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Do you live in a South Essex Homes property in the City of Southend-on-Sea? Then this is your Forum website!

STRF stands for Southend Residents & Tenants Forum & is for South Essex Homes residents and leaseholders as well as any person with the right to reside within their property, allowing the entire family, including children, to get involved.

Everyone is entitled to attend STRF Meetings without invitation. Full details can be obtained by emailing info@strf.org.uk Dates and times of any Forum meeting to be held can be found on this website and on Facebook.

Tea & coffee will be available free during the meetings. Read more

Please note: The number for repairs or any contact with SEH is 0800 833 160

The ‘Residents Section’ is for residents/tenants/leaseholders and leaseholders tenants to share any tips, recipes, household hacks, local events or news or in fact anything that you may feel could be of interest to your fellow residents. We need input from you the people we serve to regularly update this page so if you think you have an item that may be of interest then please email it to us at info@strf.org.uk

PLEASE CLICK ON ANY NEWS ITEM LINK FOR MORE INFORMATION.

PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR CONTACT NUMBER HAS CHANGED. IT IS NOW 07904 052311

We love hearing your feedback as the residents living in the homes that South Essex Homes manage, and the communities that they make up, it is important to South Essex Homes that you feel like you have a voice that is being listened to. There is a page on the SEH website called You Said. We Did, so please look.   Is there anything that you have said that we did, please let us know by filling in the Contact Us.

South Essex Homes Needs Your Help

There are groups of residents who guide and challenge the services you get from South Essex Homes. These focus group meetings are with officers, contractors & residents with sometimes guests. Please take a look at the groups below & what they each do, then decide if you could help by joining them.
Repairs, Gas & Voids:
Held on the 3rd Tuesday of every month online between 10am and 11am approximately.
Residents meet with officers of SEH, Axis and Sureserve Compliance Central (formally known as Aaron Gas Services) to discuss monthly performance figures and provide feedback on the following:
Completed jobs and if done so within target time, Boiler services, Satisfaction and complaints, Emergency repairs, Outstanding repairs, New voids received, Completed voids returned, Void inspections, Total number of repair jobs raised, as well as other KPI’s. Residents are encouraged to ask questions and challenge provided reports, as well as offering suggestions in order to improve the services provided.
Planned Maintenance:
This follows on from the repairs meeting but every other month online and lasts approximately 30 minutes.
 In this meeting things like Electrical and Maintenance Servicing contract; Minor and Major Works contract; and the Lift Modernisation contract are discussed alongside other contracts on works going forward during the year with start and finish times.
 Income Management:
This is held 4 times a year in person soon after a board meeting has been held, between 10am to 12noon at the Civic Centre.
At these meetings, residents are informed about rent arrears cases. The group discusses ways to improve rent collection, debt prevention, and reduce evictions due to non-payment. Outcomes include redesigning the rent statement for clarity, integrating it with Insight magazine to save postage, and creating posters/leaflets to remind residents of payment responsibilities, effectively reducing evictions.
Disability & Carers Action Group:
This group meets every 2nd Wednesday of the month in person between 11am till 1pm at the Civic Centre.
This group welcomes residents with disabilities (visible or hidden), carers, those with disabled children, or anyone interested in supporting the disabled community. Meetings are run by disabled residents and carers living in SEH properties who provide support, a listening ear and opportunities to help.
The Disability and Carers Action Group has influenced changes within SEH and Southend City Council that benefit disabled residents and carers. They work with SEH and SCC to guide decisions on works affecting disabled residents.
The group ensures your voice is heard on issues impacting daily life in SEH. Together, they advocate for meaningful changes.
Leaseholders Focus Group:
This group meets in person at the Civic Centre every quarter.            
South Essex Homes holds quarterly meetings with Leaseholders to discuss topics related to leases, estates, service charges and more. Leases outline mutual rights and responsibilities, including shared costs for maintaining buildings and communal areas like corridors and stairways. All leaseholders are welcome, and new attendees are encouraged.
Meetings often uncover shared issues, allowing collaborative solutions. Meet your SEH Leaseholder Officer at these meetings.

To join or attend any of these groups, even just to see if it is right for you, please contact the Resident Engagement Team at: residentengagement@seh.southend.gov.uk or call 0800 833 160

These are the latest events being held by our Resident Involvement Team:

CROUCHMANS – Wall Art – completing the mural in the communal lounge at Crouchmans with residents
Tuesday 21st January 12:00pm and 2:00pm
Southend Co-Production Collective Meeting held via MS Teams Friday 24th January between 10:00am and 11:30am
QUEENSWAY — Drop-in advice session monthly — Next session Tuesday 28th January 25 from 10.30 till 12noon — Tenancy Officer is on site at Queensway to offer advice and our Housing Support officer is also available.
QUEENSWAY — Youth Club every week on Tuesdays from 4 till 6pm for children aged 8 and older — Youth Club every week on Tuesdays from 46pm for children aged 8 and older.

COMPLAINTS REVIEW PANEL!

A new Resident Panel has been set up to review complaints that are received by South Essex Homes. You can see what they do by going to the Focus Group link and finding ‘Complaints Review Panel’. If you are interested in becoming a member of this group, then please contact suerickard@seh.southend.gov.uk 

The members of the group are completely confidential.

