A Day in the Life of Housing Association Area Manager - Azhar Ahmed, Muir Group Housing Association

 

Today

8.00am :

Nip into supermarket to pick up a few cream cakes to take to a visit to a coffee morning at one of our sheltered schemes.

On the way I check up on a few repairs our contractors have carried out. All fine and I have time to do my monthly estate Inspection, checking the quality of the work carried out by our landscape maintenance contractor.

Running late and get to the sheltered scheme just in time to help the Scheme Manager to put the kettle on. Cakes go down a treat.

We sit in a circle with the residents and have a chat about an impending Supporting People Review of the service that we supply to each them – more than a couple of snores are heard – hope it’s the subject and not me!

One resident, Malcolm, confesses that whenever he sees a circle of chairs, it always brings back memories of the war. Fuel was short in the blitz and he and his family used sit in a very small circle around a single coal fire.

Back to the office and I already have 17 e-mails and three voice mail messages - groan! Most of them need a pretty instant response one way or another.

A quick coffee whilst chatting to Charlotte and Marie, my Community Housing Managers. Marie has problems with a tenant who the District Council say is causing problems for the other residents in the area. We agree a plan of action and decide to keep a close eye on the situation.

Charlotte and I go to have a last check on four newly built wheelchair bungalows before they are formally handed over to us. All is fine and we get a quick lesson in how to work the central heating.

Lunch is a sandwich, whilst chatting to my maintenance officer about the repair inspections I’ve done this morning.

Received a call from a council Youth Worker who works on one of our estates. She wants to set up a youth theatre project to address issues of racism and discrimination. I e-mail her a funding application form -hopefully we can give them some cash for what sounds like a much needed initiative.

Get in touch with Richard, a coach from Camrbidge City Football Club - I want him to provide football training for young people on some of our schemes – sport is a great way to get youngsters off the streets and involved in something positive.

I’m leaving early today, as I want to show a prospective tenant around a Sheltered Scheme on my way home.

He’s just turned 67, and has become homeless after the breakdown of his marriage of 40 years. He’s seriously ill and has been living in horribly cramped B&B accommodation for the past eight weeks.

We sit in the communal lounge of the sheltered scheme which he says seems like a five star hotel compared to where he’s living now. I help him complete a housing application form, and at the same time, go through the Supporting People Initial Needs Assessment procedures.

He loves the place liked and wants me to let him know first thing in the morning if he can have the flat. I get back in the car and head for home and family thinking of the poor chap returning to his bleak hostel. At least I will be able to give him good news in the morning. It’s not been a bad day.