We are hosting our first community day this Saturday at Boniface Hall in Tooting.
The day starts at 11am and finishes at 4pm, is free to attend and promises the following:
The address is St Boniface Hall, 185 Mitcham Road, Tooting, London, SE17 9PG.
We look forward to seeing you there!
A single mother living in Wandsworth with her young son was recently awarded £650 from our helping hand fund after hitting financial difficulty.
Ms Js* father had sadly passed away, and she had to contribute towards the funeral costs. This had left her in rent arrears and struggling to pay her utility bills.
She contacted our resident support team because she could not afford to replace her faulty washing machine and oven.. The cost of travelling to and from the laundrette was a further cost she could not afford.
The team assisted her in completing the helping hand application and processed it as a matter of urgency. She was then awarded £500 in Argos vouchers to purchase a new washing machine and oven, as well as £150 in Sainsbury vouchers. In addition, she agreed to an achievable payment plan to pay off her rent arrears.
3.2 million people are living with hygiene poverty in the UK, and the reality of low income is that it restricts people’s options, leaving many caught between being able to heat their home, pay their rent, eat or be clean.
“I was completely floored by the amount of pressure I was under, and your team did their absolute best to remove the pressure, but you also reinstalled my belief in the kindness of people again.
“I feel like a different person, and I will be eternally grateful for your kindness and understanding. My life has changed dramatically in the last 24 hours.”
Ms J*
If you are struggling with any of the issues mentioned in this article, or are unable to pay your rent and bills, do not hesitate to contact us, we are here to help and will support you to stay in your home.
*We cannot provide you with financial advice, but we will always signpost you to support agencies that can.
School is almost out for the summer holidays and with money feeling tighter this year for many of us, we have rounded up 16 places kids can eat for free or for £1, which will help make family days out more affordable.
Wandle is supporting Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week 2023 (3-9 July). This is a national campaign to raise awareness and encourage communities to stand against ASB by highlighting the actions that can be taken by those experiencing it.
This year’s theme is ‘Know Your Rights’ and our ongoing aim is to ensure our customers and the surrounding communities understand help is available.
We provide homes in welcoming and safe areas in South London; however, we do unfortunately receive ASB reports that our Community Safety team work hard to resolve. Last year we received 352 reports of ASB. Most cases related to noise nuisance (30%), intimidation/harassment (20%) and criminal activity (7%).
Wandle is committed to preventing and resolving all forms of ASB by working in partnership with other agencies. We recognise if ASB is not properly addressed, it can significantly affect the quality of life for those affected, which is why we want to encourage anyone suffering with ASB issues, to have the courage to report it. You can read more about how to report ASB here > Reporting anti-social behaviour – Wandle Housing Association.
Frank Smith, our Community Safety Team Leader said: “We know anti-social behaviour can have a huge impact on people’s lives and it is important victims are supported when they raise a report. We are fully committed to supporting our customers and the communities in which we operate in by working closely with our partners to ensure all ASB cases are dealt as quickly and as effectively possible”.
If you need to report an ASB case, the most efficient and simplest way of reporting anti-social behaviour is through MyWandle. If you do not want to use MyWandle, you can call our Customer Service Team on 0300 2000 120.
We are pleased to announce that Wandle have recently taken handover of 6 affordable homes in Southwark developed by Featherstone Homes.
The 6 properties were purchased from Featherstone Homes, a leading property developer who specialise in creating contemporary and first-rate homes. Each property is suitable for families and includes a front garden and a private terrace for residents to spend time and relax.
The scheme on Lynton Road in Southwark has already provided 4 social rent properties and will deliver a further 2 shared ownership properties, which are currently being marketed for sale.
The properties are located within Bermondsey, which is known for its vibrant restaurants, markets, and galleries, while being situated within a peaceful neighbourhood in central London.
Anne Waterhouse, Chief Executive of Wandle said: “I am proud we can support families by supplying these much-needed homes in one of our key boroughs. These six affordable homes will provide a safe and affordable foundation for our residents to build a future.”
A family in Bermondsey can now look forward to their future after being moved into a Wandle property.
Ms O* and her two children, aged 12 and 10, were suffering for years, enduring domestic abuse by Ms O’s husband.
Ms O’s physical and mental wellbeing were massively affected by living in such conditions, that she found herself worrying about what the future held.
Due to the circumstances and the danger her and her children faced if they returned to their home, with the support of the police and social services, Southwark Council moved them into temporary accommodation. Due to their circumstances, they were assessed as homeless and remained in temporary accommodation whilst a permanent home was sourced.
