observer spring 2012

Apex is providing the first socialhouses to be built on RathlinIsland in 18 years. The 10 newhouses will more than double the social housing stockon the island and will providehigh quality permanent homesfor families on the housing wait-ing list. These new homes will alsoassist families to return and re-establish their roots on theisland.

Apex has enhanced the buildingfabric of the homes and greatlyincreased air tightness, in tandemwith the proposed MechanicalVentilation & Heat Recovery technology, in recognition of the exposed island location. Thethermal comfort of the homes willbe designed to Level 4 of the Codefor Sustainable Homes, which will

make the homes around 44% moreenergy efficient than the currentbuilding regulation standards, andmore sustainable in the longerterm.

The houses will be built byDonaghmore Construction who areseeking to employ local peoplewhere possible. The scheme whichis located at Church Bay, adopts a

‘clachan’ form of development anduses an appropriate vernacular styleof design. It is anticipated that thehouses will be complete by the summer of 2013.

Speaking at the launch of siteworks, the Minister for SocialDevelopment, Nelson McCauslandsaid: “I am delighted to see the construction of these new homesget underway. The design anddelivery of high quality, energyefficient social housing will protectthe homes from the worst of theAtlantic elements and will in turnhelp protect the tenants. Rathlin isNorthern Ireland’s only inhabitedoffshore island and is therefore aunique asset. These homes will helpprotect the future of the island andensure that it remains a permanent

... The design and deliveryof high quality energy efficient social housing willprotect the homes from theworst of the Atlantic elements...

“

WE CATCH UP AS RENOVATIONSGET UNDERWAY - P7

Apex Housing Association

Apex delivers 460units during 2011/12for the voluntaryhousing movementOf a total development pro-gramme of 1,411 units started bythe voluntary housing movement during 2011/12, Apex HousingAssociation delivered 460 of these.

This equates to a third of the programme and represents a totalinvestment made by Apex of £60m.

BREAKING NEWS

WE TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE GREATORGANISATIONS WE WORK WITH - P5

Rathlin Islandgets first socialhomes for almosttwo decades

CONTINUES PAGE 2

John McPeake - Chief Executive, NIHE; Noel McCurdy -Chair of Rathlin Island Development & CommunityAssociation; Nelson McCausland - Minister for SocialDevelopment; Brian Rowntree - Chairman, NIHE;Marjorie Keenan - Chair of Apex; Gerry Kelly - ChiefExecutive of Apex

GET INVOLVED INYOUR

Nelson McCausland - Minister for Social Development

MIWALENI PRIMARYSCHOOL UPDATE

Issue 7

Spring 2012

10 &11 Inside Apex

residential community for genera-tions to come. I am pleased to playmy part in safeguarding the future ofthe island. These new homes willbring new and returning residentswhich will contribute to the regener-ation of Rathlin going forward.”

Marjorie Keenan - Apex Chair,added: “Apex is very pleased that we have been able to assist theRathlin Development & CommunityAssociation in their efforts to ensurethe provision of good quality hous-

ing on the island to meet the needs ofthe current population - a vital factorin the sustainability of the residentcommunity.”

Noel McCurdy - Chair of the Rathlin Development & CommunityAssociation said: “This new housingprogramme is a tremendous supportfor the sustainability of the Rathlincommunity. Affordable housing isvery limited here, and this vitalscheme will provide opportunity foryoung islanders and new Rathlinfamilies to be a part of its future.”

My Board members are verypleased that Apex is building tensocial houses on Rathlin Island tomeet the current needs of theisland population which is nowshowing signs of growth aftermany decades of decline.

In May 2010, we first met theRathlin Development & CommunityAssociation. We are content that wehave been able to keep our commit-ment to help in achieving their goalof having sufficient good qualityhousing on the island for the resident community. Indeed, we sawmany similarities between their aspirations and those of our founding members when Apex wasfirst established in 1965 to addresslocal housing issues in Derry City.

Although Apex has brought over£350,000 of private funding to thetable, the Rathlin project only proceeded because the Departmentfor Social Development providedadditional grant assistance to meetthe additional costs associated with building houses on an offshoreisland. With the cutbacks inpublic expenditure, however,

we are now seeing other social housing projects, within similarly disadvantaged communi-ties throughout Northern Ireland, onthe margins of viability. Having com-pleted feasibility work, we have iden-tified a number of small housingschemes in rural communities whichare not viable without special finan-cial assistance from the Departmentto lift the scheme’s projected 30 yearcash flow out of deficit.

On the development front, we havesignificantly reduced our new builddelivery costs over the past three

years, but this advantage has disappeared with the increasing costof building materials, higher ratesfor private finance and falling grant rates. The net result of this is that we must increasingly look foreconomies of scale, and concentrateour development efforts on deliver-ing larger schemes in urban areas.

Over the past ten years we are very proud of the fact that we havebuilt over sixty new replacement cottages in isolated locations incounties Londonderry, Tyrone andFermanagh. More recently we haveprovided small developments in villages such as Portballintrae, The Moy, Tempo, Ahoghill, Lisbellawand Millisle.

Building houses in these smallersettlements bring many challengesand additional costs in terms of lackof infrastructure and difficult topog-raphy. Government must now take a similar approach to theRathlin Island scheme and be willingto assist with the additional costsassociated with building smallschemes in rural communitiesthroughout N. Ireland.

Apex Housing Association Observer | Spring 20122

First things first

HIGHLIGHTS

Vital Island scheme

New development for RathlinApex to help provide good quality housing for island residents

MarjorieKeenan OBE

Chairman

03 Benefit Changes

The radical Government

reform of the benefits system

and how it will effect you

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Contact the EditorIf you have any community news orevents you would like the ApexObserver to cover, please get in touch:

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 028 7130 4800Fax: 028 7130 4801

10 Butcher StreetLondonderry BT48 6HL

Property Services Team

Developments News

05 Community

Four young people from The StrandFoyer, Derry completed the six weekMoneysense course and were presented with their certificates on4th April. The course, delivered bythe Consumer Council on behalf ofApex, was delivered as part of Apex'sFinancial Inclusion Strategy.

Participants enjoyed the coursewhich, through fun and interactiveexercises, taught them about how tomake best use of their money byspending and borrowing wisely.

