Homes for Northumberland has joined forces with Age UK Northumberland to launch a 12 week, chair based exercise programme, for their elderly residents living in two of their housing schemes in Blyth.

The project, “Fit as a Fiddle” is an hour long chair based exercise class which will improve circulation, mobility, flexibility and muscular strength.The managing director of Homes for Northumberland, Ray Boycott, said: “Exercising is a fantastic way of improving your health, but can often be difficult for those who have problems getting around. These classes are a great way of getting residents to be more active. They also offer them with the chance to mix with other people and potentially build friendships and social skills. “I’d like to thank our partner Age UK Northumberland for helping to make these sessions a reality for our tenants to enjoy.”

Homes for Northumberland resident Dorothy Davison, aged 93, said: "I am recovering from a broken shoulder and hope that by joining in with these exercises I can get some strength back into my arm. I enjoyed the session, it was nice and gentle, and look forward to coming along to the other classes."

Angie Patrick, health and wellbeing coordinator Fit as a Fiddle, Age UK Northumberland, said: “Fit as a Fiddle programmes aim to support people over the age of 50 to be more involved in physical activities, eat healthier and improve mental health - which is vital as we get older. Working in partnership with other agencies is the best way to promote such activities and we are very pleased to be working in collaboration Homes for Northumberland.”

Photograph courtesy of 24dash.com

Tina White (pictured) has received help from Knowsley Housing Trust to set up a social enterprise called ‘Parents in Knowsley Under Pressure’ or ‘PIK UP’ which will offer advice and help for parents who are struggling to cope with their children’s anti-social behaviour.

Ms White is currently seeking a suitable office to use as a drop-in centre and advice line, making best use of a grant received from Knowsley Housing Trust.

 “Now, with the money from KHT, I am looking to set up in premises in Kirkby and I hope to have some volunteers to help me run it.

 “We will provide a non-judgemental listening ear from people who have actually been through it.”

Tina is a mother-of-four who has experienced problems with her own children in the past. Her son, Liam, now aged 20 began smoking cannabis at the age of 11 and was expelled from school soon after.  However, Liam now attends Liverpool Community College and is training to be a chef.

Tina, 52, said: “When we were having problems with Liam there was no-one to support us as a family. His behaviour caused so many problems; I left my job because of the stress. 
 

“Once we have an office PIK UP can start to become a properly established service. There are professionals you can speak to, but it is not the same as talking to someone who has been through it.

“You hear a lot about how anti-social behaviour affects neighbourhoods, but not so much about what it does to the families of the perpetrators.

“People blame the parents, or assume the children must come from bad families. It can leave their families isolated.

“Me and my partner both worked and I have three other children who didn’t have these problems. Sometimes people just lose their way and it is hard to bring them back.”

Tina’s son Liam added, "Taking drugs was the worst mistake I have ever made, you end up doing things you would never imagine you would, such as stealing.

“Although I am not long in to the process of getting off drugs things in my life are improving.

“I'm halfway through my third year in college; something I never imagined would be possible.

“I would advise any young person to think long and hard before they try drugs because it might just ruin your life.”

Terry Bonner, Operational Director for Landlord Services at  KHT, said: “PIK UP will support up to 50 parents and will provide them with practical assistance in dealing with their children’s’ behaviour.

“The families of children who cause problems in communities very often want to take action to stop the bad behaviour of their child.  While thankfully most parents find positive ways to get their children to behave acceptably, some need support and assistance.

“It is vital that parents and guardians are able to stop anti-social behaviour being carried out by their children before it results in a breach of their tenancy which may threaten their family home.”

Here at Housing Jobs, we find people like Tina an inspiration and wish her all the luck with the enterprise!

It has been reported that the Olympic Park Legacy Company is considering setting itself up as a landlord for the 2,800 affordable homes that will be constructed in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park after next year’s London Olympics.

It is understood that the houses will be in addition to the 1,379 homes that are in the Athletes’ Village due to be passed onto the Triathlon Homes consortium of East Thames Housing Group, Southern Housing Group and developer First Base.

It is predicted that there will be around 11,000 homes in the park which are due to be built after the games, up until 2027.

The costs associated with the development of the 2,800 homes has not been released, however it is thought that it would be funded through institutional investors.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company plan to begin the first homes in 2014 and are hoping to contract out the management of the homes, possibly to a social landlord.

The developments will subsequently result in the creation of more housing jobs.

Recent research has found that one in four people are unhappy in their current employment and wouldn’t recommend their employer. Results also found that others are only motivated to stay in their current job due to spiralling debt.

