Ian Watts Managing Director Paragon Community Housing Group
Who are Paragon Community Housing Group? • Formed in 2007 • Elmbridge Housing Trust & Richmond Churches Housing Trust • 9000 properties • Work across 10 local authority areas located in South West London & Surrey – generally ‘perceived’ as a wealthy area • General Needs, Sheltered, Supported Housing, Care Homes, Key Worker, Leasehold
Paragon Community Housing Group Wise Money Campaign
Wise Money Campaign January 2011 Group includes staff from: • Tenancy • Income Financial Inclusion Group • Welfare Benefits • Resident Involvement • Communications • Finance • IT • Leasehold Welfare Reform Group • Directors
Wise Money Campaign – June 2012 Decided who our audience was • Household Details Form – ‘Tenant Census’ 86% completed • Affected / not affected / maybe affected • Affected by bedroom tax – 467 Tenants • Affected by benefit cap – 23 Tenants • Employees • Needed to understand our residents better, e.g. - Access to IT 54% - Have a Bank Account 94%
Wise Money Campaign – June 2012 Key Decisions on how we would communicate • Make it personal – Intensive use of 1:1 contact by phone and in person • Make contacting the right people at Paragon as easy as possible • Make it clear that changes are being made by Government • Paragon is supporting you – significant investment in resources • How we can help • What we couldn’t do
Established a Communications Plan – July 2012
Established a Communications Plan – July 2012
Branding our Wise Money Campaign • We wanted an image that residents would associate with help / assistance / advice Watson the Owl! • Differentiate advice and support from arrears recovery
Initial Contact with Residents – July 2012 Article in our Resident magazine
1 st Local Providers Meeting – July 2012 Getting PRs & others together to discuss approach
Mutual Exchange Events
Internal Communication – August 2012 • Clear Updates to Board Communicated to staff:- • Discussions at Staff / Chief Exec Briefings • Told staff about work done by the Welfare Reform Group • Guide for staff to use when talking to residents
Welfare Reform Leaflet – Sept 2012
Annual Report – October 2012 • Sent in Wise Money Branded envelopes • Contained information on Welfare Reform • Use of different colours / designs
Other ways of delivering the message
Paragon @ the Pictures – Dec 2012
Our New Website Launching later on today! • Engaged residents in the process through user testing • Strong emphasis on functionality on any type of screen (responsive design) • Majority of graphics created in-house • Rent payments & Welfare Reform section combined
Other ways of getting the message out • Changed our telephone greeting Highlighting Welfare Reform • Made Welfare Benefits Option 1
Housing UK Campaign of the Year For Wise Money
Some of what impressed the judges Before cuts to housing benefit were introduced Paragon started its campaign to educate residents and staff about the changes Campaign publicised via mailshot to residents, pop-up on Paragon’s website and staff briefings 15 per cent increase in residents seeking help from Paragon’s W elfare Benefits Advisors Prompted rise in referrals to the advisors from other staff Three quarters of those attending the cinema event said they heard about the changes through wise money Judges impressed that the campaign had reached so many people and by the growth in residents seeking advice as a result
What else?
What else? Jobs Clubs
What else? Taste Testing Sessions
What else? • Lean Review of Arrears Procedure • Ability to pay rent from start of Tenancy • Rent Statements to look like invoices • Process based on amount owed not weeks of rent owing • Increase in ways to pay
What else? • • Working with those affected by the Staff skills audit Bedroom Tax • Collecting additional data held on • Working with those affected by the residents Benefits Cap • Refreshing data held on residents • Money Management courses • Review of key jobs @ Paragon • Increase payment methods • Consolidation of Housing • Improving links with Credit Unions Management
What next? October / November December / January • • Start to work with those who may be Next Issue of Resident Magazine affected by Universal Credit • Review of Job Clubs • Reviewing Vulnerable Residents Procedure • Estate Day Promotions • Next Local Providers Forum • Review Welfare Reform Action Plan • Next MX Event • Reviewing our Communications Plan • Issue Annual Report • Digital Inclusion Work
Ian Watts Managing Director iwatts@paragonchg.co.uk
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