The Tenancy Support Service at Family Housing provides a range of advice and assistance to residents in order to help them sustain and manage their tenancy. This could mean visiting and working with residents when they first move into a Family Housing property, or helping our residents if they are experiencing some difficulties in their lives and homes.
We are a small team in tenancy support with Mike Smith, our Tenancy Support Manager and Tenancy Support Officers, Doreen Owen and Bryan Hylton. You can contact us by e-mail or phone 0121 766 1100.
Assistance can include:
- Welfare benefit advice
- Obtaining furniture and furnishing needs, arranging removals, setting up a home, social fund grants.
- Tenancy responsibilities- obligations and rights
- Advice on training for employment, education, training opportunities. Job search and employability issues.
- ‘Life skills for independent living’, motivating and empowering to develop confidence, social skills and the ability to sustain their tenancies independently.
- Advice on domestic tasks & skills- setting up, maintaining and cleaning a home, cooking and hygiene.
- Money Management. Financial skills, debt counselling, household budgeting advice and general form filling.
- Help with gas, electric, water connections, payment schemes and efficient fuel use.
- Support in accessing local services and community facilities, befriending schemes, liaising with relatives.
- Advise on social skills and behaviour- developing positive relations with neighbours.
- Referrals to other specialist agencies tenants can access for support.
- Information/links to facilities for parents with pre school children/ childcare/ parenting etc.
- Liaising with statutory services when needed such as Social Care and Health Services
It is important to remember that if you need help in managing at home for whatever reason, we may be able to help. And if we can, we would like to help.
When you can contact the Tenancy Support Team.
Sign up. When you join Family Housing you will receive information about the Tenancy Support Team, and this is your first opportunity to ask for Tenancy Support to contact you for assistance.
New tenant visits. The Tenancy Support Team carries out a new tenant visit once you have been in your tenancy for about 3 weeks. New tenants will get some information about this at their sign up appointment. The Tenancy Support Team will check that you have settled into your new home and neighbourhood and ensure that you know everything you need to know about your new home. This is the tenant’s second opportunity to ask for Tenancy Support to contact them.
Any tenant anytime can contact the Tenancy Support Team either directly or via the Customer Services Team. Any Family Housing Officer that visits tenants can also refer a tenant to be contacted by the Tenancy Support Team.
Contact us now! If you want to talk to a member of the Tenancy Support Team, you can email us, or call us on 0121 766 1155/1117.
Other organisations we work with who provide support
In order to provide the best support we can, we work with a number of organisations to provide support to our tenants. This list is growing all the time, so contact a member of the tenancy support team if you are interested in finding out more about these organisations and more.
| Birmingham Rathbone Society |
For people with learning difficulties |
| BMAG ( Birmingham Money Advice and Grants) |
BMAG are partners who are a Money advice organisation that our tenants can access by direct or self-referral for debt advice, income maximisation and grant assistance. |
| Fireside Project |
For homeless people, particularly long term homeless who will need assistance to resettle following unsettled way of life. |
| Freshwinds |
For People with HIV/Aids. |
| Ladywood Furniture Project |
Although not a floating support service, don’t forget they are partners who can assist with furniture needs for our tenants. |
| NACRO |
For ex offenders or people at risk of offending. |
| St Basils resettlement |
For homeless young people 18-25 years, this could be resettling into a new tenancy for a vulnerable young person, able to access the Resettlement Centres wide range of activities. They also have specific schemes for young people for HIV/aids, refugees, Lesbian and Gay, mental health (via Focus Housing), care leavers. |
| Womens Aid |
For any woman who is suffering or has suffered from domestic violence. |
| Zone Resettlement |
Assistance for ex offenders and people with substance misuse. |
Useful contacts:
We have provided just a few basic useful contacts that may be helpful. If you are interested in any of these, or want help in finding an organisation that is not here, please just get in contact with the Tenancy Support Team and we will do our very best to help.
- Community Transport
For assistance with moving
Tel. 0121 771 1520 for bookings
- Birmingham Money Advice and Grants (BMAG)
For independent advice and assistance with Welfare benefits and debts.
Tel. 0121 766 7466
- Birmingham Centre for Independent Living
This centre provides information about products and services for disabled people and is open from 9.00am to 4.15pm Monday to Friday:
St Mark's Street,
Springhill,
Birmingham B1 2UH
Tel : 0121 200 2262 Fax : 0121 200 2250
Minicom : 0121 200 2258
- Occupational Therapy Service
For aids and adaptations to your home
Tel. 0121 303 3090 email. SCHOccTherapy@birmingham.gov.uk
- Age Concern Birmingham: www.ageconcernbirmingham.org.uk
Who also can find assistance with gardening, handyman /DIY jobs and cleaning that are needed for the elderly.
Contact: 5th Floor Centro House, 16 Summer Lane, Birmingham, B19 3SD
Tel. 0121 213 1130
Fax. 0121 683 8840
Email. mail@ageconcernbirmingham.org.uk
- Asian Resource Centre:
Asian persons housing advice and assistance.
Contact: 110 Hamstead Road, Handsworth, Birmingham B20 2QS
Tel. 0121 523 0580
Fax. 0121 554 4553
- Careline:
A service from Birmingham City Council providing an emergency call system in an individuals own home, to assist in calling for help needed, with personal alarms.
Contact: 0121 303 2826
- Birmingham Women's Aid: 0121 685 8551
- Refuge (Accommodation): 0121 344 4889
- Women's Aid National Help Line: 08457 023 468
- Samaritans (24 Hours): 0121 666 6644