Housing Systems: Combating poverty and sustaining tenancies.
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Meet the Team

We are a small team of hard working individuals committed to combating poverty.

Julia

Julia Service is the Managing Director of Housing Systems. She has 30+ years' experience in the housing sector - starting out as a housing benefit assessor she moved into housing management before becoming a benefits adviser and trainer. She enjoys going to music gigs with her two daughters.


Liam



Liam Bradford is our Welfare Benefits Advice and Information Specialist. He worked in a variety of legal and housing roles before moving into benefits advice, firstly with Citizens Advice. He enjoys travelling, reading and going to the theatre.


Rachel

Rachel Service is our Research and Development Manager and has been with us since 2010. She has a varied role, that includes making our E-learning courses and online tools, keeping on top of the news and delivering training. When she's not working she enjoys travelling and cooking food from around the world.


Emma

Emma is our Business Administrator and is responsible for the administration of the organisation's finances, which includes updating logins and sending (and chasing!) invoices. She's a busy mum of two young children and works part-time at Housing Systems between the school runs! She likes walking her dogs and horse riding - when she gets the chance. She used to be involved in coaching football and is a black belt at karate.


Jane

Jane Crawford is our Advice and Information Director. She has spent over 20 years dealing with benefits within a variety of roles - ranging from working for the DWP (then Benefits Agency), to a Benefits and Income Adviser for a large Housing Association. She enjoys baking cakes and Zumba (to offset the cakes!).


Ruth



Ruth Billington is our Welfare Benefits Training and Advice Specialist. She has worked in the charity sector for many years both advising on debt and welfare benefits. She has also worked for the DWP. She enjoys camping, travelling and reading.


Jennifer


Jennifer Smith is our Design and Development Manager. She works with the team to develop ideas and bring them to life. She is involved in editing our website and tools as well as illustrating our E-Learning courses. In her spare time she enjoys crocheting and cooking up a storm in the kitchen.


Brydie

Brydie Service is our Creative Designer, she develops visual concepts alongside our trainers that are used in the training we deliver. She also helps design our videos and other publications. She has worked at Housing Systems since 2014 starting as an Admin Assistant. Brydie works for Housing Systems part-time to fit in with her disability, when she's not working she enjoys looking after her 30 houseplants.


Jill

Jill Dearden is our Operations Director. Before working at Housing Systems she worked in the voluntary sector mostly in children's educational charities, leaving behind a background in marketing and business in the financial services industry. She is a qualified trainer, and a keen cyclist.


Kirsty

Kirsty Boys is our Welfare Benefits Adviser and over the last 16 years has worked in a variety of specialist adviser roles within Citizens Advice and as a benefits and financial inclusion officer at a Housing Association. Kirsty has far too many hobbies which include growing vegetables on her allotment, teaching people about the benefits of cold water swimming and crochet.


Doug


Douglas Service is contracted as our Technical Co-ordinator and is always on hand help with any technical issues and co-ordinate our online training, conferences and webinars. In his free time he enjoys travelling around in his campervan and going on long walks.


Janet

Janet Morley works for us as a Trainer. She has a wealth of housing and benefits experience. She is a qualified Housing Manager, and has worked as a benefits adviser both for a large housing association and Macmillan CAB. She enjoys travelling to unusual places.


Confidence
"Using your website has made us massively more confident about challenging Housing Benefit decisions.”
Riverside Housing 
Fantastic tools
“Your website is my 'bible'. I use your standard letters on a regular basis and find that decisions are nearly always revised in the tenant's favour." 
Contour Homes