Welcome to my first update for 2024.
As the new chief executive of Jigsaw Homes Group, I am committed to leading the organisation and continuing to help our residents; providing affordable homes and making a positive impact on communities.
Having spent my early years living in social housing, and working in it for more than 25 years, I understand the need for safe, secure, and affordable housing – and this has never been more crucial.
We have set aside more money for repairs and made a firm commitment to build and deliver a significant number of new, quality homes over the next five years.
Equally important is our commitment to supporting our communities where they need it most. We recognise the challenges many people are currently facing, and have a number of services that can help – from local hubs and food grocers and our dedicated Money Advice service through to more specialist ones via Jigsaw Support.
I will always strive to put our residents first and make sure that our priorities match those of yours; providing a safe, warm home, fixing repairs and delivering excellent customer service. We work hard to do this and we want to get it right, so please do get in touch with us to report a repair, give us feedback or for any questions you might have about our other services.
Brian Moran, Chief Executive, Jigsaw Homes Group
Keeping our residents safe in their homes
We know that being safe in your home and repairs to your homes is your top priority; and it is ours too.
We have committed to setting aside a budget of more than £16 million within our asset management department for repairs, planned work like new roofs and energy efficiency upgrades to help make homes warmer.
We have also taken on more than 50 new team members in this department so we can provide more repairs appointments.
Since October to end of December, Jigsaw Homes Group has carried out:
- 31,523 Urgent and routine / non-emergency repairs
- 7,462 Emergency repairs
- 7,303 Gas safety checks
- 736 PET tests
A total of 407 homes including 64 supported housing were re-let, helping more people into affordable homes.
Supporting our communities where they need it most
We continue our work to help you through challenging times, with employment skills and training, as well as health, wellbeing and financial support.
In just three months, our dedicated Money Advice Team gave 2,969 residents support with benefits advice, filling in application forms and debt solutions, helping to maximise their income.
If you need some help there’s lots of information on our website or you can e-mail GroupMoneyAdvice@jigsawhomes.org.uk
Over the last few months, we have held a number of free events across our communities, organised by our Neighbourhood Engagement Teams.
Altogether, across the Group we ran:
- health and wellbeing activities for 230 residents
- food and voucher support for 707 residents
- winter warmer sessions and packs for 396 vulnerable residents
Our Jigsaw Employment Team (JET)
- provided employment support for 212 residents
- delivered training to 160 residents, with 37 achieving AQA awards in food hygiene.
If you would like any help or advice with employment or skills support, from CV writing and qualifications to business start-up please e-mail employmentsupport@jigsawhomes.org.uk
Jigsaw Support
Over 520 people accessed our Jigsaw Support services, ranging from support with domestic abuse, homelessness, wellbeing, hospital discharge, employability, and tenancy support. Highlights include:
- 80 tenants accessed our Wellbeing service, which supports customers with complex needs, receiving support on resilience and confidence training, managing anxiety and reducing stress.
- Through our Tenancy Sustainment service, we have helped around 40 tenants with life skills, support with budgeting, utilities, and benefits eligibility. The service has been running for a year now, and during this time it has had 137 referrals.
- Motiv8, our Greater Manchester partnership with DWP to help people back into work, has supported over 550 people since April 2023, to help them move closer to the job market.
- We will continue to run our Bridges Domestic Abuse Service, which so far this year has supported over 1,200 people. We successfully bid to run the service for Tameside for the next five years, providing support to victims of domestic abuse in the community, at our Women and Families Centre, and within our Women’s Refuge.
Delivering new homes
Work is progressing to provide more new homes for social and affordable rent, as well as rent to buy and shared ownership homes, to help meet housing need across the North West and East Midlands.
Since April 2023, across the Group we have provided more than 600 homes and are expecting to deliver a further 300 between now and April 2024, working across 20 different local authorities.
Across the Group, our Lettings and Tenancy Management team have let 710 homes over the last three months alone, providing more housing for people including those aged over 55, supported accommodation and homes for individuals and families.
