Achievements

Since transfer in October 1999 SLH has made huge improvements to the services provided to the people of south Liverpool, here are just a few highlights from the last 10 years:

2009   SLH celebrated their 10th Anniversary this year, official date 4th October 2009. A huge community event was organised to coincide with European Neighbours Day. The special day had over 2000 residents attending the party which included a 'Dragons Den' style event where local young children where given the chance to pitch up to £1000 to the Dragons to make a visible difference to their community.  

All SLH staff took part in an 8 week Community Challenge event this summer where teams were given the task of implementing an idea to improve the community in which they serve.  Over 100 staff were divided into eight teams at their Annual Conference where they were given £100 to achieve SLH's mission of making 'South Liverpool the place to be.'

SLH increase their housing stock and profile by acquiring 179 Assisted Living homes from Servite Houses and 17 properties from Arena.  The new tenants will benefit from a locally based neighbourhood management team who can respond efficiently to repairs and anti social behaviour. 

SLH retain their Best Companies One Star Accreditation for the 3rd year running
 
Awards
*Winner - SLH's Junior Board achieve the Diana Certificate of Excellence Award
*Winner - Supported Housing Team of the Year - UK  Housing Heroes Awards
*Finalists - Tenant Empowerment Team of the Year - UK Housing Heroes Awards
*Finalists - Finance Team of the Year - UK Housing Heroes Awards
*Finalist - Women in Construction Awards
*Shortlisted - SLH chief executive Julie Fadden was shortlisted in the Professional of the Year category

2008   SLH are awarded Best Companies One Star Accreditation for staff's responses to 66 questions about well being, team working, opportunities for development and support from managers.  The accreditation comes from independent Best Companies - the accrediting organisation who organise The Sunday Times Top 100. 

SLH entered into a new repairs contract with local firm Penny Lane Builders.  The contract is worth £10 million and will aim to develop local training and involvement.  Tenants were involved with selection process every step of the way.

The first tenants moved into SLH’s first new build project in Garston Under the Bridge.

SLH’s Supported Housing Team celebrated 5 years of their service to older and vulnerable people, assisting over 150 users since it began in 2003

The youth diversionary activities programme continues with a further 10% drop in youth ASB compared to the summer of 2007.

SLH are awarded Best Companies One Star Accreditation for staff's responses to 66 questions about well being, team working, opportunities for development and support from managers.  The accreditation comes from independent Best Companies - the accrediting organisation who organise The Sunday Times Top 100.

Awards
*Finalist – UK Housing Awards
Youth Involvement Officer Christine Flanagan was a finalist in Inspirational Colleague of Year category
*Winner – Best Communal Garden in Liverpool
SLH staff, tenants and local businesses transformed a communal garden in Garston which was entered into the Liverpool Gardening competition.

2007   A new Youth Theatre project provides acting skills in the neighbouring National Trust’s Speke Hall.  The young people enjoy it so much the project is continuing with a performance in Whit Week 2008.

Tell Us About It Roadshows replace Tenants’ Challenge Events and SLH receive 354 ideas from residents of how to improve our services and community. 

Funding for youth activities helps to reduce ASB by nearly 40% compared to 2006.  Young people were taken fishing, football training, arts and crafts. 

SLH achieved ‘star status’ as part of the Best Companies to Work For Survey 2007.

SLH were awarded a full set of green lights from the Housing Corporation

SLH celebrate European Neighbours Day with a free family fun day where all Speke and Garston residents were invited to attend

SLH signs up to the national government RESPECT agenda and makes a unique agreement with other housing associations in Liverpool to provide an independent mediation service. 

SLH achieved 2 stars with promising prospects for improvement from the Audit Commission, making us one of the fastest improving housing associations in the country.

Awards
*Winner - Julie Fadden, Leader of Tomorrow for Neighbourhood Awards - also Overall Winner.
*Shortlisted for Partnership Award for Neighbourhood Awards- SLH for partnership with YPOP.
*Shortlisted for Customer Frontline Neighbourhood Awards - Supported Housing.
*Shortlisted for Public Finance Awards- Public Servants of the Year. Raising the Standard - Supported Housing.
*Finalist- Barbara Southern for Northern Tenant of the Year.
*Winner - Julie Marsh - Manager of the Year at the South Liverpool Recruitment Awards.
*Winner - Junior Board Members Becky Owens and Ryan Humphries - SLH Youth Ambassador Award at the South Liverpool Recruitment Awards.
*Winners - Bill Cokersol and the late Jack Watling won the SLH Neighbourhood Ambassador Award at the South Liverpool Recruitment Awards.
*Finalist – Women in Construction Northern Housing Awards 2007.
*Finalist -SLH’s Planned Programme Officer Sue Farrington was a finalist in the Women in Construction Awards.
*Winner – Respect Award for Taking a Stand.  Tenant Carol Williams was presented with a Respect Award for Taking a Stand (RAFTAS) for standing up to bullies in her neighbourhood        
*Winner - Housing Excellence Awards 2007.
SLH won Social Landlord of the Year for it’s transformation over the past two years. 

2006   Our latest satisfaction survey indicated that 89.3% or satisfied or very satisfied the area in which they live – the highest satisfaction level in SLH’s history.

