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A week in the life of… a Housing First coach
Sarah Edwards of homelessness charity Crisis’ Housing First team has been providing intensive support to homeless people with complex needs in London
Monday
Over the weekend, we received a call from a client who was scared to return to their temporary accommodation, because there were people staying there and refusing to leave. My colleague who was covering our out-of-hours emergency number had booked the client into a hotel for the Sunday night so they were not forced to sleep rough, and I spent this morning liaising with their housing provider, the local safeguarding team and the local council to check how we can keep them safe and resolve the issue.
They recently viewed a flat and we are just waiting to hear when they can sign the tenancy, so I spent time chasing this up.
I visited them again in the afternoon and we made a plan for the week ahead so they could safely return back to their temporary accommodation and replace a lost bank card.
Tuesday
One of our clients has been on remand in prison. Their court date had been adjourned several times due to the pandemic, but today they are finally getting to attend court via video link.
I met with their barrister and provided a witness statement, explaining we have ensured they have housing to return to if they are released and we would provide intensive floating support.
Their offences were directly linked to their mental health, homelessness and substance dependency. I advocated for them in court, explaining that we can support them to access support services to reduce their risk of reoffending.
They were released due to time served, but not straight away, because of some delays court admin. We kept in touch by phone and I updated their family.
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Wednesday
Each week, we have an allocated ‘admin day’ where we focus on writing up case notes, completing our expenses and reviewing our client’s safety and inclusion plans, and today was my day! I kept in touch with my clients by phone throughout, to see how they were doing.
In the afternoon, I checked in with my colleagues via Zoom – we do this every week to stay connected and have a space to talk about more than just work.
Thursday
I met a client at their temporary accommodation. They had a GP phone appointment, so while we waited, we found a quiet spot by the canal as they often feel claustrophobic being indoors. We went via Argos, as they wanted to use their personal budget to buy a new phone, as theirs was broken.
When the GP called, I was able to speak on their behalf and support them to get their points across, as they find appointments very stressful. They agreed to a face-to-face appointment next week so they could talk in more detail and have some tests.
I then supported them to log into their very first alcohol recovery meeting on Zoom. They have no internet or computer experience, so I set them up on my laptop.
They seemed to enjoy it and spent a good amount of time bragging about Arsenal’s FA Cup win. They need to attend three of these meetings before they can access detox and rehab.
Following that, I went home to catch up on case notes and log my expenses. I also attended a hospital frequent attenders meeting on Zoom – one of our clients is regularly taken to A&E due to her mental health needs, but leaves before being treated. I found this really useful.
Friday
Today I started my day meeting my client for their GP appointment. We met beforehand, so we could write a list of the main things they would like to discuss in the appointment, so they didn’t forget anything. It was a very hot day, so they used their personal budget to buy a fan!
After this, I attended a reflective practice session with my colleagues online – which gave us an opportunity to reflect on our experiences over the past two weeks, and to discuss trauma-informed approaches to our work.
In the afternoon, I attended a professionals meeting for a client, organised by the council, so we could work together to ensure the person has access to appropriate housing and support.
A week in the life series
Our ‘A week in the life’ series features housing professionals talking through what they do in their job on a day-to-day basis.
Find out about the different challenges housing workers in a variety of roles face in a given week.
We aim to feature staff from housing associations, ALMOs, local authorities and more.
Click here to nominate yourself or a colleague for inclusion
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