Housing options case management overview

A housing options advisory service aims to cater for the broadest spectrum of people who are looking for somewhere to live, whether that be emergency accommodation, or those who have an intention to rent or buy a property. The categories of potential customers who might benefit from the service include:

People leaving the armed forces, including veterans and their families
Older people, exploring their choices around the feasibility of either staying at home, taking up sheltered housing or moving in with family
Young people and children, focusing on those who are already homeless or facing the prospect of leaving the family home, whether that be voluntarily or otherwise
Tenants and home owners who are having problems keeping up with mortgage or rent payments
Customers who are seeking more general advice, indirectly linked to their housing situation, such as mediation, better budgeting or mental health concerns.

In addition to the core information provided by the housing options service, there is also the ability to link to specialist services such as, perhaps, advice for gypsies and travellers, or guidance and support on immigration. The effective and timely management of all housing options cases, generated in response to any of the above scenarios, is a key feature of a high-quality, customer-focused advisory service. Supported by a specialist team, the wealth of information available ensures that even the most diverse cases can be handled well and that service users receive the clearest advice on all the opportunities available to them. The housing options module helps to maintain full visibility of all activities conducted throughout the duration of a case, including the definitive list of advice statements that have been identified, and ensures that the customer can readily be updated on all actions taken, culminating in a comprehensive response to their enquiry.

Increasingly, digital media files are incorporated within a housing options case to augment the activities that are relevant in providing the right information. Within Civica Cx Housing these can be attached directly to the relevant case, and serve as a single point of reference for all related progression activities. Any number of file attachments can be linked, giving contextual background to a customer enquiry and, where applicable, supporting the creation of a consolidated customer information pack. Images and video clips that have been submitted or obtained in support of a customer interaction can all be stored, together with audio recordings of conversations and email correspondence. At the discretion of each case owner, there is also the opportunity to create a series of notes, providing an aide memoir on progress made and any future actions to take into account.

Separate help articles have been created for each key aspect of housing options case management, including: