Rother team in the Bordon Herald

Radian taking care of the homeless- by Sheila Checkley of the Bordon Herald

As an association that houses the homeless, Radian are not just about bricks and mortar but also about caring and monitoring residents who at times may be in need of support or help when their lives take a down turn.

Radian have a range of support teams to help those suffering from domestic violence, mental health problems, redundancy and family break-up which can cause a　 person or a family to lose their home. They even provide food parcels.

Radian was formed in 2006 as a major force in housing and care in the South of England and work closely with　26 local authorities in housing people over a vast area that covers　East Hampshire and parts of Berkshire, Windsor and also Ringwood in the New Forest.

They have a mission to deliver high quality homes and services to support and improve people's lives. They own or manage 18,000 homes all　with central heating;　a luxury which older council house tenants, when the local authority was landlord, didn't always enjoy. Before housing associations took over, local councils were responsible for providing　accommodation for the homeless at　affordable rents. 　For many　working class people in the early part of the　20th century who shared a house with several other families in a slum area, getting a council house with all mod cons was a dream come true and it became a family home for several generations.

Today's society is more transient. As well as families, there are students seeking a place to live after university,　a couple having to move nearer to the workplace or the elderly needing to live nearer their children.　Today those unable to afford a mortgage turn to Radian after the association took over　the housing stock of local authorities such as 4,500 homes owned by East Hants District Council. Year by year they　add some new build houses which come with an　Intermediate Market Rent tag. This means a tenant can live in a newly built house at a　rent that will be 20 per cent less than the market　 level.　

Those living in council houses before 1996 still have, under the old Margaret Thatcher ruling, the right to buy, but after that date housing association tenants don't have　 such rights.

Also would-be tenants or those wanting to move can get help on choosing a property by logging onto Hampshire Home Choice.　

Radian's East Hampshire office is based at Petersfield, where there are 80 staff. They have out-reach offices throughout their region and the　one they hold in the Forest Centre Bordon every Friday is usually a very busy one as the association have 780 homes in and around the town.

On duty last Friday was Sandra Theckston, Head of Region East, Sara-Jane Chivers, Neighbourhood Team Leader (Rother) in charge of　seven neighbourhood officers and Alice Pang, Whitehill and Bordon Neighbourhood Officer, who admitted they had had a "busy morning" with queries ranging from rent problems to plumbing and maintenance. 　

Sandra, who lives in　Petersfield　with her son and husband and grew up in Bordon, has worked on behalf of the homeless for over 30 years in different capacities. Although the present economic climate is beginning to create problems with more people out of work and unable to pay their mortgages, she　doesn't believe it is as bad as the 1980's "when　the interest rate was 15 per cent making　 for high mortgage payments."　

Today even paying the rent for an association house or flat can be a problem for someone on benefits or out of work, but being a Radian tenant they know they can call on the team for advice and support. 　

"We do have trained　Income Officers, Tenancy Support Workers　and Welfare Benefit Advisors who between them within the first six months of this year have gained over £750,000 worth of extra benefits for our customers," says Sandra. "Residents can seek advice from this team but　often the rent is only the tip of the iceberg as　they probably have　a lot of credit card debt as well."

Sara, who lives in Havant with her husband and young daughter,　began her career working for local authorities and was　a housing officer for Havant district Council before joining Drum Housing Association which became Radian a few years ago. 　

She feels a lot of today's debt problem is because the banks gave too much credit and this encouraged people to buy goods they probably　can't afford. She says "we at Radian　work with tenants facing rent difficulties to help them find a way out of their debt problems so they　can stay in their homes. Of course if we find tenants who just won't pay the rent then we do take proceedings and call in the bailiffs to evict them."

"Anyone who is homeless can present themselves to the local council who will assess their need for housing and investigate the reasons why they are homeless. If they are found to be homeless, through no fault of their own, and are in priority need, then alternative temporary accommodation will be sought which in some cases could be bed and breakfast or a private market tenanted property."

Sandra also dispelled the myth that any unmarried, pregnant, teenage girl is　 automatically given a flat or a house and everything is paid for by social security.

"That isn't the case. If a pregnant girl, say　15 or 16 years old, comes to us via the council for help we can house her in a hostel where she will have her own set rooms to bring up her child and　there will be a charge for rent and utilities.

"We are now　developing schemes to tackle worklessness which will aim to help people like this into training, apprenticeships, education etc."

"We do give priority to those who are 16 to 18 and are homeless.　 However we have to give priority to young families and the elderly over 18 to 24　 who are single and homeless, or those who are 'sofa surfing' - sleeping on a friend's couch- or living in a crowded home, are on our list" she said.　

Alice, who deals mainly with Whitehill and Bordon, has, like Sandra and Sara, worked to gain qualifications including a University degree in Health and Social Care. Her first jobs were working as a housing officer and with people with mental health problems before moving to Southampton from London to work for Radian.

Alice says she　also didn't think debt problems and homelessness were any worse in Whitehill and Bordon than in other areas.

She loves her job which at times　can be harrowing. There can be difficult tenants who can be threatening and sometimes her job also involves dealing with domestic violence but she admits there is nothing more rewarding than handing over the key to a person or family to their new home.

She can sometimes sense whether someone is suffering domestic violence when she visits a home. If a victim is in danger, Radian has a Community Safety Team who operate a Sanctuary Scheme.

A Sanctuary Scheme is "where we provide a safe room for the person, usually the woman in the relationship, to stay, and with her children if she has any."

"We also　work with other statutory and voluntary agencies to protect children and vulnerable adults against abuse and neglect which, on occasions,　along with antisocial behaviour, can occur in our homes."

Working for the　association, Sandra says "is a tough job and that is why you have to like people and you have to empathise with them and be an excellent communicator."

"Housing is very diverse which is why it is so interesting and I would recommend a career in this field to anyone. It is incredibly satisfying."

The team's job is likely to get tougher in two year's time　when　the Universal Credit System comes into force as part of the Government changes to the benefit scheme.

"It means," says Sandra, "that the maximum benefit anyone can claim will be capped at £500 a week which will come in one pot and families will have to decide what to spend it on food, rent, heating etc."

"Currently at £26,000 a year, and not everyone will get that, it may sound a lot but it's not if you are a large family."