Why housing management matters so much (and to think I could be working in insurance)

If you’d told me 10 years ago that in 10 years’ time I’d be working in housing management, and that it would become my passion, I’d have been confused, because I didn’t even know what it was.


Back then, I worked in retail and customer services – Selfridges, E.ON, Direct Line Group. I was helping customers to solve problems, but never seeing the longer-term impact of that help.


Everything changed when I moved to Essex to be with my partner. I had two job offers, one from an insurance company, where I was told I’d be fast-tracked to team leader, and another from a housing association: Eastlight Community Homes.
The Eastlight job was in customer services and office-based – still, something about it stood out. I ended up choosing the job because it was closer to home. I had no idea I was picking a career that would change my life.
Seven years on, I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Working in housing isn’t just about broken boilers or chasing up repairs – although those things matter. It’s about helping people live safely and independently, making sure they feel supported, and stepping in when no one else will. It’s about improving quality of life, and sometimes changing it entirely.
A few weeks ago, I had a woman in tears on the phone. She said: “No one has ever helped me before – not like this.”


She’d reached out because she couldn’t afford food or electricity. Her son uses a wheelchair; her daughter has a young baby – they were overwhelmed.
I reviewed her finances and rang the energy provider for an emergency top-up, but it was clear she couldn’t repay it. I contacted several organisations for energy vouchers, with no luck.
Eventually, I secured a Post Office voucher so she could withdraw cash for electricity. It wasn’t much – but in that moment, it was everything. It gave her breathing space in a crisis.


But housing management isn’t just about one-off interventions. It’s about long-term change.
Whenever we help someone, we aim to give them the tools to stand on their own. We help people become more resilient, independent and secure in their homes.


My current role is tenancy sustainment co-ordinator and designated safeguarding lead. I support tenants at risk of losing their homes, whether that’s because of rent arrears, mental health challenges, domestic abuse, or safeguarding concerns.
One moment I might be helping someone apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment, the next, I’m making a safeguarding referral or working with social care, mental health teams, or the police.


A case that has stayed with me involved an older tenant whose sons were neglecting and financially abusing her. They wouldn’t let carers in, and professionals who tried to get involved were being harassed. After a fall, she was admitted to respite care. I visited her, talked through her options, and helped her see that returning home might not be safe. In the end, she chose to stay in care permanently. It took weeks of persistence and partnership working – but we got there, and she’s now safe.

“We’re often the first to notice when something isn’t right, and in a unique position to act on it”

Another tenant was living in very poor conditions – carpets saturated with excrement, a dangerously overgrown garden. Social care couldn’t get access because the daughter refused. I escalated it, called a multi-agency meeting and brought in environmental health, fire safety and the police. With a co-ordinated approach, we got inside the house and started putting support in place.


That’s what good housing management looks like – persistence, collaboration and always putting the tenant first.
It matters because it’s not just about bricks and mortar. It’s about people. It’s about making sure a child grows up in a warm, safe home; helping someone manage their finances so they don’t spiral into debt; and making sure residents aren’t isolated or left behind. We’re often the first to notice when something isn’t right, and in a unique position to act on it.

Learning should never stop in this job. If we don’t understand how our partner organisations work, and how to collaborate, we can’t provide joined-up support. I’ve seen how sharing lessons, insights and casework drives real change. We’ve got to be united in our approach – singing from the same hymn sheet – to make the biggest difference.
Some tenants are incredibly proud to live in Eastlight homes, and rightly so.

Social housing should be a source of pride, not stigma.
If you’re outside the sector, you might not realise how rewarding this work is – or even that it exists. You don’t have to start in housing to find your place here. You just need empathy, strong people skills and a drive to do the right thing. It’s about the person, not about the path they’ve previously taken.


Looking back, I could easily have gone for that job in insurance. I may even have enjoyed it. But I wouldn’t have changed lives. I wouldn’t have seen the relief in someone’s eyes when they know they’re finally safe. I wouldn’t have felt the pride I feel now.
Housing management matters. And I’m so glad I found my way here.
Mavis Adombire, tenancy sustainment co-ordinator and designated safeguarding lead, Eastlight Community Homes