Lyndsey’s blog: “We made sure the tenants were empowered in the decision-making process.”

“We had to carry out some extensive work recently in a property in Merseyside where three autistic tenants Rachel, Matthew, and Kyle live. We had to find alternative accommodation for those tenants whilst the work was carried out, so it was really important to make sure that they led on that and that it was somewhere that they would feel safe and happy.

“We had a meeting with the tenants and explained the work that would be carried out and why they would need to move out for a week. We discussed the requirements that they had for the alternative accommodation, including the various needs they had in terms of accessibility, such as level access showers or any other physical adaptations that they might need, and cooking facilities they might need.

“Also, we reviewed which location would be best to make sure that they could carry on attending the hobbies and groups that they attended throughout the week. Once we had identified all of that, we looked online for the different sorts of properties that might be suitable, and the tenants were able to choose something that fitted the bill for them, so it was a tailored service and somewhere that they felt happy and comfortable with.  

“Whilst the tenants were away from their home for that week I kept in regular contact with them and with their support staff from Autism Initiatives to keep them updated. I shared regular updates as to how the work was progressing to make sure that they knew what date they could move back in. We managed to take a lot of the stress out of that situation by making sure that the temporary accommodation was somewhere they were happy to go for the week and that they were involved and empowered in that decision-making process.”