The survey consisted of over 1,000 office employees stating that the majority were less happy than a year ago. Reasons for this were stated as the spending cuts, economic climate and the change of government.

The survey, conducted by recruitment firm Badenoch & Clark found that those who work in the financial and legal industries were the unhappiest.

Heidi Waddington, associate director at Badenoch & Clark, said: "The relative decline of happiness in the workplace over the past year can be attributed to a number of factors. The VAT rise, inflation and the recession are all hitting workers hard. Longer hours and lack of job security mean that happiness at work is remarkably low.

"Economic uncertainty over the past year has put tremendous pressure on employees. This trend is particularly evident in professional services, which has resulted in heightened intensity in the workplace and increasingly poor morale.

"It is important that organisations foster an environment where their employees are able to develop a strong sense of self worth. Failure to do so may result in loss of talent, which in turn will lead to loss of potential revenue.

"Our findings demonstrate that happiness is high on the agenda for many UK workers and is emerging as the critical business issue of our time."

Are you unhappy in your job and looking for a career change? Have a look on housing jobs and see if have any relevant positions, alternatively you can register and we'll do all the hard work for you!

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) plan to invest £9.6million into affordable housing across Norfolk for approximately 1,000 families and individuals.

The plans, which have seen HCA working with a variety of the local authorities and registered providers of affordable housing, include the following developments:

• Broadland; 104 homes
• Kings Lynn and West Norfolk; 69 homes
• North Norfolk; 19 homes
• Norwich; 19 homes
• South Norfolk; 83 homes

£1.4million of the funds has been allocated to Freebridge Community Housing, the largest provider of affordable homes in West Norfolk. Freebridge intend to contribute fifty percent of the costs to the schemes and will be beginning their work on 32 new homes in King’s Lynn and Walpole St Andrew.

Mike Goulding, area manager for the HCA said: “This is positive news for partners across Norfolk. The £9.6million will enable nearly 300 new homes to be built, half of which are in rural areas.

“We are in uncertain times with a recovering economy and house building industry, and limited Government funding. However, we will continue to support partners the best we can to bring together local investment, and maximise impact and value for money, ultimately delivering more homes. It’s important that we secure the best possible value for public funds, more so now than ever before.”

For jobs in the housing industry, check our latest vacancies page on housing jobs.

Older tenants who are struggling to finance and look after their larger homes are being offered a housing officer who will help them find a smaller property which is more suitable.

There are currently 430,000 under-occupied social homes throughout England, whereby the homes boast two bedrooms more than required -  these are often occupied by elderly tenants who’s children have grown up and moved elsewhere.

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has announced that councils from across the country managing the highest amount of homes will get a portion of the £13million which has been dedicated solely to help find tenants more suitable homes.

The funding can be used in different measures such as:

• A dedicated officer to help find residents a suitable new home

• A moving service to help tenants with every aspect of moving, from joining them on viewings to organising packing and removal services

• Handymen to decorate and make repairs to their new home, including putting up shelves and installing white goods

Mr Shapps has also announced the launch of a dedicated new national action team whom will be based at the Chartered Institute of Housing, who will offer support and advice to the councils who plan to help tenants wanting to move.

The new scheme also means that those tenants in overcrowded accommodation will be able to swap with those that intend to downsize.

The Localism Bill includes a new National Home Swap Scheme which includes measures to make the process of moving for social housing tenants easier.

Grant Shapps said:

"Older people can become the victims of their own changed circumstances, as the homes they have lived in for years become places to endure, not enjoy. As children grow up and fly the nest, these tenants can often find themselves trapped in larger family homes that no longer meet their needs.

"That's why I'm giving these residents the chance to start a new life in a new home that better meet their changing needs. Fifty councils from across the country will get a share of £13million to boost their efforts to make it easier for those wanting to downsize to do so.

"With a quarter of a million families in overcrowded accommodation and 1.8million households languishing on waiting lists, this will also help unlock larger family homes that are in such high demand."

Small and medium building firms are entering the fourth year of their recession, with the recent government cuts and hike in VAT making it even worse for the industry.

One-third of building firms are expected to cut staff over the next twelve months, not surprising after two and a half thousand construction firms went under last year.

It has been reported that the industry is unlikely to see any growth until 2013.

Richard Threlfall, UK head of building and construction at KPMG has stated that growth will return due to demands in green living, the waste sector and the imminent demand for social housing – five million people on the waiting list.

Larger building firms were able to recover much more easily; Bovis Homes have reported that they’re resuming dividend payments after an increase in profits.

