Annual review 2013-2014

0800 121 60 60* or 01795 434 606** 1

Welcome to your annual review

Note from the Residents Council 03

How are we doing? 04

Energy efficiency and sustainability 22

Welfare Reform 05

Corporate Social Responsibility 23

Resident involvement and empowerment

Accounts 24

Lettings and rents 08

Value for money 26

Repairs - day-to-day 10

Whos who 28

Planned repairs 12

Neighbourhoods 14

Community development 16

Avenue 18

Casa 19

Home ownership 20

Development 21

Paul Hackett, Chief ExecutiveWelcome... You may have noticed we have a 60s retro feel to our Annual Review this year. Thats because were celebrating a very special birthday. 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of Family Housing Association (Croydon) Limited in 1964 - the forerunner to AmicusHorizon.

Weve come a long way since 1964 and the expectations placed on housing associations have changed a lot. We do far more now than just provide housing (as important as that still is).

A perfect example is our community development work. This year over 4,400 residents took part in programmes designed to build their skills, strengthen their communities and provide help into work. Projects like Motiv8, Doorstep Learning and Get On Plus have helped 523 people into further learning and jobs.

Weve also made huge strides since the 1960s ensuring residents have a big say in how we run the business. Residents are now involved in everything we do from influencing strategy to scrutinising our performance. Our high level of resident involvement was recognised with two awards at this years Tenant Participation Advisory Service Awards and Id like to give my personal congratulations to our residents:

V Monica Barnes TPAS Tenant of the Year 2014, and

V Abba Ashmeade, TPAS Young Tenant of the Year 2014.

Im delighted so many residents have helped produce this Annual Review it helps ensure we answer the questions that really matter. I hope you enjoy reading it.

2 www.amicushorizon.org.uk

And theres more

Check out our residents memories and photos from the last 50 years, plus a short film of our history at: www.amicushorizon.org.uk/fiftyyears

06

Lord Charles Falconer, Chair of Strategic Board

As we reach our half century Im proud to Chair an organisation which from day one has been making homes and helping people. The needs of society may well have changed since the 1960s. And our name has evolved several times along the way. But throughout our journey, weve never forgotten our core values.

50 years is a long time, but it doesnt stop here. Theres still a lot of work to be done and there will be many challenges ahead.

And thats why Im delighted with the results we achieved in 2013/14. Weve smashed our targets for all five of our key performance indicators and are well on our way to reaching our target of being Number 1 large landlord in the UK by 2016. These are the areas which really matter to our residents, and include satisfaction with repairs, handling anti social behaviour and dealing with complaints. We achieved a brilliant 96.9% for overall resident satisfaction for the year.

We want to continue making a difference to peoples lives and providing homes where need is most. Our financial results provide a strong base for future growth and were committed to building a further 1,200 new homes by 2018.

Heres to the next 50 years!

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Note from the Residents Council

The Residents Council is made up of 16 elected representatives from eight Area Panels. We work in partnership with the Board and staff on behalf of residents to challenge, scrutinise and shape our services.

Its been a great year. Weve:

V Overseen ten task groups who make sure we meet our regulatory requirements

V Given feedback and endorsed new policies and strategies

V Led the way in performance through resident involvement

V Delivered a scrutiny project of the Local Improvement Fund.

Our big challenges this year are to:

V Involve more residents in shaping services, in a way that suits them

V Deliver the Governance Review 2015

V Build our reputation as sector leading co - regulatory champions and ensure our scrutiny programme reflects residents concerns

V Achieve TPAS Scrutiny Accreditation.

How are we doing?

AmicusHorizon Our performance

How we compare to other organisations*

Target 2013-14

Performance 2013-14

2nd best performer

Worst performer

% of residents satisfied with

services95.20% 96.90% 81.00% 71.20%

% of residents satisfied with complaints

handling

93.00% 94.29% 75.30% 24.60%

% of residents satisfied with

repairs98.00% 98.05%** 96.00% 62.50%

Average time taken to re-let

homes 13.40 days 11.39 days 20.08 days 72.37 days

% of residents satisfied with our handling of antisocial behaviour

93.00% 94.90% 76.00% 41.30%

*Note: Weve compared AmicusHorizons performance against the g15 group of London housing associations. Comparison based on 2012-13 Housemark statistics.** Repairs statistics based on AmicusHorizon survey of approximately 3,700 residents.

Our homes 2013-14

Our Performance 2013-14

KentLondon and

SurreySussex Total

Number of supported homes

we manage 221 398 6 625

Number of homeowners 430 3,028 563 4,021

Number of homes we built this year 38 71 133 242

Number of homes we manage 7,942 11,488 8,206 27,636


No.1

No.1

No.1

No.1

No.1

Welfare Reform

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Welfare Reform has presented massive challenges for many of our residents. Were committed to helping people through the changes so they can budget effectively and keep their homes.

