EKAYA HOUSING ASSOCIATION

AnnualReport2018-19

ContentsCEO’s introduction 2

Chair’s review 3

Supporting people 4

Maintaining homes 8

New homes 9

Happy Nursery Days 10

Managing neighbourhoods 11

Financial performance 12

Key performance indicators 14

Achieving value for money 15

Involving our residents 16

Our plans for next year 18

Board members 19

I joined Ekaya in February 2018and was immediately impressed bywhat the organisation offers to itslocal community. We are consideredby the sector to be a smallorganisation, however, in partnershipwith residents and key stakeholders,Ekaya is making a huge difference topeople’s lives. The key to our successis in our collaborative approach andpartnership working.

In partnership with London PlusCredit Union, our residents can nowaccess financial products from anon-profit organisation. Whilst creditunions are for everyone, they canoften help those who can’t get accessto mainstream bank accounts andproducts, and they can be a welcomealternative to payday loans and doorstep lending.

We are starting a new developmentinitiative through the Build LondonPartnership programme, as part ofour Growth Strategy. This is animportant initiative as it really makesa difference by providing much-needed homes for people who needa decent place to live, raise familiesand live in thriving communities.

In addition to beginning ourdevelopment programme, we alsowork on ensuring that homes that wealready own are looked after toensure they remain in goodcondition.

Last year, I said that my vison was tocontinuously improve the quality ofservice and for Ekaya over time to be

CEO’s introduction Chair’s reviewWelcome to the Annual Reportfor 2018-19 and a look back overthe past year for Ekaya. 2018-19was a busy, eventful and excitingyear for Ekaya. We agreed thepurchase of new offices in Brixton,which means we will be returningto our spiritual home when thebuilding is complete. Ekaya wasstarted over 30 years ago, whenLambeth Council gifted us a house on Saltoun Road.

Our work to provide homes forthose in greatest need continues.Together with 30 other smallhousing associations, we havesigned up to a strategic partnershipagreement – the Build LondonPartnership – through which L&Qand the Greater London

Authority are looking to deliver1,000 homes by March 2022.

The tragic events at Grenfell Towerbrought to public attention the risksthat lack of oversight of tenant safetycan lead to. We continue to makethis an area of great focus. Withgreat care, the Audit & RiskCommittee examines the issues oftenant safety, and health and safety,at every meeting. Our workconcentrates on key areas includingfire, gas, legionella, asbestos, liftsand electrical safety.

Recruitment to the Board is based onthe skill/s a Board member will bringto ensure the continued success of theorganisation. During the year, our VIceChair Joy Maitland resigned from theBoard. She is successfully pursuingbusiness opportunities in Africa andremains a valued friend of Ekaya. Itake this opportunity to publicly thankher for the passion and significantcontribution she made during hertime on the Board.

At our Special General Meeting, theBoard appointed Leanne DonaldWhitney as the new Vice Chair. At the

same meeting, and as part of oursuccession planning, GordonMattocks stood down asTreasurer and Chair of Audit &Risk Committee, after longservice in those roles, andTanya Srikandan was appointedto take over from him.

We remain financially strong as anorganisation, with an operatingmargin of 36.49% (social housinglettings) and comfortably met all ourloan covenants.

Across all our areas of work, theBoard is aided by the Executive Teamand staff. The Board and staff want toprovide you with the best possiblestandards of service and we strive toachieve that. We know there is alwaysroom to improve and welcome yourfeedback to assist us to deliver aservice that is right for you. If youwould like to assist us in shaping thatservice do get in touch; we are verymuch your housing association.

My thanks go to the staff at Ekayaand Happy Nursery Days, for it istheir continued hard work that allowsus to deliver our promises. Thanksalso go to my colleagues on theBoard, who continue to provide thevision for the future and who arecommitted to making sure that Ekayawill continue for many years toprovide homes and services for thosewho need them most, and to make adifference in the communities weserve.

Michelle Nelson QCChair

recognised as one of the topperforming housing associationsamongst its peers. I am pleased tosay that as reported on pages 14-15,our performance in some key areascompares very well when benchmarkedagainst others. We know we need toimprove on how quickly we re-letvoids (empty properties) to reduce theamount of rent loss, and we have putin place plans to improve this.

