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2024-03-31-annual-report

Annual Report 2024

On a journey to become a model of excellence for community-based housing associations

ST MATTHEW’S HA ANNUAL REPORT 2024 September 2024

ST MATTHEW’S HA ANNUAL REPORT 2024 September 2024

St Matthews Housing Association Ltd. 58 Harper Street Belfast BT5 4EN

Registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 (No.IP177). Registered with the Department for Communities NI (No.R18).

HMRC registered charitable status (XT28085). Registered with the Charity Commission for NI (NIC 10291)

Board of Management

Number attended of 7 Board Meetings in 2023/24

Mr P Devlin – Chairperson 6
Mr F Woods – Treasurer 7
Mr P Donnelly 4
Ms L Fegan 4
Mr P Ó Ruanaí 6
Mr J O’Donnell 4
Mr C Devenny 1
Mr D Brennan (retired from Board June 2023) 1
Mrs P Brennan (retired from Board June 2023) 1

The Board also has two main sub-committees the Finance and Personnel subcommittee and Audit sub-committee. Total expenses reimbursed to Board members in 20232/24 - £0.00

(2 Board members were tenants of the Association during 2023/24)

Staff

Mr Jim Black – Chief Executive & Honorary Secretary

Mrs Sarah Jane Murray – Finance and Operations Manager

Mr Sean McKinney - Assets Manager

Mrs Sandra Wright – Housing Officer

Mr Kieran Donnelly – Maintenance Officer

Mr C Carew – Housing Trainee

Mrs Deirdre Conlon – P/T Caretaker/Cleaner

Telephone No.:- 02890 451070 / Out of Hours Emergency No.:- 0330 123 0341

ST MATTHEW’S HA ANNUAL REPORT 2024 September 2024

– St Matthews Housing Association a word from our Chairman

I am happy to repeat once again on another successful and positive year for the Association. We continue to improve, work in partnership with others and manage our costs effectively. We remain on our journey of being a model of excellence for community-based housing and deliver on our mission of quality, afford housing locally.

We remain to committed to growing by working with others. We are well progressed on site with Bryson Street Phase 2 (8 elderly apartments) and new offices at the site of the former parish house of St Matthews Church. Additionally, we are about to deliver at McClure Street, lower Ormeau Road (22 houses for families). We also hope to progress the site at former Strand Bar with a view to delivering some exciting new housing here as well as transforming 58 Harper Street to a new house. All of this is with the kind assistance of APEX HA as our development agent.

Longer term it is our community hope to deliver shared housing at Sirocco and housing and wellbeing opportunities at Translink site. We are continuing to work with the local community representatives on these important objectives. We want to meet the housing demand in our area in the years ahead by realising all the potential of local sites.

All of our housing meets Decent Homes Standard, and we have plans in the coming years to ensure they maintain this standard. We are also conscious of obligations in ensuring we future proof our housing form a green perspective by reducing the carbon footprint and improving the thermal comfort of older housing. We are working to ensure all of property is at least C rated in terms of energy performance by 2030. We have recruited a new Assets Manager in the last year Sean McKinney to aid us in this process of improvement and we have a costed Business Plan that outlines how we can continue to invest in our service and our stock and achieve the growth to make a real impact on local waiting lists.

We are delighted to continue to support local initiatives and projects. We were able to continue our grant assistance of local community initiatives and also helped 20 young people avail of £500 education/training bursaries in the last reporting year. We have recruited a young person locally, Conan Carew, on a housing apprenticeship and he is an excellent young man embarking on his housing career.

St Matthews Housing Association remains a community asset with a strong community focus. We are a vibrant local community enterprise providing homes and helping support community work - and not just in Short Strand but also to our tenants in Clonard and Poleglass. Once again, my thanks go to the efforts of our Board members, who give of their time freely and remain a credit to this community and our staff who continue to operate an excellent housing service.

Patrick Devlin - SMHA Chairperson

ST MATTHEW’S HA ANNUAL REPORT 2024 September 2024

SMHA and Community

SMHA is at the heart of the Short Strand community, and we have provided an excellent local service to our tenants, including in Clonard and Poleglass for almost 50 years.

SMHA seeks to:-

We continue to supply information to tenants through our Annual Report, spring newsletter and our updated website www.smha.co.uk. Many Housing Associations are getting better at supporting communities where they operate and are looking beyond simply the bricks and mortar of the housing, they provide to do more in their communities. Often this is done by awarding small grants to local groups whose work benefits the community.

In 2021 members introduced a local Bursary Scheme and donations have been made in relation to this exercise for the last three years.

By way of support to local community groups, initiatives etc. we expended the following during the last reporting year:-

Final updated total expended on Financial Inclusion and Community Support Initiatives - £13,350 – equal to 1.08% of income turnover £1.23M for 2023/24.

