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Paradigm News

Welcome to your April newsletter
We hope you're all looking forward to the bank holidays, the King's Coronation and hopefully, some sunshine alongside it!

Let us know how you're celebrating the royal occasion and send photos of your street parties, fancy dress and decorations to: communications@paradigmhousing.co.uk

 

Just to let you know, we'll be closed on Monday 1 May and Monday 8 May for the bank holidays. 

Service charges

Advance notice about increased costs
Many of you will pay service charges for a range of services to your block or estate. We want to let you know that service charges will be increasing and you will receive a letter about this in May. We understand that this may cause some concern, which is why we wanted to give you advance notice and explain why the increase is necessary.

Your service charges pay for a range of services that are essential in maintaining your home and ensuring it’s a safe and pleasant place to live. These services may include cleaning and maintenance of communal areas, the upkeep of internal and external decoration and repairs to communal areas such as lifts, entry systems and lighting. Some of you will also pay for your personal heating through your service charges.

We strive to provide high-quality, value-for-money services to all our customers. Unfortunately, like everyone else, our costs have increased and we need to raise our service charges to continue the current standards and provide the necessary services.

We're here to help
We understand that an increase will be difficult. You will receive more information in the coming weeks but, in the meantime, if you are struggling financially, please get in touch by calling 0300 303 1010. You can also take a look at the support hub on our website. We’re here to help.

Our local partnerships

The Oasis Partnership ‘Route to Work scheme’
Are you a Buckinghamshire resident looking for a way to kickstart your career or improve your job situation? Oasis Partnership's 'Routes to Work' scheme might just be the perfect solution for you!

Thanks to Paradigm, the scheme has been extended through to 2024 and will help over 100 individuals enhance their job search skills, advance their education or training, secure full or part-time work, and ultimately improve their work situation.

If you're interested in participating in the “Routes to Work” scheme, reach out to Customer Services on 0300 303 1010.

 

Did you know, if you claim Universal Credit, you could be entitled to broadband discounts?
To help customers receiving financial support afford broadband, some providers offer bespoke deals, known as 'social tariffs', at much lower prices. They’re still usually the same speed and quality as other home broadband deals - the only difference is the price.

See the Money Saving Expert's complete guide to discounted broadband.

 
 

Are you struggling to make ends meet or facing unexpected costs that you can’t afford? The Lightning Reach portal is here to help!

This free online portal connects you to financial support from various sources, quickly and securely.

Simply click here and complete a simple 10-15 minute questionnaire that will help determine which support you are eligible for. Then, you can apply for multiple sources of support directly through the portal.

Are you facing a problem and need advice on your rights and responsibilities? Look no further than your local Citizen's Advice.

As an independent and impartial service, they provide free and confidential advice on everything from benefits to immigration. You can contact them at 0808 278 7991. You can also reach out to our Customer Service team for more information and support on 0300 303 1010.

#DrivingImprovement in our neighbourhoods

 

We're full of ideas about how we can make Chiltern Heights in Amersham a better place to live after a meeting with customers.

The meeting, which was part of our commitment to creating happy and thriving communities for all our customers, was attended by 14 people who were enthusiastic about improving their neighbourhood.

Colleagues from our Customer Support team were on hand to offer advice and Property Services colleagues shared valuable tips on preventing damp and mould.

Our customers praised Chilterns Heights as "a great community" and expressed their appreciation for how much they care about where they live and were full of ideas on how we can make their neighbourhood even better.

 

#DrivingImprovement in Chesham
Customers at Edwy Court in Chesham are enjoying their communal garden after some recent improvements.

They asked if there was anything we could do to make the area more sociable and easier to use and we were delighted to install some solar lighting and benches.

"I would like to say thank you for the outside garden area. It looks lovely," says one happy customer. 

 

Our Chesham customers and community joined us to plant 60 new trees
Residents of Fullers Close and Chessbury Road will be able to enjoy 60 new trees, thanks to a donation from the Woodland Trust to Paradigm Housing Group.

The trees, which are a mixture of British trees including cherry, silver birch, and rowan, have been planted at the two sites. They will replace some older trees which have had to be removed and create new habitats and ecosystems for wildlife.

“This was a real community venture and I’m delighted that our customers, as well as other residents in the local areas, will be able to enjoy these trees as they grow over the years,” says Matthew Bailes, Chief Executive of Paradigm.

We were on hand to answer any questions and gave the community the opportunity to help with the tree planting. One of the youngest members of the community Ruby, who planted a few trees herself, when asked why she loves trees, had this to say: 

 “Trees are fun. You can climb on them, you can swing on them, and play on them however you want. And I feel like I should protect trees because people are cutting them down and hurting animals. I really like trees also because I like to hug trees with my little brother. I love trees because you can make so much out of them. You can climb on them, you can swing on them, you can make so many things out of them. Sometimes, some people can be very mean and cut them down. Some people here want to help because you can cut wood and build houses. But animals are getting hurt, so we should know about that."

#SaferTogether

Important safety information regarding testing your smoke and heat alarms
As part of our ongoing drive for safety in the home, we want to make sure you have working smoke/heat alarms.

To keep you and your household safe, please read through and follow our advice below. .

Make sure you have working smoke alarms in your home by testing all alarms every week by:

·       Locating the button labelled ‘test’ on your detector.

·       Push it in and hold.

·       If the smoke detector is working, the alarm will sound along with any other smoke/heat detectors in your property that are linked to it. You may have one or the other or both.

For any further advice or guidance, you can visit Smoke Alarms – UK Fire Service Resources.

Join our team

We are more than a housing association. We’re a growing business committed to delivering excellent services to our customers and building a great place to work, where everyone can belong.

If you join our team, you’ll get the chance to learn, progress and develop your skills. In return, we’re looking for people who are as passionate about giving great service as we are.

We employ over 500 people who all help to deliver our services but don’t just take our word for it. We asked a handful of them to tell us what they enjoyed most about working for Paradigm.

Here’s what they said: 

See our latest vacancies
 

Your voice matters

 Thanks to everyone that took part in our customer support survey!
We really appreciate that you took some time out to share your thoughts with us. This will help us prioritise the areas where we can offer the most valuable support.

The survey is now closed and we are pleased to announce that the winner of the £50 voucher is Diane from Buckingham. She will be receiving her voucher soon.

Can you help us?

Can you help us find the right grounds maintenance contractor?
Do you pay for grass cutting and other maintenance to the outside areas of your home through your service charges?  We employ a contractor to do this work for us and we are about to start the process of finding the right company to provide this service from 2024.

We want to make sure that, as well as getting the best possible value for money, we are providing the services you want and need which is why we are asking customers to get involved with the process. You will help us look at the tasks we want the company to do and discuss in detail what we'd like from a new contractor.

If you think you can help with this please email customer.involvement@paradigmhousing.co.uk

 
Our mailing address is:
1 Glory Park Avenue
Wooburn Green, Buckinghamshire
HP10 0DF
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