However, on the 23 December, a fire tragically broke out at Tiffany’s property. Fortunately, Tiffany and her daughter were completely unhurt, but the house was unhabitable and understandably it left them extremely shaken. Tiffany’s mum lives locally so they were able to stay there, but obviously they lost all their possessions in addition to the presents, food and other items they had specifically bought for Christmas.
Realising the distressing impact this had on the family and the possibility they wouldn’t be able to celebrate Christmas, Orbit’s property management team hastily arranged an Argos gift voucher that Tiffany could use to replace the lost Christmas gifts. As well as offering any support the family needed, the Tenancy Sustainment team provided Tiffany with some useful and essential items, which were generously donated by Dunelm, and offered ongoing support via Orbit’s Better Days programme.
Unselfishly, Tiffany’s main concern was for her neighbours as she had no means of contacting them and didn’t know if their homes had been affected – which they were not. Tiffany was also very worried about the future of her tenancy and what would happen next, but the team was able to provide the reassurance that Orbit would rehome her in the interim and that if she wanted to return to the property, we would facilitate that too once it was habitable again.
Thankfully, Tiffany and her family were able to still enjoy Christmas, with Tiffany’s mum buying food and replacement clothing items to get them through the short term. We are continuing to ensure Tiffany has the full support that she and her family need in order to get back on their feet.
