The Homelessness and Housing Needs Team is looking for a Housing Needs Triage Officer to join our team to be the first point of contact for households in the borough who have a housing need and to triage households so that they are then assessed by the most relevant parts of the service. Responsibilities will include: To provide a triage services via telephone, email and using our online case management system to households who have a housing need and to households who are homeless or threatened with homelessness To provide a first point of contact for the Housing Online and Allocations services To provide initial housing advice to households and details of suitable housing options in the private and public sector, including information on homelessness prevention To respond to all of the referrals that the Council receives under the Duty to Refer, making initial inquiries and triaging as appropriate To make emergency accommodation bookings on behalf of the Homelessness Prevention Officers To provide effective operational and administration support within the Homelessness and Housing Needs Team, including telephone calls to applicants to gather information, making third party enquiries, writing letters, taking notes, responding to emails and updating applicant records Relevant experience in frontline/ operational Homelessness services is desirable. Closing date: Sunday 1st June, 11.59pm Interview date: TBC For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Kerry Flynn, Allocations Team Leader - Kerry.Flynn@wokingham.gov.uk If your application is shortlisted for an interview, you will be required to provide proof of your right to work in the UK at that stage. Additionally, successful candidates must present proof upon receiving a job offer. Please note that all offers are conditional and subject to the satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks. Whilst this is a fixed term contract appointment, for anyone already employed by Wokingham Borough Council this would be classed as a secondment if successful. Therefore, the usual permission requests for secondments apply and you must speak to your line manager in the first instance before applying. Wokingham Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff, and other workers and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks along with other relevant employment checks. Wokingham is an equal opportunities employer.