How did you first hear about jobs in housing?
My aunt was working in the Housing Executive and told me about the type of jobs that were available. She also told me that a career with the Housing Executive offered stability and job security.
How did you find further information about a career in housing?
I phoned the Housing Executive and got a recruitment pack that gave me good background information about the organisation and the jobs available. I also spoke to people who were already working in housing and got advice from them.
What was it that appealed to you when you were thinking about a job in housing?
Job Security! It was considered to be a job for life that would offer variety and career opportunities. Once you were in housing you would be able to advance through the organisation and get opportunity for personal development.
How did you get your first job in housing?
At the time there was open recruitment for temporary clerical officers so you could apply any time. My aunt who was working for the Housing Executive told me about them.
Once I was in the organisation an opportunity came up to apply for a permanent post which I did and was successful.
What personal skills and qualifications did you have that helped you secure your first job in housing?
I had the school qualifications that were required and I had a part time job working in a local supermarket. This had given me front line customer service experience and an understanding of how to communicate well with people. I also had experience of administrative processes and knowledge clerical work.
What skills & training have you gained since you have had your job in housing?
As my knowledge and experience of housing and homelessness developed and increased I started to see gaps where the delivery of the service could be improved. I have started taking small groups of staff who work with homeless people and explain to them what homelessness is about. This has improved my mentoring skills and my ability to pass on knowledge.
Working with homeless people directly has given me an insight into the reality and causes of true homelessness and rough sleeping. It has helped me to develop future plans and policies to tailor services to the changing nature of homelessness.
I now have the skills to recognise the needs of a rough sleeper and to understand that every individual is different and has different requirements.
In terms of training I have undertaken all the courses available through the Housing Executive and have also sourced training from external agencies that I feel would help me to do a better job. These include:
I am also studying for my Chartered Institute of Housing Level 3 Certificate in Housing.
Describe a typical day?
I don't have a typical day! In this job you can't sit down and plan your day - situations emerge all the time that need to be resolved and you need to be really good at crisis management.
Every day I look at the number of rough sleepers that have been found on the streets the night before and placed in an emergency crash bed facility. I have to arrange for these people to be moved to more appropriate interim accommodation and develop a long term housing plan for each of them.
I also sit on admission panels that determine the clients best fit into a hostel environment. I work in partnership with external agencies that help with harm reduction to aid the clients transfer to more independent living.
I collate and monitor overall instances of rough sleepers and produce reports for analysis. This helps to the organisation to plan and tailor the services according to the demand and need.
I visit all the hostels and the welcome centre and speak to the rough sleepers. I find that the individuals are more responsive and forthcoming about their situation and life experience which in turn helps me to assess what their real need is.
What would you tell people who are interested in a housing career?
I would tell them that I love it! The job that I do is rewarding and satisfying - to see a vulnerable person moving into appropriate settled accommodation gives me a true sense of having done something important and worthwhile.
When you enter the field of housing and homelessness, you need to go in with an open mind and a compassionate heart. It has to be one of the most strategically and emotionally challenging careers ever. Once you achieve your first successful outcome for a rough sleeper or a vulnerable person, you get such job satisfaction that you can't wait for it to happen again.
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