Homelessness Prevention Officer
Location: Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove, BN3 3BQ
Job details
* Salary: £34,434 – £39,152
* Hours: 37 flexi hours
* Contract: Fixed term 1 year
* Location: Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove
Job description
Do you have a strong knowledge of housing issues within the city? Are you a confident team player, wanting to improve experiences for homeless adults?
We are looking to hire a Homelessness Prevention Officer who will work with applicants who have been assessed as not in priority need for interim accommodation. You will be applying the Housing Act 1996 and the Homelessness Reduction Act to support people to engage with the homeless application process and maintain or find a suitable, settled home. You will be working to find creative solutions to people’s housing need and work with colleagues to improve service delivery to reduce the impact of homelessness on single applicants.
Fixed term: 1 year.
About the role
The successful candidate will advise people on a wide range of housing issues and welfare benefits, assess support needs and work in partnership with relevant agencies to find sustainable housing solutions. Where we are unable to prevent or relieve homelessness you will be required to carry out an assessment under the homeless legislation to determine any longer‑term housing duty.
A robust knowledge of the main causes for homelessness and legal and other remedies available is required and you will need to demonstrate an ability to innovate and adapt your approach to meet the needs of your clients.
We are looking for an exceptional and motivated person who is resilient and adaptable to change. As well as the usual administration of homelessness applications (inquiries, decisions, notifications of duties etc), the post holder will be proactive in engaging and building relationships with services to improve outcomes for those facing homelessness. The role will involve engaging with clients who may face barriers to engage, including carrying out home visits and working across services in the city to get the best possible outcomes for our customers, residents and homeless applicants. A person‑centred, psychologically‑informed approach will be essential.
You do not need to be an expert in homelessness law although you will need to be able to apply housing law in your day to day work. You must be able to demonstrate exceptional people skills and a proven track record in obtaining successful outcomes for clients.
Importantly, you must have an understanding of the current housing situation faced by residents of Brighton & Hove, of the kind of interventions which can prevent homelessness and a real commitment to achieving good results for customers. We would encourage applications from those with insight into lived experience.
Brighton & Hove is a brilliant place to live and work; our services are nationally recognised and you will be working with experienced colleagues who are directly informing national initiatives through high profile work with central Government. You will need to offer excellent organisational, casework and case‑management skills and an ability to positively engage with homeless applicants within the context of a housing market that is difficult to access.
Encouraging a diverse workforce
Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it’s what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.
Additional information
Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term‑time only.
Please note that this post is subject to a Basic Disclosure Criminal Records Check.
We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work‑life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.
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