I’ve just watched on BBC IPlayer the excellent new Reality TV documentary on the working lives of “front line” Housing Association staff in North West England. It is interesting that “Inside Housing” describe the staff as being “Front Line”. I must admit it is a term that I catch myself using as well but I don’t think is really that appropriate a term. Housing staff are not “at war” with their residents. Even though admittedly it can seem like that at times.The first part of the programme must have driven the image conscious Press & Media teams of the Housing Associations featured to despair. Since it was a very bleak and dispiriting account of endless and mindless anti-social behaviour. Aggressive yobs and their massive fighting dogs; a seemingly completely hopeless textbook dysfunctional family who are surely bound to be evicted; a sudden death; fly tips with the obligatory decomposing dead rat as well as the stereotypical (pardon the pun) young “heavy metal fan” who thought that playing music “24/7” in his flat at a level that needed TV subtitles to make out what he was saying - was somehow “normal”?
However as the programme progressed the real stars of the show helped turn it around. The “ordinary” housing officers dealing with extraordinary and difficult situations with incredible calm determination and perseverance. The foul mouthed threatening thug with the dogs was forced to move his animals (I hope he was reported to the Police for public order offences towards Julie – I suspect probably not), the “family from hell” were cautioned but ended up helping out with an estate gardening project and I think the wannabe “bat out of hell” is now listening to his music on headphones after being most severely told off. Local residents being prepared to publicly “tell us as it is” reminded me why people are pro active on policing and very tough on crime in housings estates. Since it is ordinary working class people not the rich or the middle classes who by far suffer the most from crime and disorder. We should never ever forget this.
This is the first of 4 programmes – you can see this programme on BBC I Player (this is the first time I have used this service and was most impressed how easy it was and how good quality the service was) until the next episode which is on Tuesday 11 August 22.35 (not Northern Ireland or Wales).
I do hope that the programme in the future will include the back office “stars” of housing services that provide the often unnoticed crucial call centre, admin and reception services. Without them supporting us we can’t do nothing.