Housing Jobs often features employment opportunities in the construction industry, current advertisements including senior building services surveyor.

One of Housing Job featured clients, Yorkshire Housing, has created 18 employment opportunities on a support employment basis. The opportunities include catering assistants, handymen and gardeners, amongst others.

As reported on the Yorkshire Housing website, the supported employment programme provides assistant and support with job placement, development, coaching and training. It is aimed at individuals who have learning disabilities, with the aim to help them find employment and become part of a workforce.

Julie Diamond is a Yorkshire Housing employee who found her job through the support employment scheme. She works part-time running the catering trolley in their Bradford office. Due to Julie’s mild learning disability, she needs support in the work aspect of her life.

Her work buddy is Carlo Moorhouse, the Employment and Leisure Manager at Yorkshire Housing. Carlo said: “When Julie first joined us she was very shy and had very little self confidence. She had previous work experiences before in cafes but did this on a voluntary basis rather than real paid employment.

“I know this is a job which is appreciated and valued by all staff within the building and it’s a real pleasure to know Julie and to see how far she has come and how much the supported employment scheme has helped to improve all areas of her life.”

For employment opportunities in housing associations such as Yorkshire Housing, visit the Housing Job website.

Walsall Housing Group have rescued £9,000 worth of food that was destined for landfill and shared it between its tenants in the form of a food hamper.

Four hundred hampers were created from food products including damson jam, marmalade, brownie, flapjacks, rise pudding, pasta and pasta sauce, baked beans and peas. WHG’s employee’s made the hampers during the company’s “Community Benefit Day”.

The food would have been disposed of at the landfill due to incorrect packaging and imminent best before dates.

As well as the hampers, another hundred boxes were sent to local organisations who work with the homeless bringing the total to 8.5 tonnes with of food.

Paul Mason, WHG’s regeneration programme manager and the chief organiser said “It has been very well received. I’ve had a number of calls and letters of thanks so it has been worthwhile. The project has helped address issues of financial inclusion at a time many people are feeling financial pressure. It was targeted at customers who would benefit most.”

Lincolnshire-based charity ‘His Church’ helped to deliver the project by redirecting tinned food products to vulnerable communities rather than landfill.

Richard Humphrey, senior coordinator at the charity ‘His Church’, said: “We are delighted to hear that our partnership with WHG continues to contribute towards the prosperity of Walsall and it’s residents.

“WHG’s distribution has been excellent; both generously supporting their residents and other Walsall charities. We look forward to supporting WHG’s overall capacity building programme this year, including increasing people’s skills around healthier eating.”

As well as the social benefits, the project also had environmental benefits due to the reduction in the amount of food going into the landfill sites.

Housing Jobs features employment opportunities for not-for-profit housing groups like WHG, why not take a look at our vacancies page?

Yesterday plans were unveiled to cut more than 2,000 jobs at two county councils. Hampshire County Council plan to cut 1,200 jobs in a bid to save £55m in 2011/12. The cuts are the consequence of a £30.9m reduction in its government grant.

Norfolk County Council has revealed it plans to axe approximately 1,000 jobs over the next year whilst East Sussex County Council will be cutting 200 jobs.

Unison, the public service union has described the revelations as a “disgrace”, with a Mr Prentis, Unison’s general secretary, adding “The government’s cuts are taking a terrible toll on council workers and services.”

Hampshire County Council says it plans include saving £7m from cutting senior management positions and saving £10m by renegotiating contracts. The authority also plans to implement a recruitment freeze.

Ken Thorner, leader of the Hampshire County Council, said “There can be no debate over whether of not we make cuts, the withdrawal of government funding to meet the national debt leaves us without that choice.

“The issue is how we face up to these financial challenges, while laying strong foundations for the difficult years beyond.

“Included within this programme are plans to reduce our pay bill, which makes up 51% of our overall budget.”

Mr Thorner reported that the Council hope to achieve their cuts by voluntary measures with little need for compulsory redundancies, but that there will, unfortunately, be some staff members that face compulsory redundancy.

The budget will be agreed by full council on 24th February 2011 – however some of the plans may be dropped or amended.

Elsewhere, 2,000 job cuts at Manchester City Council has been formally approved and Dorset County Council staff will be forced to take 12 unpaid leave days a year in plans to save £55m by 2013/14.

All the Council leaders have insisted that the job cuts are their only option following the reductions in their budgets. The Department for Communities and Local Government have said that their priority is to ensure that the most vulnerable communities are protected.