We are very proud of our CustomerPanel, and in the future we will belooking to further strengthen this areaof work and generally further developour resident involvement strategy.

I hope that you find this reportinformative. Your feedback isessential to us providing anoutstanding service and wevalue your input andsuggestions. If you havesomething you’d like to tell usabout the services you’vereceived, or theAnnual Report,please do let usknow.

Ben Laryea

ChiefExecutive

EKAYA Annual report 3

Case study: MabintyMabinty was 20 and four months’pregnant when she first came tous in 2018.

Referred by her council, she hadbeen made homeless after fallingout with her mother.

Mabinty was in her second yearof nursing training, so weencouraged her to complete theyear – which she achieved withflying colours.

In May 2019, after completing athird year of study and placements,Mabinty passed her final exams.She is now a fully qualified nurseand considering studying medicine.

We are currently working withMabinty to find suitable move-onaccommodation.

EKAYA Annual report 5

Young parentsSince 1987, we have providedaccommodation and support tovulnerable young parents.

During 2018-19, the SupportedHousing Team offered a highsupport service to more than 70young mothers at our 10supported housing schemes. Weguided these young womenthrough pregnancy and the earlystages of motherhood, helpingthem to develop good parentingskills, continue with educationand training, and prepare forthe world of work.

Over the same period, our floatingsupport service engaged with 27young parents living in thecommunity in a variety of settings,including temporary housing.

Our aim, in all our supportingpeople work, is to build youngpeople’s confidence and wellbeing,so that they can go on to livesustainably independent lives.

We involve them in meetings, focusgroups and other events, to givethem a voice and help them todevelop social skills.

Supporting peoplePartnership workingOur highly successful work withyoung people results partly from astrong record of partnership workingin all the boroughs where we offerservices. We make full use of ourlinks with statutory and otheragencies and we draw in specialistsupport wherever we need it.

For example, we are currentlyworking with the Rosebud LactationConsultancy, whose staff are teachingour young pregnant mothers aboutbreastfeeding.

Training and jobsAs a member of the BME Londongroup of housing associations, weoffer our residents access to the RISEemployment programme. RISE is anaward-winning project that wasoriginally developed for ArhagHousing Association by Olmec.

RISE can work with any of our residentsor their adult children – whether theyare looking for their first job, wantingto get back to work, or hoping to finda better job. Each course includes sixweeks of informal group learning andone-to-one support, a four-weekplacement and ongoing support oncea participant finds work.

In 2018-19, two residents took partin a RISE programme.

All our supported housing residentsbenefit from help around training andjobs as part of their personal supportpackages. Some of them access theRISE programme, while others aresignposted to local colleges and theservices of other specialist agencies.

In 2018-19, a total of 17 youngmums took up opportunities ineducation, training or employment.

EKAYA Annual report 5

Case study: Margaret*Margaret lives in a two bedroomEkaya flat. She was affected bythe Benefit Cap because one ofher two children works full time.

When her son later moved out,the Housing Benefit office carriedon calculating Margaret’s benefitbased on her son’s income. Thefamily appealed unsuccessfullyand found themselves strugglingto meet their weekly rent.

Margaret initially refused to workwith our Housing Officer on herarrears, but through several homevisits, they built a relationship.

Our Housing Officer explainedthe general support Margaretcould access, signposting her toother agencies.

To help with Margaret’s immediaterent arrears, she assisted her withanother appeal letter. She askedfor the benefit assessor to attendthe next court hearing, to presenttheir reasons for denying the claimand also put in a backdating claimon Margaret’s behalf.

Our Housing Officer wrote asupporting letter, outlining thefamily’s situation, which includesdisability in the family.

Margaret’s benefit was completelyre-assessed. She was awarded fullbenefit and this was backdated.

As well as sorting out her arrears,so the family can stay in their home,Margaret is now better off andexempt from the Benefit Cap.

* Name changed to respect confidentiality.

EKAYA Annual report 7Supporting peopleCase study: Selina Burton in her own words

It’s amazing that in life you can gothrough many challenges and, onceyou have overcome them, moveon and forget they ever happened.But those experiences, positive ornegative, stay with you and helpshape the person you are today.

