News
Press releases 2009
October 2009
27 October 2009
Celebrating Black History Month
Enfield Homes hosted its first Black History Month (BHM) community event (Monday 19 October) at Gallery Fore in Edmonton. The event was arranged in conjunction with Enfield Council and looked at the visual, artistic, literature, educational and cultural aspects to BHM.
It was a great opportunity for the community to get together and celebrate the achievements of the black community and delve into its history and culture. During the evening a presentation was held on Black History Studies, “Black Presence in Britain before 1948”, poetry and storytelling by Oma Ra and sampling of cultural food from bygone eras.
Over 80 people attended the evening, which received positive reviews and comments: “Excellent evening, did not know Enfield Homes, but know them now”; “Excellent evening, wonderful food, beautiful atmosphere”; “First class – well done, more please”.
The event kicked off with an exhibition of Black Footballers from 1900 to present. The exhibition display was donated by Football Unites Racism Divides (FURD) a charitable arm of “Kick Racism Out of Football”, sponsored and supported by Football Association (FA) looked at contribution to the beautiful game by Black & Asian Footballers from the first black player Arthur Wharton to John Barnes and Ian Wright.
The display was also on show in the Enfield Homes reception area at Edmonton Centre, from the 1 to 12 October. Over 400 residents visited the reception during this time and were able to view the stand.
Lorna Browne, Enfield Homes Tenant Involvement Unit Manager was delighted with the events and said: “The two events were successful. Residents visiting our reception saw an exhibition they would not otherwise have been able to. Through partnership working with the Edmonton library even more people (non-residents) saw the exhibition, in particular a group of secondary school kids and students booked a private viewing of the exhibition on Saturday. The Monday event brought together a diverse audience from a range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The atmosphere was very warm, relaxed and welcoming. To see so many people in attendance was the icing on the cake.”
Many local authorities up and down the country put on a program of activities to raise awareness and celebrate the achievement of black communities for the benefit of society as a whole. The menu of choice means that the public have the opportunity to select and choose from a broad spectrum of initiatives to suit their individual interests.
Throughout the month Enfield Homes has taken part in Enfield Council’s wider initiatives to promote Black History month which runs from 1 to 31 October 2009.
22 October 2009
Rent reward winners
Three rent reward winners were drawn from Enfield Homes rent prize draw. The competition, which runs on a quarterly basis, was open to all tenants that have had a clear rent account during the second quarter, being July to September 2009. The first prize of £250 was awarded to Mrs Ugiagbe from Edmonton, second prize of £150 was awarded to Ms Dar from Edmonton, and the third prize of £100 was awarded to Ms Prior from Enfield.
The winners were delighted, Mrs Ugiagbe said: “My priority is my rent and always has been. I make every effort to be ahead with my payments”.
Ms Dar said: “Bills come first; my rent is very important. I was really surprised when I was told that I was a winner, but pleasantly surprised. I think the rent prize draw is very encouraging for other residents to keep up their payments.”
Mike Culligan, Director of Housing Operations, said “The prize draw has worked well as an effective method of encouraging tenants to keep their rent account clear. It is a good way of encouraging payment, and rewarding tenants who pay promptly”.
Residents can pay their rent in many different ways. In person at a post office, bank or Enfield Council Civic Centre; over the phone 0800 40 80 160 or 020 8379 1000; through Enfield Homes website (www.enfieldhomes.org); by Giro bank; or at shops with PayPoint. By far the easiest way is to set up a direct debit, which means payments should always be made on time.
20 October 2009
On your doorstep
Enfield Homes new mobile office took to the streets of Enfield for the very first time last month. The launch of this brand new service was specially timed to coincide with National Customer Services Week. The mobile service is called ‘On Your Doorstep’ and is especially for Enfield Homes’ customers who do not live within easy reach of the main Edmonton Green office, or for whom travel is difficult.
Over forty customers visited the mobile office through booked appointments and drop-in visits at 11 different locations. Enfield Homes were delighted with the turn out and are pleased that residents find it a convenient way of making enquiries.
Mr McDonald, resident from Southgate, visited the mobile office after seeing it on his estate from his flat window. “I looked out the window and noticed the Enfield Homes signs and as I had one or two queries I thought I’d go and see what was going on.”
When asked how he found the service, Mr McDonald went on to say: “I had a repairs enquiry and the staff were really welcoming and dealt with my query there and then. They explained everything to me, reported my repair and explained what would happen next. They were great!”
Monika Singh, Head of Customer Access at Enfield Homes, said: “On Your Doorstep is one more way that we can make it easier for our customers to reach us and get things done. We have found that our customers love the visibility of the service and appreciate how very local it is. They like the concept that, once a month, we go to them.
If this pilot is well used, we hope to continue and even grow the service. We would like to use the mobile service to encourage customers to use web self service for information and service requests in the future, for promoting the use of direct debit, or even showcasing adaptations to the home that are available for residents who need them. Anything really that makes things better, easier, quicker and more convenient for our customers.”
The mobile office, which operates from a bright purple converted transit van, will be located at estates or nearby locations and has been equipped to enable staff to deal with a wide range of queries, which include; checking rent accounts; reporting repairs; supplying general information and much more.
Tesco Potters Bar are supporting this initiative by allowing the mobile office to be located in their car park, a convenient location for customers who can combine getting their enquiries dealt with by Enfield Homes with a spot of shopping.
Residents can make an appointment with the On Your Doorstep service in advance by calling 0800 40 80 160.