Services
1.
Q. What sort of housing does Southdown Housing Association provide?
A. Southdown manages around 560 tenancies, of which 260 are owned directly by us. The remaining tenancies are sub-leased to Southdown by other landlords (mainly Housing Associations and Local Authorities) and Southdown is usually only responsible for rental collection and housing management. The majority of our tenancies are one bedroom flats for people who need additional support to develop and maintain individual living skills. We run 23 larger schemes, some with 24 hour support, for people with learning disabilities which include registered care homes as well as 'Supported Living' independant flates.
2.
Q. What other support does Southdown Housing Association provide?
A. Southdown is now much more than a housing provider. The type and range of other support services provided by Southdown has significantly increased in recent years but all our support services have a common aim: to help people lead a more fulfilled and independent life. We achieve this by providing support that meets the specific needs of each individual, be this to access and maintain housing, live indepedently, gain employment or play an active part in the communities where they live.
3.
Q. Who do we provide housing and support for?
A. Southdown now provides support to over 4,250 people across Sussex every year. Most of our service users and tenants have mental health issues, learning disabilities or are people who are at risk of being homeless. A smaller number have addiction issues or sensory or physical disabilities.
4.
Q. How do I make a referral?
A. The method for making a referral to Southdown services depends on the type of service you need. For details of how to make a referral visit our Referrals page.
5.
Q. I am homeless or threatened with homelessness - can Southdown Housing Association help?
A. Yes - we are funded to provide a number of services that are specifically aimed and preventing people from becoming homeless. This includes our West Sussex Signposting service, Brighton & Hove Support4Housing service and East Sussex Homeworks service.
6.
Q. Which areas does Southdown cover?
A. Southdown provides services across East and West Sussex including Brighton & Hove.
7.
Q. How do I provide feedback about Southdown services?
A. We really appreciate people providing us with feedback about our service. You can provide feedback in writing, by phone or by e-mail. For more details see our Feedback page.
8.
Q. How do I complain about Southdown services?
A. We welcome any feedback about how we can improve our services. You can inform us in writing, by phone or by e-mail. For more details see our complaints leaflet page.
Shared Ownership
9.
Q. What is shared ownership?
A. Shared ownership is where Southdown owns part of the property, and the shared owner owns the rest. Rent is charged for the share owned by Southdown, which is leased back to the shared owner. The accommodation itself is self contained and not shared. It offers an affordable alternative to renting a home or buying a property outright. It gives some people who have difficulty raising a deposit or getting a mortgage the opportunity to own their own home. For more information please visit our Shared Ownership pages.
Property Maintenance
10.
Q. How do I report a repair?
A. This depends on who is responsible for repairs to your home, your housing officer can help you with this. Please click here to visit our Reporting a repair web page.
11.
Q. What is an emergency repair?
A. A repair will be dealt with as an emergency if it causes an immediate risk to your safety or to your home if it is not dealt with. For example burst pipes, blocked drains a full loss of electricity, gas or water. If you can smell gas you should contact your gas supplier direct. For further details about Emergency repairs please click here to visit our Categories of Repair and Response Times web page.
12.
Q. How can I check where my repair is up to?
A. Please contact the Property Services team at our Head Office at Bell Lane, Lewes on 01273 405800.
13.
Q. How do I report a repair after hours?
A. By phoning our out of hours number at First Point - 01444 446 498
For more information visit our Property Services pages.
Service User involvement
14.
Q. How can I get involved?
A. We encourage service users to get involved with Southdown at the level that suits them. For more information about how to be involved with Southdown please visit our Get Involved pages.
Please click here to Contact us for further information.