Weve a specialist Financial Inclusion team providing tailored money management advice to residents. This year theyve:

V Organised 100+ resident events, offering advice and support

V Secured an additional 1.7million in annual income for all residents

V Helped residents apply for and receive 450k in one off payments

V Dealt with 1,635 individual cases, of which 480 led to an increase in household income for residents

V Launched a financial inclusion app for staff to ensure we get things right first time and improve our consistency.

Helping reduce rent arrears

Despite the challenges of Welfare Reform we managed to reduce our rent arrears:

V Percentage of annual rent arrears fell from 3.74% to 3.39%

V Cash collection rose by 1.2 million compared to the previous year

V We achieved the lowest ever arrears in our Kent and Sussex regions.

Our success was recognised by Housing Quality Network who awarded us an Income Management Accreditation.

Our priorities for the next 12 months

We want to further help residents reduce arrears and maximise their income. Well:

V Provide more help with budgeting and money management

V Work with the Governments Illegal Money Lending Team to campaign against loan sharks

V Develop relationships with third party agencies such as Citizens Advice Bureau and StepChange to support residents in debt

V Pilot how well deal with Universal Credit/Direct payment.

Loan shark advice mascot

accredit:incomemanagement


How you can get involved

Weve found the best way to improve our services is to listen to residents. We have residents involved at every level, from neighbourhood projects to Strategic Board. Theyre:

V Leading the organisation as resident members of the Strategic Board

V Shaping services through the Residents Council

V Monitoring services and deciding on Local Improvement Fund projects as members of Area Panels and Repairs and Maintenance Panels

V Improving estates through local residents associations

V Mystery shopping to check staff are delivering high quality services

V Editing our residents newsletter through our communications editorial panel.

How we ensure our residents voices are heardand acted upon

V Weve involved 2,629 individual residents in 2013-14. We met residents through consultations, events, forums, residents associations, training and resident assemblies. In total we involved residents 4,169 times over the year.

This years resident assemblies were the best attended ever. 1,262 people took part, and we consulted:

V 694 on the Communications Strategy

V 929 on the Community Development Strategy, and

V 1,359 on the Asset Management Strategy.

In total we involved residents 4,169 times over the year


I first bec

ame an i

nvolved

resident w

hen I wa

s a tenan

t

with Swa

le Housin

g/Amicus.

I saw all t

he good

work that

was bein

g done in

the Kent

neighbou

rhoods b

y Reside

nt

Involvem

ent and P

eople

for Action

. I wante

d to get

involved

and help

influence

decision

making t

o improv

e

services.

Andrew

Creed, R

esidents

Council

member,

Kent


Our highlights this year

V Weve set up training hubs with other landlords. This means we can offer more resident training at a lower cost

V Weve introduced Single Action Groups to help residents deal with specific issues. We can work with the residents, key members of staff or contractors to resolve a particular issue. So far weve managed to get a new bus shelter installed, and weve improved local grounds maintenance arrangements.

Our complaints handling

Between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014, we received 215 formal complaints:

How were using complaints to improve our services

Last year our contact centre, Response, received 283,705 phone calls, 215 formal complaints and 1,614 informal complaints.

Here are some of the work areas where weve made improvements as a direct result of complaints received:

V Brought in a new lift contractor in Kent Wessex Lifts

V Reviewed our mutual exchange procedure to make it smoother

V Appointed a new gas contractor in the London region BSW Heating

V Started to design a new customer portal to improve our online offer.

We dont just listen we do something about it!

Priorities for the next 12 months

Were reviewing our Governance arrangements, using feedback from residents to make sure we have the best governance in the UK.

Residents Council has set up a resident led scrutiny project on complaints. This is due to complete at the end of 2014. Were looking forward to hearing what improvements are proposed by the residents in that project.

Watch this space!

Service AreaNumber of formal

complaints received

Repairs and Maintenance

134

Housing Management 46

Home Ownership 24

Avenue 7

Support Services 4

Total 215

62%

21%

11%

3%

2%

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Lettings and rents

Offering people more choice on where to live

Most of our homes are allocated through Choice Based Letting schemes (CBL). These give residents more choice about where they want to live. Applicants can bid for a property within the area theyre registered.

Weve improved our offer to residents in our older person schemes by allowing them to move internally when a vacancy comes up.

We offer advice and support to anyone wishing to move, including bidding for properties on their behalf.

Where there isnt a CBL scheme running, the Local Authority has to nominate an applicant to us from the waiting list.

Were also part of the London based www.housingmoves.org which aims to improve movement across London.

Anyone wishing to move must register with the Local Authority to join the waiting list.