Minister for Social Development - Nelson McCausland pictured with Apex Housing and Noel McCurdy.

CONGRATULATIONS

Apex Moneysensecourse presentationto four of our StrandFoyer residents

Sarah, John & Family

Working in partnership with

The ROOTS Project & Arthritis

Care NI

Apex Housing Association Observer | Spring 2012 3

The Welfare Reform Act receivedRoyal Assent in Britain on 8thMarch 2012. A Northern Irelandversion of the Welfare Reform Act2012 will be introduced into theAssembly before the summer. TheAct will introduce a new welfarebenefit that will replace most current welfare benefits and willcome into effect from October2013 across the United Kingdom.The new benefit will be calledUniversal Credit.

In addition, the government will beintroducing a benefit cap in April2013 on the amount of benefit that acouple or single person can claim.

The government’s proposal for welfare reform and the introductionof Universal Credit, aims to encourage people back to work aswell as simplify the benefits systemand make it less costly to administer.

Cap in benefit entitlementThe cap in benefit will be

introduced from April 2013. The capis likely to be £500 for a couple withor without children, and £350 perweek for single people without chil-dren. There will be a few exceptionsto this cap including those on work-ing tax credits and in receipt of DLA.The cap will apply to combinedincome derived from benefits includ-ing Jobseekers Allowance, IncomeSupport, Employment and SupportAllowance, Housing Benefit, Carers

Radical changes tothe benefits system The most radical reform in a generation.

Advice

Allowance and later the newUniversal Credit.

Universal Credit Universal credit will replace means

tested benefits and tax credits forworking age people up to pensionage from October 2013.

Benefits to be abolished are:

Income Support

Income based JobseekersAllowance

Income related Employment andSupport Allowance

Housing Benefit

Child Tax Credit and Working TaxCredit

Budgeting loans

Benefits to remain:

Contribution based JSA

Contributory Employment andSupport Allowance

Child Benefit

Carer’s Allowance

Bereavement Allowance,Bereavement Payment andWidowed Parent’s Allowance

Funeral payments and cold weath-er payments

Universal credit will be made upof:

Personal amounts for a singleclaimant or a couple.

Additional amounts for children,rent, limited capability for work,limited capability for work relatedactivity and regular and substantialcaring responsibilities for a severelydisabled person.

Housing Benefit There are a series of radical

changes occurring to the currentHousing Benefit system. The mainchange that will affect Apex tenantsis the size criteria, commonlyreferred to as the ‘bedroom tax’.

Size criteria will apply to HousingExecutive and Housing Associationtenants (this is already the case in pri-vate rented property). This meansthat people of working age living inhouses larger than they need (under-occupiers) will have to choosebetween moving to somewheresmaller or making up the differencein rent because their Housing Benefitwill be reduced by the followingamounts:

14% cut in Housing Benefit if youunder-occupy by 1 bedroom

25% cut in Housing Benefit if youunder-occupy by 2 or more bedrooms

Working people as well as non-working people may see theirhousing benefit cut.

Children under 16 of the same gender are expected to share a bed-room and children under 10 areexpected to share regardless of gen-der.

The cut in benefit will affect(amongst others):

Separated parents with access tochildren

Foster carers because foster chil-dren are not counted as part of thehousehold for benefit purposes

Families with disabled children

Welfare Reform Minister LordFreud stated, with reference to sup-ported and sheltered housing that:“we envisage that people in this typeof accommodation will not be affect-ed by size criteria.”

Will people have the option tomove to a smaller home?

Many landlords would be happy fortenants to downsize from a largerproperty to free up badly neededfamily size homes. However, in manyareas, it may be difficult for tenantsto transfer to more appropriate sizedaccommodation. Tenants can arrangeto find another Housing Association

or Housing Executive tenant to swapwith, and this should be approved bytheir current landlord. We expect arise in the number of applications fortransfer from tenants after October2013. The earlier that people prepare for the changes, the betterfor them.

Shared Accommodation for people under 35

Those in the private rented sector,under 35 years old will be ‘encour-aged’ to share accommodation asHousing Benefit will be cut for thoseunder 35 to the shared room rate.This rule will not apply to HousingAssociations like Apex or to theHousing Executive. This means thatsingle people under the age of 35 inone bedroom Apex accommodationmay be eligible for full housing bene-fit, but those in the same circum-stances but occupying private rentedaccommodation will not.

Personal Independence PaymentDisability Living Allowance will be

replaced by a new benefit - PersonalIndependence Payment (PIP).Claimants will:

be aged 16-64 (or below pension-able age, whichever is the higher)

satisfy the daily living and/ormobility activities test for 3 monthsprior to claiming and be likely tocontinue to satisfy this test for a peri-od of at least 9 months after claim-ing (this 9 month period is called theprospective test). Claimants will notnecessarily have to wait 3 monthsbefore getting PIP as the qualifyingperiod starts from when their eligi-ble needs arose, and not from whenthey make a claim.

In order to qualify for any component of PIP, claimants willhave to score a certain number ofpoints in relation to 11 activities - 8points for the standard rate and 12points for the enhanced rate.

It is expected that it will be muchharder to claim the new PIP than thecurrent DLA benefit as the govern-ment intends to cut DLA expenditureby 20%.

PIP and Carer’s AllowanceThe government intends that both

the daily living components of PIPwill act as a passport to Carer’sAllowance in the same way as themiddle and higher care componentsof disability living allowance.

Employment & Support Allowance Claimants in the Work Related

Activity Group of Contributory-Employment and Support Allowance(ESA) will have their claims limited toone year. Some will then have theirfamily income and savings assessedto see if they qualify for the means-tested version of the benefit. Others

CONTINUES PAGE 4

Mary and her son Joe

* Mary is a 49 year old motherwho brought her children up in a3 bedroom Apex home. She doesnot work and claims housing benefit to cover her rent charge.Her three children are now youngadults, two of whom have lefthome. From October 2013, Maryis liable to pay 14% of her rentout of the benefits she receives asshe has one bedroom extra, PLUSshe is liable to pay a non-depend-ent deduction because her sonlives with her at the property. Ifshe asks her son to leave becauseof the extra charge, she will beliable for 25% of the rent due tounder occupation of two bed-rooms.

