The value of thinking big, even as a small organisation

A few numbers jumped out of these sessions for me:

• The 37 agencies that had intervened in the lives of a ‘troubled family’ over the course of a month, to little effect but at huge cost
• The 35 advice staff attending a course last month in the borough on how to help their clients fill in the 30, 40, 50-page forms that stand between them and the benefits and support they are entitled to
• The 1500+ community groups in Islington that offer help, mutual support and advice to those who know about them and can access their services. 

The power of the afternoon was thinking about how all of this could apply to us at Barnsbury, a small 300-home landlord.  

We think our Staying Connected visits could be the key. This new programme of hour-long visits to every tenant are part tenancy audit, part data cleanse, part health check (of residents, their homes and their finances), but also a bit of an organisational hug at a time – post-pandemic, mid-cost of living crisis – when a lot of people need it.  

I knew we were onto something when Maurice, an 84-year-old sheltered housing resident, told me his visit “changed my life”. As well as picking up adaptations he needs but wouldn’t have asked for, we helped him apply for Attendance Allowance and a taxi card, neither of which he was aware of before. He is better off, able to visit friends and family, and can live safely in his home for longer.  

With about a third of visits completed, we have helped with access to over £20,000 of direct financial support. More importantly, we have linked residents – many who would never have asked for help until they reached crisis point – to services such as mental health, hoarding support and occupational therapy.

Other residents have offered to get involved with us and in their community, including supporting neighbours.  

“The visits will create substantial savings both for us, in tackling repairs early, averting serious hoarding and improving access for compliance visits, and elsewhere in social care and health budgets”

While we can’t yet quantify it, the visits will create substantial savings both for us, in tackling repairs early, averting serious hoarding and improving access for compliance visits, and elsewhere in social care and health budgets.   

The next step is looking at the overall picture that emerges and how this might help us reshape our service and broader relationship with residents, with enabling, collaboration and mutual support at its heart.  

Knowing your tenants is the holy grail for all landlords – that and building trust.  

It’s unlikely we will ever be at the forefront of AI in housing. However, we will use it to continue to make Barnsbury flourish and, where we can, create capacity for the proactive, person-centred connection residents have told us they value, which build a strong bond of trust and which can change lives.   

Knowing this also helps answer the question our board asks at every strategy day: that, despite a total stock half an L&Q housing officer’s patch size, the value we can bring as a small landlord is worth the investment.  

Susan French, chief executive, Barnsbury Housing Association