A big welcome to our new customers who have recently transferred from One Housing Group. We wish you all the best for the future as a Paradigm customer!

Our new customers live in 322 homes in Slough and St Albans.

“I’m delighted to welcome our new customers to Paradigm” says Matthew Bailes, Chief Executive of Paradigm. “Our five-year Corporate Plan sets out our ambition to be larger and more local – we want to own and manage more homes while working in fewer areas. This will allow us to deliver more efficient services to our customers and reduce the time we spend travelling between repair jobs.”

Sponsoring people leaving Ukraine
Like us, I’m sure you have been affected by the situation in Ukraine and some of you may be thinking about how you can help.

The Government has set up a scheme where people may be able to sponsor people leaving Ukraine. The details are not yet clear so, if you are thinking you may want to register for the scheme, please investigate how it will affect your individual circumstances, including any benefits you might receive.

You can find some frequently asked questions on the Government website:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-scheme-frequently-asked-questions

It is expected there will be more details available in the coming days and weeks, but please let us know if you do sponsor someone from Ukraine by calling us on 0300 303 1010.

As an organisation, we are also happy to work with our local authority partners to see if there is anything we can do to offer support if they require it.

How your rent is calculated

After receiving your recent rent letters, you told us it would be useful to know your new monthly rent total as well as the weekly amount set out in your letter. Thanks for the feedback and we hope this answers your questions...

How to calculate your new monthly rent total

1. Divide your new weekly rent by 7 (the number of days in the week)
2. Multiply this by 365.25 (number of days in the year allowing for the additional day in a leap year)
3. Divide this number by 12 (number of months in the year)

4. This will give you your calendar month rent charge.

For example:
If your new weekly rent charge is £250.50 then this is how you would calculate the new monthly rent total:

1. Divide £250.50 by 7 (number of days in the week)
2. Multiply by 365.25 (number of the days in the year allowing for the additional day in a leap year)
3. Divide this number by 12 (number of months in the year)
4. This will give you an amount per calendar month of £1,089.23

Keeping safe in your home

Fire safety – take care in your home
We have had several small fires recently caused by people using candles or portable heaters in their homes – please take care if you are doing this.

We realise that with energy bills rising you may be tempted to use candles for lighting and portable heaters. You can find advice here about how to use your heater safely:https://www.fireangel.co.uk/keep-safe-from-portable-heater-fire-risks/

Tips include making sure your heater is well away from any clothes, curtains or furniture and making sure it is well maintained.

How customers are making a difference

And the lucky winners are...
Our Virtual Voice group is really valuable, helping us shape our services. As a thank you, each month customers in the group are entered into a prize draw.

In January Ms B from Amersham won the £20 prize and said: “Paradigm is a fantastic organisation as well as being my landlord. I had an urge to apply for customer engagement because I want to be the voice for the masses. Giving an honest opinion and improving the services for not only myself but other families in my situation in social housing." 

Congratulations also go to February’s lucky winner - Mr H, also from Amersham!

A big thank you to all our customers who help us to get things right. If you would like to join us and Make-a-Difference@Paradigm - just email our Customer Involvement team. Alternatively check out our webpage  Just by signing up you will be entered into a monthly £20 prize draw, and you too could be a lucky winner!

Other news

#HereToHelp...

Check out our support hub...

...And for more information on any of the topics below, please go to the Support Hub on our website here.

• Foodbanks
• Help into work
• Managing your home
• Managing your money
• Your energy
• Your family
• Your wellbeing

Want to work for us?

and finally - a bit of March madness!

Did you know?

• The flower of March is the daffodil and the birthstone is the aquamarine
• In March 1889 the Eiffel Tower was officially opened to the public. It was the tallest building in the world for 41 years before being surpassed by the Chrysler Building.
• Alexander Graham Bell made the first ever phone call on 10 March 1876. He called his assistant and said “Mr Watson, come here. I want to see you.”
• Famous people born in the month of March include Albert Einstein, Vincent Van Gogh, Daniel Craig, Justin Bieber and Bruce Willis.
• March was originally the first month of the Roman calendar and was named after the Roman god of war, Mars.
• In the book The Lord of the Rings 25 March is set as the start of a new year in Gondor – this is to honour the fall of Sauron.
• The phrase 'mad as a March hare’ comes from the view that a hare will behave oddly during the breeding season, which is in March.