Work has started on a £50 million regeneration project with top developers Lovell Construction, LCC and LHT where 300 quality homes are to be built in Garston Under the Bridge. 

SLH’s floating support service was awarded a B rating under the Quality Assurance Framework earlier this year for the excellence service it provides.

SLH became a member of Liverpool City Council’s Choice Based Letting scheme, PropertyPool. 

John Williams and Barbara Southern were named top tenants at a South Liverpool Awards ceremony in recognition of their contribution to the community and transformation of the area.

SLH has launched a new interactive website where tenants can now report a repair, make rent payments on line or bid for a home through PropertyPool. 

Awards
*Finalists -  National Housing Federation’s Neighbourhood Awards 2007
*Shortlisted in the Partner of choice category for our involvement in the ‘Positive Activities for Young People’ project
*Finalists - UK Housing Awards 2006
*Shortlisted - SLH’s Supported Housing Team shortlisted in the Excellence in Support and Care Solutions category
*Finalists – Young People Now Awards 2006
*Shortlisted  - SLH’s Junior Board short-listed in the ‘Active Citizens’ category

 
2005   Julie Fadden took over as Chief Executive at SLH Group in March 2003.  Julie was brought up in Liverpool and spent 18 years working with councils in Liverpool, Knowsley and Blackburn before becoming director of Manchester and District Housing Association – part of the Harvest Housing Group. 

The Community Safety team was set up in April 2005.  The team set up a unique Witness Support Programme and has launched a 24-hour telephone support and advice line for all witnesses

SLH’s ‘Promoting Active Ageing’ project was shortlisted in Liverpool’s Neighbourhood Renewal Awards

The first ‘Walk About Wednesday’ took place in May 2005.  The first Wednesday of every month all of South Liverpool Housing staff walk the neighbourhoods of Speke and Garston looking for ways to improve the area.

The Witness Support Programme was short listed in the category ‘Excellence in Delivering Safer Neighbourhoods’ at the UK Housing Awards

John McHale was appointed as the new Chair of SLH Group.  John was a former Chief Executive of Knowsley Housing Trust and was a previous president of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

2004   The £100 million home improvements programme finishes – ahead of schedule and under budget.  Hundreds of jobs are created to deliver the programme, nearly a quarter of them in the Speke and Garston area.

SLH welcomes the first intake of ILMs (Intermediate Labour Market) in January after winning £270,000 of the European Social Fund money to boost skills amongst the area’s long term unemployed.  12 local residents are taken on, with plans for a further 24 recruits in the coming months.

Older Persons Project is shortlisted for the national Municipal Journal Awards

SLH begins series of environmental improvement projects across Speke and Garston. Residents help appoint the consultants.

Seven members of the Youth Board help the ODPM plan and deliver a Neighbourhood Wardens Conference in Birmingham.  Their duties include running a workshop, designing the conference pack, creating the menu with the hotel and opening the speeches.

2003   1st edition of Our Voice, a community newspaper where the residents have complete editorial independence is delivered, reaching over 10,000 residents.  The paper is later commended in the UK’s Housing Awards.

SLH leads the Older Person’s Project in partnership with South Liverpool Primary Care Trust, Liverpool City Council and other statutory and voluntary organisations.  The project includes a range of activities and services for people aged 50 plus. 

We move our Head Office to the Parklands site to make us more responsive to tenants’ needs.  The site is the biggest public development in South Liverpool.

SLH leads the major Summer Splash programme (now known as Positive Activities for Young People) in Speke and Garston.  500 young people take part in a wide range of activities to keep them occupied during the summer holidays.  

Starter Tenancies were introduced when allocating property to applicants who are not existing tenants of SLH.  These are to help deter Anti-Social behaviour. 

SLH entered into a 4-year partnership with Bramall Construction, who act as Management Contractors for all SLH’s construction activity (with the exception of new build).  As a result our customers are receiving a better repairs service.

Entered into a contract with Sure Maintenance to deliver annual gas servicing and reactive gas maintenance.

SLH and LCC won the Association of Public Service Excellence Best Community Initiative.

A Construction Skills Centre, the first of its kind, opened in February. The project was funded by EAZ, SLH, the European Social Fund and neighbourhood renewal money 

SLH’s structure changed to incorporate the vast regeneration work we do. SLH became ‘SLH Group,’ comprising two companies: South Liverpool Housing and South Liverpool Regeneration. The corporate identity was also refreshed to reflect this new structure.

Introduced a repair appointment facility, with 2 hour time slots, including appointments for pre-inspections. 

Introduced the floating support service.

The SLH junior board is set up. 

The first tenant audit of SLH services gets underway. 

SLH’s first new build gets the go-ahead.  More than 300 high quality homes are to be built in Garston under the Bridge after a £20m deal is agreed with Lovell.

2002   The very first Community Focus Group took place

2001   The Closer Project was launched – a £2000 community arts project which aimed to involve residents as their community faces a £100m redevelopment. The project included; training pensioners to record & produce a radio programme for internet broadcast, toddlers taking part in a massive bulb planting exercise and a documentary on the changing lives of people in Burnage Close, Garston.
 

2000   The Tenant Resources Centres were opened in Speke and Garston. 

1999   South Liverpool Housing officially formed.