Derbyshire Home-Options Partnership has been shortlisted for a national award for its work providing housing applicants with personalised help and advice.

The Derbyshire scheme was the first in the country to use the LHS My Gateway service. This allows housing applicants to see personalised information when they log on to their on-line housing application.

This means that applicants only see information that is relevant to them – in effect having their own “personal” pages.

The winners of the The MJ Local Government Achievement Awards 2011 will be announced at a Gala Dinner in London in June. Derbyshire is shortlisted for the Personalisation and Choice Award. 

Derbyshire’s ‘My Home-Options’ was launched in September 2010 and has already run 43 campaigns offering both personalised and general advice – including information on winter warmth, benefit take-up and financial advice.

“My Home-Options has been particularly useful in promoting local services which the customer may not have known about and encouraging them to come forward at an early stage to avert a housing crisis,” said the Awards submission. 

“Through ‘My Home-Options’ we have been able to reach out to customers with different needs and aspirations. Customers who are able to address their own housing needs through the website will do so and we are able to focus more staff time towards those customers who require greater support.”