Helping residents move home

Many residents arrange to move home themselves through a mutual exchange. Were registered as partners with:

V HomeSwapper: www.homeswapper.co.uk

V House Exchange: www.houseexchange.org.uk

V Exchange Locata: www.exchangelocata.org.uk

They help residents swap by searching for potential matches with other tenants from all over the country. Our tenants can register for free by simply going to the links above and entering their details.

Exchanges must be completed within three months to ensure a speedy process.

We work with local authorities to ensure homes are let fairly to those with the highest need

Lettings by region

Kent

London

Sussex

Total

General Needs

Housing for Older Persons

Temporary Housing

Supported Housing

Total

435 42 124 253 854

254 29 77 84 444

589 154 1 0 744

1278 225 202 337 2042


Help with downsizing

If residents are struggling because of Welfare Reform we can provide help to move to a smaller property. To request help with downsizing residents need to visit their local office or submit a request via the form on the AmicusHorizon website: www.amicushorizon.org.uk/contactusonline

Last year 10% of all swaps were due to under occupation

We offer cash-incentives for residents who downsize by transferring via the waiting list to another of our properties. We also pay the removal costs* for those wishing to downsize by mutual exchange.

*800 in London and Surrey and 500 Kent and Sussex

Affordable rent We are committed to ensuring our homes are affordable. For new build homes, well set rent at no more than 80% of the open market rate. For relets, we set a maximum of 60% of open market rent in London and 68% outside London.

Fixed term tenanciesWell continue to offer starter tenancies to new tenants. Well offer five year fixed term tenancies on 50% of general needs relets. Fixed term tenants will have similar rights to assured tenants including the right to:

V Exchange

V Succession

V Transfer

V Take in lodgers

V Make improvements

V Acquire (if the legal criteria are met).

Joint tenancies We only allow residents to add a joint tenant if theyre married or have lived together for at least 12 months. This includes same sex couples.

General Needs

Housing for Older Persons

Temporary Housing

Supported Housing

Total

435 42 124 253 854

254 29 77 84 444

589 154 1 0 744

1278 225 202 337 2042

AmicusHorizon Kent London

and SurreySussex

Bedsit 79.34 72.11 90.56 71.08

1 Bed 85.76 80.32 100.72 77.41

2 Bed 100.54 94.05 116.26 87.72

3 Beds 109.95 104.10 130.76 102.90

4 Beds 134.12 117.03 148.63 115.75

5 Beds 147.46 123.22 159.46 125.32

6 or more Beds 148.65 131.82 166.28 129.42

Average 100.69 94.71 117.43 90.64

Average weekly rents,

excluding service charges

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Average figures quoted above include affordable rent

Repairs day to day

Ensuring repairs are carried

out effectively and on time

Quality of home is our residents top priority. In 2013/14 we spent 14.3 million repairing our homes. How we do that is crucial. So, we make sure were getting things right by listening to feedback from residents:

V Last year we undertook 3,709 customer satisfaction surveys just on jobs weve completed

V Weve trained another 20 Resident Monitors to assess repair work and see first hand whats being done

V Residents attend contractor liaison meetings.

Repairs and Maintenance Panel (RAMP)Our Repairs and Maintenance Panel (RAMPs) is a forum for residents and staff to work together in partnership. RAMPs monitor the performance of our Repairs and Asset Management teams to ensure they deliver an excellent service. We engage with RAMPs in each region. Reports produced by our Resident Monitors are reviewed at

every RAMP meeting. RAMPs report repairs and maintenance issues to your Area Panel.

How we ensure repairs service

standards are maintained

Last year we reviewed our Supplier Code of Conduct. Our contractors rolled out the new code to all operatives working in our homes.

Our Resident Monitors visited 587 homes during 2013/14 and directly asked residents whod had repairs if we consistently met our service standards.

Target 2013-14

98%

What we achieved

98.05%

Next years target

98%

Key Fact: Weve introduced a new performance monitoring system called End to End times. This reveals exactly how long a complete job takes, even where multiple trades are involved

% of residents satisfied

with repairs

10 0800 121 60 60* or 01795 434 606**

How we help vulnerable tenants maintain their homes

The Added Value Scheme is a subsidised scheme for gardening, decorating and for handyman services.

This service is for people who are:

V Aged 65 and over, or

V In receipt of Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment, or

V Receive significant care or are moving on from supported housing

V And living alone or with someone else who qualifies.

For further information visit: www.amicushorizon.org.uk/addedvalue

Adaptations

V Adaptations help residents with disability or mobility problems to live more comfortably in their homes. Last year we carried out 1,612 adaptations.

Safety checks

V Our priority is to make sure residents homes are safe. Gas and fire safety are our top priorities. By the end of last year, 99.97% of our homes had a Landlords Gas Safety Record and all fire risk assessments were completed.

