Reshaping the Council Housing Service

Interim Sheffield Council Housing Board

27th February 2014

Refresh of our ambitionsBetter joined up

workingBetter joined up

working More effective working with

external partners

More effective working with

external partners

Local community based service

delivery

Local community based service

delivery

Whole household approach

Whole household approach

More pre-tenancy support

More pre-tenancy support

Improving household resilience

Improving household resilience

Grass roots involvementGrass roots involvement

Strengthening democracy

Strengthening democracy

Well looked after estates and

neighbourhoods

Well looked after estates and

neighbourhoods

Protecting the Decent Homes

Investment

Protecting the Decent Homes

Investment

Ensuring value for money

Ensuring value for money

Refresh on Housing+

housing

Annual visit offered to

each household &

agree Housing+ Plan

Low-level prevention & signposting

(debt, health, home skills &

jobs)

Pro-active tenancy

sustainment

Help to build active and resilient

communities

Pro-active management

of the physical

aspects of the patch

Effective tenancy

management &

enforcement

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

Help to build active and resilient communitiesEncourage 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 enforcementManage 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 patchVisit 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

Proactive tenancy sustainmentComplete a Housing+ Plan with each householdPromote and support the delivery of the priorities and initiatives of other Council teams Support access to other relevant non-housing related teamsBe 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

Provide a key point of contact for general advice and informationGive 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.

Pro-active management of the physical aspects of the patchUndertake 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.

The Housing+ role…

What will change for customers?

How will I get in touch with the Housing Service once Housing+ comes in?

You’ll still get in touch us via the Call Centre as you do now.

Will I still be able to call into my local housing office if I have a query?

Currently I speak to different housing staff depending on what my query is

about. Will I still have to deal with lots of different people?

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

Under Housing+ more complex issues will be passed to the Housing+ Officer for your patch

within your local Neighbourhood Team.

Now… Housing+…

What will change for customers?

I only see you at the moment when there’s a problem. Will this change?

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.

Now… Housing+…

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’

Minimal need – Keep in touch

Low level prevention –advice & signposting

Identification of high needs –referral to specialist services (MAST, Adult Social Care etc.)

Intervention andjoint working

Referral

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…

Feb 14 Interim Board Presentation

Mar 14 Cabinet Report on website (12th)

Cabinet meeting (19th)

May 14 Consultation with customers

June 14 Testing the approach

Autumn 14 Begin restructuring the service

April 15 Implementation citywide

Questions & Comments??

Any issues/comments/queries please contact the

Future of Council Housing Team on:-

Tel. 0114 2053908

Email:- planningthefuture@sheffield.gov.uk