People First are looking for a Somali speaker and an Urdu speaker to do audio-translations of our most common publications.

We can help with the recording side of things if necessary. All we need you to be able to do is to translate the leaflets and read them out in a clear voice.

We are happy to pay good candidates. Please contact Matt on
0161 235 6907 for more information.

People First's Board recently approved changes to the complaints policy, which should improve our service to customers.

The changes follow recent guidance published by the Housing Ombudsman and anticipate new provisions in the Localism Act, which take effect on
1 April 2013.

For many, the most welcome change will be a reduction in the target timescales for handling complaints. We have always tried to handle complaints within seven days, but where things are more complicated - perhaps because another company is involved - and investigations are required, we were allowed to take up to 28 days at each stage.

We recognise that for customers the time taken to handle a complaint is seen as a whole - They don't care whether the complaint has been through three internal stages! Under the new policy, we aim to handle all complaints internally within 28 days - from frontline officer right through to Chief Executive. Of course, we still hope to handle most complaints through frontline staff within seven days.

The other change we have made is to replace the appeal to Board with an appeal to ' a panel of designated persons'. People First is rare in that half of its Board Members are allowed to be tenants, so we already handle complaints 'locally'. The new panel:

• must have at least three people
• must have at least two board members
• for tenants, must have at least one tenant board member
• may also contain an independent person with appropriate expertise

We hope these changes improve services to tenants, support clients, housing applicants and others with whom we work. You can find a guide to the policy here and the full policy here.

Did you know People First now runs drop-in services for support clients across Manchester? You can even come along if you are on our waiting list or used to be one of our support clients in the past.

The drop-ins are held:

• every Wednesday in Harpurhey
• every Wednesday at our offices in Manchester
• every Thursday in Wythenshawe

The Harpurhey drop-in is held at the Harpurhey Wellbeing Centre on Church Lane and the Wythenshawe drop-in is held at the Wythenshawe Forum. The drop-ins generally run from 1.00-4.30pm, but Wythenshawe is open for an extra hour between 12.00 and 1.00. You should book first to make sure we have time to see you. We offer up to an hour's support with:

• filling out forms
• writing a CV
• using the telephone to contact benefits, landlords, doctors, etc
• reading through letters
• using the internet

If you would like to use the services, please call us on 0161 235 6900 to book an appointment. We can offer you a 30 minute or one hour slot. Please bring any relevant documents when you visit. You can find the location of all of our drop-ins here.

Are you looking for a home in Manchester? Look no further than Manchester Move, a new web-based rehousing service that launched in February 2013.

Nine out of ten homes available from not-for-profit landlords in the city are advertised on the Manchester Move website. It includes properties from People First, Manchester City Council and the city’s biggest housing associations and housing trusts.

It tells you about all your other housing options too. You could consider private renting for a quick and easy move; or low-cost home ownership and exciting part-rent/part-buy schemes that may be cheaper than you think.

Manchester Move’s easy-to use features include:

• a handy ‘How to’ animated guide; sit back while our friendly ‘Manchester Mover’ takes you through the process step-by-step.
• a clear list of homes you can go for.
• bags of information about every property: with photos, maps and advice about the local area.
• up-to-the minute advice about your chance of getting each home with our at-a-glance ‘traffic light’ system.
• tailor-made advice for you: Manchester Move tells you what to do if you’re having no luck finding a home.
• the ability to change your details online if your circumstances change – to keep your rehousing application bang up-to-date.

So head for Manchester Move, and get a host of housing options at your fingertips. Go to the Manchester Move website to find out more.

People First has had much to celebrate recently, so we are proud to present our latest annual review.

In a year when the whole country was putting out the bunting, People First had an extra reason to celebrate, having won the Investors in People Gold Award, meeting all 196 standards. We are extremely proud of this achievement because it provides recognition of the value we place on our people. Indeed it underlines the fact that we value them very highly because ultimately it is our staff and volunteers who make a difference to our customers’ lives.

Thanks to them we are able to fulfil our mission: to deliver services that improve the lives of as many people as possible. So it is their skills, talents and commitment – and those of our customers too – that we celebrate in the report.

You can read an online version of the report here. If you would prefer a printed copy of the report, please call us on 0161 235 6900 or e-mail us with your name and contact details.

People First are delighted to announce that we have secured new funding from the Directorate of Adults and Wellbeing in Manchester.

With the new grant we will be setting up a Volunteer Befriending Scheme to provide support to vulnerable people in Hulme and Moss Side. We are currently recruiting volunteers to deliver befriending and social activities, as well as opportunities for community fundraising, business development and administration.

Volunteers will choose how much time they want to give – from a couple of hours a week to a couple of days, all are welcome!

In return for their time our volunteers will receive valuable experience in a professional setting, a full training package, reasonable out of pocket expenses and support to find permanent employment or other volunteering opportunities.

Due to working with vulnerable adults we will ask you to complete a full criminal records check, which we will pay for. Previous experience is not essential for any of these volunteering opportunities.

Befrienders will visit people in their own homes and organise social events in order to help reduce social isolation and loneliness and increase independence. The service is free and open to any vulnerable person living in Hulme or Moss Side.

If you are interested in volunteering, wish to take up the befriending service or know anyone who could benefit from the service, please call our Scheme Co-ordinator, Amelia Scanlan on 0161 235 6900 or e-mail her by clicking here

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

You can even complete the volunteer application form online.

It was great to see so many people turn out for our festive party at the Zion Centre Cafe, held just before the Christmas break

The event was hosted and run by volunteers from our new befriending service. Those who came enjoyed festive music, a tombola, nail therapy, hand massages, plenty of food, crackers and other trimmings.

We were proud of our volunteers who worked really hard to make the event a success. We would like to extend a massive thank you to them... and thanks to those people from Hulme and Moss Side who came along. We wish all our customers a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

We held our annual Speakout event on 22nd August 2012, with a trip to the Manchester Science and Industry Museum. Our clients enjoyed a tour of the museum and lunch in the café.

Everyone who attended joined in our ‘people bingo’ game and enjoyed the tour through the history of trains and train lines. Attendees also received a prize at the lunch time raffle.

Feedback was sought from all clients about how they find our service and we will be producing a summary and action plan of any comments raised.

We would like to thank all those who attended, and our community support staff – Anna Maria, Debbie and Helen for organising the event and making it such an enjoyable day.

If you would like to get involved in our regular Focus Groups please contact the office.

People First is proud to announce that it has achieved the Gold award for Investors In People. Not only that, but we achieved every single one of their 196 standards.

Of the thousands of organisations with Investors In People in the Northwest, only three have managed to do this! Kulbinder Kang, Chief Executive of People First said, "Achieving IIP gold status with 100% of all standards being met is a rare achievement and a great testament to our staff, of their commitment to ensuring that People First is an exemplar organisation to work for. I am proud of their achievement."

The Investors In People award looks at how well our staff understand the business, how well they are managed, how well they are engaged in decision-making and planning, how fairly they feel they are treated and how well we handle their talent. Four awards are available: standard, bronze, silver and gold

We are extremely proud of this award: It helps us attract and retain good staff and recognises the hard work they put in every day. We would like to thank every single one of them.