Building for Rosemary

Life goes on. That simple truth runs throughout the work of the Rosemary Simmons Memorial Housing Association (RSMHA) as it continues to deliver the kind of memorial that is fit to live in – the homes and the services that meet local needs

As the name indicates, the organisation owes its origins to a tragic loss combined with a desire to create a worthy memorial to the child that was Rosemary Simmons. As the housing association established in her name has steadily grown, and as its latest newbuild developments show, it remains very much a living memorial.

The Rosemary Simmons Memorial Housing Association (RSMHA) was established by Iris and Roger Simmons in 1959 and the organisation marked its 50th anniversary last year. Over that time, though it remains a small housing association, it has grown into an organisation with some 550 properties, providing services to tenants but also support services to homeowners. It has extended its presence into the boroughs of Elmbridge, Runnymede, Guildford, Woking, and Worthing and Adur on the South Coast.

Fifty years on from its founding, when Iris ran it from her kitchen table, she still plays a role with the organisation as its life president.

“Her contribution reminds us that our focus as a landlord must always be on our residents and staff,” said a spokesperson for the organisation. “We believe it is this approach that has kept us successful and independent, and it gives us a firm foundation for the next 50 years.”

That firm foundation is also taking a physical form with a number of developments. One of the latest is in Lancing, Sussex. Swinburne Court, as it is called, is the site of the old Burdwood House, and it will provide high-quality and spacious homes more suited to people’s needs today.

RSMHA is the corporate trustee for the Fellowship Houses Trust (FHT), an ailing charity which RSMHA took on in the year 2000. The charity’s properties comprised mainly of 1960s bedsit accommodation which has little or no demand in modern times. Burdwood House was one of those.

The scheme’s redevelopment will meet level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes and it features air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels. The development will consist of 20 units, with four ground floor homes the organisation is building on behalf of West Sussex County Council – though RSMHA will retain formal ownership of the properties. These units are built to be completely wheelchair accessible to meet the needs of the prospective residents.

“There are four ladies with disabilities allocated to these properties, so we are adapting the interior of the flats particularly for their needs,” said Ian Lines, property director. As well as providing the homes, the organisation will also be providing the home care support services once they are completed and occupied. The remaining properties, consisting of flats and two bungalows, will be for more general rental allocations.

“The development is attractive to look at: it’s got a great setting on Brighton Road, overlooking the beach huts at the seaside. The roof is on, it is weathertight, and it is heading for completion in August.” Lines added, with a palpable sense of pride. Brighton Road is part of an ambitious five-year strategy launched in 2008 to deliver 300 new homes across Surrey, Berkshire and West Sussex.

“Three years ago we set out to give Rosemary Simmons Memorial Housing Association a revived sense of purpose and ambition,” a spokesperson added. “With family homes in very short supply and sheltered housing declining in popularity, our focus had to change. We set ourselves challenging new standards for our management and property services, [and] we began building on a modest scale,
targeting small sites in good locations.”

The aim isn’t just to deliver new homes, but also continuous improvement as an organisation, to target and provide ever-better quality services for its tenants and residents.

Service rated

Results from its latest STATUS survey indicate a high degree of satisfaction with the services provided by the Rosemary Simmons Memorial Housing Association (RSMHA), putting the organisation amongst the top 10 per cent of high performing social landlords, though it concedes there is more work to be done.

Conducted by the NHF, 60 per cent of the organisation’s residents took part in the survey, with 90 per cent of tenants and 78 per cent of homeowners expressing satisfaction with its services. The other findings of the survey were:

• 94 per cent reported they were satisfied with the quality and general condition of their homes
• 91 per cent of tenants and 57 per cent of homeowners were satisfied overall with the organisation’s repairs and maintenance service
• 90 per cent of tenants thought their rents were good value for money
• 89 per cent of tenants and 65 per cent of homeowners reported staff helpful
• 88 per cent of tenants and 69 per cent of homeowners thought they were kept well-informed
• 77 per cent of tenants and 60 per cent of homeowners thought their views were taken into account

“The results are better than when we were last surveyed in 2006 – and are higher than the national average – so we’re proud of what our staff have achieved,” a spokesperson said. “We also think our tenants and residents deserve a lot of credit, given how many of them gave up their time to work to help our staff improve services. We know there is room for improvement. There were some criticisms; among them how easy or otherwise it is to contact our staff and the service standards of some contractors. Over the coming months we will be looking in detail at the areas rated less well to see what changes are needed. And we will continue to listen to the views and ideas of our tenants and residents and continue to respect their judgement.”