Homeless Prevention Officer

Cambridge City Council; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 39,000 - 43,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Learning & Development

LGPS pension

Flexible Working

Annual leave 25–30 days

Family-friendly benefits

Volunteer hours

Employee Assistance

Wellbeing platform

Staff recognition

Professional memberships

Salary sacrifice schemes

Lifestyle discounts

Free swimming

Public transport subsidy

Relocation support

Pay progression

Job summary

Cambridge City Council is recruiting a fixed-term Homelessness Prevention Officer to support its homelessness prevention and solutions service. The role involves tailored housing advice, pre-arranged home visits and building links with services to generate referrals.

The post holder will assess needs, create housing plans and recruit colleagues to address root causes of homelessness. The role also covers advising on debt and employment services to help customers sustain future accommodation,

Responsibilities

• Assess customers' needs and housing options and agree personalised housing plans.
• Undertake pre-arranged home visits to prevent homelessness.
• Develop links with internal/external services to generate referrals at risk of homelessness.
• Advise and signpost customers to related services such as debt and employment advice to sustain accommodation.

Job description

This fixed-term Homelessness Prevention Officer post is intended to support the Council’s comprehensive homelessness prevention and solutions service. This role will augment the wider service by offering tailored housing advice and prevention options to groups of customers as outlined in the Homelessness Reduction Act or any subsequent legislation.

The post holder will undertake pre-arranged home visits, as required, in connection with the objective of preventing homelessness. In addition, the post holder will develop links with services within and outside the City Council to generate referrals where there is a risk of homelessness.

This role will contribute to the delivery of the Council’s statutory homelessness functions by assessing customers’ needs and housing options and, where relevant, agreeing these in the form of a personalised housing plan. As part of this work the post holder will recruit colleagues and other professionals to offer support to find accommodation and address the problems that are the root cause of homelessness or threat of homelessness.

In addition to these objectives, the role will play a key part in the delivery of an enhanced housing options service by advising and signposting customers on other related advice services such as debt and employment advice, with a view to assisting them to sustain future accommodation.

This role will bring the post-holder into contact with customers with a range of needs; some customers’ needs are complex and will include those with mental health problems, substance misuse issues or a history of being the victim of domestic abuse.

The successful candidate will need to be able to travel around the city and will need to complete an Enhanced DBS check.

Why join us?

Join a team where your work makes a difference. We’re committed to creating a supportive, inclusive and rewarding workplace where you can develop your skills, achieve your ambitions and make a real impact. Alongside meaningful work and opportunities to grow, we offer a wide range of benefits to support your wellbeing, work-life balance and future, including:

• Learning and Development– A range of learning opportunities and resources to help you build your skills and progress your career, with achievements recognised through Digital Badges where applicable.
• A great pension- access to the Local Government Pension Scheme(LGPS) with the option to make Additional Voluntary Contributions through Shared AVC.
• Flexible Working– Agile and flexible working options to help you balance work with life outside work.
• Generous annual leave- starting at 25 days, rising to 30 days after five years’ service, plus 8 days public holidays (pro rata for part time), with the option to purchase additional leave.
• Family-friendly benefits- A range of family-friendly policies and Flexible Bank Holidays.

• Make a difference beyond your role - Paid volunteering hours each year, giving you time to support a cause that matters to you.
• Support for your wellbeing- Confidential support through our Employee Assistance Programme and access to the Your Care wellbeing platform.
• Recognition and appreciation- Opportunities to celebrate achievements, recognise colleagues and receive awards; including through our annual staff awards ceremony.
• Professional Development– Professional membership fees covered where applicable to your role.
• Savings on everyday essentials- Salary sacrifice schemes including Cycle to Work, gym membership and home & electronics purchases.
• Exclusive lifestyle discounts– Access to more than 750 discounts across leading retailers, restaurants, supermarkets, attractions and more.
• Free swimming– Enjoy free swimming at CCC swimming pools.
• Help with commuting– A subsidy towards public transport.
• Relocation support– Relocation assistance may be available in approved cases.
• Pay progression– Pay and award progression negotiated annually.

Hours: This is a full-time role, for 37 hours per week.

Although the role is advertised as full time, if you believe you have the skills and experience to join us and would like to discuss different working patterns, please do get in touch.

Working Pattern: Monday to Friday

Contract: Fixed Term until 31st March 2029

Salary: £38,510 - £43,150 per annum (City Pay Band 5), pro rata for part time.

Location: This is flexible – working in Cambridge on site or at one of our offices or working from home. You will be able to balance your work location accordingly.

More Information

You can click on the links here to find out more information about Staff Pay and Benefits, Working for the Council, Values & Behaviours, Equality & Diversity in Recruitment or Our People & Culture Strategy.

Cambridge City Council is an Equal Opportunity employer and embraces diversity, creating an inclusive environment for all employees.