Suttons Wharf

East London residents, this Wednesday is enrolment day for our ‘Skill Up 2 Get Ahead’ Programme funded by The Riverside Group. Free short courses, coaching and help with your CV, plus guaranteed job interviews. See how to register below, and we’ll see you on Wednesday at Flower and Dean Community Centre.

📆 Wednesday 11 October

⏰: 10.30am to 1.30pm

Tower Hamlets residents, here’s your chance to meet the Housing Ombudsman, discuss any concerns you may have about housing, and gain some insights into the complaints process. Free to attend, in person or online, but you will need to register. See below.

As the cost of living crisis continues, it is important to be aware of every opportunity to access assistance and guidance for families and communities. Please follow the links to find out more information on the support available for Tower Hamlets residents.

www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/costofliving(External link)

www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/rss(External link).

Do you need help to get into employment or training?

Why not come along to our weekly employment surgeries every Wednesday and Thursday

Sessions in East London and on the Isle of Dogs.

See flyer for full details, including how to register your interest.

Residents sometimes feel powerless when faced with anti-social behaviour (ASB) but please be assured that we take these issues seriously. ASB can make people's lives a misery by disturbing or causing nuisance to an individual, their family or a whole community.

Use our ASB toolkit, available on our website, to find out what is and what is not anti-social behaviour, and whether you need to report it to us, the police or your local council.

Where we do take action, our recently launched Noise App is having an effect. The smart phone-based app allows our Community Safety Team to assess and manage ASB noise cases. Residents can use the app to submit noise recordings to us, enabling us to review the recordings and take the required actions.  

Our Community Safety Manager, Lee Andrews says: “Since the launch of the Noise App we are already noticing a much more streamlined approach in respect of our noise related ASB investigations. We are in a position to resolve noise issues faced by our residents more quickly than before, and we are confident that the app will continue to help us deliver a better ASB noise service to our residents.”

More information on how to report a noise nuisance 

We recently helped fund two workshops in Newham which were delivered by the national charity, Street Doctors.

There are no easy answers to addressing the epidemic of knife crime, but Street Doctors’ innovative approach seeks to put young people at the centre of emergency first-aid provision, empowering them to become part of the solution.  

The workshops, held in April at Forest Gate Youth Zone, were the prelude to further planned events set to be held outdoors during the summer.

At the workshops, trained medics taught young participants the first-aid skills they need to know should they ever witness serious injury caused by violent assault. Just as importantly, participants left the session having understood – perhaps for the first time – the seriousness of this issue, and the tragic consequences that can so easily unfold when a young person decides to carry a knife.  

Amma Nkrumah says: “As we continue looking for ways to empower our residents, we are very mindful that our young people need guidance and support to tackle the challenges they may sometimes face. Working with Street Doctors is one of the ways we can best do this.” 

"These workshops need to happen more often on our estates. It can help us save the lives of our friends. Knife crime is getting out of control and it is scary." Corey

"I am glad that we get to do this workshop as us young people can feel kind of hopeless when somebody gets stabbed. With the knowledge of first aid we can possibly help if we were ever to be in this situation.” Karina

If you or a young person you know might be interested in attending one of Street Doctors’ future events, please visit their website for details.

Here are some offers worth looking into.

Disability Grants

If you or someone you live with has a disability, there's a website that lists all the charities and trusts that provide funding towards the high cost of disability equipment, holidays, days out, and much else besides. Check out Disability Grants today.

Thames Water

London residents, Thames Water offers support to customers struggling to pay their bills. If you’re living on a low income, the ‘WaterSure’ or ‘WaterHelp’ schemes may be of interest. Eligibility criteria apply. To discuss your options call Thames Water on 0800 009 3652.

Broadband bargains

Residents in receipt of benefits may be able to save money on their broadband by switching to a social tariff - special affordable deals that are cheaper than standard broadband tariffs, starting at just £12 a month. Learn more about what each provider offers and how to switch to a social tariff.

Tower Hamlets Council has launched the Resident Support Outreach Service which is designed to help residents in Tower Hamlets make single or joint Universal Credit applications.

Make a referral

Residents who are in or at risk of being in crisis or those who need immediate help due to no source of financial support available are encouraged to apply for the Tower Hamlets Council Residents’ Support Scheme.

The scheme will help with short-term living costs such as credit food and gas/electric prepayment metres. It can also help in some circumstances with white goods and furniture.

Please note that cash will not usually be awarded, but a pay point voucher can be supplied to the applicant where necessary.

Find out more

A free 8-week Railway Engineering course is being offered, with job opportunities, to London residents currently unemployed or on low income. Course starts 5 June, but deadline for applicants is 25 May. Any residents interested please contact One Academy’s Shirley Miller ASAP at: smiller@onehousing.co.uk

Course Eligibility

• Must be unemployed or on a low income (less than £17,000)
• Must be receiving a benefit & UK resident for 3 years or more
• Candidates need to be 19 or older as of 31st August 2022
• Must live in the London area
• Must be willing to travel between venues (Hackney & Epping)
• Must be able to commit to the full course
• Must have a valid/in date form of ID
• You must hold a full level 2 qualification or 5 GCSEs if under 24 years old
• You must not be in any other form of education, this includes any government funded courses.

Course Description

This is a 8 week intense programme for residents of London. Training will be a combination of theory in Hackney & Practical in Epping Forest.

Course includes, PPE, Medical/D&A tests and the learners all go immediately on to the books of an employer on course completion.

You will achieve:

Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Rail Engineering Track Maintenance

Level 2 Certificate in Rail Engineering Underpinning Knowledge