Shining a light on our Resident Support Leads

HOMELIFE

December 2023

Resident Support Leads (RSLs), work with residents who need additional help from us. They work with residents who may need support to maintain a healthy environment in their home or might be struggling to manage their tenancy in other ways.

RSLs will support or act on behalf of residents, identifying problems and solutions, and working with the wider L&Q team and our partners to make things better for them.

RSLs form a small team of 12, who work as part of the larger Housing Management team, and work closely with our Neighbourhood Housing Leads and other departments across L&Q.

The Resident Support Leads team usually start working with residents after they are referred to them.

We spoke to two of our Resident Support Leads who shared an insight into their role:

Marcia Nicholls regularly makes welfare checks as part of her role, and with her keen attention to detail, she makes sure residents have access to anything they may need.

Marcia said:

“On one of my welfare checks, I noticed there weren’t any curtains in a resident's property. This was making the home feel cold, so I managed to get additional funding to buy some. As I knew the resident was also going to struggle to put the curtains up, I arranged for a local handyperson to hang and fit them.”

Maria McPherson in the team has also received lovely feedback from residents she’s worked with.

About working as an RSL, Maria said:

“Every resident I work with is different. They have different needs and require different support, so I always make sure that I understand what support a resident needs and tailor what I offer to them.”

Recently, a resident contacted us to say, “Maria is a diamond.”

We’re incredibly proud of the amazing work both Marcia and Maria and the rest of our RSLs do. If you or a neighbour would benefit from working with an RSL, speak to your Neighbourhood Housing Lead or Tenancy Sustainment Officer.