ForHousing has hit one of its major milestones by making its 20,000th phonecall to tenants to check on their wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Working with Salford City Council, Knowsley Borough Council, and other partners, teams at Salford-based ForHousing have been picking up the phone to help tenants combat loneliness, provide reassurance, and ensure they have access to everything they need to keep safe during the crisis.
ForHousing’s Kelly Nicholson and dog catch up with tenants
Rebecca Whittle, Neighbourhoods strategic lead at ForHousing, said: “Neighbourhood teams are working hard to make sure that tenants know that support is there if they need it during this unprecedented situation, whilst still delivering on their day to day responsibilities.
“We made a commitment to proactively contact certain groups who may need extra support, including those over 70 years old, single parents, those identified as vulnerable, and those who have previously struggled to manage their tenancy.”
During conversations, the team talked with tenants about their needs and wishes and agreed plans for the duration of the lockdown. This included ensuring people had access to food and medicines and making regular calls for those feeling lonely.
Improving wellbeing
ForHousing recently launched a new Corporate Plan, a key aim of which is to improve wellbeing in communities where the landlord manages homes, employs staff, and delivers services.
ForHousing’s Laura Buyakowski checks on tenants’ wellbeing from home
“Wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do at ForHousing,” said Whittle, “and our priority during this period has been to make sure that people feel secure in their home, are able to keep physically and mentally healthy and can keep connected with their loved ones either physically or digitally.
“We wanted to make sure that, as we adapted our services in communities, we listened and built them around people’s needs.”
ForHousing considers itself a progressive landlord, and owns and manages more than 24,000 homes in the north-west of England.
ForHousing also delivers housing-management services for other landlords.
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