It’s really important to us that we can support the wellbeing of our customers, particularly the most vulnerable, and so understanding their needs is vital so that we can respond to issues when they arise.
Earlier this year, our Neighbourhood Services Manager (NSM), Brian Ngazimbi and Tenancy Coach, Martin Wilson, worked together to support a range of safeguarding issues that had come to light with one of our older customers in Rotherham.
Matthew (not his real name) is eighty years old and had resided in his upstairs flat in Rotherham since 1994. He had engaged little with Great Places throughout his tenancy, however raised no issues. It was only in October 2024, when one of our contractors was unable to access his property to upgrade the heating system and carry out an electrical check, did Matthew’s current situation become apparent to our Neighbourhoods Team, having been informed by the contractor.
Brian, Matthew’s NSM, carried out a visit to see if there were any issues behind the contractor not being able to access the property. He discovered that Matthew had not been throwing out any rubbish over a period of time, and his flat was hoarded, and in poor condition. It became clear that he was fearful of going out, even simply to throw away rubbish, because of a fall he had suffered in the past. In addition to this, due to his age, he struggled with his mobility and was also experiencing issues with his memory. Having also fallen into arrears, it was clear that the issue at hand went beyond the case of hoarding, and Matthew required holistic support.
Brian promptly opened a safeguarding case, which also involved Social Services due to his age. To maximise the support we could provide to him regarding his arrears and finding a more suitable property, Brian also referred him to Martin through our Tenancy Coach service.
Martin contacted Matthew regularly and met with Brian each week to share updates. Joint meetings were held with Social Services to discuss what they knew about Matthew, his needs and their wellbeing concerns. His flat needed to be cleared of the rubbish he had hoarded, and in a way that ensured it did not go back to the way they had found it afterwards. A particular, holistic approach was needed, taking into account both our ‘with not for’ values whilst recognising Matthew’s limited mobility.
Social Services arranged for Rotherham Council to attend to clean and clear his property, and also consulted with his GP to arrange memory tests for Matthew, to be clear on what was causing this issue he was struggling with.
Meanwhile, as his Tenancy Coach, Martin accompanied Matthew to his medical appointments, and memory clinic appointments at Rotherham hospital. He also accompanied Matthew to the bank to check his account. It had become clear that his Housing Benefit payments hadn’t been paying full rent since it had increased, and so Brian contacted Housing Benefit about this, this of course contributing to Matthew falling into arrears. Brian shared with Matthew’s rent statement and rent increase letter with Martin, and they attended at Housing Benefit to get this matter resolved.
Following Social Services’ clearing of Matthew’s flat, there were concerns that he was unsafe in the property, so a referral was made to South Yorkshire Fire in January 2025, who visited in February. They advised Matthew on how to reduce fire load in his property and also installed extra smoke alarms in each room. They have also made their own safeguarding referral for Matthew.
Supporting Matthew has been a work in progress, with multiple needs to consider and with multiple partners involved. Now, Martin is working with Matthew to find more suitable accommodation, and in the meantime his living conditions are much more stable, with cleaners attending regularly. The hope for further down the line is for a social worker to be put in place to provide this support. Until late last year, Matthew had no support and was suffering in silence, and it was the proactiveness of Brian with the support of Martin and our partners to turn things around.
