How did you first hear about jobs in housing?
I was living in Wales and was looking at jobs that would enable me and my family to relocate back to Northern Ireland. A member of my family saw a job advertised with Ark Housing as a Scheme Supervisor in a sheltered scheme for the elderly. As my background is in elderly care I applied for the job and was successful.
How did you find further information about a career in housing?
Once I started working for Ark I wanted to know more about the housing sector and would constantly keep myself updated by looking at websites like Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA) as well as gaining more knowledge from my colleagues within Ark itself.
What was it that appealed to you when you were thinking about a job in housing?
To be honest I did not really think of housing as profession until I got my role as Scheme Supervisor in 2003. Since then I have progressed to Assistant Support Manager in Arks Homeless Services unit and find the housing sector interesting, challenging and rewarding. I have learnt, especially working in Ark and with the ethos we have as an organisation, that housing is not just about providing a house, it is about providing people with homes and giving them the support they need to live there.
How did you get your first job in housing?
I applied for the job as Scheme Supervisor in Conor House sheltered scheme and was successful. Through the training and career opportunities provided by Ark I have now progressed to the role of Assistant Support Manager at our Homeless Services Unit.
What personal skills and qualifications did you have that helped you secure your first job in housing?
I had no formal qualifications in housing but had vast experience working with elderly people/vulnerable adults. I feel this secured my job in sheltered housing.
What skills & training have you gained since you have had your job in housing?
I have had a lot of on the job training from the management within Ark and that goes right up to the Chief Executive. They have guided and mentored me to the point were I am now part of the management team. I am also a member of Chartered Management Institute and will shortly be commencing a level 3 course in Leadership and Management. This has all been provided and encouraged by Ark.
I have received numerous training courses/learning opportunities both internally and externally through Ark including:
Describe a typical day?
There is no such thing as a typical day in housing. With our Homeless Unit providing up to 24 homeless families with temporary accommodation we work in an environment of constant change and must be prepared for anything. We can receive a referral at a moment's notice from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) and need to provide a family who are in crisis with accommodation and support.
My role is to ensure we provide and develop a high quality homeless support service - one day I could be completing audits within our Quality Management Framework, the next representing Ark at a seminar or conference and the next dealing with staff shortages.
As our residents can present with very complex needs I could be called in to an emergency situation at any time. This could be dealing with an attempted suicide or a resident complaining about a repair that has not been completed. In housing you need to be prepared for anything and that is what makes it an interesting, diverse, challenging but rewarding career.
What would you tell people who are interested in a housing career?
I would tell them that it's an excellent sector to work in if you enjoy a challenge and a wide variety of work. Housing has so many career opportunities within the sector from housing officer, housing/homeless support, development, maintenance, administration, accounting and the list goes on...
Although it is challenging it is also extremely rewarding when you visit a family and see for yourself the difference a good home can make to someone's life.
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