Update on our services

21/04/2020

View all the latest information and answers to your questions about the impact of coronavirus on your tenancy
Message from Emma Davison, Customer First Executive Director at First Choice Homes

Hello everyone

Hope you are all, as well as you can be in these difficult times and are managing to cope with lockdown life as we enter our fourth week.

We know these are really difficult times for everyone and we are working hard to maintain our services to you wherever we can, while following government guidelines to keep you and our staff safe – which is our absolute priority.
We have lots of information on our website including answers to lots of frequently asked questions which we’ve been receiving. So if you are unsure about something, please check on the site and on our social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook.
 
We are here to give you help and support, so if you need us or have any questions that you can’t find the answers to on our website, please email us or call us on 0161 393 7117.
 
Stay at home, stay safe and look after yourself and each other.
 
Emma Davison
Spring cleaning your neighbourhood

Our Neighbourhood Care Team is continuing to keep your neighbourhood clean and tidy. We’ve also been supporting Oldham’s Council’s waste and recycling services, emptying communal bins in our neighbourhoods to help keep local people safe and reduce health and safety risks.
There are changes to our waste and recycling services at this time and it is more important than ever for you to dispose of your household waste correctly. Please visit the Oldham Council website for full details and advice.
 
If you live in one of our flats, we will be emptying the communal bins and carrying out checks in our neighbourhoods while maintaining social distancing to make sure there are no risks to health and safety. Please make every effort not to overfill or block rubbish chutes.

Sadly at the moment we have had to suspend all our grass and hedge cutting, shrub pruning and related work until further notice. As soon as we can, we’ll resume this work.
Continuing to help you into work
Help with rent

If you are struggling to pay or manage your rent, please call our Income Collection Team on 0161 393 5353 or call our Contact Centre on 0161 393 7117 for advice and support. 

Tackling antisocial behaviour

We know antisocial behaviour can have a huge impact on everyone’s lives so we will continue to support you if you have concerns about antisocial behaviour during the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Please continue to report any antisocial behaviour through the My Account portal or by calling or emailing our Contact Centre on 0161 393 7117 or ServiceCentre@fcho.co.uk.
To report any criminal activity contact Greater Manchester Police on 101 or online at www.gmp.police.uk in an emergency always dial 999.
 
We are also continuing to make applications for injunctions and undertake possession proceedings during this time.
We understand the current situation is very challenging, so please treat everyone with respect and consideration so we can all get through this and come out the other side together.
Unable to leave the house and need help?
We’re proud to be playing a role in helping Oldham Council and Oldham Foodbank to keep key public services going through the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Many of our staff have swapped their usual day jobs to join the army of volunteers helping to support people in urgent need because they are unable to leave the house and don’t have a trusted friend, neighbour or family member to help them. Arranging deliveries of emergency food and essential personal and household items to people, and helping them to access key services and support are just some of the things they are on hand to help with seven days a week at this difficult time.
 
The hotline to call for help is 0161 770 7007. The line is open 9am - 5pm on weekdays and 11am - 2pm at weekends.

Prescriptions and medicines will be handled separately by local pharmacies working with GPs - please ask the helpline for advice.
Latest update on repairs

We are now only attending emergency repairs.
 
We are no longer attending routine repairs that have been booked in. This is to reduce the risk of infection to you and our staff.
We will only deal with the following list of emergency repairs:
  • Total loss of power
  • Total loss of water
  • Insecure property
  • Uncontainable leak
  • Dangerous electrics and/or water on electrics
If you need to report a new routine repair at this time
 
You can still report non-emergency repairs and when the situation changes we’ll be in touch to make arrangements to complete your repair. Email us at ServiceCentre@fcho.co.uk or call our Contact Centre on 0161 393 7117.
 
You may still see our staff working in communal or outdoor areas, on empty homes or on building works where they will have limited social contact. It’s important we continue to deliver as much of our services as possible. All our staff have been provided with the necessary equipment and advice to ensure they do this safely without risk to you or them.
Supporting our vulnerable customers aged 70+
 
Our teams have been offering support for vulnerable customers aged 70+ to help them cope with challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
We’ve been telephoning customers to offer reassurance, advice and support to help them get through this period.
 
If you need help, or know someone who does, call our Contact Centre on 0161 393 7117.
 
And finally…
Ensuring our customers have a ‘Hoppy’ Easter
 
Two members of our staff, Dave and Ronnie, gave up their Good Friday bank holiday to play Easter bunny so that our customers could celebrate Easter too.

We’ve partnered with The Bread and Butter Thing (TBBT), a surplus food charity, to provide an affordable food offer for our customers. Our service runs from three hubs across Oldham: Sholver & Moorside Community Centre, NEON Hub and Wallshaw Street Hub.
The normal Friday TBBT service at Wallshaw Street wasn’t set to go ahead due to it being a bank holiday, however TBBT had over 60,000 Easter eggs going spare as people hadn’t been buying them due to COVID-19 restrictions. We couldn’t miss this chance to give our customers a tasty, chocolate-y treat!
 
Dave and Ronnie collected the eggs and we texted our TBBT customers to let them know what was on offer. When Dave and Ronnie arrived at the Sholver & Moorside centre, our customers were already queuing up, safely standing two metres apart and respectfully following social distancing guidelines.
It was certainly a very different bank holiday weekend but thanks to the selfless efforts of Dave and Ronnie, we made sure our customers were able to enjoy a very ‘Hoppy Easter’ too.

If you’d like to find out more about our Bread and Butter Thing service, or to see if you’re eligible, visit our website. Please note, our partnership with TBBT is available for First Choice Homes Oldham customers only, but TBBT operates separately as well.
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