Our priorities over the next 12 months

Were aiming to have the best repairs service of any large UK housing association by March 2016.

Well be launching our new Asset Management Strategy later in the year. This focuses our activity around:

V Continuing to roll out mobile working to the team. This will enable staff to access real time data on repairs when visiting residents. And also to add repair details directly on to our database without having to wait until they return to the office. This will speed up repair times and ensure jobs are done right, first time

V Improving access to online reporting and tracking of repairs

V Reviewing our repairs contracts across the three regions and moving towards greater consistency

V Reviewing our service offer with residents

V Improving communications in the delivery of our services.

www.amicushorizon.org.uk 11

Planned repairs

100% of our homes met the governments decent homes standard

Home improvements

Well never stop improving our homes. Each year we carry out planned repairs to ensure all our properties conform to the highest standards.

Last year we spent 36.7 million improving homes and:

V Installed 947 kitchens

V Installed 740 bathrooms

V Replaced 2,197 boilers

V Tested and upgraded the electrics in 4,013 homes

V Fitted new windows to 384 homes

V Fitted new doors to 779 homes.

Offering a choice through our Quality Standard!

V On bathroom and kitchen design we meet with all our residents to talk through the options available and decide the best layout for their needs

V We offer lots of choices of colour for floor covering, wall tiles and kitchen work surfaces.

947

740

2,197 384

4,013

779


Home improvements

Ensuring our neighbourhoods are clean, safe areas to liveOur Estate Service Standards set out standards of maintenance for open spaces and buildings.

This includes standards for:

V Grass cutting

V Maintaining shrub beds

V Window cleaning.

Every month staff and Resident Monitors inspect our neighbourhoods against these standards to ensure contractors are delivering agreed levels of service. We then feedback their findings to the contractors and monitor any improvements required.

We also carry out quarterly inspections with residents, key partners and contractors. These cover wider neighbourhood issues like signage and lighting.

Our priorities for the year ahead

Our new Asset Management Strategy will focus our activity around:

V Continuing to invest in the interior and exterior of our homes

V Maintaining our high standards of estate services

V Constantly updating our stock data

V Selling homes that are unviable in the long-term and using the proceeds to build efficient new homes

V Working differently with smaller contractors to increase the value for money of our contracts

V Bulk purchasing the materials we need

V Creating traineeship and apprenticeship opportunities for our residents when we re-tender our contracts.

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Ive lived in Drakes Close

for 64 years and Im one of

AmicusHorizons longest

tenancies. They were Airey

houses (prefabs) when my

husband and I first moved in in

1950. We were later moved to

a brick house. We didnt want

to move at first but we were

glad afterwards theyre lovely

houses now. My husband and

I always loved gardening and

won a garden competition

three times.

Mrs Audrey Robinson, Kent

Neighbourhoods

Improving local

neighbourhoods

We work closely with Area Panel members to improve communities and neighbourhoods. Each Area Panel has access to a Local Improvement Fund money put aside for them to spend on things in their communities.

For more information on how this fund has been spent in your area, please look at your local Area Review 2013-14:

www.amicushorizon.org.uk/annualreview

Tackling antisocial behaviour (ASB)Weve a specialist team in each region that deals with ASB. Each team works closely with housing officers, the police, councils, youth service and the probation service.

This year weve:

V Reduced the number of outstanding ASB cases (in the 90 days or more category) from 125 at the start of the year to 27

V Published our revised ASB Statement on the website. This shows our commitment to working in partnership with the police, local councils and other agencies in tackling ASB www.amicushorizon.org.uk/AntiSocialBehaviour

V Changed the frequency we contact residents with regards to ASB complaints from every three weeks to every two.

Making best use of our homes

We want to ensure our homes are occupied by people and families with genuine housing need. In 2013/14 some of our residents told us about homes in their neighbourhoods which they thought were being unlawfully sublet. Working with different agencies, the local authorities and supported by our residents we took back ten homes.

We hope with the continued support of residents well be able to take back double the number in 2014/15.

Customer satisfaction with how we handle ASB is 95%


Id been living in unsuitable

private accommodation with

my three kids. Our bedrooms

were damp and space was so

restricted Id been forced to

sleep in the conservatory for

three years. AmicusHorizon gave

us the opportunity to move to a

new home and be part of a lovely

community. We feel safe here and

now have a sense of belonging.

AmicusHorizon cared and were

there for us when we needed

them. Weve been so happy living

here and were so grateful.

