When Helm Housing, who provide affordable housing and services for people throughout Northern Ireland, wanted to increase the security of the tenant decorating grant-giving process, they came to us.
After experiencing security and compliance issues with the vouchers they were using originally, they wanted a solution that would ensure each grant was spent appropriately and was a cost-effective way to encourage tenants themselves to undertake the redecoration work for their own homes.
The solution
We introduced them to our Homebase Electronic Decorating Cards. Supplied carrying no value, they not only eliminated the need to pay in advance, but were more secure too. Once given to a resident, they could be loaded with any value and activated within 24 hours, ready to be spent on any pre-approved Homebase decorating products. They were also more flexible – as the resident could spend the card’s value in either single or multiple transactions.
The results
As well as helping to move tenants into homes more quickly, the financial savings derived from reduced waste and more efficient use of work teams have been considerable. These savings were further enhanced by the fact that Helm Housing also benefited from a discount on the cards.
