What is your career background?
Prior to COVID-19 I was working for a housing and business park developer in an administration role, and got made redundant during the pandemic. Before that I was working as a support worker for Mind with people who have dementia and as a relief project worker at a day centre for homeless people. When I lost my job I took the opportunity to think about what I really want to do. I loved working in the centre and with vulnerable people, so I looked on the Launchpad website and saw a vacancy for an information coordinator.
I applied and started at Launchpad in September 2020, and it something I noticed about Launchpad straight away is that everyone is so friendly and caring – they give their most to their roles and do their best to help our clients.
What did that role involve?
It was working behind the scenes – doing things like processing referrals, making sure the database is up to date and contacting clients to arrange assessments. I was supporting the drop-in and floating support team with admin.
What is your new role?
A job came up as a floating support assistant and I applied. I’ve been doing that for about a month! I have a caseload of clients who I’ll be working with for around three months, mainly supporting vulnerable people with resettlement when they’ve moved home; tenancy sustainment so clients can avoid losing their home; or helping to access alternative, more suitable accommodation. It’s all about preventing homelessness in the first place and we help with accessing benefits, setting up bills, filling in application forms and charity grants for things like washing machines.
What does a typical day look like?
Busy! For most of the week we’re working with our caseload but we each have duty shifts where we man the phone and the door, and pick up any enquiries that come through. I also work at our drop-in service when I’m needed and this can be incredibly varied. You could be helping someone who is homeless and sleeping rough to access safe accommodation, or be supporting an individual to fill out complicated paperwork related to their housing – it can take anything from 5 minutes to two hours, depending on the situation.
What do you enjoy most?
The client contact. I’m a people person and enjoy chatting, and I really enjoying helping people. If you don’t have friends and family to support you, life can get hard. Housing can get complicated and people just need a bit of guidance. It’s important we don’t do things for our clients though – we need to do it with them. There was a gentleman who came in the other day and he had to make a phone call to speak with the benefits people, but was feeling apprehensive about it. He made the call and I sat with him. And last week, we had one lady who needed help with a HomeChoice form so she could bid for accommodation via Reading Borough Council and wanted to set up her Universal Credit. It’s a lot to do and it was all very overwhelming for her. I read out the questions and she told me the answers – I didn’t put words in their mouth but we’re sitting and doing it together.
What do you like doing in your spare time?
I spend a lot of time with my family – my brother has a little girl so I love being an aunty and spending time with her. I play the piano but I definitely need to practise more! I had lessons about ten years ago and when lockdown hit I decided to pick it up again. I love my garden too and gardening with my dad. He does all the heavy work and mowing the lawn! Sitting in my garden, surrounded by flowers and having a cup of tea is something I find really peaceful.
You can read about more of our staff and volunteers here.