* For illustration purposes only

Patrick and his kids

* Patrick is a 36 year old man whohas been a tenant with ApexHousing Association since 2007,when he was allocated a two bed-room flat. He is a divorced manwith access to two children aged6 and 7 years old. With the newchanges, Patrick will no longer beentitled to full Housing Benefit ashe is deemed to have an extrabedroom.

Patrick contacted Apex and saidthat he would like to apply for atransfer as he will not be able toafford to pay 14% of his rentcharge from his remaining benefit.



Advice & Announcements

however, including those with aworking partner, or with income orother capital over £16,000 could loseentitlement to the benefit complete-ly. Any time already spent in receiptof contributory ESA whilst in thework related activity group willcount towards the one year timelimit, so some claims will end imme-diately once this change comes intoeffect (date to be confirmed inNorthern Ireland).

Direct Payments Under the new Universal Credit

plans, the government wishes to payall of the new benefit, includinghousing benefit, in one monthly payment, directly to the tenants ofHousing Associations and HousingExecutive. They argue that this willhelp ease the transition into work byreplicating a monthly salary.

Apex is planning to send out aquestionnaire for households tocomplete, so that we can begin toadvise tenants on the implications ofthe new changes for them. If youwould like more information on thenew reforms, please contact yourlocal advice agency.

This article is based oninformation that is available as atApril 2012.

Sarah, John & Family

* Sarah and John have been Apextenants since May 2001. They livein a 4 bedroom house with their 5children. John was made redun-dant in 2010 and the family nowrely on social security benefits.Rent for their 4 bedroom Apexhouse in Derry is £101 per week.Housing Benefit is currently paidto cover all of the family’s rent.From April 2013, since they arealready receiving £460 per weekfrom social security benefits andthe maximum allowance is £500per week, they will only receive£40 per week towards their rentcosts. Sarah and John will beliable to pay £61 per week toApex from their benefits to makeup their rent.


Radical changes tobenefits next year CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

The Regulation and QualityImprovement Authority (RQIA) isNorthern Ireland’s independentHealth and Social Care Regulator.In its work, RQIA encourages continuous improvement in thequality of health and social careservices through a programme ofinspections and reviews.

Inspections are based on regulations and minimum care standards which ensure that both the public and service providers knowwhat quality of service is expected.

A number of Apex’s SupportedLiving schemes are registered withand regulated by RQIA. There arethree distinct categories of schemes:

Registered Nursing Homes

Registered Residential Homes

Registered providers ofDomiciliary Care

For 2012-2013 RQIA has identified a range of inspection themes, asshown opposite.

During 2011-2012 RQIA intro-duced the ‘Inspection PlanningApproach’, which introduced a tar-geted approach to inspection, mean-ing the level of inspection carried outwas dependent on regulatory com-pliance. This approach ensures thatactivities are targeted in the publicinterest and to protect service users.

Service providers such as Apex areresponsible for the quality of careprovided, and for demonstratingthat quality of care. RQIA, throughthe inspection process, will look forcredible and validated evidence ofthis from sources including service

Residential Care

Inspections within Residential Care during 2012 - 2013 will focus on:

Theme 1: ‘Auditing the Quality of Care’

This theme will examine aspects of the following minimum standards: Standard 8. Residents records and reporting arrangements.Standard 15. Residents money and valuables.Standard 20. Management and control of operations.

Domiciliary Care

Inspections within Domiciliary Care will focus on 4 quality themes:

Theme 1: ‘Arrangements are in place for ensuring that staff are competent in tasks allocated, with reference to management of medication’

Theme 2: ‘People receive care in their own home’

Theme 3: ‘Service users’ money is managed in a safe and lawful manner’

Theme 4: ‘People who live in their own homes are not inappropriatelydeprived of liberty or subject to inappropriate physical interventions’

Nursing Care

Inspections in Nursing Care during 2012 -2013 will focus on:

Theme 1: ‘Patients are accommodated in a nursing home which willmeet their care needs and ensure that their needs are reviewed regularly’

This theme will examine aspects of the following minimum standards:Standard 3. Admission to the home.Standard 5. Nursing Care.Standard 15. Patients money and valuables are safeguarded.Standard 25. Management and control of operations.

Theme 2: ‘Staff are suitably trained, supervised and competent to meetthe needs of the patients accommodated and the future plans of the organi-sation’

This theme will examine aspects of the following minimum standards:Standard 12. Patients receive a nutritious and varied diet in

appropriate surroundings at times convenient to them.Standard 25. Management systems and arrangements are in place

that support and promote the delivery of safe, quality care services.

Standard 28. Staff training and development.Standard 29. Staff supervision and development.Standard 30. Staffing.

Additionally, areas for inspection will include complaints and evidenceof registration of qualified nurses.

Copies of all RQIA inspection reports for Apex Supported Living Schemes are available on the RQIA website: www.rqia.org.uk

Registered Nursing Homes Daleview House, Bell GrayHouse, Parkview House andBrookmount Nursing Home.

Registered Residential Homes Beechway House, BelmontCottages, Mullagh House, Iona House and Railway Court.

Registered providers ofDomiciliary Care Housing with Care at:Abbey House, Alexander House,Daleview House, ParkviewHouse, St. Julian’s House,Killowen House, BrookhillHouse. Services for those with mentalhealth difficulties at: Ballyoan House, ClondermottHouse, Dunvale House andWoodbank House.

users, staff, managers, family members and other professionals.They will observe practice on the dayof inspection and examine written

policies and procedures.Where full compliance with

inspection themes is not evidenced,actions to ensure full compliance willbe set out in the form ofRequirements & Recommendations,within the Quality ImprovementPlan.

Meeting the required standardwhen delivering Care Services

Apex Services


Community

At the beginning of your tenancywith Apex Housing Association,you will have been reminded thatit is in everyone’s interest for everyhousehold to respect the rights of others to enjoy peaceful enjoyment of their homes. Thismeans that all tenants, membersof their household, and visitorsshould be aware of the possibleaffects that their behaviour mayhave on others.

