Downham Online Discussion

Come along, meet your ward councillors and find out what is happening in the ward  Wednesday 4th July 2012, 19:00pm start at Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy,  Launcelot Road, Downham, BR1 5EB         
 
Where to find us on the Info Map under Advice & Help tab at the top of map, look down the right hand side of page, re Downham Assembly.
www.phoenixcommunityhousing.org/newspage.cfm?inc=news&policyno=115877

The 2012 Downham Celebrates Summer festival will be held at Downham Health and Leisure Centre, 7-9 Moorside Road, Bromley Kent BR1 5EP 11 – 4pm. Activities include, The Reach Climbing Wall, SCUBA diving (£5 cost), Surrey Docks petting farm, information stalls, the Downham Assembly talent tent and many more.

Scheduled performances of different talents and activities that happening here in Downham will happen throughout the day. To SCUBA dive please let Danielle De Cruz Leisure Connection Community Liaison Manager have you contact details 0208 461 9200 EX: 223 or email: clmdownham@leisureconnection.co.uk

Downham Celebrates
The Downham Celebrates committee is an active partnership; partners include Downham & Whitefoot ward councillors; local residents and service providers; all working for the benefit of the whole community of Downham.

Aim
Increase the opportunity for residents to engage in local community, cultural and sporting events and festivities by;

Involving local people in decision making.
Working in partnership.
Seeking funding.
Supporting current community festivals.

If you live in the Downham, Whitefoot and Bellingham areas, go to Phoenix home page:http://www.phoenixcommunityhousing.org/default.cfm, and put your postcode and submit, you find out whats going on for the kids in August.

Lewisham residents have welcomed the largest ever housing stock transfer in the borough.  The groundbreaking transfer, which took place on 3 December, was community-led from the outset and sees ownership of 5,500 tenanted and 800 leasehold homes transfer from Lewisham Council to the Phoenix Community Housing Association. The properties are in the Bankfoot, Bellingham and John Henry neighbourhoods in the south of the borough.
 
The Phoenix Community Housing Association is the first resident-led Housing Association in London; where residents decided to follow the ‘Community Gateway Model’. The Model involves residents at the earliest possible level and enables them to take the lead in decision-making and management.   The Phoenix Community Housing Association has received the backing of the Housing Corporation and the Government, who were pleased to support and fund Phoenix because the Association is genuinely resident-led.
   
Mayor of Lewisham, Sir Steve Bullock, said: “The Phoenix stock transfer is the most exciting thing to happen in housing for years. The people who know most about their own housing needs are clearly those people who live there.   “Residents now have the power to decide what’s best for them in meeting their housing needs – and the power to get it done the way they want. Congratulations to Phoenix  - I wish them every possible success in the future.”
   
Pat Fordham, tenant and Chair of the Phoenix Management Board, said: “It’s been a long road to get to where we are today – the transfer of homes to the Phoenix Community Housing Association. There are many people, some not with us today, who have been involved right from the start, eight and half years ago.
   
“It all started with a trip to a Birmingham conference all those years ago where we learned that we could take the Community Gateway Model and mould it to into something workable for our own community. And here we are today – with our destiny in our own hands. I’m still pinching myself that it has finally happened!”   Jim Ripley, Chief Executive of the Phoenix Community Housing Association, said: “Phoenix is the start of something very special. It will be the first Community Gateway association in London, the first organisation where residents lead and are members of their own Housing Association.
 
“This new Community Housing Association, led by residents (tenants and leaseholders), gives us huge potential to regenerate our neighbourhood in the way residents want.”  Residents in the area have been leading the process to transfer ownership, with tenants and leaseholders making up the biggest single group on the management board of the new ‘owners’ – the Phoenix Community Housing Association.
   
More than £70 million will be spent over the next seven years bringing homes up to the ‘Phoenix Standard’ – a higher specification than the Government’s Decent Homes Standard.
In the next two years all tenanted homes will have double glazed windows and external security doors. Within four years, all tenanted homes will have modern kitchens and bathrooms. There will also be a programme of security, environmental and other external works, such as re-roofing.

WELCOMING THE CHANGE

TENANT Queenie Mortimer, of Fieldside Road, Downham, was born in her home 82 years ago and still lives there. She welcomed the transfer, saying under the council, people were waiting weeks for repairs.  "I'm very pleased about it," she said. "I voted for them because we need something different." Mrs Mortimer is the author of Downham Pride, which recounts the history of the estate. She remembers how the homes were all well-cared for when she was growing up. "All privets were kept cut and the outside of houses were kept painted. "Everywhere was clean and tidy."

Why don't you come and have a look, http://www.phoenixcommunityhousing.org/, pass your mouse over the pics on the right hand side to enlarge them. We are getting ready for transfer in October this year.  

The Bellingham Festival was held on Saturday 28th July, the weather was great no rain. Pictures are now up on our Downham Online gallary, also up at: http://www.phoenixcommunityhousing.org/newspage.cfm?st=1&inc=pics.

The board of Phoenix Community Housing, Phoenix Resident's Group and Staff invite you to visit us at the community event this month, We will have a information stand and provide fun for the kids too.

Downham Celebrates
Saturday, June 16, 1.00-5.0pm, Shroffold Green: The carnival parade arrives at 1.00pm - lookout for colourful costumes made at the kids' art workshops arranged by Phoenix and by Downham Neighbourhood Management. Come and meet members of the Phoenix Residents' Group at our information stand. Meanwhile, to suit their costumes, the kids can have their faces painted by one of our specialist face-painters, join the area fun and entertainment including circus skills and a travelling theatre.

The transfer of homes from Lewisham Council to Phoenix Community Housing is expected to happen in late autumn 2007. We will let you know the exact date when it is finalised. Meanwhile, Lewisham Council continues to be your landlord until transfer. You should continue to pay your rent to Lewisham and contact them in the usual way for repairs, other housing services and enquiries.

Here are some useful numbers for contacting Lewisham housing services:

Customer services and re-housing:   0208 314 9424
Repairs:                                              0208 314 8314
Rent:                                                   0208 314 9725
Tenancy:                                             0208 314 7123
Housing repairs - emergency out of hours service: 020 8314 6000

Phoenix is not a fully operational organisation until transfer, and cannot undertake any work to homes until it is formerly established as a not-for-profit housing association.

Phoenix is currently setting itself up, and one of the major tasks it can now do after the “yes” vote is tender for contractors to carry out repairs and improvements to your homes once transfer happens.

If you would like to get involved with the setting up of Phoenix via the Phoenix Residents Steering Group, or Local Area Panels, please call us on 0208 698 5178 or our Independent Residents’ Advisors, PPCR, on Freephone 0800 317 066.