The words of 81-year-old Dave who was helped to live independently by North East Lincolnshire Council’s Housing Support Officers Jo and Marie.
Between them, the two officers spend their working days with vulnerable people like Dave, as well as families and single people of all ages who find themselves having to live in temporary accommodation – they are all without a permanent home.
Their day usually starts off visiting the six B&B’s they cover, along with the crisis accommodation that the council has.
On the day we caught up with Jo she was visiting a family she had been working with for the past few weeks, whereas Marie was with someone who had moved into a B&B just the day before.
Marie explained: “We aim to visit someone as quickly as we can when they first move into temporary accommodation. Sometimes people move out straight away to live with family or friends so we never get to meet them, but we can work with other people for months.”
They work with new clients to look at the type and amount of supported needed, including helping people to apply for universal credit and PIP (Personal Independence Payment) or getting registered on Home Choice Lincs to start bidding on houses to move into. They often help people register with a dentist or GP and offer to help individuals access mental health support.
Jo said: “The support we provide is hugely varied depending on the client’s needs. We are working face to face with people and often don’t always know what to expect when we visit. Our support could range anywhere between helping someone who is in a mental health crisis to access immediate support to working with someone for months to build the confidence to get back into work.”
Their expertise for finding the right support comes from their wealth of knowledge and training. Having completed training on mental health first aid, applied suicide intervention skills, drug and alcohol misuse, training for administering medications and much more, the pair feel like they provide support on most things.
Marie told us that even though they are well trained, sometimes they find that an expert in a certain field is needed. They often work with other services to help the people living in temporary accommodation such as Navigo, and Children’s Services. Often doing joint visits to clients with these services as well as Women’s Aid, Ambulance services, Police, and the Fire service.
She added “No two days are the same and that’s something we both love about this job. Every single person and family we work with have their own story, and we have to tailor our support each individual and their needs. It means we’re always learning it’s one of the best parts of my day to day work.”
Jo and Marie’s main aim is always to help people to live independently – helping them do things, rather than doing something for them. This means they have to build a positive relationship with their clients, ensuring they feel valued and empowered to improve their lives.
Jo recalled one of her favourite things about the job is the day that people move on from temporary accommodation into a permanent home.
She said, “it can be bittersweet, as we’ll have worked with this person for so long, seeing their growth and progress and having them move onto a permanent home is so great, but we’re sad to not work with them anymore.”
Marie added “We work with people at a low point in their life, with nowhere to live, and we make sure they know that we care about them and are here to help. Knowing that you’ve helped them to move into their own home, it’s an amazing feeling.”
Councillor Stewart Swinburn, Portfolio Holder for Housing, Infrastructure and Transport said “Jo and Marie do a great job supporting people into permanent accommodation in the borough.
“I can only imagine how unsettling it is having to move into temporary accommodation, but having a friendly face visiting every week must be a real comfort, knowing there is someone there for you.” If you or someone you know is struggling with their housing situation, it is important to get in contact with the North East Lincolnshire Council Home Options Team as soon as possible on 01472 326296.
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