Occasionally, but thankfully nottoo often, incidents will occur whichrequires the Association to intervene.On such occasions, we will invokeour anti-social behaviour procedurefor dealing with these issues.

While we are confident that ourexisting procedures are robust, andwork well when needed, Apex is continually striving to improve howwe deal with such instances and weare pleased to advise that we haverecently purchased a new ‘ContactManagement System’ for use in dealing with complaints of anti-social behaviour.

This new system will assist us to deal with complaints more effectively by:

Enabling each complaint to berecorded electronically as it isreceived.

Classify each complaint on thebasis of urgency using a points system.

Linking complaints to specificproperties if more than one complaint is received.

Prompting the Housing Officerwhen a deadline has been reached.

Allowing each Housing Officer,whether dealing directly with thecomplaint or not, to view all com-plaints received and actions taken soresidents can be given the most upto date information when they call.It will also enable them to add rele-vant information to the electroniccase file and send a message to theOfficer dealing with the case, mak-ing them aware that informationhas been received.

Allowing the Association to moni-tor complaints more effectively,ensure that appropriate action hasbeen taken, and within the timescalesset within our procedures.

We are confident that it will enableus to improve our service to you ifyou have cause to complain.

New ContactManagementSystem launched

Working in partnership Apex is always keen to establish links with otherorganisations to deliver better quality services toour tenants. Some of the community and voluntary organisations that we already work withinclude:

Verbal Arts Centre, Derry

Consumer Council, Northern Ireland

Derry City Council

Community Safety Partnership, Derry

More recently, Apex has been working with theBogside and Brandywell Health Forum and ArthritisCare NI to develop programmes for our older residents.

Arthritis Care NI - Staying Connected Project

Apex is a partner to an Arthritis Care NI bid toThe Big Lottery for over £400,000. If successful,the Staying Connected project will supportolder people (and their older carers) disabledby arthritis and isolated in their homes or sheltered accommodation, to improve theirhealth, happiness, independence and socialcontact by providing a three-step tailored programme which will provide:

1-2-1 specialised befriending service which willnot only reduce feelings of isolation but teacholder people techniques to increase their mobili-ty, empower them to self-manage their arthritis;provide respite for carers, and encourage andsupport older people to socialise

Facilitate meetings with other older people and their carers and link them to clubs/supportgroups, including Arthritis Care branches

Provide a user-led programme of fun groupactivities for isolated older people and structurededucation classes to empower older carers tomanage their caring role

Each older person will be able to select various activities/support according to theirneeds/interests, i.e. some older people may wantsupport to help them self-manage their conditionwhilst others may want support to socialise. Eacholder person will therefore be in charge of the day-to-day direction their particular support takes.

More information will be provided about the project if the application is successful.

Bogside and BrandywellHealth Forum -

The ROOTS ProjectApex has been working in partnership with theBogside and Brandywell Health Forum for overa year to develop the ROOTS project. This project has just been granted almost £500,000from The Big Lottery over the next four years todeliver its programmes.

The ROOTS (Ripe Old Organic Traditions) Projecthas been conceived to develop and deliver a num-ber of discrete approaches to improving the livesof older people over 60 who are at risk due to socialisolation and ill-health in the Triax area ofDerry/Londonderry (Bogside, Brandywell,Creggan and Fountain areas). The programmeswithin ROOTS include:

a gardening/allotment initiative based both at home and at a number of new allotment/commu-nal gardens to be located in the Triax area. One of the sites to be developed will be in Apex’s CircularRoad development

a health and social engagement programmefor ‘hard to reach’ older men

a complementary therapy programmedesigned to alleviate pain and stress

an intervention and support programmedesigned to alleviate hardship and poverty at difficult periods, i.e. winter.

The above approaches will be underpinned by alocally co-ordinated engagement process whichensures that older people considered at risk andhardest to reach within the area will be targeted.This process will involve setting up a group whosesole task will be to identify older people at risk.

This group, consisting of key stakeholders,appointed staff and informed residents, willensure the provision of safe services and how thisprovision might benefit older individuals at risk.All relevant policy implications, i.e. vulnerableadults and data protection will be taken into consideration.

Any tenants who are over 60 and live in the Triaxarea, and would like to get involved with the projectshould contact Mary McGrory on 028 7130 4800 formore information.

IMPROVEMENTS


Community Involvement

New Regional Involvement Fora and Community Involvement ForumTo coincide with the launch of the‘Community Involvement Strategy& Action Plan 2011-14’ in October2011, a review of the tenant representative structures operat-ing at Apex was undertaken.

The review included extensive discussions with tenants, staff, partner organisations andSupporting Communities NI. Thereview concluded that communityinvolvement at Apex could beimproved by increasing tenant representation across its geographi-cal areas.

During November and December2011, 26 meetings were held withtenants in all geographical areaswhere the Association operates. As a

result of this, 5 Regional Fora have been established inDerry/Londonderry, Belfast,Dungannon, Portstewart andTyrone/Fermanagh. 31 tenant representatives will now sit on theseFora to represent the views of tenantsin their respective area. From theseFora, 12 representatives were

selected to sit on the CommunityInvolvement Forum, the central tenants’ representative body.

The inaugural meeting of theCommunity InvolvementForum was held on 2 March2012. At that meeting, AlanHill was elected Chairpersonand will now sit on the ApexBoard of Management as aco-opted member.

Commenting on hisappointment, Alan said:

“I am very pleased to be elect-ed as Chairperson of theCommunity InvolvementForum and to repre-sent the interests ofall tenants on the

Apex Board of Management. This is avery important role and I look for-

ward to having the opportuni-ty to bring the views of

tenants to the highestlevel within Apex.Any tenant who

wishes to contactme may do so bycontacting Mary

McGrory on 028 7130 4800.”

This is a very importantrole and I look forward tohaving the opportunity tobring the views of tenantsto the highest level...

