Dear CHISEL Residents
One of the best things about the Christmas break, if you’re lucky enough to have one, is that it’s a great time to look back and reflect on the year that’s gone.
For our CEO, Miles, it’s been his first full year at CHISEL with the new team, and whilst we’ve still got lots to do, we hope that you feel that we’re putting in 100% of our energy into improving your housing association and the services we offer you.
We know that the repairs service at CHISEL wasn’t as good as it could have been for some years, and hope that you’ve found it to be more responsive and well, better, than in the past. We’ve bought in a host of new specialists, who despite delivering work to a much higher quality, are more competitive on their prices, which allows us to carry out more work.
In figures, we’ve carried out just shy of 1000 repairs:
- Total Repairs 979
- Fire Risk Assessments completed: 29
- Electrical Testing : 172
- Boiler Replacements: 7
- Works connected with water ingress, damp and mould: 18
- Subsidence Repairs: 9
We’ve also had to virtually gut and carry out significant works on three properties where the works were so significant that the residents had to relocate. For all these repair works inside your homes, we’re aware that it has an impact on you – a day off work, having to stay in, or having somebody else pick up the kids etc. So our first thank you is to all of you who have been so supportive in partnering with us get these works carried out. Thanks as well for all the appreciative messages over the year for our contractors, but especially for colleagues Chanise and Dean. These definitely do not go unheard!
We are also unashamedly taking a more rigorous approach in our Housing Management work, getting actively involved in cases of anti social behaviour and taking robust legal action where it is necessary, and where there is harassment or potential harm that is spoiling your quality of life.
We are inspecting our homes more rigorously, with enhanced inspections at our HMO homes and in the self-built estates. We’ve carried out 162 Estate Inspections and 42 HMO inspections since April. Neighbourhood Managers Jordan and Neil are becoming familiar faces around your homes, and they are always pleased to see you.
We’re also proud of the following achievements in 2024:
- Opening the first supported housing specifically for younger LGBTQ+ people in Brighton
- Having the first ever dedicated CHISEL colleague for Brighton and Essex
- Our new-look website and our CHISEL archive (there’s loads more being uploaded in 2025)
- Providing you with your first online and telephone support service Life and Progress – they’ve provided a guide to surviving Christmas for us.
- Continuing our ASB reporting helpline and app
- Establishing an accurate data set on the value and condition of our homes
- CHISEL having a presence at significant national events like Chartered Institute of Housing and the National Housing Federation conferences, and working closely with smaller housing associations in London by taking an active role with the G320
- Our first online shareholders meeting with residents from Brighton and Colchester present
- The new Board bedding in and offering strong support and the challenge required, whilst also ensuring our governance is compliant with our regulating bodies
Coming up in the first part of 2025:
- We’ll be signing our new management agreement with Three Boroughs Co-op for our homes and residents in Deptford
- Similarly a refreshed and up to date management agreement will be signed with the Dryads Co-op residents in Brighton
- The strategic plan and budget will be produced
- Our resident led Buildings Forum will be launched, to help determine spending and priorities for the next few years. (let us know if you’d like to come along) they’ll be scrutinising the results of our…
- Stock Condition Survey which will be delivered imminently;
- We’ll review and check that all original self-builders tenancies are consistent and clear and fair.
- We will be looking at how we can continue to grow – through managing other people’s homes, growing our supported housing, looking at new tenure types we can support like key-worker housing and temporary housing, and most excitingly through new self-build projects
- We will be piloting an organisation-wide sustainability audit
We’re looking forward to partnering with you across all of these.
Over the Christmas break, the office will be closed from midday on the 24th December, and we’ll be back in the New Year on the 2nd January 2025. You’ll be able to book emergency repairs on our main telephone number, and also leave messages for us in the mailboxes for us to pick up after the break.
For now, it only remains to wish you season’s greetings, and if you are celebrating in whatever way, the very happiest of Christmases, and the very best for you and your family, friends and communities in 2025.
With festive regards,
Miles, Pamela, Dean, Chanise, Jordan, & Neil
