Reshaping the Council Housing Service

Interim Sheffield Council Housing Board 27

th

February 2014

Refresh of our ambitions

Better joined up working More effective working with external partners More pre-tenancy support Local community based service delivery Whole household approach Improving household resilience Grass roots involvement Ensuring value for money Strengthening democracy Well looked after estates and neighbourhoods Protecting the Decent Homes Investment

Annual visit offered to each household & agree Housing+ Plan

Refresh on Housing+

Pro-active tenancy sustainment Low-level prevention & signposting (debt, health, home skills & jobs)

housing

Pro-active management of the physical aspects of the patch Effective tenancy management & enforcement Help to build active and resilient communities

Shaping these proposals

• Visions from 8 Service Design Groups • 13 Staff Working Groups • Tenant & Staff Consultation • Over 900 tenant responses, 350 staff responses • Strong support for Housing+ principles • Influencing final recommendations on practical delivery of Housing+

Introducing your local Neighbourhood Team

• Team approach • Housing+ Officers - each with their own ‘patch’ (230 homes on average but ranging from 170 – 330 homes) • Clarity for customers about who manages their ‘patch’ • Neighbourhood Support based locally • 8 new Neighbourhood teams structured around Ward boundaries • Clear links to Local Area Partnerships (LAPs), MAST and other partner boundaries

The Housing+ role…

Proactive tenancy sustainment

Complete a Housing+ Plan with each household Promote and support the delivery of the priorities and initiatives of other Council teams Support access to other relevant non-housing related teams Be aware of the potential issues faced by older people – particularly around loneliness and age-related health problems Give basic financial and budgeting advice and record basic financial information

Pro-active management of the physical aspects of the patch

Undertake basic checks of the property and instigate action on breaches of Tenancy Conditions Identify any other issues with the property e.g. identify and refer for minor adaptations.

Monitor the standards of estates maintenance in the area Contribute to any required enforcement action on council housing land.

Help to build active and resilient communities

Encourage local people in the area to be actively involved Work proactively with TARAs and other community groups in the Area to help them maximise their effectiveness.

Work with other Council teams, local partners and service providers Raise awareness of activities and facilities in the area and give additional help to those who need it to access these facilities.

Effective tenancy management and enforcement

Manage all aspects of the tenancy process –accompanied viewings, sign-ups, new tenancy visits, permissions, quits, evictions and enforcement of tenancy conditions, etc.

Take initial action on any property-related environmental issues within the patch Visit tenants in rent arrears at an early stage Deal with all low-level ASB cases Work effectively with colleagues on more serious breaches of tenancy conditions Work effectively with Temporary- and Furnished- Accommodation teams

Provide a key point of contact for general advice and information

Give general advice to customers about their home – e.g. reporting repairs, avoiding condensation etc.

Provide general advice to leaseholders, and respond to their basic queries Provide basic advice and information to tenants interested in the Right-to-Buy scheme.

Provide general rehousing advice and assistance, and support with registration and bidding.

Support council housing investment plans by identifying customer needs and priorities and supporting consultation on proposals.

What will change for customers?

Now… How will I get in touch with the Housing Service once Housing+ comes in? Will I still be able to call into my local housing office if I have a query? Housing+… You’ll still get in touch us via the Call Centre as you do now. Yes you’ll still be able to call into an office but we can also arrange an appointment in your own home with your Housing+ Officer staff depending on what my query is about. Will I still have to deal with lots of different people? Under Housing+ more complex issues will be passed to the Housing+ Officer for your patch within your local Neighbourhood Team.

What will change for customers?

Now… I only see you at the moment when there’s a problem. Will this change? Housing+… Yes. Housing+ Officers will be spending most of their time out on their patch. We’ll also be contacting all tenants to offer an annual visit where we can discuss support and signpost to other services. I often have to deal with a lot of different Council services to get my issue sorted and I’m not always sure where to go. Your Housing+ Officer will help you to access a range of Council and other community services. I’m keen to get involved in my community. Will the Housing+ Officer be able to help? Yes. It will be part of the Housing+ Officer’s role to actively promote engagement opportunities with local community organisations or through supporting neighbours.

Benefits for Customers

• Increased customer satisfaction • Sort problems out earlier • Quicker response through technology and less need to visit current Area Offices • Access to more than just ‘housing’

Referral Identification of high needs – referral to specialist services (MAST, Adult Social Care etc.) Intervention and joint working Low level prevention – advice & signposting Minimal need – Keep in touch

Reshaping the whole service

• The whole of the service needs to be reshaped to deliver Housing+ • Focus on moving staff to where they are needed • More resources to go to new Neighbourhood Teams • Heavily focussed on Areas so far - lot more work to do with central/consolidated teams • The outcome of the Estates Services Review shape the Estates Service

The rest of the timeline…

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Feb 14

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Mar 14

Interim Board Presentation Cabinet Report on website (12 th ) Cabinet meeting (19 th ) 

May 14

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June 14

Consultation with customers Testing the approach 

Autumn 14

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April 15

Begin restructuring the service Implementation citywide

Questions & Comments??

Any issues/comments/queries please contact the

Future of Council Housing Team

on: Tel. 0114 2053908 Email: [email protected]