Ms Louise White, St Leonards

on Sea, Sussex

Looking after older residents

Did you know that nearly half our residents are over-50? That one in four are over-60? Or that over-60s make up a third of our involved residents? In 2013 we launched our Older Peoples Service Offer. Over the past year weve:

V Completed 547 minor adaptations to help people stay in their homes

V Helped many older residents with advice about benefits and energy-saving

V Supported 34 older residents who wanted to downsize

V Helped 350 older residents with small jobs around the house, gardening or decorating (see page 11 for more information)

V Supported 1,300 residents in 42 sheltered schemes

V Got on with building two new extra care schemes (see page 21)

V Met with 350 older residents at Older Peoples Forums to let them know how we can help

V Launched our older peoples web pages which include loads of useful information: www.amicushorizon.org.uk/OlderPeople

Our Older Peoples Task Group is made up of residents and staff. They oversee everything we do for older residents watch this space for more in the future!

Our garages

In 2013 we carried out a full review of rental charges on our garages to make them more consistent. We reduced the number of different rents from over 40 to nine - three in each region.

Priorities for the next 12 months

Weve invested in mobile working and were currently working on an app for our ASB team. Over the next year our Housing Officers will have all the information they need at their finger tips when theyre out and about.

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Community development

Our Community Development Team run programmes that support residents and improve the local community.

They aim to:

V Support residents personal development and employment opportunities through skills training, one-to-one mentoring, work placements and apprenticeships

V Improve neighbourhoods by providing opportunities for communities to work together to improve quality of life and tackle causes of ASB

V Help some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals through support projects and counselling services funded by AmicusHorizons own charity, Fresh Visions.

Our Community Development Strategy

The first phase of our Community Development Strategy came to a successful conclusion this year. Over 4,400 participants took part in programmes in 2013-2014 and we helped 523 people into further learning and jobs. Our customer satisfaction level was 98%.

Weve set ourselves ambitious targets for our next phase 2014-2017:

V 12,000 people on community projects

V 6,600 under 25s on learning and development projects

V 1,500 people progressing into jobs or training

V 3,000 people on skills and learning courses

V 450 community volunteers supporting our efforts.

Building strong communities

Programmes like Doorstep Learning, Get On Plus and DIY SOS are making a valuable difference for isolated and unemployed residents. These schemes provide help into work and training in personal development and life skills.

Developing young people

In challenging economic times, were supporting young people to fulfil their potential with schemes like Talent Match, Motiv8 and Motiv8+ providing skills, learning and employment support. Over 50% of participants on our courses are under 25 years old.

We have 211 community volunteers working on community cohesion and intergenerational activities


Help into workWere providing opportunities to help our residents into work:

V Giving Something Back is our corporate social responsibility scheme. We work closely with our contractors and suppliers to maximise jobs and training opportunities across our supply chain

V Were a key partner in the national Give Us A Chance partnership

V Our social enterprise scheme Jobs at Home has gone from strength to strength. This provides career opportunities in building trades such as painting and decorating, plumbing and carpentry for residents. We also offer full time, paid positions within our maintenance teams and apprenticeships leading to formal qualifications in selected trades.

Awards won in 2013-14Motiv8 London and Surrey 2014 Business in the Community Big Tick Award Inspiring Social Action in Young People

DIY SOS project - Sussex 2014 Adult Learners Award - Learning in Families and Communities Project Award

Get On Plus project - Sussex 2013 Adult Learners award - Empowered to Speak Out Through Community Learning Award

Doorstep Learning - Kent 2014 Jobcentre Plus Employer Engagement Award: Skills & Training

To find out more information about our projects and activities, visit: www.amicushorizon.org.uk/Community Development

Digital InclusionWe now have 55 Digital Champions (staff and volunteers) who coach people in their communities to develop computer skills. These skills help people find work, write CVs, stay in touch with family and friends and build their confidence.

Over the last 12 months weve placed 45 young unemployed people in paid trainee roles with businesses

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Avenue - temporary accommodation

What Avenue do

We lease homes from private owners to provide good quality, safe homes for temporary accommodation. We mainly house homeless families nominated by the Local Authority. We also rent homes on the open market.

The challenges we face

Most of our Avenue residents receive welfare support. Cuts in benefits and a reduction in government subsidy continues to impact our work:

V Private landlords continue to withdraw from the market. This means fewer homes for homeless people

V Cuts to Local Authority budgets means were competing for less money.

Achieving value for money

We question everything we do to remain efficient. Weve worked hard to ensure we can provide the same level of quality service for less. Through our efficiency drive weve saved 150,000.

Our successes in 2013-14

Last year we managed 1,000 homes for 500 private landlords. We:

V Won the National Landlords and Lettings Awards for Customer Service

V Beat our target of resident satisfaction

V Launched our Bronze, Silver and Gold lettings packages, offering landlords great choice

V Extended our core opening hours to 8am 8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am1pm on Saturdays.

Our priorities for the next 12 months

V Grow in the private market rented field

V Continue to review our processes to ensure efficiencies

V Look at opportunities to increase the supply of housing in the rented market.

