Boyd Rd And Northmere Rd
Housing for older people with some special design features and good facilities
Who is it for? | Couples or single people over the age of 60. The flats are for people wanting to rent. |
Property details | Boyd Road has 49 self-contained flats each with there own entrance. Northmere Road has 16 Self contained flats each with there own entrance. There is a door entry system to all first floor flats. 64 of the flats are one bedroomed and one has two bedrooms. All 64 one bedroom flats are large enough for couples. Each flat has a private garden, with a shared communal gate and a large sheds each. All sheds have power and the ability to charge mobility scooters. All sheds are large enough to store mobility scooters and most allow level access to do this. Flats are a reasonable size and each flat has a large cupboard for storage and a large airing cupboard. Flats in both Boyd and Northmere road have been included as part of the Decent homes programme where kitchens and bathrooms have been refurbished in most flats. Many of the ground floor flats has level access showers Boyd road is owned by the Borough of Poole and managed by Poole Housing Partnership, (PHP) the Council's Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO). PHP manages all the Council's homes and is based in Poole. |
Where is it? | Boyd Road and Northmere Road are in the town of Parkstone in Poole. They are close to two Doctor's surgeries, a local pharmacy and Sainsbury's which is just a few minutes down the road. There is a very good bus route within very easy access, which provides buses to Parkstone high street, Poole Town centre, Local supermarkets, Poole Hospital and Bournemouth town centre. There a local shops just round the corner within a short walking distance, which include a Post Office, local convenience store, hairdressers and green grocers who are able to deliver to local residents. Boyd Road and Northmere Residents are also a short distance for Rossmore Library. |
What is it for? | It aims to give people good housing and that little bit of support so they can carry on living independently. A member of staff, whose job title is Sheltered Housing Officer, is available on site during normal working hours Monday to Friday. A large part of the Sheltered Housing Officer's job is to support tenants to stay safe and live independently. |
Right to occupy | People living in Boyd and Northmere road have a legal agreement to live there and details are set out in Secure Tenancy Agreements between them and PHP. |
How to get it? | Anyone wishing to apply to rent a flat at Boyd or Northmere Road Sheltered Scheme must be 60 or over and be registered on the Housing Register. The Borough of Poole operates a Choice-based lettings Scheme called Homechoice: when a flat becomes vacant it is advertised and applicants can 'bid' for it. They would usually go to the person or couple who need it most of those bidding. The most common reasons for needing to move are:
Anyone interested in wanting to move to Boyd Road or Northmere Road has to be on the Poole Borough Council Housing Register |
What is provided? Facilities | There is one communal lounge and kitchen area which accommodates for the many daily activities and social events held there. There is a loop system in place and the scheme has recently had the new speech equipment installed in all flats and communal area, so that residents can contact the sheltered staff or Control Centre in an emergency. There are also laundry facilities available for residents. A mobile library visits on scheme weekly as well as a prescription collection service from the communal area daily. The common room is also available for functions and has a capacity of 60 persons. |
Services | Boyd Road and Northmere Road has three main services. They are: 1. A support service provided by sheltered housing staff (the Sheltered Housing Officer) – this is to help people get information, give help with welfare benefits and point people in the right direction for other services to keep them as independent as possible. Sheltered housing staff do not provide personal care . 2. A community alarm service. When sheltered staff are not available residents are able to get help by using the community alarm service. Every flat has an intercom and pull cords and there are also pull cords around the building. If someone uses this equipment the staff at the community alarm service know help is needed and they will send it quickly. On site sheltered staff also use the intercom to call everyone each day to see how they are. 3. A management and repairs service. Support staff will contact PHP if any repairs need to be done. PHP will arrange for contractors to come out to do the repairs. |
Standards | There are standards covering all of the services that are provided at Boyd Road and Northmere Road and people who live there have copies of the standards they can expect. PHP is always keen to make sure that work is done to good standards. |
Relationship with the local community | Boyd Road and Northmere Road are part of the local community and people living there take part in activities in the local area. The building is not open for regular use by the local community although social events are regularly held at Boyd Road and local people are invited to attend. |
Staffing and expertise | Boyd Road and Northmere Road Sheltered Housing Officer has been trained to give housing related support and signpost residents to other services that PHP cannot provide. |
Complaints and other matters | Anyone living at both Boyd Road and Northmere Road can expect to be treated with courtesy at all times. Everyone moving into Boyd or Northmere road are given a handbook that explains what they should do if they are not happy with a service. Complaints are taken seriously and staff aim to put matters right if possible. |
Costs to you | The Supporting People charge is for housing related supported provided by the sheltered housing staff and the Control Centre. Many people who are on low incomes qualify for Housing Benefit to cover all or some of the rent. Some people also get almost all of their service and support costs met. Our staff can help work out what people would pay before they move. Communal heating charge will vary from scheme to scheme. |
Value for money What it feels like from the service user's perspective to live on the scheme. | Our charges compare well with rents and charges for similar housing for older people in Poole. 'I love living in Boyd Road. I enjoy having my own front entrance and a small private garden. Shops, buses and surgeries are local and there is a really strong sense of community and a fantastic social life for people living here. I feel it's important to have a Sheltered Housing Officer on scheme as it helps to hold the community together and provides the support for us to remain independent, and the work that the Sheltered Housing office does is widely appreciated by all living here'. |
Want to know more? | Please contact Sarah Florio, Sheltered Housing Officer on 01202 747928 |