After a year and a half, Southwark Council nominated them for a Wandle home in Bermondsey, a move that meant the children did not have to move schools and they could remain near their support network.
Like many families fleeing from domestic abuse, they had little to furnish their new home. To support them in setting up their new home, our resident support team provided £800 in vouchers to cover the necessary basics.
“Wandle have given me, and my children hope, and I am grateful for the help I have received. The £800 voucher has been a real lifesaver and has stretched to allow me to buy the basics for our home. I cannot thank Wandle enough.”
Ms O*
We take domestic abuse seriously at Wandle, we know how brave it is to escape this kind of behaviour and start again. We are DAHA (Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance) accredited and prioritise you and your family’s safety. You can read more about what constitutes domestic abuse on our specialist page – Domestic Abuse – Wandle Housing Association.
Wandle recently acquired 21 new homes as part of a mixed-tenure scheme in Southwark.
Developed by Camrose London, the scheme consists of 14 social rent homes and seven homes available for shared ownership.
Available in 2025, the scheme consists of 71 superbly designed studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, located near Burgess Park and within the award-winning Old Kent Road area – a London district poised for significant regeneration led-growth. In addition, residents will benefit from a shared amenity space, and a children’s playground.
Anne Waterhouse, Chief Executive of Wandle said, “We are delighted to be supplying these new homes to people who would otherwise struggle to afford a home of their own. Having a shared amenity space for all is an important feature we look for in our new schemes, contributing to helping break down the stigma facing social housing residents. I look forward to welcoming our new residents when they move in.”
We will keep you updated on this development as it takes shape.
We are pleased to confirm that, following a review, we will not be passing on any cost for historic building safety remediation works related to external wall systems to our homeowners in buildings above 11 metres or 5 storeys in height.
Although there remains an option for landlords to recharge elements of these remediation works to homeowners, Wandle will seek to recover where possible, costs from the original developers and contractors and fund the balance. In addition, we will access the government support from the building safety fund when it becomes available.
Anne Waterhouse, Chief Executive at Wandle said, “The safety of our customers is our priority, and we are committed to providing homes that we would be happy to live in. We have considered the regulations in the Building Safety Act that seeks to protect homeowners from having to meet building safety remediation costs. We appreciate that this uncertainty has impacted our homeowners, and we are pleased to be able to now provide assurance that this won’t be a cost borne by our homeowners.”
This homeowner protection applies to buildings of and above 11m or 5 storeys in height. For homeowners living in below 11m buildings, we will continue to seek appropriate and proportionate lower cost mitigations as well as hold to account any responsible party to recover costs if we have a legal basis to do so.
We are working hard to progress the negotiations with the original developers and warranty providers so that we can determine the timing for the works to be delivered. We will be keeping our homeowners updated about the scheduled plan of works throughout the programme’s duration, in the meantime all affected buildings have appropriate safety mitigations in place.
Wandle’s Community Safety team have successfully helped relocate one vulnerable resident move closer to their family and friends after a difficult period.
The resident was living in Kingston and was suffering from a drug addiction and mental health problems. They had previously spent time in prison due to a history of substance abuse and theft to support their habit. In the summer of 2022, an anti-social behaviour case was raised due to concerns over the use of their property.
Our Community Safety team checked in on our resident and it became clear their flat was being used by unknown persons who were also struggling with substance abuse. They’d often gain access through forceful means that intimidated the resident and their neighbours.
The local police asked Wandle for assistance and the case was referred to the Local Authority Community Multi-Agency Risk Assessment (CMARAC). We worked as a team to create an action plan to support the resident and decide on a resolution.
Unfortunately, our customer was sent to prison again for a short period of time. To ensure the resident’s property was safe and to protect other residents, we secured and screened the property to guarantee nobody else could gain access.
When our resident was released from prison, our amazing Community Safety Officer Claudette worked with local partners, the police, and a probation officer to help our resident into rehabilitation for their drug addiction and mental health issues.
Eventually, the resident decided to move closer to their family in Portsmouth to continue their rehabilitation. They have now settled into their new home for a fresh start and away from the issues they experienced in Kingston.
We always want to support our residents and maintain their tenancies, however, at times the best solution for all is to assist our customers find a new home so they can move on.
At Wandle, we do not tolerate antisocial behaviour or criminal activity. If you need to report ASB, you can do this through MyWandle or by calling us on 0300 2000 120.
We are pleased to announce our two free community days in August!
Please RVSP using the QR code on the poster and we look forward to seeing you there. if you are viewing this on your mobile, you can RSVP by visiting www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/RSVPwandle.
