Day in the life of a HMO Coach

Caroline discusses why helping people is so important to her, being a keen traveler and the importance of not taking everything personally...

I’ve got a lot of experience in support worker roles even before I came to Squared. I was actually working at another local housing association when I saw an opportunity to work at Squared.

I joined in 2019 and spent a year working in the hostels as an Assistant Resident Coach before moving to work in the Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) team.

Hostel and HMO support are slightly different. HMOs are shared homes, so you are supporting customers living over a number of houses whereas each hostel is generally a single building. I found that my current role allows for more flexibility, both in terms of the support I can offer our customers and for my own work/life balance.

Most days begin with a catch up with colleagues. Being aware of what’s going on, anything that may have happened or anything coming up that I need to be aware of. Sometimes this can be around a customer moving in, moving out, or if extra support is required. Not only does this keep the team aware of what’s going on but quickly provides structure for the day and beyond. As much as you try to prepare and plan your day something unexpected can happen at any time, so being able to pivot and react quickly is essential.

I provide support for customers living across around half a dozen houses, including weekly welfare, health and safety checks. Every customer is different, so being adaptable where appropriate with our support is really important. That’s why being person centred in what we do matters.

Once a month I will also carry out a room check to ensure everything is in order, hopefully to then identify any issues early on. This includes identifying and reporting any repairs to our Property Services team and then liaise between the contractor and customer to ensure the contractor has access to the property and that the work is done.

I support customers in a variety of ways, including providing support to access external services such as Drug and alcohol support and mental health services. I also assist with managing arrears, ensuring customers receive the Universal Credit or Housing Benefit they are entitled to, registering with a local GP and advocating on their behalf where appropriate.

I also provide support when a customer moves out, working with Property Services to ensure the accommodation is ready for another customer to move in. The longer a room is empty, the longer another customer must wait to have a safe, secure place to live.

Supporting our customers and meeting our compliance requirements such as health and safety is a delicate balance. Balancing supporting our customers while delivering operational excellence, especially around compliance, is a challenge but is critical for us.

Helping people who are homeless is more than a job for me, it is a passion. It matters especially to me because I was homeless. I was expecting, ineligible for maternity pay when I could no longer work and unable to keep up with the rent. I wasn’t sure where to go but I wanted to remain independent rather than relying on moving back in with my family. My Health Visitor told me that I could get help so I moved into temporary accommodation, and the support I received was such a huge relief. That experience was in one sense quite humbling but also inspired me to want to help support others.

I find it so rewarding when I am able to help others in a similar way. I understand that customers frustrations may not be directed at you, more likely it is related to what they are going through. It gave me perspective in knowing when to reach out, when to give customers space and to not to take every outburst personally.   

Treating every customer in a professional manner is fundamental, but it’s also about ensuring they are treated with dignity. All our customers are human beings and should be treated as such.

Squared didn’t take long to make an impression on me as an employer. From my first annual employee conference at Woburn Safari Park to having the opportunity to attend awards ceremonies on behalf of the organisation, I was made to feel welcome early on. It’s great to work for a company that cares so much about the wellbeing of it’s employees, thinking of ways to engage the wider team and make everyone feel valued.

Any role at any company can be made or ruined by the people you work with. I’m very fortunate to have a great working relationship with my manager Carl. We’ve worked together through the pandemic years and other highs and lows since. His style of management does create loyalty and we understand each other really well.

I’m quite an outgoing person and I love to travel. I was born in Zimbabwe where my dad worked for an airline. The complimentary tickets he got meant that my first flight was when I was 1 years old! Ever since I’ve really enjoyed travelling around the world including Barbados, Zanzibar, Mauritius, Bali and Thailand. I still have countries I want to visit though and try to get away at least once a year.

Eating out, going to parties and watching my team Arsenal are what I do when I’m not a taxi service for my kids! Watching Arsenal has not been so relaxing or enjoyable of late, which provides the perfect excuse for extra retail therapy.