ST MATTHEW’S HA ANNUAL REPORT 2024 September 2024

Key Performance Data in 2023/24

SMHA has performed well in the last several years. We continue to strive to meet performance objectives set for us and also improving the housing service tangibly for all residents. We carried out a comprehensive resident satisfaction survey in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and most recently 2022 (delayed due to Covid19 pandemic) with excellent results. You will see a summary of some of the recorded key performance data over the last year with some recent comparison years. We are doing well but will always want to be better.

Key Performance
Areas		 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Target
Total No. Of units of occupied
accommodation		 205 207 205 -
% of emergency repairs
completed in 24 hours		 95% 94% 94% >85%
% of urgent repairs completed
in 4 working days		 87% 91% 96% >80%
% of routine repairs completed
in 20 working days		 91% 90% 85% >80%
Annual Gas/Oil Servicing
Compliance		 99% 95% 97.5% 100%
Electrical Servicing
Compliance		 96% 97% 99% 100%
% of residents satisfied with
SMHA housing service		 - 83% - >80%
% of residents satisfied with
value for money of their home		 - 88% - >80%
% of residents satisfied with
overall quality of their home		 - 83% - >80%
No. Of new lettings 1 2 0 -
No. Of relettings 4 4 9 -
Average Relet Times (in days) 126 110 88 -
No. of complaints
received/resolved prior to any
referral to ombudsman		 1/1 1/1 3/3 100%
No. of anti-social behaviour
complaints received/resolved		 10/10 6/6 1/1 100%
Voids as a % of rent
receivable		 0.68% 0.96% 1.15% <1%

ST MATTHEW’S HA ANNUAL REPORT 2024 September 2024

% of total rent receivable
actually collected		 99.34% 99.05% 100.2% >98%

*Surveyed every 2 years usually, delayed by Covid19 for one additional year

SMHA Rents

SMHA has recorded information on the rents charged for different homes in our management. Our rents are typically amongst the lower end of the housing association sector.

Our Board balances the need to fund our housing service adequately and maintain affordable rents. Typically, our rents compare well against other HA sector rents. SMHA decided to raise rent by 7% in 2023/24, after previously low rent rises in recent years.

Our overall average weekly rents as a whole are reported annually to the Department for Communities and are recorded below:-

Size General Housing General Housing Sheltered Housing Sheltered Housing
No.
Units		 Average Net Rent No.
Units		 Average Net Rent
1-bedroom 9 £73.82 3 £100.97
2-bedroom 59 £84.83 16 £101.45
3-bedroom 79 £97.84 0 -
4-bedroom 41 £94.69 0 -
Totals 186 19

ST MATTHEW’S HA ANNUAL REPORT 2024 September 2024

St Matthews HA Accounts 2023/24

Approved at AGM 30[th] July 2024

Statement of Income

Year ended 31 March 2024

Turnover
Operating costs
Operating Surplus
Interest receivable
Interest payable
Other interest
Pension additional service cost
Surplus on Ordinary Activities (no taxation – due to
charitable status)
Surplus for the year
Actuarial gain (loss) on pension scheme

Total recognised gains (losses) since last AR		 2024
£
1,446,852
(1,109,939)
336,913
58,703
(59,521)
2,000
(8,000)
330,095
330,095
6,000

336,095		 2023
£
1,332,005
(1,014,403)
317,602
22,712
(31,918)
(6,000)
(44,000)
258,396
258,396
246,000
504,396

ST MATTHEW’S HA ANNUAL REPORT 2024 September 2024

Statement of Financial Position - as at 31st
March 2024
Tangible Fixed Assets
Cost
Less Depreciation
Other Fixed Assets
Current Assets
Debtors
Cash & bank balances
Current Liabilities
Creditors
Net Current Assets
Total Assets less Current Liabilities
Creditors: Amounts Falling Due After More Than 1
Year
Deferred Grant
Long-term liabilities
Pension fund liability
Total Net Assets:
Reserves:
Share Capital
Capital Reserves
Revenue Reserves		 2024
£
20,929,420
(5,244,541)
15,684,879
238,369
15,923,248
91,941
1,891,979
1,983,920
(395,348)
1,588,572
17,511,820
9,967,730
904,238
-
10,871,968
6,639,852
57
301
6,639,494
6,639,852		 2023
£
20,055,911
(5,048,080)
15,007,031
28,135
15,035,966
99,648
1,577,635
1,677,283
(301,822)
1,375,461
16,411,427
9,103,411
1,004,259
-
10,107,670
6,303,757
57
301
6,303,399
6,303,757

ST MATTHEW’S HA ANNUAL REPORT 2024 September 2024