Visiting housing tenants and asking them how they are has been the focus of an intensive week of activity by Birmingham City Council.
Housing officers have visited around 2,000 council tenants in just one week to check in with people, to get to know them face-to-face and to ensure they are receiving the support they need.
Officers visiting properties have been able to refer tenants for financial advice, identify potential savings on energy costs, determine if properties or gardens require any repair work, and identify tenants interested in being involved on local tenant boards.
The visits are an opportunity for the council to uncover and resolve unknown issues that tenants may face.
The council will continue its activity of visiting tenants face-to-face. Care leavers, older tenants, and tenants who have not been seen for a while are being prioritised.
Housing officers ready to visit tenants at Wilmcote.
Housing officers ready to visit tenants at Wilmcote.
Councillor Nicky Brennan, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness, said:
“We have had a particularly intensive week of action last week and are committed to stepping up our visits in future.
“Speaking face-to-face with our tenants, getting to know them, and asking how they are is vital in providing out tenants with the service and support they deserve. A good home is fundamental to people’s lives, providing them with security, community, health, and wellbeing.
“By visiting people, it can help us to identify unknown issues early, solving them before they become bigger, more complex and harder to resolve.
“The programme of work has allowed us to identify urgent housing repairs we were not previously aware of, while also signposting people with poor health or financial difficulties to the most appropriate service for their needs.
“Visiting all 59,000 council-owned properties across Birmingham is a challenge for us. We know many of our tenants have not had a face-to-face visit for a long time. We recognise how important these visits are and have made changes to ensure we can visit tenants more often in future.
“It has been great to hear the positive impact these visits have had so far, and I look forward to hearing more from our tenants over the next year.”