Coast & Country has appointed experienced housing professional Joanne Dunn as Head of Income Management & Employability.
Joanne, who joins Coast & Country from Spennymoor-based Livin Housing Ltd where she was responsible for the strategic management of financial wellbeing and debt management, has undertaken a wide range of roles across the sector since beginning her housing career as an office co-ordinator.
At Coast & Country she will have two key roles: overseeing the delivery of employability schemes, including the Youth Employment Initiative in which Coast & Country is playing a pivotal role and income collection. Joanne will be responsible for ensuring customers struggling financially receive the best support and advice to minimise rent arrears.
Joanne said: “I am delighted to be joining a housing organisation that truly believes in its vision of ‘working together to make a difference’. Its values and ethos are very similar to my own and I am already discovering that there is a tremendous team of very committed people.
“I recognise that the issues facing customers are getting more complex and social housing providers need to evolve to meet their changing needs.
“There will be a number of challenges ahead, including welfare reform, and as a business we will need to be equipped to deal with more vulnerable tenants with empathy and understanding.”