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Message from Torus Allocations team

On Friday 24 July we found out that Cruden Construction, the company building Foundry Wharf, are about to bring in Administrators, which has meant that all works making the final finishes to Foundry Wharf have been slightly delayed.

If you have applied or are thinking of applying to move to Foundry Wharf, we want to reassure you that we are keen to move people in as soon as possible, and we are working with Cruden Construction to plan how we can do this, with minimal delay.

Unfortunately, we are unable to take anyone onto the construction site at present and so any viewings cannot go ahead. But as the building is very near completion, we will keep applicants informed about when these can be arranged.

Unfortunately, construction companies have found working through the COVID-19 crisis difficult and we are sorry that this has impacted you and your move to Foundry Wharf.

Once resolved, we will be looking to move people into Foundry Wharf as quickly as possible.

We understand this is very disappointing news and we will keep you updated as soon as things progress. In the meantime, thanks for your understanding and patience.

 

Service Update - 1st June 2020 - Resuming New Normal Services

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 10 May, the Housing Minister, Chris Pincher MP has written a letter to social housing tenants to outline the measures the Government is taking to restart society and confirming that housing associations, like Torus, can begin to reintroduce some of our key services.

Following these new guidelines from the Government and with new safety measures in place, we are pleased to be able to slowly resume letting homes.

We’re committed to continuing to put you first and throughout the pandemic your safety has been a priority for us, and this will not change as we move forward and everything.  We understand that this is still a very worrying time but, as we resume our services, we want to assure you that we’ve spent a lot of time planning how we deliver services to make them safe and to protect you and our people, complying in all aspects, with the Government’s guidance on managing the risk of Coronavirus.

Rest assured, any decisions we make as we resume our services will still put your health, safety and wellbeing first

Applying for a home

The Under One Roof service will operate as usual . You can still apply online and access your account details as normal.  We will still be advertising properties in St Helens for the time being but there may be a reduced number available.

Support Available.

If you need support to complete an application form please email us directly at infoSH@U-1-R.co.uk for St Helens or infoWA@U-1-R.co.uk for Warrington  with your name and telephone number and a member of the team will be in touch to provide support.

If you need to provide us with supporting documents or proofs please email them to us using the emails addresses above.  Please check the size of the file you are sending as if it is too large we may not receive it.. 

Viewings with Torus

If you had been pre-allocated a home prior to the lockdown, the Torus Neighbourhood Officer  will be contacting you to arrange a viewing, however there is a considerable backlog and we ask you to be patient as they do their best to resume services,Torus have put lots of new safety practices in place,  so here is what to expect if you are taking part in a viewing

We will only carry out a physical viewing were a virtual viewing is not possible.
• The Neighbourhood Officer will contact you prior to the viewing to make sure you have suitable transport, do not have any symptoms of Covid-19.
• You will be asked to attend the viewing alone, where possible – if there are one or more applicants, only one should attend the viewing.  Exceptions to this include a viewing with Social Services.
• Children will not be allowed to attend the viewing, however if this is not possible, children must remain in the pram or holding the hand of the parent/guardian, not roaming independently.
• The Neighbourhood Officer will follow full Safe Systems of Work protocols, practicing social distancing and increased hygiene protection in line with Public Health England Guidelines.
• There will be no other people on site, including contactors.
• If you are viewing a property in a flat/block you will be advised beforehand to ensure no-one is in the vicinity of the viewing and to ensure you are not approached.
• Viewings to the same property will be scheduled, where possible, a minimum of 72 hours apart.
• The Neighbourhood Officer will leave you to view the property alone.
• All doors in the property will be open and you will be asked not to touch any surfaces during the viewing.
• You will be asked to indicate to the Housing Officer when you have finished the viewing.
• If you arrive early for your viewing you may be asked to wait whilst the Neighbourhood Officer carries out their safety activities

Sign Ups with Torus

Torus offices will remain closed for the foreseeable future, but you may be invited to attend a pre-arranged appointment to sign-up for your properties. Torus will only carry out face-to-face appointments where a virtual appointment is not an option and appointments will be kept to a minimum, where a virtual appointment is not an option and the Under One Roof Team will contact you to discuss.

Torus have been working hard to introduce new safe working practices and re-designing our offices to respect social distancing and to keep you and our staff safe.  If you are invited to attend an appointment, please come on your own, where possible.  Here is what to expect if you need to visit our office:

• All our offices have been deep cleaned prior to opening
• We have hand sanitisers, for your use, at all doors
• There’s clear signage including floor markings showing accessible areas, 2 metre distancing and a one-way system
• We’ve limited number of staff on site, with the majority continuing to work from home.
• We have disposable chair coverings
• We’ve installed of ‘sneeze screens’ to protect you and our people
• We’ve created larger interview spaces, with improved layouts to allow for social distancing
• No access to public toilets.

To protect yourself and others we ask that you read the signage, follow any instructions and maintain your distance