December 2011 - Healthy award for Cordale

Cordale Housing Association successfully achieved a Bronze Award as part of the NHS Healthy Working Lives programme.  In December 2011 the Association received their certificate following the assessment.

The purpose of HWL is to promote a healthier and safer workplace by reviewing working environments.  There are many benefits from achieving this award, namely for the working environment as there will be a healthier motivated workforce.  This will also reflect seriously on the reputation and culture of the organisation.

Over the last year the Association's staff team, led by Geraldine McKenzie, Housing Services Assistant, have taken part in various differently healthy activities:

• healthy breakfasts at staff meetings
• walking club after working hours
• the Samaritans Stress Down Day where staff wore their pyjamas to work
• the Womens Glasgow 10K
• promoted various health related awareness days through our facebook page and reception area

Cordale is now working on achieving the Silver Award.

For more information please visit the Healthy Working Lives website.

November 2011 - Cordale staff receive Priority Management training

Staff at Cordale were trained in Working Smart with Outlook with a world wide company called Priority Management.  The worldwide training method helps organisations provide a total time management solution that integrates communications, tasks, activities and planning.  The Outlook software is often under utilised and this training has helped staff to organise their work priorities and tasks. 

Office Administrator, Julie Montague took part in the training. She said: "The training was excellent.  The trainer really motivated us during the training.  It's practical and we can all use it to manage our time, tasks and calendars effectively. We are looking forward to putting what we have learned into practice."

Louise Percy, Depute Director, was keen for all staff to get the training, saying: “Working smart and efficiently is how Cordale works however we are always looking for ways to improve.  Our staff found the training delivered by Priority Management inspirational and enjoyable and they could not wait to get back to the office to implement the methods taught.  We believe being more organised will improve our customer service experience.” 

For more information on Priority Management see www.prioritymanagement.com or find them on Facebook. 

October 2011 - Have your say

The Government recently introduced the Equality Act 2010 and the Association is in the process of revising its policy to make sure that we meet all the requirements of the new Act.  Equalities is a very important area for the Association and we are therefore very keen to take account of your views so that the policy reflects your requirements as much as possible. 

We are also going to review some other service policies, such as estate management, rent management etc during October and November 2011, and again we would like your views on these policies.  We have really benefitted from being able to take account of residents’ views in the past, as this has allowed us to change our policies to ensure that they reflect your preferences as much as possible.

If you would like to take part in the consultation please contact us at the office on 01389 721216 or by emailing us to express an interest in taking part at info@cordalehousing.org.uk.  We will then arrange for someone to call you back to arrange to either meet with you or take part in a short telephone survey. 

July 2011 - Cordale Committee look to house the stars

Cordale’s Management Committee took some time out from their busy Committee Meeting schedule to enhance their skills by taking part in Allocations training.  So far there have been two in-house training events the first of which seen the Committee reflect on the purpose, process, outcome and expectations involved in allocating properties. 

The second event involved members splitting into groups and pointing fictitious housing applications forms using the Association’s Allocation Policy.  Names of show biz personalities where used on the application forms to create a bit of laughter.  The training gave the Committee practical experience in looking at the different types of cases that staff are presented with on a daily basis, how points are awarded and what additional information may be asked of an applicant. 

The third event to be held soon will see the Committee housing the stars in their new homes and how this is progressed from selection to an actual sign up of a new tenancy.

May 2011 - Cordale tenants help shape National Social Housing Charter

Cordale tenants were asked for their views on a draft charter being drawn up that could set national standards for all social housing landlords in Scotland.

In a telephone survey carried out by the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) 25 tenants were asked what they felt a good landlord should be doing and how they should do it.

All tenants agreed that landlords should provide a fast and efficient repairs service; make sure estates and common areas are well maintained; provide high quality customer service and work with other organisations to address anti-social behaviour.

Of the 25 questioned 20 also agreed that tenants should be involved in decisions about investment in their homes. Five disagreed with this statement, stating that the Association was best placed to decide.

The two most popular methods of being involved in these decisions were by choosing own kitchens and bathrooms and by being involved in setting priorities for investment.

Tenants were fairly evenly split on how a social landlord should provide fast and efficient repairs service with 11 out of 25 wanting to see repairs by appointment while 10 favoured having a dedicated repairs telephone number.

For 14 of the 25 surveyed support for community projects that promote positive behaviour was the answer to tackling anti-social behaviour while 16 people felt that regular neighbourhood inspections would help landlords ensure estates and common areas were well maintained.

In the report produced by TPAS they state: “Feedback from this telephone survey highlights that people find it hard to disagree with the type of statements used in the charter.

“The follow up questions on the detail, give an indication of the types of things tenants think landlords should be doing.

“This feedback illustrates the importance of agreeing standards of service locally with customers.”

