There’s no place like home…
One Christmas many years ago my mother eagerly sat myself and my sister (a year younger than me) down to watch the Wizard of Oz. My sister loved it. I however was terrified.
Tornados, elderly women either being squashed by houses or melting due to being soaked with water, tiny grown ups dressed in strange costumes singing songs, the constant threat that something awful might happen to Toto, and I haven’t even mentioned the flying monkeys!
Years later I was taken to the local cinema as a treat, however the film was Return to Oz, which manages to be even more terrifying than its predecessor. I begged to be allowed to see that summer’s other release Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (a flawed film I’ll grant you but nowhere near as disturbing as Return to Oz) but wasn’t allowed as Mad Max was an adult film and Return to Oz was for children. Again I was left terrified.
So how does this all fit in with the Housing Sector? Well like Dorothy we have a journey ahead of us, a Yellow Brick Road of our own to follow, friends to make, and fears to overcome.
Unlike the Scarecrow we already have brains, but we will need some clever new methods, new ways of working, some ‘out-of-the-box thinking’, and some new tools. This website is just one of those new tools. We will also need to embrace IoT (Internet of Things) devices, putting digital intelligence into homes, smart use of data, more effective and accurate ways of reporting.
Unlike the Tin Man, we already have heart. Many of us already put the customer at the heart of everything we do. But we will need to consider how our terminology, our failure to respond, and our broken promises negatively impact and tarnish this love we have in our hearts for one another.
However like the Cowardly Lion we are going to need to find our courage. We will all need to bravely face previous mistakes. We will need to be honest about the challenges that prevent us from providing the agreed level of service. We will bravely need to ask for help, and be brave enough to accept support when it is offered.
Together, we can pull back the curtain to face our fears. Perhaps our fear isn’t a malevolent obstacle that can’t be overcome, perhaps it’s just an outdated method of working that needs to be lovingly awoken to a new dawn.
In Conclusion
This site only launched late November, without any real fanfare. Yet in the prevailing four weeks with your support we have already achieved the following: fixed two broken roofs, arranged for surveys to investigate mould issues, raised security concerns, raised anti-social behaviour complaints and unearthed major fire safety concerns in a block of flats. All of these issues had previously been reported but were lost in ‘the process’.
Together with many of you, we have found a way to overcome the hurdle of consent, a method that enables us to communicate on behalf of your residents who are too busy with daily life, looking after loved ones, and coping with the increasing pressure of today’s cost of living crisis.
Many of you (from CEOs down to frontline staff) have had questions. You have reached out and we have communicated by phone, email exchanges, and Zoom meetings. Together, we have addressed concerns and sought ways to move forward.
In 2023, let’s follow our own Yellow Brick Road. Let’s travel that new path, hand in hand, whistling joyful tunes. Perhaps our journey won’t be as scary as we fear. If it is, we can support one another and ensure that all the residents believe there really is no place like home…
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all, and if you have the chance, why not sit down with your children and watch the Wizard of Oz, or maybe something less frightening, like the Exorcist.
Ben x
