New customer service centre to support with housing issues

Work to create a new customer-facing office to support residents with housing issues is under way in the heart of Rochdale town centre.

Local builders, H Bell and Sons, are busy transforming a former retail unit in Smith Street into the new centre, which will complement existing housing services being delivered throughout the borough.

The centre, which will be named ‘Rochdale Housing Solutions’, will make it easier for residents to seek face-to-face support on a nu mber of issues, primarily those experienced by people in private rented accommodation and owner occupiers.

The team will be working to help prevent problems before they arise, so the plan is for other council services to work alongside strategic housing in the new office to resolve residents’ issues more easily.

Things which the team will focus on include:

• Supporting tenants in private rented accommodation and private home-owners through the housing standards team
• Offering advice to older residents on how to stay in their home or find suitable accommodation as their needs change
• Helping people to understand flood risk and giving them support to reduce flood risk in their property, including through access to grants
• Advising people on grants which are available to make homes more energy efficient, including for new boilers, cavity wall insulation and modern eco-friendly measures
• Helping people who are struggling to pay for their accommodation and who are at risk of homelessness

The new office will put housing specialists closer to residents, with around 20 staff expected to be operating from the building at any one time. The design, with meeting pods and private booths, will enable people to discuss important issues with council officers in a comfortable and confidential environment.

The changes will also see the redevelopment of a listed building in the heart of the Rochdale town centre conservation area, which has been out of use for a number of years.

Visitors will be able to use computers on site to access relevant information and an interactive children’s play area will create a welcoming environment for families.

Councillor Danny Meredith, cabinet member for regeneration and housing at Rochdale Borough Council, said:

“Having access to high quality and affordable housing is a basic human need. It’s much more than somebody having a roof over their head, it’s the cornerstone of good health and wellbeing.

“That’s why, when we made changes to our housing service recently, one of the things that I asked the team to deliver was a customer facing facility. I know people often want to speak to someone face to face, particularly when dealing with sensitive and complex issues. That’s why I think this will be welcomed by our residents.

 “As with all boroughs, Rochdale has a large number of people looking for a home. While we regularly work with partners, like housing associations and the private rented sector, to address this, helping people to stay in the home that they have is a critical part of the solution. This type of work, to prevent problems before they happen and stop them getting worse, will be a big focus for the team in the new centre in Smith Street.”

The new offer will complement the existing housing support offer and people who are experiencing homelessness should continue to access support through the existing channels, which can be found here: Homelessness and prevention | Rochdale Borough Council

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) manages its own housing stock, so tenants should continue to speak to RBH with any issues related to their property.

The new centre at Number 2 Smith Street is expected to open in the autumn.