“Alan Hill, Chairperson - Community Involvement Forum

Alan Hill Chairperson Community

Involvement Forum

REGIONAL FORA

BALLYKELLY, PORTRUSH & PORTSTEWART

Ita Dhariwal Ashdene DUNGANNON

Aneta Gregorczyk Ashdene DUNGANNON

DUNGANNON

Peter Smart Tamlough Park BALLYKELLY

Jacqueline Heaney Darkfort Drive PORTBALLINTRAE

Anne Hopkins Girona Drive PORTRUSH

Joanne Austin Swilly Close PORTSTEWART

Angela Kelly Swilly Close PORTSTEWART

Glen Livingstone Laird Park BELFAST

Siobhan Anderson Suffolk Road BELFAST

Paula Collins Suffolk Road BELFAST

Kathy Doole Suffolk Road BELFAST

Alan Hill Newtownabbey NEWTOWNABBEY

BELFASTColette Carey Cavanaleck ENNISKILLEN

Denise Quinn Cavanaleck ENNISKILLEN

Katrina Friel Evish Grove STRABANE

Elaine Gallagher Evish Grove STRABANE

Martin Gallagher Evish Grove STRABANE

Priscilla Hunter Evish Grove STRABANE

FERMANAGH & TYRONE

Stephen Henry Brickfield Court/Cecilia’s Walk L/Derry

Theresa Doherty Clarendon Street L/Derry

Louise Mullan Clarendon Street L/Derry

Marie Higgins Cornshell Fields L/Derry

Lorraine McWilliams Cornshell Fields L/Derry

Alice Smart Cornshell Fields L/Derry

Christine McDaid Creggan L/Derry

Margaret McGlinchey Creggan L/Derry

Talas Miller Fernabbey/Ferndale L/Derry

Seamus Soal Fernabbey/Ferndale L/Derry

Leanne Barber Rosemount L/Derry

Paschal McCallion Rosemount L/Derry

Michelle McMenamin Rosemount L/Derry

Pearl O’Kane Rosemount L/Derry

DERRYCOMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT FORUM

Alan Hill - Newtownabbey - Newtownabbey

Alice Smart - Cornshell Fields, L/Derry

Talas Miller - Fernabbey/Ferndale, L/Derry

Colette Carey - Cavanaleck, Enniskillen

Margaret McGlinchey - Creggan Area, L/Derry

Paschal McCallion - Rosemount Area, L/Derry

Louise Mullan - Clarendon Street Area, L/Derry

Angela Kelly - Swilly Area, Portstewart

Joanne Austin - Swilly Area, Portstewart

Pearl O’Kane - Rosemount Area, L/Derry

Peter Smart - Tamlough Park, Ballykelly

Anne Hopkins - Girona Area, Portrush

DOING OUR BIT FOR CHARITY


News

One of the abiding memories ofthe Apex representatives who visited Miwaleni, Tanzania in 2010was the poor condition of the village primary school and thespartan nature of the class rooms.

Following the successful comple-tion of the Miwaleni Health Clinicand staff accommodation, Apexcommitted to fund raise a further£42,000 to renovate the school. Todate £30,000 has been raised.During 2011, a school constructioncommittee was formed in Miwaleniand they have since tendered theworks and are ready to appoint a contractor once all the funding is inplace. The scheme consists of:

Renovating nine class rooms anda teachers office

Providing a teacher’s house

Constructing a school kitchen

Providing school equipment andtext books

The project will greatly improvethe teaching and learning environment for the benefit of the262 pupils attending the school. Itwill also enable the provision of early childhood education and pre-schoolservices for the first time to over 60children aged 3-6 years. With thegreatly improved facilities, it isexpected that the school will attract ahigh quality of teaching staff resulting in an increase in the

Miwaleni Primary School renovation gets underway

Outside the Village School

With our commitment to the refurbishment of MiwaleniPrimary School, Apex with Children in Crossfire are organis-ing a sponsored walk of the twobridges which will take place onSunday 9th September 2012, leaving from Sainsbury's car park at2.00 pm. The walk will include theFoyle Bridge and the Peace Bridge.

Not only is this a lovely walk, it isalso a great fitness method, and asociable way of meeting other people. The walk is also an opportunity to think of people lesswell-off than ourselves and to raisemuch-needed funds.

Funds will be raised by a £5 per person entry fee and through walkers getting further sponsorship.Everyone is welcome and we encourage all individuals, familygroups, school groups and schemegroups to take part for this worthycause. All funds will go towards theongoing cost of the Primary Schoolrefurbishment.

Entry forms for the walk will be avail-able from Head Office from earlyAugust. These will be distributed byemail, through staff and residentsmeetings and through tenant groups.

Join us for ourChildren in Crossfiresponsored walk

number of children registered thereand attending classes.

With time pressing, staff at Apex will be organising a number of events this summer toraise the balance of £12,000 that is needed for the project. The eventswill include a tenants and staff dance in early summer, and a sponsored walk of the Foyle Bridgeand the Peace Bridge in September.

262 pupils attend the school

Presentations & Congratulations

Parkview House, Castlederg - Parkview Houseresident, Rose Gormley pictured celebrating her 102nd Birthday.

Foyle Valley House, Derry - residents from FoyleValley House pictured with Apex’s Essential Skills

Co-ordinators Cathy McCart and John Keaveney,receiving Certificates in Information Technology.

Marjorie Keenan - Chair of Apex presenting a cheque for £30,000 to

Richard Moore - Children in Crossfire


Competitions

GET COLOURING

Crossword Puzzle Sudoku PuzzleAcross1. Oily or greasy (9)5. Bet (5)7. Young eel (5)9. Land measure (4)10. Sultry (6)12. Dairy product (6)13. Hex (4)15. Crowd scene actor (5)16. Hidden drawback (5)18. Accumulated (9)Down1. Cutting tool (3)2. Remedy (4)3. Wildcat (6)4. Contradiction in terms (7)6. Article of clothing (7)8. Findings of a jury (7)9. Of times long past (7)11. Attack (6)14. Dull pain (4)17. Concealed (3)

Get Colouring

Tiarnan Devine2 Brickfield Court,Bligh’s Lane, Derry

Crossword Puzzle

Joe McGrory1 Culmore Park,

Culmore Road, Derry

Sudoku Puzzle

Patricia Baker30 Taobh na Cille,

Moville, Co. DonegalPrizes will be presented to the winners and runners-up in each category. These will include:

£50 for each Category Winner

£25 for each Runner-Up

Please return completed entry forms as soon aspossible, but no later than Friday, 20th July 2012 to:Mary McGroryApex Housing Association, 10 Butcher Street, Derry, BT48 6HLor telephone Mary on 028 7130 4800

ENTRY FORM

Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tel No: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Please tick the categories you wish to enter:Best Overall Kept GardenMost Original Garden FeaturesBest Hanging BasketSpecial Achievement

Judging will take place in August 2012. The judges decision isfinal and no correspondence will be entered into.

