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A week in the life of… a head of community and housing-related support
Daniel Revell-Wiseman recently took up the role of head of service for community and housing-related support at Longhurst. His week charts what it’s like to be responsible for the services the housing association provides to homeless people and people with mental health issues, as well as floating support
Monday
I start the day by checking emails to make sure there were no emergencies over the weekend that require attention. Thankfully it appears quiet on that front.
I then meet a member of the team who’s returning to work from maternity leave and is doing ‘keeping in touch’ days before returning to their role later in the month.
As we’re approaching the end of the month, I’m reviewing performance for the area and collating a report for a meeting which includes financial performance and operational key performance indicators.
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Tuesday
I attend the strategic homelessness steering group meeting with senior personnel from Peterborough City Council to discuss how we’re delivering and supporting the partnership, and how we can deliver innovation in homelessness provision in the city. I enjoy showcasing what we’re doing and how we can help tackle the problems the city is facing.
Our housing-related support (HRS) administrator and I then review the void performance data for the week, and prepare for the void meeting with all managers across the HRS patch in the afternoon.
I chair the Huntingdon and Cambridgeshire HRS mobilisation meeting, as we’re the lead provider for the contract. We review the mobilisation plan, discuss progress and what’s required next.
Next up is chairing the weekly void performance meeting, where each manager gives a detailed update on their empty homes and when we expect these to be let. We also review those currently under repair and major works, as well as local authority referrals. This is always an interesting meeting to see how we’re doing.
Wednesday
I conduct a supervision meeting with a member of the team. We review their performance and discuss their development plan and how I and the organisation can support and develop their skills and knowledge. This is an important thing to do on a regular basis.
Next up is a meeting with the senior service manager and a service manager to discuss our North West Lincolnshire services – our obligations and performance against this contract.
Thursday
I meet my director for a face-to-face catch-up at one of our regional offices.
I then head off to one of our shared hostels to discuss our contract delivery with the management team. I spend the rest of my day working at the service, which is a nice change of scenery.
Friday
I have a weekly catch-up with the senior service manager to review operational service delivery for the week. This is essential to keep on top of the whole area and understand any issues or risks in our services.
I then sit in on the equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) group for the Chartered Institute of Housing at lunch time, where we review the ED&I strategy for housing as a sector and how this can be implemented at future events for the institute.
The afternoon is spent attending the monthly care, support and leasehold operational meeting to discuss operational performance across the directorate and future plans for service delivery, as well as any upcoming tenders.
By now I’m ready for the weekend!