While going about my everydaylife, I happened to cross paths withsome staff from Ekaya HousingAssociation, promoting opportunitiesthey have to offer. This was notanything out of the ordinary but,for me, it turned out to be amoment of reflection.

I never noticed the staff at first. The

thing that caught my attention wasthe logo. I remember thinking, have Iseen this somewhere before? As soonas I read the name it was like awaterfall of memories andexperiences came flooding back tome – but they were all positive. Asmile came across my face and Iproudly said to the staff: “I used tolive here.” I know most people wouldnot associate pride with a parentsupport home and, at a time when Iwas young, homeless and pregnant,it may surprise some that I see thispoint in my life as positive.

When I first came to Ekaya, I was 17years old, three months pregnant andhad already been homeless for almosttwo years. Ekaya would have been my

third temporary home andfrom my first contact with

them, they had beensupportive. I foundtheir number on theinternet after being toldby the hostel I was livingin that, once I was three

months pregnant, Icould no longerstay there as theirhealth and safetywould not coverme. Being young,scared and aloneat this point, I was

not sure how to resolve thissituation. I was shocked and gratefulthat Ekaya was able to support me.

Having been in other temporaryaccommodation, Ekaya had adifferent feel. It was based in aconverted house. It had a homelyfeel, although there were someshared facilities. It was the first timesince leaving home that I felt I had aspace that was safe, that I could callmy own. During my time at Ekaya, Ihad the most caring and supportivekeyworker. Her name was Allison andshe was one of them people youcould never forget. She worked sohard to ensure that I was preparedfor motherhood and thinking aboutmy future. She was always there ifyou needed to talk or get supportwith anything, from filling in forms tobathing your baby.

Most of my experiences after leavinghome were not very positive, butliving at Ekaya reassured me thatthere were people in the world who

London Plus Credit UnionA safe alternative to loan sharksand payday loan companies.

We are really excited to be working inpartnership with London Plus CreditUnion, so that our residents and staffcan open savings accounts and getaccess to affordable loans.

Credit unions are co-operatives, butthey are regulated just like banks andbuilding societies, and provide thesame safeguards for people’s savings.They offer a healthy alternative to‘pay day’ loans and other high-costloan companies, because theirmembers can borrow small amounts

did not judge you and genuinelyhad your best interests at heart.

During my time at Ekaya, Allisonintroduced me to another youngmum, who I would be sharingliving facilities with. She was myage and we were at the samepoint in our pregnancy. Little did Iknow that this young lady wouldbecome one of my best friends.

While we were staying there,Allison found us a course to do ata local college. Every morning, shewould make sure we were up andready to go to college and wewould walk down the road withour big bellies. As well as findingus something practical to do, wewere also encouraged to attendmothers’ groups and workshops tosupport independent living.

Almost 18 years on, looking back,I feel that Ekaya Housing, alongwith other organisations theyworked with, had a major impacton helping me reach my fullpotential. I have a strongfriendship built on my experiencethere that has enabled ourdaughters to be friends today. Ihave continued with my educationand developed a career as ateacher, and I am an excellentparent. Thank you, Ekaya.

they can afford, interest rates arecomparatively lower and there are nopenalties for paying money back early.

Ekaya staff also have the option ofusing the Credit Union’s Payroll Plusproduct to save as they earn, givingthem access to other financial services.

To find out more about London PlusCredit Union, call our office or goonline to: www.londonpluscu.co.uk

How London Plus comparesInterest you would pay

QuickQuid: £96

Swift Money: £48

London Plus: £7 (if weekly payments)

£200

2 months

EKAYA Annual report 9Maintaining homes

Shared ownershipAt Zanara Court in Sydenham,Lewisham (pictured), we developedtwo homes for shared ownership.

These attractive one and twobedroom apartments, featuringbright modern fittings and a sharedrear courtyard, are situated closeto Sydenham train station.

We now have five properties forshared ownership.

We are committed to keepingour stock in good conditionand providing a repairsservice that meets residents’needs.

We offer convenientappointments and aim forrepairs to be completed on thefirst visit if at all possible.