Garden Competition 2012If you take pride in your garden then please enter!

LAST EDITIONSWINNERS

There will be a £25 prize for eachof the 3 competition winners.

Please complete and return yourentry by 31st July 2012 to:

Mary McGrory Apex Housing Association

10 Butcher StreetLondonderry

BT48 6HL

TV across the UK and the rest of theworld is going digital. The existinganalogue TV signal will beswitched off and replaced with anew, stronger digital TV signal.

Switchover is happening so thatFreeview services (digital TV throughan aerial) can be extended to peoplewho can’t currently get them, includ-ing those who receive their signalfrom a relay transmitter. It alsoallows new services, such as HighDefinition (HD) channels, to becomeavailable more widely.

All TV transmitters in NorthernIreland will switch to digital TV intwo stages - 10 October and 24October. Below are some commonlyasked questions about going digital.

Do I need to get a new TV?No, you don’t need to get a new TV

as almost any TV can be converted,even a black and white one. Mostdigital boxes connect to a TV using aSCART cable. If your TV doesn’t havea SCART socket, you will need to askfor a digital box with a built-in ‘RFmodulator’.

What should I look for if I decide toget new equipment?

Look for TV sets, digital boxes anddigital TV recorders that carry the

‘digital tick’ logo. It means they aredesigned to continue working afterthe switchover.

Will my video or DVD recorder stillwork?

After switchover, if your VCR orDVD recorder is not digital, it will notbe able to record one channel whileyou watch another. Only a digital TVrecorder will allow you to do this. Adigital TV recorder will also convertyour TV to digital.

Will I need a new aerial?If you have good analogue recep-

tion now, you are unlikely to need toreplace your aerial for switchover. Ifyou currently have poor analogue

reception, then you may need toreplace it. Check by visiting the aerialchecker on Teletext page 284, or waituntil after switchover to see if yourpicture is affected.

I live in Northern Ireland, can I buya Saorview box to get digital TV?

If you purchase a Saorview TV orbox, it will pick up Northern Irelandand Republic of Ireland televisionservices where they are available.They may place the Republic’s chan-nels at the top of your programmeguide. Functionality - text, subtitlesand recorder timer may vary.

Please note: Digital UK is unable toprovide advice on Saorview equipment. Please go to

www.saorview.ie or callSaorview’s helpline on +353 1 208 3332 (if calling

from Northern Ireland) formore information.

What if I need this informa-tion in a different format?

To obtain this information in large print, audio, Braille, oranother language, please telephone08456 50 50 50.

If you have a hearing or speechimpediment, textphone service on0845 234 0380.


Help & Advice

Did you know that all dogs, withthe exception of guide dogs, mustbe licensed with your local council?

On top of that new legislation,which came into force on 1st April2012, means that all dogs must bemicrochipped before they can belicensed. Further details of themicrochipping process can be foundbelow but first some informationabout licensing.

Licensing:All dogs, with the exception of

guide dogs, must have a validlicence. Before you get a dog or apuppy, you must get a licence for it. Itis against the law not to. A puppy thatstays with its mother must have alicence by the age of six months.

Dogs must also wear an identitydisc or tag, which states the owner’sname, address and contact telephonenumber.

The fixed penalty notices for doglicensing offences are:

not having a licence for your dog -£80 (£50 if paid within 14 days)

not displaying a licence tag or IDon your dog - £80 (£50 if paid within14 days)

Further details about licensing,including application forms, can beobtained from your local council.

About microchipping A microchip is a tiny metal device

which is injected under a dog's skinbetween its shoulder blades. It helpsto identify animals if they go missingor are stolen. Every chip has its ownunique ID number. This numbermatches information about your dogheld on a nationwide database,along with your contact details. Youprovide this information when thechip is fitted.

If your dog is found by dog wardensor the PSNI, they'll check to see if ithas been fitted with a chip. If it has,they'll check the device's ID numberagainst the database to find you andreturn your dog safely.

Availability Most vets offer a microchipping

service. Animal welfare groups suchas the Dogs Trust, can also fit dogswith chips.

PricesMicrochipping costs between

£20-£30. It is free if you are aged 60or over, or if you receive means tested benefits.

Groups such as the Dogs Trustsometimes offer free or reducedprices. Visit www.dogstrust.org.ukfor more information.

Drink Think are reaching out toresidents to help them respondeffectively to people gathering todrink on their street.

Funded by The Big Lottery Fund,the Drink Think Project are launch-ing their Residents Response Toolkitwhich aims to help residents who suffer as a result of people gatheringto drink on their street.

It is well documented through themedia of the ill effects and associatedharms of people gathering in groupsto drink in communities. Residentshave, for a long time, been sufferingas a result of noise nuisance, litter-ing, and exposure to inappropriatebehaviour.

Drink Think’sR e s i d e n t sResponse Toolkitoffers communi-ties some practi-cal and sensibleadvice on what

they can do at the time of a distur-bance, who they can contact, howthey keep themselves safe and dealwith very challenging and some-times distressing circumstances. Italso prompts residents to cometogether to reduce the chances ofthis becoming a regular disturbancein their area and promotes collective community action. Thisunique tool also aims to address thehealth and well-being of residentswho have been suffering from alcohol related disturbances in theircommunity as a result of groupsgathering to drink. There are practical tips as to how they can dealwith stressful situations, and techniques they can apply to helpthem and to also prevent them react-ing in a way they would not normallyreact, only for the stress provokingsituation they find themselves in.

Joanne Smith, manager of theDrink Think Project comments: “Weare delighted to offer residents some-thing which will help them to dealwith the disturbance of people gath-ering to drink on their streets. Wehave developed the tool in such away that it’s informative, helpful andaddresses the needs of the resident. Itmay not always be possible to eradi-cate the issue completely, but wehope that residents feel betterequipped to deal with relating issueswithout it affecting their mentalhealth and well-being.”

