Latest News
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February 2010
- TAH has now moved into a new Head Office on the upper floor
of the Old Vic Cafe (formerly the Victoria Inn). Work continues on the
refurbishment of the ground floor cafe which will open later in the
year. |
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| February 2010 - TAH has appointed Katie Loates as
a Fundraiser. Katie who joins from the Strategic Health Authority and
previously worked for Bath Rugby Club, will be seeking to raise the
profile of the Association across Somerset. |
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January 2010 - The TAH SmartMove scheme,
providing rent bonds for single people who could live in the
private rented sector but are unable to afford the deposit, has begun
to operate. Yvonne Hiscock, a Support Worker at TAH's Young Persons Project, has been appointed as the SmartMove Project Worker. |
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December 2009 - TAH has signed contracts with Taunton Deane and Sedgemoor Councils to run a Rent Deposit Bond Scheme in
those two areas. The Scheme, which TAH will run under franchise from
Crisis, provides deposit bonds for single people who could live in
the private rented sector but are unable to afford the
deposit. This exciting new venture is TAH's first work outside
Taunton. |
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| December 2009 - The Association was delighted to appoint a new Board member, Mark Wall,
to replace two members who left in September - Sheila Naylor and
Anthony Stephens. Mark is Associate Director (Communications and
Marketing) at Taunton & Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. |
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November 2009 - Contractors
began work on the refurbishment of TAH's Lindley House. Costs are
being met by the government's Places of Change programme and include a
new entrance and reception, a residents' laundry,
better lighting, a training centre and an adult
education suite. |
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October 2009 - Contractors began the refurbishment of the Victoria Inn in
Taunton which will, in the Spring 2010, provide head office
accomodation for the Association (on the first floor) as well as a
cafe, open to the public, and staffed by TAH residents. Works are
expected to complete by March 2010. |
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September 2009 - TAH's Board held their annual awayday where they agreed TAH would seek to offer it's services to other Somerset district councils,
extending TAH's work beyond Taunton for the first time in its
history. Discussions will start shortly with
relevant councils. |
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July 2009 - John Shipley, TAH's Managing Director, was delighted to be a keynote speakers at Homeless Link's national annual conference,
sharing the platform with Jenny Edwards - Homeless Link's Chief
Executive - and Richard Blakeway - the Mayor of London's Director of
Housing. John spoke about the successes of TAH, the challenges
that have been faced and overcome and the importance of positive
partnership working to meet the needs of the single
homeless. |
| May 2009 - TAH has been named by the government as one of only 15 'rough sleepers champions' as a result of its success
in partnership working and preventing & tackling rough sleeping.
Champions will share their expertise with other agencies across England in an attempt to eliminate rough sleeping. |
| April 2009 - TAH has appointed a new Board member, Philip Qureshi. Philip is currently an Accountant at Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. |
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April 2009 - The number of people sleeping rough in Taunton has fallen from around 25 to under 10 since the opening of Norie House in December 2008. John Shipley, TAH's Managing Director, said 'Without
the careful planning that went into the development of Noroe House, the
project would not have worked as well as it has'. Sgt Andy Murphy, from Taunton Police, said 'It's reassuring that those within our community who find themselves struggling for help now have a location to link into'.
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April 2009 - Andy Lock and Greg Cridland ran the Taunton Marathon, raising much needed funds for TAH - we are grateful for their efforts. |
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January 2009 - TAH has been reawarded Investors in People status after assessment by Quality SW who said 'A
detailed staff training programme was conducted
before opening Norie House, which is already
proving a success. The impact of the new Director has
clearly been significant'. |
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December 2008 - Norie House,
TAH's new project for rough sleepers, has opened. The project was made
possible by a government grant of £250,000 that helped create 6
hostel beds (for rough sleepers) and 7 self-catering move-on units.
Residents are referred by the council, the Open Door drop-in
centre and the police and during their stay – likely to be 4 to 6 weeks
– will be assessed, supported and helped to find more permanent
accommodation. Cllr Hazel Prior-Sankey said 'The
measure of any society is how it treats its vulnerable people and
that's what this unit is about, helping the most vulnerable people in
the area'.
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December 2008 - The Lindley House catering team have
been awarded 5 stars in a scheme run by the Food Safety
Team. In a letter to the local paper, John Shipley, TAH's Managing
Director, said 'I would like to thank the marvellous catering
team at Lindley House, led by Malcolm Joslin, for their hard work
in delivering a high-quality service within a very limited budget
and for achieving such a high standard'.
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October 2008 - TAH has appointed Steve Palmer to
manage its new 13 bedded hostel, Norie House, which is due to open
towards the end of the year and is specifically aimed at rough
sleepers. |
| September 2008 - TAH has appointed four new Board members - Dr David Edmondson, Shannon Lovegrove, Liz Fothergill and Tony Roberts. |
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July 2008 - Lindley House held an Open Day and
barbecue for neighbours, friends, other TAH residents and
involved stakeholders. The day was a huge success, attended by over 50
people who were shown around the hostel by TAH residents. Taunton MP
Jeremy Browne planted a tree to mark the 25th anniversary of Lindley
House and said 'I
enjoyed attending the Open Day to celebrate 25 years at Lindley House,
where TAH houses and supports 45 single homeless men and women - I was
given a tour by some residents, who were grateful for the support they
have received. I am also pleased Lindley House makes a real effort
to work closely with their neighbours in the area'.
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June 2008 - After a rigorous tender process, Bishop Fleming have been appointed as TAH's new external auditors.
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June 2008 - Jeremy Browne MP visited
Lindley House to meet John Shipley, the new Managing Director, and to
see the work of TAH first hand. Mr Browne said, in the Somerset County
Gazette, 'It is in the interests of all Taunton residents that proper support is available for homeless people in our community'.
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May 2008 - The shareholders of TAH have approved a new set of Rules, based on those provided by the National Housing Federation, to ensure the association has up-to-date regulations etc in place for the future.
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April 2008 - John Shipley, our new Managing Director, has now joined TAH. John said 'I am delighted to join TAH at such an interesting stage in its development and am looking forward to working
with the residents, staff and Board to take the association
forward for the benefit of Somerset's single homeless and, more
widely, the people of Taunton'.
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March 2008 - TAH has been awarded £740,000 under the government's Places of Change programme to fund a major refurbishment of Lindley House including a new entrance and reception,
a residents' laundry, better lighting, a training
centre (to promote skills in plumbing, carpentry etc), a
public cafe, arts space and adult education suite. |
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February 2008 - TAH has appointed a new Managing Director,
John Shipley. John has been in housing for many years and
has substantial experience of working with the single homeless
and at a senior level in the Housing Ombudsman Service and a
number of housing associations. The Board look forward to
welcoming John to TAH.
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January 2008 - The government has confirmed £250,000 of capital funding for
TAH to refurbish Norie House as a specialist project for rough
sleepers. The project is expected to open in late 2008 and
will provide 13 bedspaces for rough sleepers - 6 in a hostel setting and 7 in self-catering bedsits
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January 2008 - Sarah Davies,
who has been working with TAH for a number of months in a temporary
role, has now been appointed as the association's Finance Manager. |
