Share on Social Media

Applying for an award claim can be overwhelming and frustrating for homeowners who are still struggling with the emotional and financial implications of their loss. Erica Bueno, lead case manager for IBTS, has years of experience assisting homeowners through the application process and knows how arduous it can be both for homeowners and for case managers to navigate.

Below are Bueno’s best practices for working with homeowners. Incorporate these into your own approach for assisting homeowners under difficult and demanding circumstances.

Be Compassionate.

Homeowners who have experienced a loss are often emotional; some feel frustration and anger, others may feel afraid or hopeless.

• Meet with homeowners face-to-face. Bueno notes that this helps her read how they feel and adjust her approach if needed.
• If a homeowner is feeling overwhelmed, break the process down for them and go over every step until they feel comfortable with it.
• For a homeowner who is upset, lend a compassionate ear and allow them to vet their concerns and questions to you.
• Treat each homeowner as an individual, don’t compare one case with another. “It’s important to remember that for every homeowner, this is the worst thing that’s happened to them. It doesn’t matter if someone you met with yesterday has suffered a greater loss. It’s irrelevant to what the homeowner is feeling at the time,” Bueno says.

Set Expectations from the outset.

• Tell homeowners how long the first meeting will take so they can prepare and not feel rushed.
• Provide homeowners with a checklist of what paperwork they need to bring with them, but if they can’t find – or don’t know how to find – everything on the list, reassure them that you will help them track it down.
• If a homeowner doesn’t own a computer, offer your own.
• Be clear about how long the award process can take and what homeowners can expect from it. “Some of these programs can take months or years. It doesn’t happen overnight. The process itself can be really difficult. If the homeowners know what to expect, they are going to have an easier time and find it less frustrating,” Bueno says.

Be a consistent presence.

• To give homeowners a sense of consistency and confidence in the process, have a single point of contact from the initial intake meeting until homeowners get the keys to their new home.
• If you can’t provide a single point of contact to homeowners, Bueno says she lets them know they can always call her for help. “Homeowners, particularly those who are elderly or have a disability, may be scared or uncomfortable. They might be uncertain about something that’s happening during construction. I can be their intermediary. I can talk with the contractor about how they’re feeling.”