For more information and to contact us go to: www.avenuelettings.co.uk

Target 2013-14

88.8%

What we achieved

91.2%

Avenue resident

satisfaction


Casa - supported housing

What Casa do

Casas our supported housing department.

We provide:

V Support services to a range of people in need

V Housing management (in designated supported housing).

Who we work with

In many cases we deliver the support service ourselves, funded by Local Authority partners. We also work with 20 managing agents who deliver services on our behalf. With other partners we jointly deliver the service one organisation providing landlord services, the other providing support or care.

Our successes in 2013/14

Last year we provided services to nearly 1,200 people:

V Over 99% said they were satisfied with our support service

V Almost 96% told us their lives had improved because of Casas service

V 94% of customers gained greater confidence and more control of their lives

V We introduced several new services:

Three womens refuges in Croydon

Two homeless schemes in Southwark

A Troubled Families service in Kent.

A change in our supported housing strategy

The market for directly managed support services has become increasingly tough and available funding has reduced. In the latter part of the year we undertook a strategic review of the Casa business. Strategic Board members noted the increasing market challenges, our projected financial losses on support services and the uncertain prospects for growth. While acknowledging the high quality service Casa delivers, the Board reluctantly decided to exit from directly managed support. Well continue to provide supported housing but will leave support service provision to our partners.

Our focus for 2014/15

V To manage a smooth exit from directly managed support, minimising the impact on customers. We expect to achieve a full exit by March 2015

V For as long as we continue to deliver support ourselves, maintain a high level of service quality.

0800 121 60 60* or 01795 434 606** 19

Home ownership

Shared ownership

Shared ownership makes home ownership more affordable. You buy a stake in the home, maybe as little as 25% - and we then charge a low rent on the remaining share. It means you dont need such a big deposit. Monthly outgoings are also cheaper than buying outright or renting the same home privately. As your circumstances change you can buy a bigger share of the home.

Who is eligible

Shared ownership is open to all first-time buyers who meet the criteria. If youre a tenant of a Housing Association you get priority. Youll usually need to be in full time employment and have enough saved up towards a deposit and for legal costs. It helps to have a clean credit record.

How we performed in 2013/14

V Our target for new sales was 3.06m and we made 4.29m

V Right-to-buy and stair-casing, where shared ownership tenants increase their stake in their home, brought in another 9.9 million

V We beat our resident satisfaction target of 80% to achieve an amazing 84%.

Our priorities for the next 12 months include

Introducing more features to our website, increasing electronic communications and consultation.

Reviewing the funds we hold in reserve for major works to ensure they are adequate and accurate.

Weve homes for sale across London and the South East. If youre interested then please contact our sales team on: 020 8726 8839

Target

3.06m

4.29mWhat we achieved


Development

Homes for the future

Weve a diverse, challenging and interesting range of schemes within our development programme. We currently have an approved development programme of 975 homes spread across Kent, Sussex and London.

Well complete 477 homes this financial year.

Funding

Weve a great record of receiving grant funding from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and the Greater London Authority. This funding is critical to us building more properties. We bid for more funding via the HCA for schemes completing in 2015-18 and were awarded 20,438,876.

Weve also been successful securing more funding to deliver homes through other programmes:

V The Mayors Housing Covenant revolving fund designed to alleviate the shortage of affordable housing in London. The two grants from this fund will help us deliver 72 homes by 2017

V CoastalSpace - an innovative solution to housing problems in Hastings delivering 51 homes by March 2015. Were working together with Hastings Borough Council to buy and improve run down homes in St Leonards

V The redevelopment of Sidley School - delivering 58 Extra Care Homes in Rother. The funding was achieved through a mix of Department of Health (DoH) grant, investment by AmicusHorizon, grant and gifted land from East Sussex County Council, and a grant from Rother District Council.

Total number of new homes:

Extra Care for older people

Weve become specialists in the design and delivery of Extra Care schemes for older persons. In Kent and Sussex we have one nearing completion, another on site and two more in the pipeline.

Our new found expertise is creating opportunities for us to deliver more of this exciting and innovative housing.

Development services

This year well provide development services for other, likeminded, affordable housing providers in Kent and Sussex. Were proud of what we do and will be extending our award winning service to others.

Were keen to work with more housing associations and councils to grow this strand of business.

In 2013/14 across the development programme, we completed 242 homes and started work on another 380

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Approved Programme 2011-2015

Proposed New Homes 2015 -2018

London

Original GLA FDA Commitment

327 0

Mayors Housing Covenant 1&3

72 0

MHC 2015-18 0 330

Counties

Original FDA Commitment

467 329

CoastalSpace, Hastings

51 30

Department of Health Extra Care Funding

58 43

Others 0 75

Total 975 807

Energy efficiency and sustainability

Affordable warmthAmicusHorizon is fully committed to expanding our affordable warmth programme. Our energy survey data helps us target improvements at our least energy efficient homes. Last year we improved loft insulation in 355 homes and cavity wall insulation in 198 homes. We also secured funding to install solar hot water and air source heat pumps in 51 homes. This improved energy ratings, helped reduce resident bills and reduced CO2 emissions.

