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From the frontline – financial well-being team member Amos Phillips
Amos Phillips, financial well-being team member at Peabody, on the impacts of welfare reform and his passion for helping people
Tell us about your job.
I focus on Universal Credit and how it impacts tenants. As part of a team dedicated to sustaining tenancies, I assist with complex benefit issues. We work with our collections team to reduce legal action and encourage affordable repayment arrangements with tenants in arrears.
How did you get into housing?
I have an advice background so I jumped at the chance to use my skills and experience delivering benefits and money advice to tenants. I like that we have services aimed at improving lives and not just collecting rent.
What is the best part of your job?
Having a positive financial and social impact on tenants’ lives. I like explaining the intricacies of benefit entitlement and fostering excellent relationships, internally and externally. Getting out to meet people living in Peabody homes is something else I enjoy.
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What’s the worst part?
Sometimes the reality is, despite our best efforts, we have to accept that our people are receiving their maximum income entitlement. The benefit freeze, bedroom tax, benefit cap, introduction of Universal Credit and successive benefit changes have all resulted in poorer people becoming even poorer. When the cheapest rents are not manageable for those on the lowest incomes you know there is a serious problem.
What would your superpower be?
Predicting when tenants will need to claim Universal Credit and assisting them as early as possible, or it would be to eradicate poverty, conflict, alienation and environmental damage at the click of my fingers.
What would you change about the housing sector?
I would improve relations between tenants and landlords by encouraging collaboration. I would like to see tenants more involved in managing their estates and having concerns resolved swiftly, especially repairs issues. I would like to see empty social and privately owned properties being occupied, as well as a significant increase in social rented properties as part of future developments.
If you could be prime minister for the day, what would you do?
I would increase income for the poorest, fill empty properties and increase provision and resources for youth and older people’s services, education, health, affordable transport and legal aid.
What’s the most private thing you’d be willing to admit to your colleagues?
I am a big fan of very spicy grub – a vindaloo or phal will do.
