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From the frontline – ASB manager Sarah Gee
Sarah Gee, anti-social behaviour manager at EMH Homes, talks about dealing with hate crime, working with support agencies and wanting to have “incredible speed”
Tell us about your job.
I manage a team of specialist officers who deal with high-level anti-social behaviour (ASB) cases relating to things such as county lines, hate crime and domestic abuse.
How did you get into housing?
I started working for a local authority as an admin assistant, taking repairs orders over the phone.
I was fortunate to be chosen to shadow a housing officer for a few days, and from then on, I knew where I wanted to be.
What is the best part of your job?
I enjoy being in a position where we can change lives for the better. Living as a victim of anti-social behaviour has an impact not only on the individual, but on their family, support network and the community as a whole.
What’s the worst part?
We often see people in crisis and this can be difficult. We are seeing an increase in cases where individuals have complex needs, whether that is poor mental health or a dependence of some kind. These cases need careful unpicking, and we work with support agencies to develop an action plan.
What would your superpower be?
My superpower would be to have incredible speed. We often need to respond to situations quickly and so this superpower would be very useful.
What would you change about the housing sector?
Support services have been reduced in recent years and I can see the impact this is having on our customers on a day-to-day basis, so that’s something I’d want to change.
I’d ensure all new residents have a support officer for the first six months of their tenancy and those experiencing anti-social behaviour would have easy access to bespoke support when they need it.
If you could be prime minister for the day, what would you do?
If I only had one day as prime minister, I would need to be very productive, so I would start with a coffee.
I’d then split my day in half. The morning would be spent focusing on homelessness and developing a plan to eradicate it.
Then in the afternoon, I would work on solving the housing crisis by figuring out how we can build more homes for families that really need them.
What’s the most private thing you’d be willing to admit to your colleagues?
I am partial to an ’80s singalong on my drive home.
