Working as a Progress Involvement Officer for 16 years, Alan Greig tells us how he loves visiting tenants with support needs and why igniting conversations is the key to delivering successful projects with impact.

With a great deal of experience working in social care and training, Alan helps to ensure that tenants’ voices are heard.

“A typical day for me would be driving across the country to a property, meeting support providers and tenants and sharing information about tenant involvement.

"I might spend time explaining to people how the Community Support Grant or the Charity Investment Fund work and how they can benefit tenant projects. On other days, you might find me helping out a local bacon buttie morning, answering questions and creating conversations, talking about community initiatives and project ideas.

"Or, I might be calling up tenants or support providers on the phone to make plans or talk about upcoming case studies - I’m like an octopus, trying to keep everything on an even keel!

"It’s critical that I have the support teams involved in the work that I do, as some supported living tenants have less capacity than others. I need the support staff onboard to help me engage with tenants. I’m reliant also on the housing officers to tell me about tenant and community project ideas so we can help get them off the ground, and indicate which tenants are willing to take part in involvement activities.

"My interest in working with children and adults with support needs came from teaching arts and crafts. I used to run my own design business in Manchester (after getting a design degree and working for Wedgwood) and I was approached to help teach a group of people with disabilities.

"I had to think on my feet on how to communicate and from there I became passionate about supporting people to be independent and have a voice. My career took off and for six years I was a specialist children’s worker.

"Naturally with my job now there are challenges and difficulties along the way, particularly around communicating with tenants, but we enlist the help of specialist organisations when we have to, for example with a language programme like Makaton or we use basic sign language.

By far, my favourite part of the job is going out to visit the tenants.

"When we’ve got properties so dispersed, they might only see a housing office a couple of times a year, so I want them to remember me straight away. I find it really rewarding when they contact me to help them.

"When I’m not working, I like keeping fit, walking the dog and going to gigs, especially at smaller venues locally to me in Greater Manchester. The louder, the better!"

 

Our Supported Living provision - RWP (Reside With Progress)

Reside Housing Association joined Progress Housing Group on 30 September 2021, creating RWP (Reside With Progress) and bringing together over 45 years of combined expertise in delivering high-quality housing and related services to meet the needs and aspirations of people with varying support needs, particularly learning disabilities and autism.

RWP is one of the UK's leading providers of supported living accommodation for people with a learning disability, autism, an acquired brain injury or a mental health condition.

Visit the RWP website to find out more about supported living in the UK, by clicking here.

 

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