April Newsletter 

Domestic abuse: Getting help

We are still maintaining a specialist service at Hearthstone Advice and Support Centre for people who may face domestic abuse during the COVID-19 lockdown. The centre is currently closed for walk-in services, but assistance is available on telephone to provide emotional, housing and legal advice as well as access to counselling. 

Residents who are in immediate danger and require emergency assistance are encouraged to call 999.

Other partner agencies within the borough are also providing support for those at risk. They include Solace Women’s Aid Haringey and Nia Project Haringey Information.

Early evidence from the lockdown in China suggests that reports of domestic abuse have doubled in some areas and we know previous crises have led to an increase in perpetrators abusing their victims. According to the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA), there is a worry that the stay at home situation can increase the risk of people who are experiencing domestic abuse.

Please be vigilant and watch out for your neighbors and report cases where there is suspected abuse.

If you are experiencing abuse, you can get help. 

• Hearthstone domestic Abuse Advice and Support Centre- 0208 888 5362 
• Solace Women's Aid Haringey- 0208 885 3557
• Nia Project Haringey Information and Referral Line- 03000 120 213
• National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247 
• Online support Women's Aid online chat service (open Monday-Friday 10 am-12 pm) 
• Men's Advice Line: 0808 801 0327 
• Respect helpline: 0808 802 4040 (for anyone worried that they may be harming someone else) 
• Galop: 0800 999 5428 (national helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people experiencing domestic abuse)

 More guidance available on our website.

Covid19: How our services have changed

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, we have made changes to the way some of our services are working. Please see below information on the latest service updates:

Customer Services
To keep everyone safe, and to help us prioritise those in the community that may be more vulnerable, we have closed our Customer Service centres. Use either our online services or call us on 020 8489 5611 for queries, but please be prepared for a wait longer than usual.

We have also closed the reception at 48 Station Road, N22 7TY from 23 March until further notice, and we will therefore no longer be able to hold any face to face appointments at these offices.

For more information on the updated list of services like estate services, estate parking, income collection and our other services, please check our website. 

Supporting residents and the wider community 

Here at Homes for Haringey, as for you at home, it has ben an extremely challenging time. We have had to adapt the way that we are able to deliver our services and find new ways of working in an incredible short period of time.

In other areas such as financial inclusion, training and employment and domestic abuse we have been able to switch to a telephone advice and support service.

We have had teams visiting sheltered blocks and properties with rubbish chutes to carry out any essential work required. Due to everyone being at home and using delivery services there has been a lot more rubbish to deal with than normal and

An emergency is service being provided by mechanical and engineering contractors; this means that we are continuing to run our gas servicing programme to keep you safe. If you receive an appointment letter and you are vulnerable or self-isolating then please let us know as soon as possible so that we can rearrange the visit.

Our repairs service is currently emergency work only, plus priority work for vulnerable residents.
On average we have been delivering over 130 meals to homeless clients placed in emergency accommodation.

We have also been reaching out to our vulnerable residents and have reached out to nearly 1,700 residents till date. We have been able to speak with them and assess their needs to ensure that they receive the support that they require going forwards.

FoodBox delivering food for emergency referrals during lockdown

Our Haringey Community FoodBox based at Commerce Road Community Centre was launched at the start of this year and has been providing emergency food supplies such as tinned and fresh food and toiletries to families in distress.

We have supported over 260 families since the launch of FoodBox. Due to the Covid-19 outbreak the site is now closed to the public and the service is now only operating for vulnerable residents in emergency situations that are identified through our partner agencies. The supplies are delivered to residents by our staff who are still delivering key services throughout the crisis.

We have provided and delivered 95 food parcels to families between 15 March - 10 April 2020. Since Easter we have  combined forces with Haringey Council to channel all referrals to two main food depots based at Ally Pally and Tottenham Hotspur Ground.

Residents who are in a crisis are advised to contact local referral partners including Homes for Haringey’s Housing Demand Team, Tenancy Management Team, Hearthstone and local charities.

Residents who are interested in making donations or becoming volunteers can email: HFHCommunityFoodBoxAdmin@homesforharingey.org

For more information, visit our website. 

Rubbish and recycle management during lockdown

Due to the current government restrictions in place with regards to Covid-19, and Homes for Haringey now having limited staff on the estates we are asking residents to follow the guidelines below with regards to waste:

• If you live in a block with refuse chutes, you can put all household rubbish down the chute. Loose items should not be disposed of in a chute. Items should be bagged and securely tied.
• If the chute is blocked, please do not leave this on the floor but take it down to the refuse containers provided. Do not force large items of rubbish or furniture down chutes as this causes blockages. If the refuse chute is blocked, our staff will get around to unblocking it but due to current circumstances, this might take longer the usual.
• Our waste contractor Veolia have currently suspended the bulky waste collection service. Residents will not be able to call Veolia to have remove their bulky waste like fridges, beds etc. If you have ordered a new bulky household item, can you please arrange collection of old items with the suppliers? However, if you live on an estate with a bulk-store, these will still be serviced and picked up weekly. There is no change to this service at present.
• As of Monday 20/4 we have increased the service to one full clean per block per week and all blocks with lifts and refuse chutes will receive a daily clean of the ground floor lobby/entrance way and bins will be rotated as needed. We are also continuing to focus on high touch surfaces on every visit.

Coronavirus and your wellbeing

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is affecting all our lives. Things are changing fast, and many of us are worrying about what it all means for ourselves and for our loved ones. Those of us already living with mental health problems are facing extra challenges too.

You might be worried about coronavirus (COVID-19) and how it could affect your life. This may include having to stay at home and avoid other people. This might feel difficult or stressful. But there are lots of things you can try that could help your wellbeing.

This information is to help you cope if:

• you're feeling anxious or worried about coronavirus
• you're staying at home and avoiding public places, following Government advice that we should stay at home as much as possible 
• you are self-isolating because you, or someone you live with, has symptoms of coronavirus. Self-isolating means that you stay home and keep away from other people. 

• Eat well and stay hydrated
• Keep taking your medication
• Continue accessing treatment and support if possible
• Take care of your immediate environment
• Find ways to work or study at home
• If you have care needs, or provide care or support to someone else

Checklist for staying at home

• Food: do you have a way to get food delivered if you need to self-isolate?
• Cleaning: do you have cleaning supplies?
• Work: can you carry on working, including working from home? If not, can you find out your rights to payment or benefits?
• Medication: do you have enough medication, or a way to get more?
• Health: can you reorganise any planned therapy or treatments?
• Connectivity: have you got ways to keep in contact with people you see regularly, like their phone numbers, email addresses? Do you need help setting up digital communication, like a video calling app?
• Routine: can you create a routine or timetable for yourself? And if you live with other people, should you create a household schedule? Do you need to agree how the household will run with everyone at home all day?
• Exercise: is there any physical activity you can do inside your home, like going up and down the stairs, using bean tins as weights, or exercises you can do in your chair?
• Nature: have you thought about how you can bring nature into your home? Can you get some seeds and planting equipment delivered, or put up photos of green spaces?
• Entertainment: have you thought about things to do, books to read or TV shows to watch?
• Relax: have you got materials so you can do something creative, such as pencils and paper?

Ref: www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/