The information provided by Cordale tenants was added to data collected by TPAS from other housing associations to produce a response to the Scottish Government’s Discussion Paper on a Scottish Social Housing Charter.

April 2011 - Scottish Government invests in Cordale projects

Cordale Housing Association (CHA) is celebrating a funding boost from the Scottish Government of over £4.1million.

Cordale has once again punched above its weight to receive nearly three quarters of the £5.65m Housing Association Grant (HAG) allocated to West Dunbartonshire this year.

The funding will allow Cordale to continue the development of the Dalquhurn Estate in Renton and pay for the acquisition of the Kippen Dairy site in Alexandria.

The grant allocation was an unexpected surprise for the Association as they had originally budgeted to receive a more modest £1.8million from the Scottish Government’s Housing Investment Division.

Stephen Gibson, Director of Cordale Housing Association, said: “We had been front funding the development of Dalquhurn Estate. This grant from the Scottish Government is very welcome as it will allow us to reduce the amount of money we need to invest upfront in both of these projects.

“When the Housing Association Grant was first introduced in 2008 we received 30% of West Dunbartonshire’s allocation and, although the total budget for the area has been nearly halved this year, we have managed to secure 73% of it.

“We believe this is down to the good working relationship we have developed with the Scottish Government and we have proven time and again that we can deliver projects that offer best quality and value for money for both our tenants and our investors.”

April 2011 - Alexandria Dairy Site Bought by Cordale

Cordale Housing Association believes the Kippen Dairy site, which they purchased from West Dunbartonshire Council at the end of March, could prove the catalyst for regeneration in Alexandria town centre.

The Association bought the land for £459,000 and plans to transform the derelict site into 40 high quality flats, terraces, quarter villas and semi-detached houses for rent.

Since November 2009 Cordale has been working with the local Tenants and Residents Association (CATRA), West Dunbartonshire Council and the Scottish Government on a Feasibility Study to identify what is needed to regenerate the area.

The study tied in the Town Centre Masterplan, approved by West Dunbartonshire Council in 2008, and identifies both the former Kippen Dairy and Leven Cottage sites for housing development.

Cordale Housing Association and West Dunbartonshire Council reached an agreement in principle that Cordale will give priority to tenants and owners affected by future development plans when allocating properties on the Kippen Dairy site.

Stephen Gibson, Director of Cordale Housing Association, explained: “Over the past 18 months we have worked with CATRA and West Dunbartonshire Council to develop a strategy to regenerate the town.

“We are delighted that the sale of Kippen Dairy will give us the opportunity to kick start this regeneration and look forward to continue working in partnership with West Dunbartonshire Council and the local community to create a vibrant town centre.

“We want to encourage people to move to the area with high quality affordable housing which will increase the footfall in shops and businesses in Alexandria and create a vibrant town centre to boost the local economy.

“This is about a real partnership approach driven by a strong desire within the local community to have a thriving town centre once again and Cordale is looking forward to being part of that regeneration process.”

April 2011 - Cordale meets the standard

Cordale Housing Association has received national recognition from the Scottish Government for the quality of the information and advice it provides to customers.

Following an independent audit Cordale Housing Association has gained Scottish National Standards accreditation for Information and Advice Providers.

Staff at the Association had applied for accreditation under 10 topics assessed by the Scottish Government’s national auditors and were delighted to discover they actually met all 14 criteria.

The independent auditors, mbarc Research and Consultancy, praised Cordale’s teamwork and described staff as being “fully committed to providing an excellent housing advice service to their customers.”

They also commended the Association’s website for being “informative to both staff and customers alike” and staff were praised.

Louise Percy, Depute Director of Cordale Housing Association, said: “We were delighted to receive this national recognition. It backs up what our tenants tell us in our tenant satisfaction surveys with the positive feedback we receive about the quality of the information and advice we provide.

“It was particularly rewarding to receive accreditation for topics which we hadn’t even applied for.

“I was delighted that the auditors mentioned the strength of our teamwork. Though we are a fairly small team here at Cordale all of our staff are so committed to ensuring our tenants receive a high quality of service and I am pleased this is recognised at a national level.”

April 2011 - Cordale Receives Disability Symbol Accreditation

Cordale Housing Association (CHA) has been praised for its commitment to pro-active employment policies for disabled people by Jobcentre Plus.

The Association will be entitled to display the nationally recognised Disability Symbol awarded by Jobcentre Plus after meeting five commitments to employing disabled people.

The accreditation means that Cordale has agreed to offer all job applicants with a disability an interview providing they meet the minimum requirements for a job vacancy.

They will put also mechanisms in place to support any disabled employees develop and use their abilities and if anyone becomes disabled while working for the Association they will make every effort to keep them in employment.

As part of the accreditation Cordale will make sure all their staff have appropriate levels of disability awareness so the commitments work.