Helping people move on from homelessness for good

The Greenhouse, a day centre located in Hackney, serves as a crucial support service for people experiencing homelessness in the borough, offering help with housing and healthcare. In this post, Alannah, a Thames Reach housing officer at The Greenhouse, shares insights into her daily work, the main challenges she faces, and what success means in her role.

Inside Alannah’s role

Alannah’s job is diverse and dynamic. “I love it, it’s hard, but I love it”, she says. Her work involves much more than finding housing for the people we support. “Sometimes I fill in the role of a support worker, a mental health worker, all sorts of things… sometimes people need a hand because they are upset, sometimes you just do what you can do”.

This variety makes each day different and engaging. Alannah enjoys the people-focused nature of her job, which allows her to develop in-person relationships with the individuals she supports. “Even though we are in an office space, it is not an office job, it’s a people job, it feels quite frontline. I see my clients in person, and I build in-person relationships with them, which I really like”.

Challenges and achievements

The housing crisis is a significant challenge in Alannah’s work. “Not enough places to put people in and they need somewhere to be put in”, she notes. The shortage of housing options is a major obstacle, and many of the people she supports face limitations that make this process even more difficult.

For instance, some of the people Alannah supports lack basic resources that make it hard for them to navigate the housing system. “I support people who are in their late sixties and do not have bank accounts, do not have phones, or have never set up an email address before… it isolates them”.

Addressing homelessness requires more than just providing a roof over someone’s head. The people we support at Thames Reach often have complex needs that go beyond housing, such as health or addiction issues. Alannah emphasises this point: “There’s a lot of complex needs people we work with have, and if those issues aren’t addressed, people deteriorate, and then even if you were to house them, they are not well enough to be there”.

For this reason, a unique aspect of her role is the collaboration with healthcare professionals. The Greenhouse hosts a GP practice within the same building, offering integrated support that significantly improves the services we provide. “I’ve really enjoyed working with the GP here… I’ve had people come in with quite serious symptoms and issues and I’ve been able to get them checked immediately”, she explains. This immediate access to medical support is invaluable for the people we support, allowing us to address both their housing and health needs promptly and effectively.

Despite the challenges, Alannah finds great satisfaction in her work. “I’ve seen people recover. I’ve seen people not just get housed but actually feel better as people,” she shares. Helping people move into stable housing and seeing them rebuild their lives is a significant achievement. “I enjoy that… how they are never going to need to come back here, and I will never see them again, apart from maybe at Christmas, when they drop me off a nice card”.