Have you thought of joining the RAP? 

The Resident Advisory Panel (RAP) is a good option for residents who would prefer not to be involved in more formal structures.

The RAP is a database of residents who are happy to be contacted by us to gauge a public opinion on a range of issues. They may be contacted to complete short surveys by e-mail or post or asked to voice their views on a draft document.

Anyone can become a member of the RAP and can help shape the housing service they receive. If you would like more info or would like to join them, then find out more about it on the South Essex Homes web page or email suerickard@seh.southend.gov.uk 

Next Meeting of the Disability & Carers Action Group

12th February 25 at the Civic Centre Room 7 – 1st floor

There will be a presentation by

Tony Cox from Carers First.

Click here https://strf.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Community-Fund-Panel-poster-1.pdf to see the full information regarding joining the panel.

 

A CASH-STRAPPED charity providing support and advice to unpaid carers in Southend has closed after almost 25 years. Southend Carers has announced it has shut as “financial difficulties” have made it “impossible” for the organisation to continue. Those who use the service can still access support where it is needed through other groups, according to Southend Council. The charity’s mission was always to “offer assistance, hope, and a sense of community” to unpaid carers.
A Shoeburyness resident, expressed how the charity gave her vital support when caring for her dad. She said: “Southend Carers were the only organisation who were able to support me as a carer for my 98-year-old father during Covid. This was a time when I felt so isolated and concerned about his wellbeing. “Some of the support they offered gave me great peace of mind as a carer and I can’t thank them enough. They were a lifeline and provided essential advice, information, and guidance to me as a carer to help me and make sure my father was safe and well cared for. “I’m sad but also angry we’re losing yet another local voluntary organisation providing local support to local people when they need it.”
Numerous attempts to gain the additional funding needed to continue were unsuccessful in securing extra cash. In a statement, Daryl King, board of trustees’ chairman at the charity, said: “Despite our unwavering dedication and efforts to serve unpaid carers in our community, severe and ongoing financial challenges have made it impossible to continue our operations. This decision was not made lightly, and we understand the significant impact this will have on the individuals and families who rely on us. We understand this news will be difficult for you to hear, and we want to assure you that we have exhausted all possible options to avoid this outcome. While this chapter is coming to an end, we hope the spirit of Southend Carers will continue to live on through the countless lives we have touched.” Maxine Sadza, councillor responsible for social care and healthier communities, said: “Teams across our adults and communities’ area are working with local carers organisations to ensure any carers affected by this can access support and signposting where needed.”

South Essex Homes are pleased to announce that their new Repairs contract will commence on Monday 1st July 2024 and Axis Europe will provide the service that was previously provided by Morgan Sindall Property Services. As our service standard for routine repairs is 28 days, any routine repairs reported to us from 1st June 2024 onwards may be allocated appointments in July and therefore jobs will start to be allocated to Axis Europe.  You may therefore receive appointment confirmations from Axis. Similarly, as urgent repairs have a service standard of 5 working days, any urgent repairs reported to us from 24th June 2024 onwards may be given July appointments, in which case those jobs will be allocated to Axis Europe and you can expect to hear from them with regards to your appointment. Meanwhile, Morgan Sindall will continue to attend repair appointments up until the end of June when their contract expires, for issues reported up to and including 31st May. In some cases, you may need to wait slightly longer for an appointment than usual, but we aim to minimise any disruption during this transitional period and thank you in advance for your patience and understanding during this time. Our contact numbers and ways to report a repair will remain the same, and you will not need to do anything different when reporting a repair to us.

Why not come along to the following events and meet new        and old friends.

 

   Do you care about your home, repairs, planned works or how your rent is used.

Then you need to come along to one or all of the three focus groups that meet to discuss these issues with our Residents, Officers and Contractors. They are: Repairs, Planned Works and Finance. You are not expected to know everything about the subjects, but having some knowledge of repairs, building or finance, will help you and us. So, come and help other residents to shape the services we have and need for the future. There are free refreshments at the Civic Centre for the Income Group that meets every quarter, the repairs meet monthly and planned works bi-monthly via video link (Teams). You are welcome to come to any of the meetings to see if it is for you, before committing yourself. We also have our Disability and Carers Group that meets on the second Wednesday of the month that is there to help our residents who are disabled or a carer. If you are interested and would like more information regarding all or just one of the group meetings, then please contact Sue Rickard on 01702 212650 (leave a message and Sue will get back to you) or email: SueRickard@seh.southend.gov.uk

Scrutiny are Looking for Residents to join them

The Resident Scrutiny Forum are looking to recruit new members to join them. If you are a South Essex Homes resident or leaseholder and feel that you can work alongside others, who are like minded and dedicated and have some free time to spare, then please contact Chris McPhillips (RSF CHAIR) – Email: chris.mcphillips@sehscrutiny.co.uk

Recent reports created by the Resident Scrutiny Forum can be found by clicking Here as well as more information around the Scrutiny Group.

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TENANCY OFFICERS

To find your Tenancy Officer please click Here.

Weekly Benefit Rates 2025/26

Click here https://strf.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Weekly-Benefit-Rates-2025-26.png  to see a larger version  these rates.

Contact Us

Feel free to fill out the contact form below and we will get back to you.

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    STRF - 2020 Southend Tenants & Residents Forum.