Cynthia House/Close

Housing for older people with some special design features and good facilities

Who is it for?	People over the age of 60.wanting to rent.
Property details	Cynthia House has 37 Studio Flats, 32 x 1 bedroom flats, 1x 2 bedroom flat, 1 x 3 bedroom flat and 2 x 2 bedroom bungalows . The studio flats within the house are only designed for one-person occupation. They are situated on different levels all accessed via the main door by a set of stairs and there is no lift access. The house offers two communal laundry facilities one on each floor. the house also offers guest room facility for visitors. All 32 one-bedroom flats are large enough for couples, these are situated within the close and are set up in blocks of 4 properties two ground level and two first floor level. The bungalows have disabled adaptations including level access shower and corridors and rooms suitable for wheelchair users. Flats are a reasonable size and each flat has a large cupboard for storage. Cynthia House/ close 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?	Cynthia house/ close is situated off of the main Ringwood Road in Poole. The nearest bus stop is a 5-minute walk from the house but offers a main route service. There is a GP surgery within a 5 minute walk with a pharmacy attached. The nearest main shopping facilities are a 5 minute bus ride away at Ashley Road Parkstone.
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 in the building during normal working hours Monday to Friday. A large part of the Sheltered Housing Officer's job is to support tenants.
Right to occupy	People living in Cynthia House/ Close have a legal agreement to live there and details are set out in Secure Tenancy Agreements between them and PHP.
How to get it?	Only people who need housing can apply. They must be over 60 and need to have been accepted onto the Poole borough housing register. People thinking about moving will be asked why they need to move. They have to give their reasons on an application form. 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: someone is finding it difficult to manage where they live now because they need housing on one level, or they need to be nearer friends and relatives, or they need to be near shops and buses so they can get on with everyday life more easily Anyone interested in wanting to move to Cynthia House/ Close must be on the Poole Housing Register before they can bid for a property.
What is provided? Facilities	There is one lounge in the building that all tenants can use if they want to have more space for parties, get-togethers or meetings. It is bright and sunny and overlooks the garden area. The scheme has recently had a new intercom fitted which is much quicker for responding to emergency calls. It also gives the opportunity for tenants to wear the emergency pendent on their wrist and have assisted technology to help them remain independent for longer.. Cynthia house has large communal grounds with lots of private areas. There is also a small orchard area which is quiet and peaceful.
Services	Cynthia House / Close 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. Sheltered housing staff do not provide personal care. 2. A community alarm service. When sheltered housing staff is 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 housing staff also use the intercom to call everyone each day to see how they are. 3. A management and repairs service. Sheltered housing 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 Cynthia House/ close 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	Cynthia House/ Close is 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 Cynthia House/ Close and local people might be invited to attend.
Staffing and expertise	Cynthia House / close staff include the Sheltered Housing Officer and cleaning staff. The SHO has been trained to give advice on the kinds of help and support that are available.
Complaints and other matters	Anyone living at Cynthia House / Close can expect to be treated with courtesy at all times. Everyone moving onto the scheme is 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 Value for money	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. Our charges compare well with rents and charges for similar housing for older people in Poole.
What is it like from a User's perspective to live on the scheme.	Resident Comment. Cynthia house/ close is a nice friendly place to live I feel safe in my home all the time just knowing that I can press my button whenever. I have lived here for approx nineteen years and would not like to move. I am near the doctors and can get a bus to anywhere I wish to go. If I have any problems I can speak to the warden (SHO) who gets my repairs done for me, and helps lots of people here with other thing too. It is very quiet in the close and we have a lot of benches to sit and enjoy the sunshine. Recently the coffee mornings has started up and I always go to bingo on a Wednesday. I love the fact that I am in the house and have lots of company if I need it. I can just sit at the main door and talk to residents who meet there for chats' . some people use the computer in the common room and this is good as they haven't got their own..
Want to know more?	Please contact Lesly Curtis (Sheltered Housing Officer).01202 748418 or email l.curtis@poole.gov.uk

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