Why not to consider having secure savings accounts & low costs loans with credit unions?

The Credit Union is a not for profit savings & loans co-operative that offers a secure savings and low cost loans service with 24 hour online access plus text balance checking. The cheap loans service provides an alternative to people who otherwise rely on credit cards, overdrafts, or even payday loans or other overly expensive ways of borrowing.

A member of the Credit Union said, “I’d encourage others to think about opening a savings account for Christmas to avoid running up an overdraft or credit card bill. If you do need to borrow a little to clear the bills from this Christmas then I’d recommend the Credit Union ‘Saver Loans’ as a cheap way of borrowing.”

You can save anything from as little as £1 a week, with payments made by standing order, PayPoint card, or deducted from salary. A range of savings accounts are offered such as, Christmas accounts, Holiday accounts, Young Savers accounts. You can withdraw your savings at anytime but know that your savings are being used to help others escape from the cycle of debt and poverty.

Credit Union loans start from as low as 5.9% apr and with a typical loan interest rate of 12.7% apr and is charged on the reducing balance, for example on a £1,000 loan repaid over 12 months you would only pay £67 total interest.

Please visit The Credit Union to find out more. You can also email info@credit-union.coop or phone 0207 561 1786 (24 hours services).

The Credit Union operates in Camden and Barnet.

If you live in Brent, My Community Bank can be reached on 020 7389 0911. For tenants living in Hillingdon, please contact Hillingdon Credit Union Limited on 01895 250958.

A summer play will start on Monday 4 August 2014. For three days a week there will be activities for children of all ages. We would like parents to be actively involved in putting on the programme. All activities are for tenants on Lithos Road only.

The programme will run on a Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.  All participants should come prepared for your chosen activities, with suitable footwear and clothing for indoor and outdoor activities. Children are expected to bring a drink and a pack lunch.

Taster days

Activities will include Arts and Crafts, football, community days, dress up days please come by. There will also be taster days in Construction, Beauty and IT. Please note the taster days are for tenants and children 16+. These taster days are first come first serve and there’s limited  availability.

• IT training course – Tuesday 19 August 2014
• Construction tester days – Thursday 21 and Friday 22 August 2014
• Health and Beauty Course – Thursday 28 August 2014

Please note: All activities by nature have inherent risks and dangers. By participating in these activities you are exposing yourself to some risks.  We will manage and reduce risks in all activities however risks and dangers will never disappear. We will not be providing personal accident and belongings insurance.

Odu-Dua Housing Association is pleased to announce that its legal battle with former CEO, Lara Oyedele, is over.

In a High Court Appeal judgement of 3rd July 2014, Ms Oyedele’s application for permission to appeal was refused and described as being wholly without merit. The decision to refuse is final and not subject to review or further appeal.

This follows the original Court Judgement of February 20th 2014 in which the organisation’s decision to suspend and subsequently dismiss Lara Oyedele for gross misconduct was upheld with Odu-Dua awarded costs and damages and a subsequent employment claim which was struck out at preliminary hearing on  19th May 2014 at Watford Employment Tribunal.

“The Board of Odu-Dua is satisfied that the right outcome has been reached. We would like to place on record our thanks for the support we have received from our professional partners and particularly the scrutiny and advice of the HCA with whom we have maintained an open dialogue throughout the period. The organisation can now focus on recovering costs from Ms Oyedele and the other defendants to ensure that not a single penny of tenants’ rent is wasted because of the reckless actions of one former employee and her supporters and so that we can move on as an organisation and put this matter behind us for once and for all.”

Sandra Brown, Chair

You are in the best position to tell us about the services we provide. With the result, we aim to deliver the best possible services to you.

In May, we sent you the Value for Money Satisfaction Survey. The survey asks you what you think about the value that rent and service charges provide. Your feedback is the key to make our services better.

The questionnaire is divided into two sections. The first section is to find out your overall satisfaction towards all areas of our services. The second section focuses on your satisfaction towards the value for money of rent and service charges. An Equality and Diversity Monitoring form is also attached. All your answers will be kept completely confidential and no individual responses will be identified. The results will only be used to improve services.

Simply complete this survey and return it in the enclosed freepost envelope with 10 minutes of your time and you could win a One4all Gift Card* in £50, £30 or £10. The prize draw is completely free.

