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Alertacall shortlisted for CIH Welsh Housing Awards 2019 with United Welsh

Image for Alertacall shortlisted for CIH Welsh Housing Awards 2019 with United Welsh
04-11-2019Housing

Alertacall is thrilled to have been shortlisted alongside Caerphilly-based housing association United Welsh in the ‘New Approaches and Ideas’ category at the Welsh Housing Awards 2019, run by the Chartered Institute of Housing (‘CIH’).

The Welsh Housing Awards 2019 recognises and celebrates the creativity, passion and innovation of housing organisations and individuals across the breadth of the sector in Wales.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony on Friday 15 November 2019 at the ICC Wales, Newport.

The New Approaches and Ideas award recognises organisations that are pushing the envelope in terms of developing new ways to deliver housing services or projects. Initiatives submitted in this category had to demonstrate innovative uses of technology to achieve better outcomes or increased efficiency.

South Wales housing association United Welsh implemented Housing Proactive, Alertacall’s housing management system, as a cost-effective and innovative solution to replace ageing hard-wired alarm systems in their sheltered schemes. The system is now in place at over 400 properties.

United Welsh were also seeking to improve service delivery by offering more effective tenant communication and to also help promote independent living by enabling individuals to better manage their tenancies. Housing Proactive increases contact with tenants for more effective housing management. Alertacall believes that by increasing contact with people, in a structured way that empowers and gives them control, you can better understand their changing needs, make better decisions and improve their lives. This is contrary to many organisations who seek to use technology as a substitute for human contact, likely to increase social isolation.

Tenants routinely engage with a range of specially developed devices, including telephones, mobile hubs and touchscreens (enabling better digital inclusion). Devices all have an OKEachDay button – technology also pioneered by Alertacall.

United Welsh tenants are encouraged to press the OKEachDay button to collect news and important information from United Welsh and confirm everything is OK in relation to their property and tenancy.

If tenants don’t press by an agreed time of their choice, the Alertacall team call them to ensure that everything is OK with their property. The service gives tenants the option to speak to someone on a daily basis which in turn can help to reduce loneliness.

The service operates 365 days a year, which is positively viewed by tenants who now have contact at the weekends and gives them greater flexibility.

Data around service interactions is recorded and made available in real-time via secure online reporting, including occupancy tracking reports. In a 12 month period, over 240 hours of staff time has been saved by Alertacall taking responsibility for morning calls alone and the service has enabled the team at United Welsh to detect changing housing needs.

Martin Cutbill, Director at Alertacall, stated:

“It is terrific for United Welsh and Alertacall to be nominated in the New Ideas and Approaches award category by CIH Wales. It is a testament to the progressive approach taken by the United Welsh who are keen to adopt innovative solutions to improve tenant services. The team have used the Housing Proactive service to give tenants greater flexibility in how they interact with their housing provider with excellent results.”

Andrew Burns, Team Leader at United Welsh, commented:

“We are delighted to have been nominated for the CIH Welsh Awards 2019 alongside Alertacall. Alertacall and United Welsh have developed a great partnership over the last 2 years. Both the staff and tenants were quick to see the benefits of Housing Proactive. The online reporting provides excellent insight and overall the service has allowed staff to focus their efforts on supporting those tenants in the greatest need and in delivering a more efficient housing management service.”

For more information on Housing Proactive and how it enhances tenant service while delivering efficiencies, contact Ben Lambert, Head of Client Relations, on 0808 208 1234 or by email to contact@alertacall.com