West Northamptonshire Council’s housing provider, Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH), is celebrating after its support service gained reaccreditation.
The service was assessed by Erosh, the national network for older people’s housing and support service, who recognised the hard work and dedication of NPH’s support and welfare teams.
NPH’s support service is a team of specialist support and welfare staff, who work with a wide range of residents who need support to manage their tenancies.
This includes care leavers, survivors of domestic abuse, hoarders, people with addiction and those experiencing mental health problems.
The team offers a support with budgeting and managing finances, helping to claim benefits, accessing specialists, and gaining the skills needed to live independently.
Erosh commended NPH for the scale of the support service which shows a strong commitment to supporting residents across all groups.
They also highlighted several areas of particularly good practice in their report, including the work NPH has done on installing smart smoke alarms in over 440 vulnerable residents’ homes.
The devices allow NPH to monitor the alarm’s battery life to keep them in good working order.
The alarms also alert the emergency services directly if smoke is detected in homes, allowing them to get to the scene as quickly as possible in situations where every second counts.
These smoke alarms work alongside the lifelines that support officers install in many homes, providing residents with round the clock support from a telecare provider in case of falls, illness or other emergencies.
A resident helped by the service said: “The support was brilliant; it sorted my life out. I can’t thank them enough”
In the past year, the team has reclaimed over £269,000 in income for residents. This income includes unclaimed benefits, accessing government support and charity grants, meaning residents have more money in their pockets and are more able to afford their monthly budgets.
They work closely with NPH’s financial inclusion officers who work with residents experiencing money worries.
Together, the teams can support with managing budgets, making sure residents are receiving the money they are entitled to, and debt advice.
James Clarke, housing team manager at NPH, said: “This reaccreditation is great news for our service, and the residents we support.
“We work hard to help residents manage their tenancies and stay in their homes, while also improving their wellbeing, and we’re delighted that this has been recognised again.
“With the cost of living going up, we know that the service will be vital to residents.
“We’d encourage anyone struggling with anything that makes it difficult for them to manage their tenancy to get in touch with us as quickly as possible, we’re here to help.”
Read next: The Guinness Partnership to help Torpoint historian unearth families’ past
Are you a social housing professional? Sign up for a FREE MEMBERSHIP to upload news stories, post job vacancies, and connect with colleagues on our secure social feed.
