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From the frontline - Hassan Warsame

Hassan Warsame, support worker at Onward Homes, talks about providing emotional and practical support to tenants

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From the frontline - Hassan Warsame

Tell us about your job

I work at Alt Bank House on Merseyside, which is a hostel for single homeless men and women.

Alt Bank Housing is a temporary place to help people to regroup and enable residents back into society. Homeless people simply want to feel that they are important and their concerns are being heard.

Our main goal at Alt Bank House is to look at what has caused a person to become homeless and to address those issues, and then support the individuals to look for accommodation when it is believed that they are ready.

My role is to provide practical and emotional support to vulnerable residents. I often help with residents on housing issues, budgeting, welfare benefit as well as dealing with referrals and bed managements.

I refer and signpost our residents to other agencies to access education, training and employment.


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How did you get into housing?

In 2005 Liverpool City Council had been taking in refugee and asylum seekers and dispersing them to different parts of the city.
It advertised for bilingual support workers in the Liverpool Echo newspaper, and being bilingual I thought I would be helpful and applied. My role was providing housing support and related issues to help tenants sustain their tenancy and achieve their potential.

What is the best part of your job?

I love helping the most vulnerable people in our communities. I feel satisfied and rewarded when I see people who turned around their lives, had chance to fulfil their lives and live with confidence, security, independence, belief and self-worth.

What’s the worst part?

When tenants are not engaging with either me or the service.

What would you change about the sector?

I would build more affordable houses, which is something that Onward Homes is actively working
to do.

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

I would take steps to help to eradicate homelessness. A home gives people security and a sense of identity, without a home you can lose identity and sense of who you are.

What’s the most private thing you’re willing to admit to your colleagues?

Mmm, I don’t know.

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