Scottish housing providers boost service for older residents

Eight housing providers based in Scotland have adopted Housing Proactive, an Alertacall service, within the last 2 months. The housing providers will use Housing Proactive to enhance the way they manage their properties and to ensure that residents have better access to daily contact, news and information all year round.

The eight organisations which have appointed the Housing Proactive service are: Calvay, Cathcart, Cube, Glasgow Housing Association, Govanhill, Loretto, New Gorbals, and Whiteinch & Scotstoun.

The Housing Proactive service increases contact with higher needs residents and improves reporting on housing related issues, helping housing providers focus their staff time and resource.

Individual residents are provided with specialised equipment installed at their properties which uses a combination of ingenious technology and a specially trained team to increase housing related contact for residents, by offering it on a proactive basis, 365 days a year. The equipment is also used to access the repairs service of their respective housing provider and other services.

Housing Proactive additionally makes it easy to communicate details of when work is to take place on-site or when there are meetings about housing related issues. The system also allows the rapid distribution of information in emergencies, for example power-cuts.

Martin Cutbill, Director of Alertacall, commented:

‘We are delighted that these eight organisations have chosen to introduce Housing Proactive. Housing Proactive enables social housing providers to maintain daily contact, deliver a high level of service for older residents, and detect their changing needs. Due to the low weekly cost and the fact that the Housing Proactive service is housing benefit eligible, this can be achieved at little or no additional cost to the housing provider.

Furthermore, when surveyed, 95% of customers tell us that they would recommend us to a friend and see it as a real improvement, particularly as they are in control of how much interact with the service.”

Housing Proactive now works with over 40 housing providers nationwide. To read more about the Housing Proactive service, click here.