Drink Think staff can offer resi-dent/community groups informa-tional workshops on the toolkit andalso on stress relieving measures. For further information, contactthe team on (028) 7136 3925 or logonto www.drinkthinkproject.org.

Drink Think helpresidents deal withstreet drinking

NI switch to digital in OctoberGet ready for the big switchover - our guide to digital TV

Some might say it’s a dog’s life

Fees & ConcessionsOver 65 (eligible for a free

licence - first or only dog) FREE

Over 65 (2 or more dogs) £5.00

Receipt of an income-related

benefit (Income Support or

Housing Benefit) £5.00

Sterilised/Neutered Dog £5.00

Normal Licence £12.50

Block Licence £32.00

Keep your dog legal and

keep your dog safe - get it

licensed and get it chipped!


Developments News

In addition to the 536 social hous-ing units currently under con-struction, Apex will start to build afurther 438 new dwellingsthroughout Northern Irelandfrom April 2012.

This construction programme willnot only provide new homes for people on the common selectionscheme, but also, employment forconstruction workers in an industrythat has suffered much in recentyears. This large investment by theDepartment for Social Developmentand Apex will have a strong multipli-er effect in terms of employment.Research has shown that for every 10jobs created by building social housing, seven other jobs will be created or sustained elsewhere in theeconomy. In these difficult times, thisis good news for the local economy.

New Construction Programme of 2012

School Principal and girls from St Cecilia’s school pictured with new Apex tenants,Apex staff, the project architect and members of the contracting team. St Cecilia’sSchool is visible in the background.

The construction of sixty onesocial housing units in Creggan,Derry is nearing completion,with forty six houses alreadyhanded over to tenants. Thedevelopment sits on a promi-nent site in the city and the hous-es built to a high standard, areproving very popular with all thenew tenants.

The new scheme is located closeto St Cecilia’s School and Apexasked the school principal if thegirls who attend the school coulddecide on a name that would buildon the strong community spirit inthe area. The junior class girls sug-gested the name Cecilia’s Walk tocommemorate the 50thanniversary of the opening ofthe school, and in memory ofthe hundreds of former pupilswho walked past the site on theirway to and from the school overthe last fifty years. The new devel-opment also has a pedestrian linkwhich will provide a welcome shortcut for present pupils on their wayto and from school. Apex wasdelighted with the suggestion andis pleased to acknowledge itsappreciation with a donation of£100 to the school’s library fund.

Breakdown of the programme delivering 438 new Social Housing units

Circular Road, Derry (Phase 2 & 3) . . . . 113 Units

Brook Street, Ahoghill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Units

Templemore Avenue, Belfast . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Units

Mountpottinger PSNI Site, Belfast . . . . . . 10 Units

Cloneen, Dungannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Units

Slieveban Drive, Belfast (Phase 1) . . . . . . . 25 Units

Kingsway, Dunmurry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Units

Tiger’s Bay, Belfast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Units

Hass Road, Dungiven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Units

Cliftonville Road, Belfast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Units

Rush Park, Newtownabbey . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Units

Springfield Crescent, Belfast . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Units

Slieveban Drive, Belfast (Phase 2) . . . . . . . . 4 Units

Ashleywood, Derry (Phase 2 & 3). . . . . . . . . 6 Units

Tamlough Park, Ballykelly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Units

Loch Cuan, Newtownards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Units

Clara Street, Belfast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Units

Castlewellan Road, Newcastle (Phase 2). . 16 Units

Church Bay, Rathlin Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Units

Marian Hall, Derry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Units

3a The Square, Moy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Units

Craigmore Road, Maghera . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Units

Apex is taking forward the provisionof ten new houses in one of the mostdeprived areas of Belfast. The rede-velopment will see seven derelictproperties on the Limestone Roadand three properties in Halliday’sRoad demolished and replaced.

Attending the launch of the project,Minister McCausland said: “This is animportant day for the people ofTiger’s Bay area. Demolition work hasnow begun to help rejuvenate thearea by redeveloping buildings thatare in a dilapidated condition and ablight on the local community.Replacing blight and dereliction withgood quality housing is an importantfirst step in supporting and sustainingcommunities who may have previous-ly felt left behind or marginalised.”

Gerry Kelly, Chief Executive of Apexattended the launch with MinisterMcCausland and said: “Apex HousingAssociation is always keen to seederelict housing replaced by new,modern, energy efficient housing.This is particularly significant at theLimestone Road and Halliday’s Roadsite where our redevelopment pro-posals will transform this gatewayinto Tiger’s Bay, sending out the mes-sage that it is a vibrant communitywith an exciting future ahead of it.”

Ten new houses forTiger’s Bay in Belfast Students name

new Creggandevelopment

Minister for Social Development - Nelson McCausland pictured with Apex Chief Executive - Gerry Kelly.


Apex Departments

Meet The Apex Property Services TeamIn the last edition of the Observer,we profiled our General NeedsHousing Team. In this edition, weprofile our Property ServicesTeam.

Property Services staff are responsible for maintaining thehousing stock and for the delivery of a comprehensive efficient maintenance service forour tenants. The service covers a

wide and varied scope of responsibil-ity. The repair categories areResponse, Cyclical and PlannedMaintenance.

We currently maintain 3,803 units of accommodation. PropertyServices also implement changes to legislation and ensure that the following statutory and miscella-neous requirements are adhered to:Asbestos Management, DDA Audit,

Asset Management, Fire RiskAssessment, Tendering ofConsultants, Oil & Gas Servicing,EPC’s, Electrical Testing, LegionellaControl, Emergency Lighting,Property Condition Surveys, RadonGas, Waste Management andTransportation.

Property Services must also meetwith guidance laid down by theDepartment for Social Development.

The Property Services Officers andAssistants provide a professional customer focussed service at the following General Needs dwellingsand Supported Living Schemes.

Property Services Assistants provide administrative support to all Apex properties and Pauline provides administrative sup-port to the Director of PropertyServices.

