020 7625 1799

Odu-Dua Housing Association

   
  

Fire Safety

Camden Consultation

Have your say on how homes are allocated in Camden!

Every year Camden Council allocate 1,000 homes, but there are 28,500 households on their housing register. They can’t house everyone who asks them to.

With homes in such high demand, Camden Council have to ensure they go to local people who would benefit the most, such as overcrowded families.

Camden Council is now consulting on proposals for a new housing allocation scheme. Find out what the plans could mean for you and have your say. The consultation will is now open and will run until Sunday 5th April 2015.

Taking part

You can take part by:

  1. Completing the survey at www.camden.gov.uk/housingallocation. Paper copies of the survey are available from Council offices and libraries in the borough. You can also request copies directly from the Housing Strategy Unit (details below).
  2. Attending a workshop. The Council are running a series of workshops to discuss the proposed new scheme in more detail. If you would like to attend a workshop, please fill in your details on the survey and we will contact you directly. You can also contact the Housing Strategy Unit to book a place (details below).

For more information about the consultation, to request a paper copy of the survey or to book a workshop place, please email hsu@camden.gov.uk or call 020 7974 5519.

Paying your rent over Christmas and the New Year

Rent payments during the Christmas and New Year period

Christmas is fast approaching and we know that there can be a great deal of  pressure to spend a lot on presents and entertaining over Christmas and New Year; however, rent payments must still be paid before, during and after the festive period.

Missing payments during December and January means that you will start the New Year with arrears and we will take action against you that may result in losing your home.

Odu-Dua wants to make sure that you are able to enjoy Christmas without having to worry about money problems so here are some sensible steps you can take to ensure that this Christmas you stay out of debt:

  • Make sure all your priority bills are being paid – including rent, gas, electricity, water and council tax.  It is a condition of your tenancy that your rent is paid in advance and in full at all times.  The best way to pay your rent is by standing order from your bank account.
  • Make sure that you inform the relevant authorities such as Department of Work and Pensions and Housing Benefit department of any change in circumstances that may affect your benefit entitlement and do so promptly to avoid any overpayments which you will then need to repay.
  • Decide how much you can afford to spend at Christmas in advance and stick to it – you will still then be able to make payments on essential bills such as rent.
  • If you are in debt and want general advice on your debt then you can contact one of these organisations:

National Debt Line on: 0808 808 4000 or at: www.nationaldebtline.co.uk

Money Advice Service on: 0300 500 5000 or at: www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk

Step Change on: 0800 138 1111 or at: www.stepchange.org

Pay Plan on; 020 3411 0273 or at: www.payplan.com

Your Local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) or at: www.citizensadvice.org.uk

The Money Charity on: 020 7062 8933 or at: www.themoneycharity.org.uk

 If you wish to discuss your rent account or this letter in more detail please phone Diana Duncan, Housing Officer.

 Jyotika Patel, Operations Manager

Jyotika 200

Make a difference in money management

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

LCCU Logo PublicThe 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).

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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.

Summer Play Scheme: Lithos Road only

ID-10018634A 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.

 

News Release: Odu-Dua legal fight ends

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

It is time for feedback

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.

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

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.