From the frontline: Patricia Grierson

What does your job involve?

It is a strategic role. I take a lead in developing our services for over-55s. I’m looking at a role that develops people and offers choice and flexibility for our current tenants and future tenants.

One of the main tasks is to create innovative services for older people. We are keen to work with other organisations. We want to improve the services and properties we are developing. I don’t have a typical day; sometimes it can be out and about meeting people from the local authority, housing people or from health. On another day it could be working on a report, or going out to see tenants and getting feedback on the service.

What does a good day look like for you?

A good day is when I am out of the office and I can be networking, or developing partnerships with other agency providers or healthcare organisations - somewhere I can be learning from other people, but also sharing my own knowledge about the sector.

I am shaping the service for the future and leading the way for independent living.

What is a bad day like?

When you have an idea and you can see where you can make a difference, but you need specialist partners to work with which are elsewhere. So you can see what needs to be done, but you can’t do it yourself.

How did you get into housing in the first place?

I did a degree in European studies which included an element of geography and town planning. Then I got a job with Salford City Council working in the housing benefit team. But what I didn’t realise when I started was what a valuable commodity that was.

So when I wanted to move on, I was really lucky because organisations wanted people who had welfare or housing benefit knowledge, which was quite fortunate. That is how I got into housing.

What challenges do you face?

Are we going to be able to fund future services? Are our tenants going to be able to afford these services? Are we moving in the right direction?

The older population is increasing, but what things are they going to be wanting? Are their needs going to change? We expect they are and we are trying to anticipate this.

What things would you change if you could and why?

What is a worry for us at the moment is the changes that are coming thick and fast, like the decrease in rents. And, of course, the ‘Local Housing Allowance cap’ is having an affect. Now it is difficult for us to look for new developments.