Our Helping Hand Fund recently saved Christmas for two Wandle residents.

ST* is a full-time carer for her mother, as well as working part-time. The increase in living costs and only being eligible for partial housing benefit has left her struggling to afford her rent and council tax. The stress of this was further impacting her mental health being adversely affected.

During a scheduled home visit, a frontline member of staff noticed that her home lacked the basic essentials and there was also little food in the home. Fortunately, our resident support team fast-tracked her helping hand fund application to improve her situation in time for Christmas.

The funds awarded meant that she was then able to purchase a new cooker, mattress, storage boxes and several weeks’ worth of food to see her through the Christmas break.

ST said: “This is great news! I don’t think you realised how helpful these vouchers will be! Thank you, I am very happy and relieved” 

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SM* is a 63-year-old Wandle resident who was recently released from the care of social services where they had spent two years due to a long-term mental health condition that required specialist support.

Our resident support team were regularly liaising heavily with SM’s partner and her social services support team to slowly move her back into her home. The team actioned an urgent HHF application so SM could purchase household goods as well as food and clothing.

In addition, vouchers were provided to allow SM to purchase a new cooker and kitchen appliances, a new bed, and bedding from Argos, as well as clothing and food from Sainsburys.

Both SM and her partner were very appreciative of the support our resident support team provided and the opportunity to make their house a home after a difficult couple of years.

Information about the Helping Hand Fund
The Helping Hand Fund is available to all Wandle residents who are financially struggling. It aims to support residents by providing vouchers for food and other household items from supermarkets, furniture, carpets, washing machines, essential white goods, and even technology as internet access is now essential for Universal Credit and other online services. Please note that the fund is not to be used to cover your rent.

Applications for the Helping Hand Fund are now open. You can apply by emailing helpinghandfund@wandle.com.

Christmas is over and many of us are now worried about we will get through January without getting into debt.

January is usually the quietest month of the year and is a good time to try the No-Spend January challenge!  All you need to do is try and not spend money on unnecessary things for the entire month. This includes but is not limited to alcohol, new clothes, takeaways, and coffees on the go. Instead, you focus on spending only on essentials like rent, groceries, and bills.

It’s a great way to reassess your relationship with money, break bad money habits, and begin focusing on your long-term financial goals.

Taking part is a great way to get your finances in order and save money. Below are some tips on how to do no-spend January successfully.

If you’re worried about the cost of living, we are here to help. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can help.

The cost-of-living crisis is already affecting millions across the UK, with many reporting they will be unable to switch their heating on in the coming months.

Millions of households will be in fuel poverty this winter, with people with disabilities, elderly people, children, people from ethnic minorities, and low-income households amongst the most affected groups.

Everyone should have a warm and welcoming space to go to this winter, and many community organisations, churches, libraries, businesses, and other faith groups across the UK have opened their doors to provide exactly that.

Warm welcome’s mission is to support local organisations to open their doors to provide a warm welcome for those struggling to keep warm.

You can find a warm space in your local area by using the handy search function. To find out more, visit the website at www.warmwelome.uk.

A group of green fingered residents in Croydon have transformed their communal space into a bountiful garden.

Gloria, a Wandle resident living in Wingate Crescent in Croydon was fed up with the amount of drug-related crime and fly-tipping that was taking place outside her home. The illegal activity went undetected for so long because perpetrators were obscured by overgrown bushes.

She reached breaking point in 2016, when her son was mugged on his way home. Already a member of Mitcham Common Litter Pickers, she reached out to her neighbours to join her in a communal litter pick of Wingate Crescent.

It was then decided that the outdoor space could be transformed into an urban vegetable patch that could encourage the local community to grow their own vegetables and improve their wellbeing.

Gloria contacted Croydon Council for funding to kick-start the project, as well as enlisting the super talented Marcus who has helped transformed the once neglected space into an incredible garden that feeds the local community. In addition, the residents of Wingate Crescent feel safer due to the decrease in anti-social behaviour and littering.

Most recently, Soul food garden won our annual Greenfingers gardening competition for best communal garden. They plan to build a greenhouse with their competition money so they can continue to grow crops throughout the winter months.

If you would live to follow Soul Food Garden, you can find them on Instagram by searching @soulfoodgarden.

As part of our 16 days of action against gender-based violence, we will be including real-life examples of how we support residents enduring domestic abuse.

Ms F*, a Wandle resident fled her home in March 2022 due to the abuse she was facing from her ex-partner and father of her two children.

It later transpired that her ex-partner had a history of using violence in previous relationships but Ms F* was unaware of this at the time.

