Summary
Behind on your rent? Housing counsellor may be an unknown professional title for many. The housing counsellor is a professional who can be contacted in case of problems with the payment of rent or other problems related to rental housing. Our four housing counsellors Paula Sikkilä, Eeva Saviniemi, Kati Mantila and Noora Salo meet approximately 900 customers a year. “Please contact us immediately if you have any concerns about the continuation of your housing due to payment difficulties.” There is no need to be ashamed of rent arrears, but it is definitely not worth not paying the rent – in the end, it may result in eviction. The duty of housing counsellors is to prevent evictions. “We can help you conclude a payment agreement and advise you, for example, on which benefits to apply for. We aim to stop the increase in debt and find out what Kela benefits the customer is entitled to,” the housing counsellors say. Housing counsellors are bound by confidentiality, so you can talk to them openly. They have the resident’s best interest in mind, and the activity is aimed at ensuring that the customer gets their life in order. If necessary, the housing counsellor can be contacted by someone other than the resident, for example a relative. The contact may also come through adult social work with the resident’s consent. The housing counsellor cooperates with social services when, for example, a payment agreement for rent arrears is drawn up.
Here is how to deal with difficult situations:
Take an interest in your financial situation. Plan ahead how you will spend your money. You should first pay the necessary living expenses, such as rent, electricity and home insurance. Contact a housing counsellor as soon as you are concerned whether you will be able to pay the rent. Remember that you are not the only one with payment difficulties. You can contact the housing counsellors by e-mail or by calling the telephone service, selecting “exchange” (“vaihde”) from the menu and leaving a call-back request. asumisneuvojat@espoonasunnot.fi Tel. +358 9 3544 5000 / weekdays 9:00–12:00.
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More space for sorting Last summer, the Palin family who live in a terraced house in Karhusuo, participated in an experiment of the Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority (HSY) to test various sorting containers. The pilot was also an experiment for the Palins on how sorting could be made even more efficient in their family. They got to test a large table-top model with compartments for different types of waste. “After initial uncertainty, the sorting itself went well. Looking ahead, the prototype was too big for us, although it was stylish and otherwise well suited as part of the interior. After the experiment, I got a box-type container for dry waste in the kitchen. In general, sorting is easier if you can easily find a place for each type of waste at home,” says Juha Palin. Jani Naapila, who lives in Etelä-Leppävaara, tested a drawer unit with waste containers for different types of waste. “The solution was quite large for my home, but I used it as a worktop.” After the experiment, Naapila returned to his old sorting solutions, but he now empties the waste more often into the housing company’s waste bins. He tells us that it is a good idea to combine taking out the rubbish with other trips, such as going to the store or to work. “I am a little upset that the waste collection room is not kept clean and not everyone believes in the importance of sorting.”
The idea competition “Recycling is getting out of hand” of the CircularHoodFood project looked for compact recycling solutions for homes. The best ideas were tested last summer in eight Espoon Asunnot homes, among other places. TIP Use your home space in an inventive way in sorting: not all types of waste need to be sorted in the sink unit. You can, for example, turn a shoe cabinet into a sorting cabinet and an old laundry basket into a collection point for cardboard or plastic packaging. Beautiful durable bags work perfectly as collection containers, and you can use an old enamel or earthenware pot as a biowaste container. HSY’s electronic waste guide is a search engine that tells you what type of waste your waste is and where it belongs. hsy.fi/en/wasteguide
Lehti Espoon Asuntojen asukkaille 2/2021
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