Anchor Hanover introduce Housing Proactive into their retirement properties

Anchor Hanover, England’s largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care for people in later life, is currently piloting Alertacall’s Housing Proactive service at six housing locations. The pilot will last for a year with touchscreen devices being installed in homes, to see how Housing Proactive can enhance the existing service and give residents greater flexibility around how they engage with their housing provider.

Anchor Hanover formed as the result of a merger between Hanover Housing Association and Anchor Trust in November 2018. The organisation provides 54,000 homes serving more than 60,000 customers across almost 1,700 sites and operates in more than 90% of local councils in England.

Founded in 2004, Alertacall provides a range of daily contact services to housing, social care and health providers and is in operation with over 40 organisations across the UK. Housing Proactive is a cost-effective housing management service which was specifically developed to improve communication with residents with higher needs, enhance repairs performance and help increase overall service efficiency.

The Touchscreen devices installed at each property have a specially designed and simple to use interface with an OKEachDay button, technology pioneered by Alertacall, which residents use to engage with various features of the service. Importantly, the Touchscreens work without the need for on-site WiFi, and will ultimately help to improve access to online services for residents.

The service operates 365 days a year and residents use the Touchscreens to control the level of interaction they have with the Housing Proactive team. If residents choose not to engage with their device, they receive a call to discuss any issues relating to their property or tenancy that day. The team at Housing Proactive all receive specialised training on communicating with individuals with higher needs, and in relaying issues including repairs and similar matters to housing providers..

Housing Proactive receives outstanding feedback from residents which gives them greater independence by providing them with contact at a time that suits them and in the form they want. Furthermore, housing providers are able to create service efficiencies as the system enables housing teams to focus resource where it’s needed most and save time on routine tasks. Housing teams are given access to a range of housing management reports, including occupancy tracking, and a whole host of other data that help to detect changing housing needs.

Martin Cutbill, Director of Alertacall, commented:

We are absolutely delighted to be working with Anchor Hanover, the largest provider of sheltered accommodation in the UK. Housing Proactive will substantially increase the level of contact both to and from residents, not only having a major impact on operational efficiency but also significantly improving how residents access their housing service. We look forward to developing the partnership with Anchor Hanover in the coming months and giving residents the opportunity for contact 365 days a year.

Graeme Hall, Director of Customer Services, commented:

Housing Proactive will be a really positive addition to our service for those in our sheltered schemes. The touchscreen devices provided will fulfil one of our key aims to improve digital access for residents. Housing Proactive will give our older residents more flexibility in the way in which they engage with housing services. Furthermore, the service will enable our Anchor Hanover’s on-site Location Managers to focus more on activities and face-to-face visits to improve the lives of our residents.

For more information on Alertacall’s services, email Ben Lambert, Head of Client Relations, on contact@alertacall.com or call 0808 208 1234.