12 Maidstone Borough Council Will Myers
Since December 2013, Will has been on
secondment to Maidstone Borough Council from the homelessness charity Porchlight (
www.porchlight.org.uk). His role at the council involves helping to reduce homelessness amongst rough sleepers, offering support to help people into accommodation and leading on the Maidstone Assertive Outreach project.
What attracted you to the job?
My experience is in teaching, working with clients and carrying out support work in hostels but my own background and vast amount of ‘Life Experience’ has allowed me to not only sympathise but empathise with the people that I work with. This job allows me to work with a client base that I already knew but from a different approach. The work I do now supports those who, without help, would never even get as far as a hostel on their own.
What do you like most about your job? I get a real buzz when I work with someone who is from the street or living in a tent and who might be giving up on life, then helping them get into their own home. Sometimes it’s a quick fix but on numerous occasions it’s a long, hard, drawn-out process. Everyone is an individual with their own unique set of circumstances and issues to solve. I love thinking outside the box and trying new things with partner
agencies, spotting the gaps in support and filling them as best we can. A little creative thinking can make all the difference to just a single individual or a whole group.
What does good customer service mean to you? Keeping my promises, no matter how long it takes, and being honest with the people I support. I don’t have a magic wand to make the things happen that people want but I will support and empower them to move forward under their own steam.
Singing Stars
You may have seen (and heard!) the council’s staff choir singing carols in the Mall Chequers shopping centre just before Christmas to raise money for charity. A huge thank you to all the residents and shoppers who made donations in aid of Maidstone Day Centre Homeless Care (
www.homelessinmaidstone.org.uk) — we raised over £180 for this very worthwhile cause.
Borough Update
This is your council newsletter, produced up to four times a year in the Downs Mail newspaper. It is written, edited and designed by the council's communications team, Maidstone House, King Street, Maidstone, Kent ME15 6JQ. Email:
pr@maidstone.gov.uk. Your comments and
suggestions are always welcome. It is typeset by AW design and printed by Newbury News. If you are visually impaired and would like the newsletter text in large print, please call us on 01622 602176, and we will be happy to send you a copy.
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