For details on our repairsperfornance for 2018-19, seeour key performance indicatorson page 14.

Capital programmeWe use information from our stockcondition survey to decide where weinvest to improve residents’ homes.

For each type of work, we havedesigned an ‘Ekaya standard’ toreach as we work on properties. Wehave agreed this with our CustomerPanel.

Last year we spent £159,000 oncapital works.

We replaced:

• 13 bathrooms• 12 kitchens, and• the windows in 13 homes.

In addition, on our behalf, Watret& Co. replaced boilers in 21 ofour properties with Eco Tec CombiBoilers made by Valliant.

Replacing an old heating systemwith a new, energy-saving,performance boiler can cut youryearly energy usage by up to athird. It can also increase the EPC(Energy Performance Certificate)rating for the property.

New homes

Stock transfersWe continued to look actively foropportunities to add to our stockthrough transfer agreements.

Build London partnershipAs one of the small housingassociations working with L&Q andthe Greater London Authority in thestrategic Build London Partnership,we will soon be able to buy completedhomes at cost from L&Q. Build Londonaims to start 1,000 new affordablehomes for London by 2022.

Maxine says: “I’m thoroughlyenjoying my new kitchen andbathroom. Ekaya asked for myviews on the design and gave mechoices for things like flooring, worksurfaces and door fronts. Thedesigns were perfect and I’m reallyhappy with the end results.

“Ekaya’s contractors were great andwent over and above what wasrequired of them. They left my homeclean and tidy at the end of eachday whilst the work was being done.Thank you Ekaya for sorting out mykitchen and bathroom”.

EKAYA Annual report 11Happy Nursery DaysGood quality childcareOfsted again awarded us a ‘Good’rating when they inspected thenursery in September 2018.Feedback from the inspectorsuggested that we were not far offachieving ‘Outstanding’. We areproud of this result for a tightly runcommunity project.

Working with parentsWorking in partnership with parentswas a great success last year. Ourmanagers and staff worked tirelesslywith parent representatives to getparents involved in our activities andevents.

Parents continued to give positivefeedback about our website. Theyfind it very informative and like theregular news updates.

Managingneighbourhoods

Happy Nursery Days is anEkaya subsidiary, which runsas a charity. It provides goodquality childcare for babiesand children aged threemonths to five years.

The nursery is based in Tulse Hillin Lambeth and takes childrenfrom St Martin’s Estate and thesurrounding area.

The subsidised fees we chargeoffer affordable childcare forparents and are a key part ofour strategy to remove barriersto work.

Over the past year, the nurseryran at capacity, caring for 69children. Many parents areaccessing 15 or 30 hours of freechildcare through theGovernment scheme.

Lots of parents came to viewduring the year. We built up awaiting list for September.

Nursery eventsIn 2018-19, we celebrated Easterand Christmas with fun activities.

In May 2018, we celebrated theRoyal Wedding and British valueswith a tea party and messy play forthe children.

On Father’s Day in June 2018, weinvited Dads to join us to rhymeand sing with baby. Meanwhile, ourtoddler Dads did art and bakinghome work with their children for ashow and tell.

Our family outing for 2018 tookparents and children to Margate.

Every year, we hold a specialcelebration for our pre-schoolers,before they head off to start school.The ceremony ends with thechildren dressed in graduationgowns receiving certificates. In2018, 20 of our pre-schoolersgraduated.

In March 2019, we took part inWorld Book Day, getting the childrento dress up as their favourite bookcharacter and bring a book to share.

We celebrated Mother’s Day byhosting an afternoon tea fornursery Mums, giving them a greatopportunity to socialise.

Dealing with anti-socialbehaviourWe take anti-social behaviourseriously and we work in partnershipwith the police and local authoritiesto tackle this problem. For example,police safer neighbourhood teamspatrol our blocks and buildings tomake sure they are safe andpeaceful.

We know that anti-social behaviourmatters to residents. We recentlyreviewed our anti-social behaviourpolicy and processes, so that we canmanage cases better and make themost of partnership working.

ComplaintsWe welcome complaints as valuablefeedback about our services. We aimto resolve complaints at stage one ofour process.

