A day in the life of Kate - HSH’s HomeOwnership Success Manager

**Kate Fenton,** Home Ownership Success Manager for Head Start Homes

Kate Fenton joined Head Start Homes (HSH) as the Home Ownership Success Manager in August 2022.

Kate’s day often starts with reviewing all the enquiries and expressions of interest coming in via our website. Next, she makes contact with existing and new clients. Each day is different and allows Kate to help families by using a tailored approach to suit their needs. The end goal is not always to get into a position of homeownership.

“The best outcome is what that client or family needs - it is about empowering them with the resources and information and supporting them in what is going to work best for them and their family,” Kate explained.
“This approach allows HSH to help more families and to work with clients over time and watch our services truly bring value long-term.
“My favourite part of my job is listening and speaking with families and hearing how strong and resilient they are. I love seeing the changes people are making in their lives and hearing their joy when they achieve goals and get closer to home ownership,” said Kate.
Kate’s previous experience working with First Nations Peoples in different roles in education, employment and mentoring means she can look at situations through a multi-dimensional lens, providing support for clients every step of the way.
“I have always loved listening and learning from people. This role is very similar to my previous roles, in that I am listening and learning from the families and providing information so that they can empower themselves to make decisions and achieve their dreams of homeownership.”

Since the inception of the Home Ownership Success Team, HSH’s impact has more than doubled.

“We have grown from 15 families to more than 80 families in less than six months which is a 400% increase,” Kate said.
“Our Empowerment Services allow us to work alongside the families on the Head Start savings plan, do credit check scores, advocate and ensure that the families have all the right information to make informed decisions.”
Kate’s passion for her role comes from it being closely aligned with her values of social justice, equality, and human rights. It’s these same values that help her deal with some of the challenges.
“Hearing about some of the injustices in our system can be hard,” she said.
“One client said to me: ‘I want nothing more than to purchase a home for my daughters. God knows we have been through enough abuse in our lives, and I want to be able to leave something for my children”
Kate said her values drive and inspire her every day, along with support from her team.
“I am so lucky to work at HSH in collaboration with an amazing team, so privileged to be able to get to know the families and build trust and rapport with them and work alongside them to achieve their home ownership dreams.”