Q&A - Sharon Battiste, Community Connector

Sharon Battiste has worked for Aspire Housing for over 13 years. Recently, Sharon stepped into the position as Community Connector, focusing on identifying and supporting Aspire to Work referrals into the Employment and Skills team. Sharon prides herself on providing guidance and assistance to members of the community who are looking for employment advice, skills opportunities and much more. She connects both internal and external services to increase awareness and generate more opportunities for Aspire Housing customers.

We spoke to Sharon about her role within the neighbourhood team at Aspire Housing.

What does your job entail?

“My role is really focused on building resilient communities and really improving those communication channels. It can be really nerve wracking for some customers to get support into employment, so we are here to make sure the process is comfortable and that we as a team are highly approachable. I attend an array of community events and drop ins for our customers in the community whilst also supporting all of Aspire Housing’s wraparound service offers. I also support Realise charity, developing our digital skills offer, linking this in with our volunteering work and training opportunities!”

How have you found working during the pandemic, and how do you feel working has changed because of it?

“When the pandemic hit, it was really worrying. Not only for customers, but for colleagues and their families. It was hard trying to adapt to the new way of working: the same four walls and kitchen table that became my office suddenly felt isolating, and I felt isolated from family, friends and colleagues. During this time, I helped with the Realise Covid project where I worked with our community groups to provide food parcels and hot food, as well as collecting prescriptions and befriending calls.

I was honoured to be able to support those most vulnerable and isolated through the pandemic. One lady in mind is called Mavis who is elderly, lonely, and bed-ridden – she called me most days reassuring me and telling me that she was ok; it was like I was her support mechanism.

Another resident who had absolutely nothing, was on the phone with me, crying. So, we sent a message out to Community groups, and it was picked up – they got him a washer, cooker, towels, a bed, and some bedding. He was over the moon for all the support he received and couldn't thank us enough.”

What are some of your favourite things about your job and the area you work in within Aspire Housing?

“My favourite thing in my job is the people – working with colleagues, customers, stakeholders, schools etc. Meeting new people and getting to know their background and how we can support them or work with them to improve communities. In my previous role, I was able to deliver various activities to tackle isolation and loneliness through the pandemic. These activities included the Christmas Community Gift Appeal, Community Living Gardening Competition, Postcards of Kindness and the #LetsGetDigital sessions for our community living customers. Some of these activities really helped our older generations feel less isolated from their families and friends and our Gift Appeal is something I look forward to every year, knowing we are helping to support thousands of local families.”

What are/have been some of your proudest moments within your job?

“Some of my proudest moments:

• We had our Community Living Schemes Gardening Competition, in which Falkirk Grange in Thistleberry took the win, which helped our customers stay active, healthy and able to socialise with their neighbours, as well as spending time outdoors.
• Funding iPads and #LetsGetDigital sessions, which help our residents to learn new skills surrounding the internet, emails, online banking, the Aspire Portal, video calls and more. They have been highly successful, so we are hoping to carry these on with our Aspire IT Teams.
• Christmas Community Gift Appeal: starting this just over 10 years ago, I cannot believe how much it has grown. The support and donations we receive from colleagues, partners, stakeholders and most of all customers in the community donating stations in Tesco stores is amazing. Even through the pandemic last year, we managed to support 33 charities and 44 families who were referred in by professionals. This displays how communities come together to help others through challenging times.”

What is next for you?

“I recently completed a programme with Aspire Housing which helped me to focus more on our business and customer needs and helped me to grow my confidence and self-belief. I’m really hoping to use the skills I've learnt to be able to support and help more people in our communities and to take on and lead on more projects.

Having been through the pandemic, I have overcome many challenges such as feeling isolated from work and family, but it’s also helped me to grow as a person and learn to work in different circumstances.

I love working with Aspire, I'm truly fortunate to have met some wonderful colleagues and customers who make every day a positive experience. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future brings!"

You can see Sharon at employment drop-ins around the community and also in Morrisons at Milehouse in Newcastle-under-Lyme. To see more of Sharon's Aspire to Work events click here.