If you have not yet sent it back to us, please take the time to fill this out and return to us by 25th July. If you have any questions or concerns about this survey, or need a copy in another format, please contact Ying on 0207 625 1799.

*The gift card can be used in over 17,000 retailers including Argos, Boots, B&Q, Currys, Debenhams, Hamleys, House of Fraser, JJB Sports, New Look, Pizza Express, River Island, TopShop and many more.

Odu-Dua is pleased to announce that it has signed up to the UK’s leading mutual exchange service – HomeSwapper.  As a valued tenant you are able to use this service for FREE to help you find a new home.

A mutual exchange or swap not only offers you a better choice for finding a new home it is a quicker option than waiting for a move on our transfer list. HomeSwapper is easy to use and automatically matches you with tenants who are interested in your home and have a home that you may be interested in.

All you need to do is register at www.homeswapper.co.uk then, once your registration has been approved by us, you will be able to access information about tenants who may wish to exchange properties with you.  HomeSwapper will also email you at regular intervals with details of suitable exchange partners.  If you do not have access to the internet, HomeSwapper will send you match alerts via your mobile phone every two weeks.

If you do not have a computer at home there are other ways for you to register and access the HomeSwapper website;

• Family or friends
• Local libraries have internet access available to the public, as well as internet cafes
• Internet access to the site is also available in our offices
• Odu-Dua office

Please be aware that in most cases, we will not accept a home swap for tenants with rent arrears. If you have any queries with HomeSwapper please feel free to contact your Housing Officer on 020 7625 1799.

Good luck in your search for a new home.

More about moving home at Odu-Dua.

Reference Number: CBM Apprenticeships

About the Apprenticeship

We are pleased to announce apprenticeships in the following trades with Camden Council working in their Building Maintenance Team (Plumbing, Electrical, Carpentry and Plastering).

These exciting opportunities are open to CAMDEN residents aged 16 – 20 with a good level of Literacy and Numeracy. Apprentices will be working on occupied and void properties both internally and externally.

The hours are Monday to Friday. Starting salary of £172.00 per week increasing to £222.00 by the end of NVQ Level 2. There will be an opportunity to go onto higher levels.

Please apply by Friday 30th May by sending your CV to kxcinfo@camden.gov.uk or call 020 7974 5161 for further information. Candidates must be available for an assessment on Friday 13th June.

Additional Info

How to apply

For more information, or for details of how to apply for this opportunity, please contact Kings Cross Construction Skills Centre on 020 7974 5161, or email kxcinfo@camden.gov.uk

Time: Friday 9 May 2014, 9am to 3pm

Location: Euston

Contact: Komal Doan

Book a place: kdoan@arhag.co.uk;  020 7424 7381

A simple way to learn basic first aid skills to help keep children and babies safe!

Arhag Housing Association organises a free training which will be run by British Red Cross.  Register your interest by simply contacting Arhag at the details above.

Places are limited, be quick!

On 7th April 2014, annual rent and service charges increases will be implemented for all tenants. This year, however, there will be no increase to the rent element of the gross accommodation charges.

“We need to develop an explicit rent plan based on the investment needs of the properties we own,” says Neil Ayre, Interim Chief Executive, “This will ensure our properties are well-maintained in respect of day-to-day repairs and that we know where the money is coming from in the future when we need to replace central heating systems, kitchens, bathrooms, and other structural components.” ”Our second largest expense is the cost of staff salaries and clearly this must provide the greatest value for money to tenants.”

However, for the tenants living on Grafton Road, Leverton Street, Malden Road or in London Borough of Hillingdon including Grasmere Court and Rydal Court, the weekly rent will increase by 3.7%. This is because the housing association which own the home is putting their charges up to Odu-Dua. The rent pays for repairs, maintenance, housing services and communal services amongst others. The remainder of the rent goes towards paying for the cost of building the home.

To understand tenants’ expectations and satisfaction with the services, we are carrying out a Satisfaction Survey in 2014 particularly focusing on rent and value for money. The information tenants provide will help us to shape our services in accordance with the priorities.

Service charges will increase by a maximum of 3.7% this year but individual tenancies may vary. This applies to all Odu-Dua tenants and tenants on on Grafton Road, Leverton Street, Malden Road or in London Borough of Hillingdon including Grasmere Court and Rydal Court.

It is crucial that the tenants always prioritise the rent payments. If there is any difficulty, contact the Housing Officer, Akima, on 0207 625 1799 immediately.