When I joined Care Housing Association (Care) as a housing officer in April 2018 I didn’t have clear aspirations for 5 years’ time, though I was ready for a change and it sounded like a great opportunity – working in supported housing for people with learning disabilities, autism and/or mental ill health meant a chance to use some of my skills and experience in a sector I care about. On top of this, the role promised a lot of autonomy and variety alongside aligned values and anticipated growth and progression, though I was apprehensive about joining an organisation as just the third member of staff!
In such a small team every role was broad and I enjoyed learning about areas from commissioning to housing benefit to development. Regular interaction with tenants ensured I was well-connected to the reason behind our work – enabling people with support needs to live independent, fulfilling lives.
As I got to grips with my role, Care steadily grew in terms of properties and the staff team. With this I was able to take on more responsibility; initially getting involved in updating policies and managing compliance, then progressing to Operations Manager when a restructure created the position. I was involved from the start, recruiting two new officers to join one already in place, training the team and ongoing management and support. Luckily we attracted and retained some great people and I’ve been able to learn a lot from them.
Like for most organisations, the covid-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges for Care’s operations, necessitating a move to home-working and minimising visits to tenants and properties. Completing non-urgent repairs and improvements inside homes had to be paused, as did new tenants moving in. This was a big shift for everyone and definitely something we’re glad to have moved on from.
A year ago, after some deliberation, I applied for the new role of Deputy CEO and was successful. With this came a slight shift in team dynamic and the personal challenge of imposter syndrome (on top of extra responsibilities). It has taken some time to adjust, accept my strengths and imperfections and enjoy the challenges. I am still operations manager day to day, but certainly find the added strategic part of my role interesting and very much appreciate the support from Care and investment in my progression.
It’s satisfying to take a step back and reflect on how far I have come since applying to be a housing. A lot has changed in that time in terms of my own skill and ambitions, at Care as an organisation and in the social housing sector generally. Soon I’ll be starting work on a level 5 diploma in Housing and externally I’m exploring Trustee/Board member opportunities. I am excited to see what the next 5 years bring but hope I will continue to progress in the supported housing sector and to further develop my leadership and strategic thinking skills.
Rachael, Ops Manager and Deputy