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From the frontline - Kara Hughes
Kara Hughes, job coach at Bromsgrove District Housing Trust, talks about how she helps people to improve the quality of their lives
Tell us about your job
I am a job coach for Bromsgrove District Housing Trust and I work on a project called Building Better Opportunities.
The aim is to work with those who are the furthest away from the job market and provide them with the skills and support to help them secure employment or move into training and education, while helping to improve their mental health and reduce the impact of the barriers they face.
How did you get into housing?
As a recent graduate, I was seeking an employment opportunity with an employer who truly cares about the well-being of their customers. Bromsgrove District Housing Trust do just that.
I saw an opportunity to be part of a wider community where we help customers keep their homes through, sometimes, the only way possible – by helping to re-introduce them into the world of work.
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What is the best part of your job?
I have the ability to help others improve the quality of their lives by helping them set and achieve their short-term and long-term goals.
I have the privilege of asking an individual where they want to be and have the pleasure of assisting them progress with each step they take, no matter how big or small. To be the one to provide that support and to be a part of that journey is the main reason I love my job.
What’s the worst part?
With the impact of the most recent social and welfare reforms, more people are in need of a service just like this.
We have seen such success and we very much want this to continue. However, as the service gets busier we become limited and the worst part is that we can’t sign up everyone who walks through our door!
What would you change about the housing sector?
I would increase the amount of affordable rental properties, so that lower-income households have a greater chance of remaining in their tenancy because it is more affordable.
If you could be prime minister for a day, what would you do?
I’d want to make the world a more equal place to live and work, which means investing the same time, money and energy into those who are less fortunate and in less favourable circumstances.
What’s the most private thing you’d be willing to admit to your colleagues?
I am very much an open book and there isn’t much that I wouldn’t share with my close colleagues as I see them more as friends… Not that there’s much to share!
