Meet The Team: Get To Know Julie Campbell!

We’d like to introduce you to Julie Campbell, who is a Housing Officer here at Nehemiah Housing.

Some of you will already know Julie as she helps ensure all our tenants are able to maintain their tenancies and communities. And for those of you who are yet to meet Julie, this is a perfect opportunity to gain an understanding of who she is and what exactly she does – and to find out more about how she can support you as a Nehemiah tenant.

How Long Has Julie Worked For Nehemiah?

Julie joined Nehemiah Housing in 2022.

“I have worked at Nehemiah for 3 years and 8 months. I was already passionate about housing when this role came up – on reading the values and what Nehemiah stood for, I knew I wanted to be part of this.

“I haven’t looked back.”

What Is Julie’s Role?

Julie explains: “As a Housing Officer, I am responsible for the Wolverhampton patch.  Supporting tenants with maintaining their tenancies and neighbourhoods.  My role is a mixture of the maintenance of the tenants’ accounts together with a front facing role that supports tenants, helping them to sustain their tenancies.”

What Is A Typical Day For Julie?

Julie comments: “Every day is different. The main duties are to ensure the tenants’ accounts are maintained as per their tenancy agreement. To achieve this, I work closely with the Property Services team, Finance team, and various contractors. In terms of actual work, my days involve generally supporting tenants with any questions, queries or concerns that arise.

“A typical day as a Housing Officer is varied and busy, combining office-based work with time out on patch.

“My day usually starts by checking my emails and mobile to see if there are any important queries that need to be answered. This allows me to prioritise enquiries from tenants and colleagues and review any urgent issues such as rent arrears.

“I spend a significant part of the day managing my caseload, which includes contacting tenants, arranging and carrying out home visits, and completing tenancy-related work such as sign-ups, inspections, and responding to breaches of tenancy. I also work closely with other teams and external agencies, including Repairs, Finance and Tenancy Services Officers.

“Throughout the day, I record case notes and follow up on actions to ensure cases are progressed effectively and in line with our policy.

“Customer service is a key part of my role, so I aim to resolve issues at first point of contact where possible while managing expectations in a professional and empathetic manner.

“No two days are the same, and I need to be flexible, organised, and able to prioritise effectively to meet deadlines while supporting tenants and maintaining safe, sustainable communities.”

How Does Julie Prioritise Her Workload When Things Get Busy?

Julie says she needs to plan ahead to successfully prioritise her workload.  

“I map out my day and allocate times to different tasks.”

What Issues Do You Deal With Most Often?

“Rent arrears and enquiries, failed Direct Debits, benefit queries, and repairs enquiries, are among the most common issues and enquiries I deal with,” says Julie.

How Much Of The Role Is Office Based Versus Out In The Community?

“It’s pretty much an even split, I’d say,” says Julie.

“On average, my time is halved between office work and being out in the community.”

What’s It Like Working As Part Of The Nehemiah Team?

Julie explains: “What stands out most is the sense of teamwork. Everyone is approachable, willing to share knowledge, and happy to step in and help when needed. There’s a real feeling that we’re all working toward the same goal, which makes even challenging days feel more manageable.”

What Makes Nehemiah Different From Other Housing Associations, In Your Experience?

“Nehemiah, as a housing association, cares about its tenants and their communities,” says Julie.

“Staff build real relationships with tenants rather than just managing their tenancies.”

What’s One Thing People Might Be Surprised To Learn About The Work Of A Housing Officer?

Julie explains that it’s a very varied role – something people don’t always appreciate when they think about the work of a Housing Officer.

“In this role, you wear many different hats, from rent collector to counsellor.”

What Do You Enjoy Most About Working With Tenants?

“The most rewarding part of supporting tenants as a Housing Officer is knowing that your work makes a real, positive difference to people’s everyday lives,” says Julie.

“I value building trust, understanding individual circumstances, and helping tenants overcome challenges to sustain their tenancy.”

Is There A Recent Success Story That Stands Out To You?

“Yes!” says Julie.

“The recent success story involves a tenant who lived alone in a 4-bedroom home, as their children had left the family home.

“The tenant struggled to maintain the large home and bills. This made the tenant feel hopeless and made them alcohol dependent.

“I worked with the tenant to do a transfer to one of our schemes where they received support with getting back on the right track. The tenant is still there and is going from strength to strength, which is amazing to see – and to be a part of the transformation.”

What Key Skills Are Essential To Being A Successful Housing Officer?

“You need to be professional, caring, empathetic, multi-tasking, and logical in this role.”

What’s The Biggest Lesson You’ve Learned In This Role?

“That everyone is individual – you have to be empathetic and listen to the tenants, especially when they are experiencing stress or a crisis.

“I have also learned that being clear, confident and consistent helps to build trust with the tenants.”

What Advice Would You Give To Someone Considering A Career In Housing?

Julie says: “Be prepared to work hard as housing roles can be very challenging as well as very rewarding.”

What keeps You Motivated?

“The organisation, my colleagues, and providing a service to the tenants to help them sustain their tenancies,” comments Julie.

Describe Your Role In 1 Word

“Supportive.”

What 3 Words Would You Use To Describe Nehemiah?

“Caring. Listening. They try.”

Tea Or Coffee On A Busy Day?

“Coffee.”

Nehemiah Is Here To Help & Support

Supporting tenants to maintain and sustain their tenancies is important to Julie and her team – and to all of us here at Nehemiah, in fact.

Julie wants every single tenant to live comfortably in their home and be able to maintain their tenancy. This is why it’s important that tenants reach out when there is an issue or they have a query, so that we can provide the support they need.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our Meet The Team with Julie.

To find out more about Julie’s role at Nehemiah or to ask her a question about being a Housing Officer at Nehemiah, you can contact your own Housing Officer or call us on 0121 358 0966 or email contact@nehemiah.co.uk and we will be happy to help.