Saturday, August 19, 2023

"Housing association customer services have become a fourth emergency services line"


I will pretty much totally agree with this article published in "Inside Housing" (subscription) about Housing Associations (and I would say Council housing) having to become the 4th emergency service to support very vulnerable, stressed and even suicidal residents. All mainstream social housing organisations have to remember that they are Landlords first and foremost (not developers, as important as development is).

They have to provide the resources and capacity for staff to effectively support all our residents. It is also vital that they support staff who are trying their very best to provide these essential service. Too often they are unsupported and thrown into deep end with an impossible workload and unrealistic expectations by out of touch and unsympathetic senior management. Compare and contrast the support given by many Councils to their front facing social service staff with such issues and the often non-existent support ("ring our stress line contractor") provided by most Housing Associations. 

As the UNISON national NEC member who works for and supports all our 50,000 plus Housing Association members, I can say with conviction, that this is a national issue for all of us. 

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