I joined Yorkshire Housing as a Place Manager in January, and when I tell people, the next question is usually, “so what is it you actually do?”
In a nutshell, my job is all about making a difference to our customers and our communities. More often than not that means helping to deal with things like safeguarding concerns, challenging antisocial behaviour issues which can range from complaints about noise and uncontrolled animals, to more serious breaches of tenancy agreements that could result in eviction. It’s a bit like being a problem-solver, negotiator, referee, therapist and counsellor, all rolled into one!
The job very much reminds me of my time as a Police Community Support Officer with Humberside Police, where no two days were ever the same. I did that job for 12 years, starting out in Grimsby before moving across to Scunthorpe, two communities that both have their fair share of challenges. I was responsible for dealing with low level crime reports and crime prevention, and often found myself in some very confrontational and aggressive situations where I had to think on my feet to de-escalate things before they got out of hand.
Dealing with any situation where there’s conflict can be tricky, but it's not rocket science – it’s all about communication (mainly listening), which is key to breaking down barriers and building trust and confidence. Nine times out of ten there’s more going on than meets the eye, and you can only really get to the root of the problem by sitting down with someone and having a good natter, preferably over a cup of Yorkshire tea!
A recent example of this is where a complaint was made to us about a customer who wasn’t looking after her home or garden properly. It had become a bit of an eyesore, which was upsetting her neighbours. There had been a complete breakdown in communication and tension was growing. When I visited the customer and spent some time with her I found out that she was dealing with all sorts of challenges; she’d been a victim of domestic abuse and was struggling to cope with looking after two children with disabilities, as well as dealing with multiple health issues of her own including depression. So, it was hardly a surprise that she wasn’t keeping on top of her housekeeping and gardening. But the conversation meant we were able to put extra help in place and refer her to other specialist agencies like the council, social services and a local mental health support team, which was a great outcome for her and her neighbours.
Working with people is my passion and I often talk about ‘small effort, maximum impact’. Taking time to listen to someone, showing them a bit of kindness and compassion, making them feel like their voice matters might seem like a little thing, but it costs nothing and can change someone’s life and genuinely make a difference. I had a customer hug me just because I visited her and listened to her. I had another who cried, laughed and was honest, and at the end of our conversation said, “Thank you, I feel heard.” You can’t beat that for job satisfaction.
Yorkshire Housing has amazing customers and communities all over the county and as Place Managers, we spend most of our time out and about. Our ‘hub, home, roam’ approach means there’s lots of flexibility around how we work, but for us we’re mainly in ‘roam’ mode, because we can’t build strong relationships with customers by sitting behind our desks. Since joining Yorkshire Housing three months ago I’ve covered over 3000 miles with my travels taking me all across East Yorkshire and Humberside from Pocklington to Hull, Beverley to Selby and everywhere in between!
Yorkshire Housing’s vision is to be the UK’s best housing provider and from what I’ve seen so far, I’ve got no doubt we’ll succeed. Customer obsession, homes and places to be proud of, and being pre-emptive are our three strategic priorities, and while technology has a big and important role to play in helping us achieve our vision, we’ll never let it replace the face to face contact, the personal touch and the conversations over a cuppa that make our customers feel valued, respected, and supported.
Check out our careers page for more info on our flexible approach to working.
