Support
400 calls on average are made each month by our befriending volunteers
15 volunteers have been upskilled
4,875
customers supported by
Money Smart
£227,000
household support fund
1,562
customers helped with the fund
Our Money Smart team support customers when they need us most. The team help with advice and practical support on everything from rent arrears and unpaid bills to benefit entitlement and budgeting. A customer left a handwritten card to thank us, following an essential supermarket shop after her wages were delayed.
Pippa works in our Home Improvement Agency as a Specialist Support Worker, she’s been supporting Stephen to live safely and independently at home.
Stephen, a customer of our Home Improvement Agency, said:
“I feel very grateful for my adapted bathroom, it means the world to me. Before I had to be lifted into the bath by my wife and everyday activities like using the bathroom were an ordeal for both of us. Now I feel safe and secure using the bathroom alone, and I can’t thank you enough for giving me my independence back.”
Are you struggling to get upstairs or around your home, worried about trips and falls or is your home cold and draughty? We may be able to help with our range of services to help tenants and homeowners in the city to live safely and independently in their homes.
Call Homes Direct on 01902 556789 or email HIA@wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk to find out more.
Roy is one of our befriending volunteers and is part of a team making weekly calls to customers who feel lonely or isolated. He has been with us from the very start of the befriending programme, joining in 2015. He moved to Wolverhampton in 1968 and hasn’t looked back. He said:
“I love to have a laugh with people, and my befriending calls are something that I look forward to. Many people after the pandemic have been struck with loneliness and doing my bit to help means the world to me. Especially those that are older, as I know what it feels like, and I want to help.”
Care leavers
The House Project supports care leavers into a home, to ensure they have everything they need to sustain their tenancy. Of the 44 care leavers – 41 have sustained their tenancies with 9 of those graduating from the programme and now living independently.
Young people
We are passionate about supporting the next generation and building a future for young people in Wolverhampton and in supporting the city to tackling it. We pledged to support young people into apprenticeships, work experience and management trainee positions.
Tia, apprentice Bricklayer, has been attending Youth Summits in the city, typically held in areas of the highest youth unemployment rates, to share her story and inspire her peers into a career in housing. She said:
“I feel lucky to be able to give back to my friends and family as a tradesperson, with many of them living in social housing. I’m so proud of my career so far, and hope to inspire others leaving school to join, as it has helped me gain a real sense of purpose.”
Our people
We aim to support and develop our staff by:
- Investing in training and development
- Delivering a mentoring programme
- Launching our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy
- Celebrating a bronze Employer Award from Stonewall in recognition of our ongoing commitment to being an LGBTQ+ inclusive employer
- Achieving a no gender pay gap
- Promoting staff equality champions