In 2018-19, we took 19 complaints.Most were about the repairs service,for example, about work carried out,missed appointments and the timetaken to complete a repair.

More recently, we’ve seen asignificant improvement in ourcontractors’ performance. We willcontinue to work with them to reducecomplaints and improve the service.

During the year, a group of customersand staff carried out a major reviewof formal complaints and customersatisfaction, to make sure we learnfrom your complaints.

Letting and allocatinghomesOur allocations policy is designedto make sure that we are fair andtransparent when finding tenantsfor our homes.

We let our homes through localauthorities and internal transfers.

In 2018-19 we let nine homes,most of which were one bedroomflats. Five were let to people putforward by their local authority,two went to people on our waitinglist and the remaining twoprovided move-on accommodationto supported housing clients. Fourproperties changed hands becausethe tenants made a mutualexchange.

Lettings by borough

Croydon1 x 1 bed

Southwark1 x 3 / 1 x 5 bed

Lewisham1 x 2 / 1 x 3 bed

Lambeth3 x 1 / 1 x 2 bed

EKAYA Annual report 13Financial performanceOur approach to rentsWe set our rents in line with therules set by the Regulator of SocialHousing.

Last year, we developed a newpolicy to strengthen our approachto managing rent arrears. Ourfocus is on promoting a strongpayment culture, intervening earlyand taking prompt action toprevent arrears growing.

We take a ‘firm but fair’ approach,and we aim to provide residentswith appropriate guidance andadvice to enable them to managetheir accounts and sustain theirtenancies.

Rent £2,794,188

Service charge £647,930

Supported housing income £363,661

Nursery £512,314

Other income £13,259

Management costs £1,538,193

Service charge costs £610,770

Nursery costs £438,778

Interest payable £463,990

Maintenance £329,231

Bad debt £36,703

Our total income was £4,331,354

Our income

Our expenditure

Our total expenditure was £3,417,665Retained surplus: £913,689

Our average weekly rents*General needs

£Property Units 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19

1 bedroom 114 103.02 101.99 100.97

2 bedroom 166 124.48 123.24 122.00

3 bedroom 71 137.05 135.68 134.32

4 bedroom 10 158.14 156.56 154.99

5 bedroom 1 168.55 166.86 165.20

Supported housing and temporary accommodation

Property Units 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19

1 bedroom 59 121.53 122.93 121.70

* These figures exclude service charges.

EKAYA Annual report 15Key performanceindicators

Achievingvalue for moneyWe aim to make the best use ofour resources to deliver goodvalue for money to our residentsand stakeholders.

Last year we worked with HappyNursery Days’ management teamto help them manage costs whilstmaintaining and improving theservice. This resulted in the nurseryout-performing its business planand ensuring it is financiallysecure, whilst providing a greatservice to the local community atan affordable cost.

Savings we made Savings

(£)%

Board meetingroom hire

2,118 23%

Health & safetyconsultancy

590 6%

BrightHR 336 4%

Royal Mail service 1,140 12%

Mobile phones 2,576 28%

Life insurance 566 6%

Nursery insurance 1,920 21%

Total savings 9,246Sector scorecard: VfM metrics

2018-19 Target for2018-19

2017-18 2018-19benchmark*

Income and rent collection

Rent arrears 4.32% 5.2% 5.8% 4%

Rent collected 99.73% 100% 97.8% 101.1%

Void management

Average re-let time 26 days 22 days 24 days 25.5 days

Void losses 2.25% 2.5% 4.1% 0.5%

Repairs and maintenance

% of emergency repairs completedwithin target

99% 99% 100% 99%

% of urgent repairs completedwithin target

95% 98% 98% 93%

% routine repairs completed withintarget

95% 98% 98% 96%

% of properties with a valid gassafety certificate

100% 100% 100% 100%2018-19 Target for

2018-192017-18 2018-19

benchmark*

Reinvestment (Spend on homes as a % of total stock value) 1.63% 1% – 2.3%

New supply delivered (How many new homes) 0.47% 0% – 0%

Gearing (Our debt levels. Loans allow us to invest in existing homes ordevelop new ones)

20.93% 21% 21.1% 18.1%

EBITDA MRI interest cover (Measures our surpluses against theamount of interest we pay)

277.86% 225% 130.6% 221.1%

Headline social housing costs per unit (Average spend on eachhome – includes managing, servicing, repairing & upgrading costs)

£5,445 £5,600 £6,779 £5,273

Operating margin: social housing (Surplus before loan interest paid) 36.49% 26% 23.7% 14.8%

Operating margin: all homes (Surplus before loan interest paid) 33.88% 23% 19% 14.2%

Return on capital employed (ROCE) (Surplus as a % of capital used) 2.88% 2% 1.8% 2.4%

We reviewed ourapproach to rentarrears, with afocus on makingearly interventions tosupport residents facing financial challenges, helping them tomanage their finances, includingpaying their rent. Last year, ourarrears reduced by over £42,000compared to the previous year.

By supporting residents in this way,we can help sustain tenancies and atthe same time make sure we havemoney to complete repairs and carryout major works like replacing kitchens,bathrooms and boilers.

* We ‘benchmark’ our performance by comparing with other similar landlords.

EKAYA Annual report 17Involving ourresidents

House meetingsWe involve young residents in housemeetings, so that they can bring upany problems or concerns.

We see these meetings as a source ofimportant life skills, where our youngmothers learn to listen, express theirviews, negotiate and solve problems.

Our health championsWe aim to look after our staff,as well as our residents. So, wedecided to make health andwellbeing part of our everydaywork.

Nine of our staff volunteered tojoin our new Health & WellbeingCommittee. They went on tocomplete an accredited trainingcourse.

The Committee’s role is to comeup with ideas to improve staffwellbeing, get other staffinvolved and organise socialactivities.

We are committed to keepingour residents well-informedabout our plans.

We encourage residents to getinvolved in our work, so thatthey can give us feedback, andhelp to shape and plan ourservices. Last year, residents gotinvolved in a number of ways.

Customer PanelFeedback from the CustomerPanel helps us make sure weremain focused on deliveringgreat services to residents.

Estate walkaboutsWe want you to be happy living inyour local neighbourhood. Thatmeans continuing to improve theground maintenance and cleaningservices we deliver.

Monthly estate walkabouts, led byour housing officers, give ourcustomers an opportunity to raiseany questions they have aboutwhere they live, directly with staff.This helps us keep communalareas in good condition, whileaddressing your concerns.

Our champions started byemphasising healthy eating, with freefresh fruit on Fruit Fridays.

Head office staff also took on athree-month weight loss challenge,raising money for the Nursery. Theylost a combined total of more than5st and they raised £200 in theprocess.

From 2020, we will fundraise tosupportcharities thatdeal withhealth issuesthat

disproportionately affect the blackand ethnic minority communities.

We are looking at initiatives tobring health and wellbeing projectsto our residents and we wouldwelcome any ideas you have tomake that happen.

Estate championsWe have been getting feedback fromcustomers through their estatechampions, to find out what theythink about services at their schemes.

We value this input and have beenrecording what we learn aboutcontractor performance, blockupkeep and the gardening andcleaning services at estates.

I have been a tenant of Ekaya for11½ years. I am the currentChairperson for the Customer Panel.My role as the chair is to scrutiniseEkaya’s performance and ensurethat residents are at the front oftheir service delivery.

Firstly, I would like to say a big thankyou to all our Panel members; inparticular Tai Ann Fadeyomi (Vice-Chair) and Susan Achoko, TrishaGordon and Shireena Hancock, whoprovided me with great supportand guidance over the year.

Highlights from last year... twothings really stand out for me. Thenew lettable standard – which

guarantees the standard of our voidproperties for people moving in – isa really positive change.

The second thing was the numberof policies that were produced andconsulted upon to shape the servicesyou and I receive. I see this as anhonesty in acknowledging whereEkaya is and clear determination toimprove things and get them rightfor residents.

In the coming year, I hope residentswill be able to interact online throughthe website to access informationand contact housing officers, andcheck rent statements, pay rent etcand have improved maintenanceservices across the board.

I have every confidence that withour collective help, Ekaya will tackleany challenges faced and continueto move forward. On behalf of allresidents, I am determined to helpmake that happen. Most importantly,I would really love to hear fromother residents who are interested injoining us on the Customer Panel.