As well as improving our homes were advising residents on how to reduce energy and water bills. Last year we achieved:

V 700 resident energy advice visits

V 4,000 Little Green Bag advice packs given to residents

V 300 members of staff trained to advise residents in fuel poverty

V 500 residents received advice from our Resident Green Ambassadors

V 130 residents attended energy advice workshops.

So far this project has:

V Saved 910,000 on resident energy and water bills

V Reduced CO2 emissions by 1,550 tonnes a year

V Reduced resident water use by 112,248 litres per year - saving on bills and waste.

IFORE project

The IFORE project in Rushenden, Kent, is our award-winning sustainable homes project.

Our partners, the University of Brighton are due to report in November 2014. The report will show us which combination of measures have proved the most effective at reducing fuel bills and CO2 emissions.

Our priorities for the next 12 monthsWere now hoping to secure funding through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and other grant funding schemes to deliver more improvements.

And were working to achieve SHIFT Gold status by March 2016.

Saved 910,000 on energy and water

bills by

Reduced CO2 emissions by 1,550

tonnes

Reduced water waste by 112,248

litres


Corporate social responsibility

What is Corporate Social Responsibility?

AmicusHorizon exists for a social purpose Making homes, helping people. Were a social landlord, but we do more. We go beyond legal and regulatory requirements and give something back to society. Business calls this corporate social responsibility.

Every year we spend many millions of pounds and we want to do it as responsibly as possible.

We aim to work in ways which:

V Minimise environmental impacts, and

V Help the wider community. For example, by investment in community development projects and through staff charitable activities.

To read our Corporate Responsibility Statement, please visit: www.amicushorizon.org.uk/Corporateresponsibility

Since April 2013 weve funded 500,000 worth of community development projects. Our community work has been recognised by Business in the Community with a Big Tick Award.

Giving something back to our communities

In 2013/14, most of our staff took part in a Give Something Back charitable activity. Individual members of staff and whole teams volunteered their time to fundraise for charities or to help out in the local community.

Examples included:

V Male staff across our London, Kent and Sussex offices took part in MOvember, growing moustaches to raise money for mens health issues

V London Home Ownership staff baked cakes for MacMillan Cancer Support

V Sussex staff spent a day helping out at a foodbank in Hastings

V Finance staff made up little treat packs for children living in refuges in Kent.

In 2013/14 AmicusHorizon staff raised over 184,000 and helped 969 residents through Give Something Back projects

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Our accounts

2013/14 m

2012/13 m

Turnover 159 157

Operating costs (121) (124)

Operating surplus 38 33

Surplus on sale of properties

10 15

Net interest payable (31) (30)

Surplus for the year 17 18

Income received as rent and sale of shared ownership properties

Money recovered from selling houses and flats, less the cost of the properties

Money spent on managing and repairing properties, including running costs of office and staff

Total interest charged on loans minus the interest we receive on bank deposits

Consolidated income and expenditure account


How were performing financially

Were pleased to report continued improvement in our operating surplus as we focus on improving efficiency in the business. We reinvest all our annual surpluses back into services and new homes to deliver sustainable communities.

V Operating surplus improved by 5m to 38m

V Surplus on sales is 10m, 5m lower than last year

V Surplus after sales and interest costs is 17m.

Turnover increased by 1.3% to 159m, reflecting the rent increase in year partly offset by a reduction in income from provision of temporary housing.

Operating costs decreased by 2.4% to 121m.

We spent 42.3m on major works and planned repairs.

We continue to generate sufficient surplus without sales to cover our interest costs.

Audit Report: The above is an extract of AmicusHorizons full accounts, which have been audited by BDO LLP and have received an unqualified audit report. You can get copies of the full accounts from www.amicushorizon.org.uk or [email protected] or 0800 121 60 60* or 01795 434 606**

2013/14 m

2012/13 m

Tangible fixed assets 695 659

Net current assets 47 15

Total assets less current liabilities

742 674

Long term liabilities 675 619

Reserves 67 55

742 674

Fixed assets are what we own including properties and office equipment

Money borrowed by AmicusHorizon to build homes.

One of the main ways we fund the building of new homes is by borrowing money.

Each year we pay around 31m in interest on long term borrowing

Cash owed by organisations to AmicusHorizon. Also includes properties that are being developed for sale

Consolidated balance sheet

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The increase in fixed assets reflects a 45.6 million investment in new homes and 20.6 million investments in existing homes.

