With social need at critical levels in the housing sector, it’s more important than ever for housing providers to use technology and tools that enable them to better meet the needs of their most vulnerable residents.
As I write, the general election looms. By the time this article is published, the results will be clear and levels of uncertainty are likely to be higher than ever across the housing sector. Whichever way the ballot fell, housing providers will now be getting to grips with new government priorities.
The sector will be concerned about further financial belt-tightening. There may be additional steps to take if further regulation is introduced to make housing providers more accountable for the safety of their most vulnerable tenants as well as the condition of their property assets.
It’s likely that the Housing Ombudsman Service’s call earlier this year for a Royal Commission to rethink housing policy as a health intervention will remain very much on the housing agenda, whoever wins the election. The views of residents and landlords were sought to build a picture of how our sector was performing; among the key recommendations in the resulting report was for housing providers to improve the way they respond to vulnerable residents’ needs.
What can housing providers do to better understand and serve the needs of vulnerable residents while keeping a grip on rising costs?
Prioritise the basics
Small changes to ways of working can make a big difference to residents’ experiences of the services they receive from their housing provider.
For example, if repair schedules are typically held in one database and key information on tenants in another, without linking the two there will be no understanding of whether maintenance needs to be prioritised for vulnerable residents. This could result in a disabled tenant having to wait weeks or months to have the handrails fitted in their bathroom.
Having joined-up IT systems across a whole organisation reduces the possibility of errors, improves data security and simplifies processes. When staff can find the information they need quickly and easily to get a full picture of tenants and their homes, they can better support their most vulnerable residents in a timely way.
Tailored channels of communication
A key challenge for housing providers is how to meet the needs of the broad mix of residents they serve. The way they communicate is an important factor that needs consideration.
There will be some tenants who prefer to be left alone. They want to manage their rent account online and may even like to carry out their own minor repairs if, say, their property has a leaky tap or a shelf that needs replacing.
Other individuals and families might have more complex needs, such as money concerns, health issues or caring responsibilities. Then there are those who simply want to speak to a human being if they have a query about their latest rent statement, want to make a complaint or need help reporting a problem.
Offering a mix of channels for communication is key to supporting different groups of residents. Digital channels may not be the simplest way for tenants with visual impairments to contact their housing provider, and using the telephone can be difficult for those people who are hard of hearing. With a variety of options, residents can choose to communicate in the way that best suits them, and those who prefer to self-serve online can do. Staff are then freed up to support residents who want to communicate by phone or in person.
Streamlined working
Managing administration in the provision of social housing can be time-consuming. Tasks such as identifying missed rent payments, crunching data for monthly reports or managing invoices are important, but they add little to the relationship between housing provider and tenant.
The automation of many of the repetitive processes typically carried out by housing staff reduces workloads, improves efficiency and cuts costs. Automation built into systems and processes can identify missed payments, produce reports and update residents’ direct debits in a fraction of the time a human could and with much less risk of error. These tools can add value by enabling staff to focus more time on helping residents.
Giving housing maintenance teams the ability to buy tools and building materials via e-trading cards on their mobile phones and having those items delivered direct to the properties in an Amazon-style manner provides an efficient and cost-effective solution for managing repairs. Although the price for materials may be a little higher than if buying in bulk and storing them until needed, the added cost is more than offset by the savings achieved through eliminating the need to pay for additional storage space. Repairs can be carried out faster too, and costs will be lower because maintenance teams aren’t waiting around for materials to arrive.
Technology that delivers on the basics will provide the firm foundations and flexibility needed to respond to the almost inevitable changes just over the horizon.
With a solid technical grounding, housing providers can achieve operational efficiencies and pave the way for greater innovation in the months and years ahead to improve the safety and experience of their most vulnerable residents.
For more information on how technology can make it easier for housing providers to save time, cut costs and meet the needs of tenants, please download our white paper: nec.e.necsws.com/better-homes.
Trevor Hampton is the director of housing solutions at NEC Software Solutions.