Nusula LunkuseCustomer Panel Chair

Message from our Customer Panel Chair

New office in BrixtonIn 2020, we are planning tomove into a brand-new,purpose-built office in Brixton.We are in the process of buyingthis building, so we have apermanent base in Lambeth.

The move will be a form ofhomecoming, as the building isclose to where Ekaya began, atthe old Bonmarché store onBrixton Road.

We will give you details in thenear future and there will be anofficial opening too.

Reviewing our Mission,Vision and ValuesNext year, we will be reviewingour Mission, Vision and Valuesto make sure they still representwhat Ekaya stands for anddescribe how our organisationwill continue to deliver its servicesand purpose into the future.

Resident involvementWe plan to appoint a tenantBoard member and to develop anew resident involvementstrategy.

Renewing Kabo HouseKabo House was one of our very firstproperties. It provided a home andsupport to young Mums for 30 years.It is a lovely building in the heart ofBrixton, but we recognised it neededupdating.

In February, we began a top tobottom refurbishment, which wecompleted in the summer – after theperiod covered by this report.

We are currently negotiating acontract with Lambeth Council toreopen the building to providehousing support to young people.

Agile workingNext year, we’re going to invest in newtechnology, so that we work smarter,and provide you with better services.

We think you need to see more of usout and about in your communities.Having the right technology canreally help, because if staff canconnect to our systems wherever theyare working, they can respond muchmore quickly to your queries andrequests. They can also spend moretime working with you to make sureyour homes and communal areas arewell maintained.

Our plans for2019-20

Fun dayWe held a residents’ fun day on 10 August 2019.

Residents and Happy Nursery Daysparents joined us at Slade Gardensin Brixton, to meet and socialise withstaff from Ekaya, the nursery andsome of our contractors.

We laid on competitions, familyactivities, food and drinks. As youcan see from the photos throughoutthis report, a fun time was had by all.

Investors in People We successfully attained Investors inPeople Gold accreditation in June2019. This is a very significantachievement for Ekaya and HappyNursery Days. We will tell you morein our next newsletter.

Board members

EKAYA Annual report 19

Michelle NelsonChairperson

Appointed as Board memberon 14 November 2011

Leanne Donald-WhitneyVice Chair

(appointed 20 September 2018)Appointed as Board member

on 16 November 2017

Tanya SrikandanChair of Audit & RiskCommittee/Treasurer

(appointed 20 September 2018)Appointed as Board member

on 16 November 2017

Melissa MadjiteyChair of Policy &

Performance CommitteeAppointed as Board member

on 30 July 2014

Gordon MattocksBoard MemberAppointed on 19 December 2011Stepped down as Treasurer on 20 September 2018

Marion SchumannBoard memberAppointed on 18 September 2013

Elaine MarshallBoard memberAppointed on 15 September 2016

Jamie HouldersBoard memberAppointed on 26 January 2018

Joy MaitlandVice Chair and Board member Resigned as Board member andVice Chair on 19 September 2018

Key partnersExternal auditors

Beever & Struthers15 Bunhill RowLondon EC1Y 8LP

lnternal auditors

Knox CropperChartered Accountants8/9 Well CourtLondon EC4M 9DN

BME London

Apna Ghar Housing Association

Arhag Housing Association

Bangla Housing Association

Innis Free Housing Association

Inquilab Housing Association

Industrial Dwelling Society

Imani Housing Association

North London Muslim HousingAssociation

Odu-Dua Housing Association

Shian Housing Association

Spitalfields Housing Association

Tamil Community HousingAssociation

Westway Housing Association

Solicitors

DevonshiresSalisbury HouseLondon WallLondon EC2M 5QY

Bankers

National Westminster Bank504 Brixton RoadLondon SW9 5EB

Lloyds TSB25 Gresham StreetLondon EC2V 7HN

Ekaya Housing Association

1st Floor, 291-299 Borough High Street, London SE1 1JG

Email: info@ekaya.co.uk Phone: 020 7091 1800

Web: www.ekaya.co.uk

Regulator of Social Housing, registered number: LH3940

Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, registration number: 25683R