To date weve received a 578 million social housing grant to support our development programmes.

The first night in my new flat, it was so quiet I couldnt believe it. But then suddenly I was startled by a sudden noise outside my window. It was a pleasure boat on the river. Ive got used to them now and its very nice to live here, right on the River Thames always plenty to see.

Joyce Parsons, Rotherhithe

Value For Money

Getting the most from your money

Value For Money (VFM) is about ensuring we spend our money wisely! Its a balance between cost, quality, customer satisfaction and meeting expectations. We need to get the best results possible from the resources (staff and money) we have. We are committed to delivering value for money and have made good progress over the last year on achieving key actions.

Our three year strategic plan drives high performance through our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Underpinning the strategy is a focus on becoming a more efficient organisation. Our full VFM report is available on our website:

www.amicushorizon.org.uk/FinancialStatementsandVFM

How we manage VFM

Our Strategic Board is ultimately responsible for VFM, but we involve the whole business and our residents in driving efficiency and controlling spending:

Governance

V Strategic Board and Finance Committee scrutinise our finances, review VFM reporting and ensure delivery of our Ways of Working* programme (*see page opposite)

V Development Committee monitors delivery of new homes.

Resident engagement

V VFM Task Group a resident led group to challenge and scrutinise how we spend money, monitor performance and the WoW programme*

V Residents Council and area panels monitor performance at a corporate and local level and lead on scrutiny reviews.

Embedding VFM in the business

V Risk Appraisal Group assesses any proposal to spend over 25,000

V People management the annual plan is linked to team plans which feed in to individual objectives in the appraisal process

V Financial management through a rigorous budget setting and financial planning process we engage staff, Board and residents in prioritising investment decisions.

Were a member of the South East Consortium. This is a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to achieve cost savings for housing associations in the South East. The group helps its members deliver value for money through joint procurement and sharing best practice


Achievements in 2013/14

V We saved 1.2 million in recurring operational costs - beating our annual target. Achievements included:

Establishing an in house training academy reduced training costs by 250k per annum

Retendered service such as external audit and IT and brought some legal work in house saved 470k per annum.

V We saved 1.3m on the purchase of works and service contracts. This was achieved without any compromise to the scale and quality of our works and services programme

V Established our Ways of Working (WoW)* programme a three year review focused on reducing cost and creating capacity to reinvest in services and new homes.

Priorities for 2014/15

Well:

V Engage with our residents as we continue with the WoW programme

V Deliver efficiency targets set by Strategic Board

V Build our understanding of social value and the return we deliver from our community development programme

V Begin our programme of generating a better return from our assets to create capacity to reinvest in services and new homes

V Continue the roll out of mobile technology to speed up processes and do away with time consuming paperwork.

How we spent every pound

ServicesLandlord payment/other costs7p 10p

Office and Management Depreciation5p 10p

Staff and related costs

Net interest costs18p 18p

Maintenance Retained surplus22p 10p

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The Strategic Executive Team

Paul Hackett, Chief Executive

Jane Porter, Executive Director - Operations

Mark Miles-Lea, Executive Director - Commercial

Sarah Smith, Executive Director - Finance and Resources

Fiona Deal, Executive Director - Corporate Services (until Feb 2014)

Kate Dodsworth, Executive Director - People and Strategy (joined Mar 2014)

Whos who

The Board

Lord Charles Falconer, Chair

Steve Douglas, Vice Chair

Peter Cruttenden, Independent Member

Michael Davis, Independent Member

Paul Crouch Resident Board Member

Andrew Wiseman, Independent Member

Layne, Resident Board Member

Rosie Ley, Resident Board Member (until Sept 2013)

Neil Robertson, Independent Member

Linda Seddon, Resident Board Member

Beverley Spear, Independent Member

David Oilver, Independent Member

Beth Williams Resident Board Member (joined Nov 13)

The Residents Council

Glen Cady, Chair (from Oct 2013)

Monica Barnes, Vice Chair (from Oct 2013)

Andrew Creed, Vice Chair (until Oct 2013)

Melanie Johnson, London South East

Eamonn OKane, Croydon & Surrey

Rachel Kemp, East Sussex

Helena Ingham, Kent Gateway

Paul de Bernier, London South West

John Quested, East Kent (until Jul 2014)

Penny Walker, Croydon & Surrey

Roderick ORegan, Hastings

Martin Osment, East Sussex

Linda Scamp, East Kent (joined Oct 2013)

Chris Blondrage, Mid Kent (joined Oct 2013)

Angela Palmer, Mid Kent (joined Oct 2013)

AmicusHorizon is a Registered Society (Community Benefit Society) no: 30786R

Annual review 2013-2014

Documents

Transcript of Annual review 2013-2014