A day in the life

A day in the life of...

Gemma Jones

Tenancy Sustainment Officer The Calico Group Employee since: June 2009 Location: Burnley, Lancashire Previous employment: Neighbourhood Officer, Calico Homes

I wake up and enjoy my first coffee of the day. It takes me a little bit of time to wake up in the morning, so this helps! I let my dogs – Pearl, Ruby and Pixie – out into the garden and get their breakfast ready; and I will make mine later.

Before the pandemic, this would usually be my travelling time into work. Working from home, I now use this time to log onto my computer and check my emails and calendar for the day ahead.

I start my day by looking at the pre-tenancy checks sent in by the neighbourhood officer. Pre-tenancy checks involve making sure a customer applying for one of our properties has an income, and that the property they are applying for is going to be affordable. I also make sure they have furniture so they can make their house feel like home.

When I called one of the customers, she tells me she has fled a situation involving domestic abuse. She is with her child, has no furniture and is now staying with a family member. I make sure she is safe to talk and I reassure her that I can safely support her with her move. I provide her with information about SafeNet, our domestic abuse support service. We then have an open and honest chat about furniture and what support she needs. I complete a benefits calculation with her, which shows me she will be entitled to some help towards her housing costs. I also calculate what her monthly rent top up will be to make sure that it’s affordable.

I complete a form to apply for furniture for the customer I’m trying to support. As a responsible landlord, we don’t just provide the keys to the door; we want to make sure customers have everything they need to sustain their tenancy longer term too.

On my lunch, rain or shine, I like to get out in the fresh air and get away from my computer screen. I take my dogs out onto the park across the road so they can play and stretch their legs.

I pick up a referral for a customer who’s behind with his rent. He’s been furloughed and his wife has just given birth to their first child. Over the phone, I help them apply for Universal Credit and we put an affordable payment plan in place for the rent arrears. He didn’t think he could apply for any help and tells me this is a big weight off his mind.

I work thorough a list of new customers who have just moved into our properties and I give them a call. This is a proactive way to make sure they’ve now physically moved in, rent is in payment and they’re settling in well to their new home.

I try to wind down at this time. With my role now being temporarily home-based due to Covid, it can be easy to give into the temptation to keep working longer than I should! My partner and I like to cook different healthy meals each week, so I look at tonight’s recipe and we start prepping, ready for a quiet night in.

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17:00 My perfect working day:

This would be a day where I had a magic wand and I knew all of the answers! In my role, the level of support I provide can be varied and complex as each customer and/or family has different needs. The best feeling is helping customers work through their issues and feel like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel; this could be anything from supporting with debts, applying for furniture or helping someone to downsize.