How did your career at Elim Housing begin?

I had a few different roles before joining Elim, including Mortgage Adviser, Training Co-ordinator and was even Team Leader at a Bank, but immediately before joining I worked for a local drug & alcohol service, and it was this that stimulated my interest in working with people with high support needs.

I will never forget my interview at Taylor House, when both interviewers had to leave halfway through due to an ‘incident’, but I remain convinced to this day that it was a set up to see how I reacted! That was over 6 years ago and joining Elim is still the best decision I ever made.

What does an average week look like for you and your team?

It’s a variety of key work sessions, group work, child protection meetings, sign ups, rent accounting, move-ons, grant applications, data recording and team meetings, but that’s not an exhaustive list. There is always plenty to do! 

We are motivated by successful move-ons, and everything we do at Gloucester Projects is geared towards helping our residents move successfully into their new permanent home. There is a substantial amount of work that goes into that, but seeing our residents thrive makes it all worthwhile.  

What do you think are the current challenges for the social housing sector?

I am sure this is the same in all areas across the UK, but in Gloucester we find that the demand for accommodation exceeds the number of properties available and the Homeseekers pathway seems to be under constant pressure. Residents are usually ready to leave Supported Housing long before they get an offer.

We are also seeing an increase in utility costs for our supported housing residents which is a constant challenge with many only managing with the help of fuel vouchers and support from local organisations.

What do you get out of your role?

I like the fact that Elim will work with residents that other housing providers may refuse due to complexity. Early in my career, we housed high support prolific offenders and moving them on successfully into permanent accommodation always gave me a buzz, seeing residents accomplish their goals never gets old!

Having started out as a Supported Housing Officer, I have since been promoted to Team Leader which I’m really proud of. We work well as a team to get the best results for our residents, and I get huge satisfaction from seeing the team develop and am regularly in awe at the lengths we go to in order to support our residents in challenging times.

What can someone expect if they come and work for Elim?

Throughout my time at Elim, I have been supported and encouraged to advance my career whenever an opportunity has arisen and I have seen many other colleagues progress with their own careers internally.  There is a focus on support and wellbeing which is important to me, and its this that makes Elim a great place to work.

If you would like to find out more about our available roles within Elim Housing, please visit our recruitment page or call us on 01454 411172