Housing Officer Shortlisted for CIH Rising Star Cymru Award
NPT Homes’ Community Housing Officer Donna Williams has been shortlisted for the prestigious Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru (CIH) Rising Star Cymru award.
Donna was nominated for the award by Chief Executive Linda Whittaker after demonstrating creativity and innovation throughout her two and a half year career in housing.
Like many successful housing professionals Donna had a varied career before deciding to choose the housing path. She’s been a nurse and a police officer prior to becoming a housing trainee in April 2013.
Her progression has been rapid, taking on a secondment as a Community Housing Officer within a year of starting her training.
Having recently completed a BSc in Housing Policy and Practice and winning the Blake Morgan Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement, in May 2015, Donna secured a permanent job as a Community Housing Officer going up against tough competition.
Donna's main role is to liaise with potential and current tenants to source suitable accommodation and to ensure they meet the requirements set out in the tenancy agreement. Her role also includes sign posting tenants to support and offering advice and guidance to help tenants to remain in their homes.
In CIH Cymru’s quest to find the rising star in Welsh housing, Donna will join Digital Inclusion Officer Louise Kingdon from Melin Homes and Neighbourhood and Welfare Reform Officer Cally McCarthy from Monmouthshire Housing.
The trio will go head to head at Tai 2016, CIH Cymru’s three day housing conference taking place at The Swalec Stadium in Cardiff from the 26th – 28th April 2016.
The shortlisted finalists will be expected to actively participate in the TAI 2016 conference which includes a presentation at the conference, writing two blog entries for www.cih.org, leading a one hour Twitter take over and hosting a site visit to show their day to day activities to judges.
The winner will be announced on the final morning of the conference.
NPT Homes’ Chief Executive, Linda Whittaker, said:
“Since joining NPT Homes, Donna has demonstrated her commitment and passion for the sector which has resulted in her many successes. She is keen to make a difference for her tenants and the wider community and has a good handle on how it’ll impact positively on NPT Homes. She is a real people person and I’m confident she will shine throughout the Rising Star Cymru competition.”
Donna Williams added:
“I am delighted to have been nominated for the Rising Star Cymru award. I have been working in housing for just over two and half years now and I am happy to say, I love my job.
Housing is such a diverse sector and I am really looking forward to learning from the other candidates and representing NPT Homes at the TAI Conference in April.”
