nearly 100%.
Four homes failed decency at the end of March 2022, two of which were long term voids with works planned. For the other two, one has external walls which require repointing and the other needs roof repairs. These were affected by delivery delays in 2021-22 but are a priority in this year’s planned maintenance programme.
“I had the pleasure of coming into contact with a team of pleasant young men leaf blowing outside my block. On returning home a short time later, I found the car park clear of leaves. A job well done.”
Phoenix resident
"I cannot thank Phoenix enough for their care and attention, it was the very highest level of service and meant a great deal to me."
Lorraine, Phoenix resident
Lorraine's story
Lorraine has been a Phoenix resident for nine years and was on the waiting list for a home adaptation when her health took a turn for the worst during the pandemic. Lorraine has written about her experience and why she’s grateful to Phoenix for helping her through one of her biggest challenges.
"It was such a relief to come home and already have my bathroom adapted to my needs."
Lorraine, Phoenix resident
I’m Lorraine and I’ve been a Phoenix resident for nine years.
I had been on the waiting list to have my bathroom turned into a wet room due to having severe arthritis in my knee and it being painful to climb into the shower. Then in 2021, my health took a dramatic turn for the worse and the next thing I knew, I had woken up in intensive care at Lewisham hospital. It was during the height of COVID, so when I woke up there was a sign above me from the staff on duty saying, “Hello Lorraine” and introducing who they were as they had to wear full body suits. It was a very scary experience and one I’ll never forget.
I ended up staying in hospital for two weeks and had to have surgery which changed my life. Afterwards, my mobility was very poor, and I had to undergo physiotherapy to be able to walk again. Because of COVID, I couldn’t have any visitors while I was in hospital. Despite COVID keeping us apart, my sister Carmen was with me every step of the way.
Carmen went above and beyond to support me as much as she could and advocated for me while I was in hospital. Although I was already on the waiting list for a wet room, I needed it more now than ever with my discharge from the hospital coming up. Carmen got in touch with Phoenix to explain my situation and the fact that I urgently needed my home to be adapted in time for my discharge.
The surveying and building were completed while I was still in hospital, and it was such a relief to come home and already have my bathroom adapted to my needs.
I cannot thank Phoenix enough for their care and attention, it was the very highest level of service and meant a great deal to me.
Complaints and enquiries
In September 2021, we published our self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman Complaints Handling Code. The code enables landlords to resolve complaints raised by residents quickly and to drive service improvements through learning from our complaints.
If you have any feedback about our complaints process, please contact us.
Our full self-assessment is available on our website.
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