Louise Walsh Property Services Assistant

The Property Services Team

General Needs: Derry - Galliagh, Creggan, Fergleen, Shantallow,Fernabbey, Ferndale, Glendale, Waterside and Donegal (Apex Ireland)Schemes: Derry - Brickfield Court, Daleview House, Beechway House,Clondermott House, Foyle Valley House, House in the Wells andNorthlands Centre

Barry Folan Property Services Officer

General Needs: Derry - Creggan; Antrim, Belfast, Lisburn, Dunmurry and NewtownabbeySchemes: Derry - Abbey House, Culmore Park, Fr Mulvey Park, TheStrand Foyer, Dunvale House, Ardavon House and 22 Pump StreetBelfast - Springwell House

General Needs: Derry - Waterside, Northland Road, City Centre,Bogside, Brandywell and Creggan; Eglinton, Ballykelly, Coleraine,Portstewart, Portrush and PortballintraeSchemes: Derry - Beechwood Court and Ballyoan House;Eglinton - St. Canice’s Close; Limavady - Mullagh House and MillPlace; Coleraine - Killowen House, Brookmount and Brookhill House

General Needs: Derry - Cornshell Fields & Cornshell Lane; Strabane -Canal Side and Evish Grove; Castlederg - Lurganbuoy Park; Clady -Dunowen Park; Enniskillen - Cavandale Park and Elliott PlaceSchemes: Derry - Alexander House; Omagh - St. Julian’s House,Railway Court, Woodbank House and Meadowbank House;Castlederg - Parkview House & Court; Enniskillen - East Bridge Place

General Needs: Derry - Sheriffs Glen, Ballyarnett, Creggan,Shantallow, Ballymagroarty, Glenowen Park, Hazelbank and Carnhill;Cookstown, Dungannon, Maghera, Newry, Lurgan and DraperstownSchemes: Derry - Glenbrook House, Belmont Cottages, MethodistCity Mission, Foyle Gate Lodge and Creggmount; Strabane - IonaHouse and Mulvey House; Newtownstewart - Bell-Gray House

Natasha ShongoProperty Services Assistant

Sharon AllenProperty Services Assistant

Leona BrownProperty Services Assistant

Laura CarlinProperty Services Assistant

Brian HarkinProperty Services Officer

Emmet McCloskeyProperty Services Officer

Margaret Rose DohertyProperty Services Officer

Mark Toland Property Services Officer

Ania JanuszewskaProperty Services Assistant

Pauline O’RourkeAdministrative Assistant

John BoyleProperty Services Manager


And finally

Staff celebrate their achievements at special awards presentation in the Tower HotelApex celebrated the success oftheir latest staff members becom-ing QCF (formerly known as NVQ)qualified through a special awardspresentation in the Tower Hotelattended by Alderman MauriceDevenney - Mayor.

Apex employs over 330 care andsupport staff within its SupportedLiving Schemes and this brought thelevel of staff working with, and caring

for vulnerable adults within theAssociation, who are qualified to QCFLevels 2, 3 & 4 in either Care andCatering to over 50%.

This achievement is compoundedby the fact that a significant propor-tion of these staff have not studied for15-20 years. Elaine Taylor, Director ofPersonnel & Training supported thisview, stating that: “QCFs are excellentstepping stones for individuals as

they offer a progression route, partic-ularly for those who have been out ofstudy or academic life for some time.”

Marjorie Keenan, Chairperson com-mented: “The impact of QCFs on frontline service delivery has been very evi-dent. Staff are competent in theirpractice and these qualificationshave proven to be an excellent learn-ing experience on both a professionaland personal level.”

Strive 2 Work is a unique four weekemployability workshop offeredby Steps to Work in conjunctionwith Business in the Community topeople who are out of work in theDerry and Strabane areas.

The workshop helps peopleincrease their chances of getting andsustaining employment whilstacknowledging the fact that somepeople require extra assistance toovercome the barriers that preventthem from finding and keepingwork. Over the course of the pro-gramme, trained facilitators deliveran exciting programme thatenhances the skills levels of partici-pants, including the opportunity tocomplete an OCN Level 2 qualifica-tion in Employability and whichoffers guidance to develop theirwork aspirations.

Steps to Work has formed partner-ships with a number of major

employers in the local area throughBusiness in the Community and willrun a number of employer-led work-shops. The Apex led workshop willbe delivered in May/June 2012 and isaimed at those people interested inworking in the area of care and support.

On completion of this programme,Apex is offering full-time placementsof up to 22 weeks in duration, withthe ultimate goal of offering perma-nent employment.

Strive 2 Work Programme

On Thursday, 26 April 2012, Edna Cartwright retired from Apex after 14 years as NurseManager at Bell-Gray House,Newtownstewart.

Her nursing career howeverspanned over 42 years and her long-term service and commitment to the care of the

elderly was recognised by

her colleagues at a retirement

lunch in the City Hotel. All the

management and staff at Apex

would like to take this opportunity

to thank Edna for her years of

service and wish her a long and

fulfilled retirement.

Edna Cartwright Retires

QCFs are excellent steppingstones for individuals asthey offer a progressionroute, particularly forthose who have been out ofstudy or academic life...

“Elaine Taylor, Director of Personnel & Training

For further details either email [email protected] or

contact your local Jobs & Benefits Office at:

Foyle Jobs & Benefits Office - 028 7131 9500

Lisnagelvin Jobs & BenefitsOffice - 028 7131 9300

Congratulations!

Apex Staff Celebrate More SuccessThe Mayor of Derry, Alderman Maurice Devenney, pictured with staff from Apex Housing who were presented with NVQ Level II in Health & Social Care. Included are Elaine Taylor - Director of Personnel; Maria Devlin - Training Adviser and Marjorie Keenan - Chairperson, Apex Housing.

The Mayor of Derry -Alderman Maurice Devenneypictured with staff from ApexHousing who were presentedwith NVQ Level III in Health &Social Care. Included areElaine Taylor - Director ofPersonnel; Maria Devlin -Training Adviser; MarjorieKeenan - Chairperson, ApexHousing and PerpetuaMarshall, Rutledge Training.

Pictured from L to R: Davina McAllister; Muriel Sands - Housing & Care Services Manager; Edna Cartwright - NurseManager, Bell-Gray and Marcella McCorkell.

observer spring 2012

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