Frustratingly, she was denied access by the Police to necessary information about her ex-partner’s past under ‘Claire’s Law’ that could have helped keep her family safe.

Earlier this year, her ex-partner turned up at her home unexpectedly, shouting abuse and making violent threats. Understandably, she was terrified and ran away to safety.

She approached her local authority in Bromely for housing assistance because she wanted to move to a new home away from her ex-partner. In order to do this, our neighbourhood customer services officer carried out a risk assessment which yielded a low score. However, she was offered temporary accommodation that was later made permanent.

The forced move has been stressful and unsettling for both mother and children, but they are slowly starting to feel comfortable in their new home and settling in nicely at their new school.

We don’t tolerate domestic abuse in any form, and there is more information about how we can support you on the domestic abuse page on our website.

An average of 2.3 million people in England and Wales endure domestic abuse every year. It’s very likely that someone you work with, or employ will experience abuse at some point in their lifetime.

The last few years has changed how we work, and many of us now work a hybrid pattern between home and the office. For those experiencing domestic abuse, these changes to the workforce have been particularly difficult to navigate. Those forced to work at home may have been further isolated from their support networks by their abuser. People returning to the office may be worried about how the abuse they’re experiencing will impact their new work routine.

Domestic abuse is still very much a hidden crime. Therefore, it’s important to know the sights and know to respond effectively and safely.

If your team are working remotely

If your team is continuing working virtually, it can be near impossible to spot the signs. However, if someone seems anxious or worries, or they never turn their camera on, it’s appropriate to be inquisitive about this. In addition, a sign might be a colleague experiencing continual IT issues, because their abuser has broken their work equipment to exert control.

If your team has returned to the office, it will be easier to spot more obvious signs of domestic abuse such as bruising or physical marks. Also, they may stay in the office until late in the evening or arrive early as their home is not a safe place for them to be.

If a colleague or employee has an increased number of sick days, and has become withdrawn, this can be an indication they are in an abusive situation.

How can I help?

If you are concerned a colleague or employee is experiencing domestic abuse, you can contact the Respond to Abuse Advice Line. This is a confidential support line where employers and colleagues can get advice on how to respond effectively to disclosures of domestic abuse, and signpost appropriate local specialist services. You can call the advice line on 07770480437 or 0203 8793695, or email adviceline.EB@hestia.org.

We are supporting this year’s 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign. The theme for this year is #LetsEndFemicide.

Femicide is the most extreme form of violence against women and the most violent manifestation of discrimination against women and their inequality. Today alone, globally, more than 100 women will be killed by an intimate partner or family member because they are women.

Domestic violence takes many forms and the deaths of women killed by intimate partners does not usually result from random or spontaneous acts, but rather a culmination of prior gender-related violence.

Femicide also occurs in the world of work and in politics. Some women face a higher risk of it based on factors such as age, race, ethnicity, caste, gender identity, migrant status, and disability.

Throughout the two weeks, we will be sharing information and case studies to educate about domestic abuse, different displays of abuse, how to spot the signs as well as where to access help.

You can also sign a petition to declare December 6 as the International Day to End Femicide.

We have published the Autumn edition of Wandle News.

The UK is facing a very difficult time, and we know many of our residents are worried about the rise in energy bills, food, and other essentials.

We have put together this special edition of our newsletter to provide as much information as possible on where to seek support.

We have also included information about our Christmas opening hours, as well as the rise in domestic abuse during the World Cup.

If you would like a translated and/or accessible version of the report, please email communications@wandle.com.

Our Resident Annual report 2021/2022 outlines how we’ve supported our customers over the past year. Thank you to our customer experience panel for working with us to create this report.

The report gives an overview and insight into what we have been doing over the last twelve months. It covers the improvements we have made to our complaints handling process, damp and mould project and information on the diversity of our board. We also acknowledge were we need to make improvements.

If you would like a translated and/or accessible version of the report, please email communications@wandle.com.

We recently provided £10k of funding to the Age Friendly Social Housing Programme.

Delivered by HACT in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund, to support social landlords, local agencies, and communities to work together to improve opportunities and outcomes for people aged over 50 in Southwark.

The UK is facing a loneliness epidemic, and the over 55’s are considered an ‘at risk’ group of experiencing social isolation. As an established landlord, we can play a significant role in creating age friendly communities, providing homes and a range of services to support people to age well in the place they call home.

The two-year programme will involve us working alongside residents to create new activities and services for our over 50s and enhance existing age friendly provision and testing new approaches to tackle social isolation and loneliness.

We would like to hear from Wandle residents over the age of 50 and living in Southwark, about any activities and services they would be interested in. To get in touch, email customerempowerment@wandle.com.