Due to a pesky cold and my usual working schedule I have spent just one day in the office this week. When I am there I like to sit in with the Housing Crisis Intervention Team and feel the rhythm to the day.
From 9am to 10am there is an energy to the room that feels, not exactly like the calm before the storm, but more a steely determination to meet the day positively, whatever it throws at us.
At 10am the doorbell starts to ring. Our regular volunteer covers access and greetings, meeting old and new faces with compassion and understanding, making appointments or passing on updates to the advisors.
From there, everyone’s case is met with efficient attention. The room starts to vibrate with action and reaction, the phone rings, messages are taken and added to task lists. Conversations overlap and the hive mind of the team discuss cases and possible solutions.
At 1pm, there is a collective breath as official drop-in hours end and well-earned lunches are enjoyed.
Yesterday, the drop-in was closed to give the small team a moment to catch up on the required recording and paperwork associated with previous cases.
Yesterday there were two urgent cases raised by telephone that required immediate action and one that necessitated an accompanied trip into town, all of which were undertaken straight away, calmly and successfully.
The pervasive feeling in the room is always one of capability, unflappability and compassion.
The afternoons are when the backroom engine kicks into gear, phone calls are made, emails and messages sent and forms filled in on behalf of the people being supported, occasionally punctuated by an arranged appointment.
By 5pm the office winds down and everyone goes home to recharge for the next day.
This is a regular day, in just one of the services we offer.
I cannot express strongly enough to you the good work of good people I see there, although, as you can tell, I am trying.