Tenancy Support Services...
Our role as a housing association is to provide homes to those that need them most. Sometimes our residents need extra help to live independently and safely. We will provide this extra help where we can and where we can’t we will help people get the services they need.
This extra help may mean providing a home that has been built or adapted for particular needs. It may mean working with partner organisations to provide individual or group homes with people on hand to provide specific care or support. In some cases it will mean offering people the support they need before moving, giving them the best possible chance of making a success of living in their new home.
Sheltered Housing
Our sheltered Housing gives older people the opportunity and the confidence to maintain their independence for as long as they wish. It is designed to provide secure, self-contained accommodation with dedicated staff support and a 24 hour emergency response service.
Scheme Managers are normally on duty Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 4.00pm. Beyond these hours, on public holidays and at weekends, the Community Alarm Service will deal with any emergencies.
Staff make regular contact with residents using the call system or a personal visit. This is agreed with individual residents and recorded in resident support plans. These are reviewed regularly as people’s circumstances change.
Community Alarm Service
A number of properties suitable for older people have access to our Community Alarm Service which is currently operated by Astraline. In an emergency, tenants can contact Astraline who will deal with the situation and, if needs be, send out a member of their local response team to assist.
Community rooms/Social Activities
At some of our sheltered housing schemes there are community rooms where tenants organise various social and recreational activities. These range from coffee mornings and bingo to more energetic pursuits such as belly dancing or tai chi. Activities are often run by tenants themselves but people from other organisations often visit to run a club or to give talks on a wide variety of topics.
Tenancy Support
Sometimes people who do not live in sheltered housing also need extra help and support to get them through a difficult time in their lives. This may be because they are a young person starting out on their first tenancy or because they have another support need as a result of living with a disability or a health related problem.
People who receive this service are often referred through other agencies or by Helena Homes staff working in the neighbourhoods. One specific support service is targeted at people under the age of 25, the other service is more general in its coverage. Currently this is a service only available to Helena Homes tenants.
Advice and Support
Sometimes people who are looking for a home will need additional help. Our service aims to ensure that people are given timely advice and support to enable them to make the right choice for them and to be sure that they have the support they need in place to make a success of living in their new home.
We work closely with other agencies to achieve the best outcomes for applicants and will visit or contact all applicants who are considering sheltered housing or who have a medical need to be re-housed. Where we feel that we cannot provide the support that people need we liaise with other agencies.
We have our own Welfare Benefits Advisor who helps people with claims to maximise their benefit entitlements and we work closely with the local authority in providing people with access to Disabled Facilities Grants which in turn help pay for adaptations to their homes.
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