Staff profiles
Michele Naclerio, Resident Involvement Officer, MHT London
Tell us about yourself
I was born some 30 years ago in a wooded mountain-top village in deepest darkest southern Italy. When I turned 18, I packed a copy of Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road”, told my mum I’d be back in a week and hitchhiked through Switzerland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. I then took the National Express to London and the rest is history!
What do you do in your position at MHP?
I work in resident involvement, which is all about making sure that we provide the services that people actually want. I do a lot of consultation with our residents and encourage them to set up recognised tenant associations. It is hard work but it can be very rewarding.
Decent and affordable housing is a key element of a just and inclusive society. This is primarily why I decided to work in housing. I wanted to work for an organisation that cares about people and not profits.
Before MHP, I worked for Lewisham Council for just over two years, where I had a number of very different jobs. I worked in service improvement, resident involvement, in a housing office dealing with nuisance cases and doing tenancy checks.
I have a BSc in human geography and sociology, which is pretty much about social and economic regeneration.
What are the best things about your job?
Meeting and getting to know lots of different people and being appreciated for the work that you do. And the worst? After a residents meeting, waiting for a train at 11pm on a cold wet night.
How do you spend your free time?
As well as climbing the Old Man of Hoy and digging snow caves in the Cairngorms, I also really love drinking tea while watching Only Fools and Horses. What a great show! I also enjoy going to the Arndale Shopping Centre in Wandsworth and playing bingo.