Hello from our Chief Executive
Welcome to February’s issue of Here To Help.
It continues to be an extremely difficult time for us all as we remain under the extended period of lockdown measures across the UK. Although the Covid-19 situation continues to change rapidly, I want to reassure you that we are committed to continuing to provide the same high level of service where we can do safely.
We are continuing to offer our full repairs service to customers where it is safe to do so. However, it will be inevitable that some of our non-emergency repairs will take longer than usual to complete due to colleagues and contractors being off with Covid-related symptoms or needing to self-isolate. This means that we will be prioritising emergency and urgent repairs and given this, other repair work is likely to take longer than usual. If your repair is not urgent and you can delay your call, this will certainly help us to prioritise those in most need.
Please remember that we are also here to help if you are worried about your rent payments. We want to reassure you that if you are unable to make a rent payment because you are now on reduced hours, or you have lost your job because of coronavirus, you will not lose your home. It’s really important that you talk to us if you are struggling so that we can work with you to agree a flexible payment arrangement that considers your individual circumstances. You can read more about this in this issue of Here To Help.
Despite all the challenges we face, as the new vaccination programme rolls out across the country there is light at what feels like the end of a very long, dark tunnel. We are encouraging everyone to have the vaccine when offered the opportunity and while we recognise it’s a matter of individual choice, we want everyone to be in the best position to make an informed decision. We recognise that customers from BAME communities may have particular barriers or concerns and additional information - including vaccine resources in different languages - can be found here, Please take some time to find out the facts from official and reliable sources. A good place to start reading is the NHS guide.
As the vaccine roll out gathers pace, we will start asking customers whether they are vaccinated or not. This is particularly relevant when you need to see someone face to face or where services are being delivered in your home.
We’ve put together some Frequently Asked Questions to help you understand why we’re interested in this information, which you can read here.
We hope you find this issue of Here To Help useful. Please continue to follow the guidelines being issued by the government and together we can help control the virus and prevent the spread.
Nicholas Harris