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From the frontline – team manager Tony Dann

Tony Dann, team manager at Anchor Hanover, discusses sheltered housing, building community relations and joining up housing, health and social care

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Tom Dann, team manager @AnchorHanover, discusses sheltered housing and joining up housing, health and social care #ukhousing

Tell us about your job.

I’m mainly based at a retirement scheme in Westminster, and I also lead a team of four scheme managers across central London. We provide sheltered housing for older people who have a variety of support needs and health conditions. My colleagues and I liaise with health and social care services, as well as agencies that provide services for older people.

How did you get into housing?

I qualified as a youth and community worker in the early 1990s. After a brief time as a community development worker, I decided to begin a career in supported housing for homeless young people, working mainly in inner-city areas as a support worker, housing manager and area manager. I then decided to transfer my skills to older people’s housing.

What is the best part of your job?

I enjoy seeing the tenants benefit from our services, such as securing welfare benefits entitlement, obtaining health treatment or arranging computer training. I also like developing our schemes, either by supervising a windows replacement programme to reduce noise and heating bills, securing disabled facilities grants for level-access showers, or improving safety with local authority-funded CCTV and security lighting.


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What’s the worst part?

In the context of government cuts to health and social care services, we spend a lot of time continuously chasing up support for tenants.

What would you say is your best skill?

I’m a good communicator. This doesn’t just directly benefit the tenants, it also helps build local community relations, which indirectly benefits our tenants too, as it is vital in a densely populated community.

What would you change about the housing sector?

There should be far more provision of suitable social housing for all age groups.

If you could be prime minister for the day, what would you do?

I would introduce a joined-up strategy for properly funded housing, health and social care, even if it meant increasing taxes.

Tell us a secret…

It’s not really a secret but a misnomer that needs correcting: older people are very different individuals with unique personalities. They don’t all like bingo, knitting or Frank Sinatra – some like Jimi Hendrix.

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