Homeless Support Worker

The Society of St James; Southampton; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Flexible working options

Buy additional annual leave

Induction and training

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to work scheme

Discounted laptops

Electric Card Scheme

Blue Light Card

Job summary

The Society of St James (SSJ) is seeking a Homeless Support Worker to provide practical life skills and housing-related support within our 24/7 intensive accommodation. You will focus on improving daily living skills, self-esteem, health, and engagement with support services for adults experiencing homelessness.

Responsibilities include promoting harm reduction, teaching budgeting and tenancy basics, maintaining accurate case notes, and safeguarding residents.

Qualifications

• Compassionate approach to challenging behaviour.
• Ability to listen and build positive relationships.
• Experience in housing or homelessness context is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Promote harm reduction and health including Naloxone administration.
• Teach basic life skills and housing management.
• Support risk assessments, update case notes, and logging IT logs.
• Provide emotional and community support to help access volunteering or work opportunities.
• Maintain safety with welfare checks and safeguarding reporting.
• Respond calmly to difficult situations and challenging behaviour.
• Maintain records using IT systems.
• Work flexibly on a 12-hour shift rota.
• Uphold equality and professional boundaries.
• Understand mental health, substance use, and lone working.

Skills

Compassionate approach

Communication skills

Adaptability

Time management

Tools

IT systems

Job description

Working in our 24/7 intensive homelessness accommodation, you will provide critical life skills and housing-related support to individuals with complex needs. Your core focus will be on driving key outcomes - such as improving daily living skills, boosting self-esteem, enhancing long-term health, and encouraging engagement with support services and meaningful occupation. Your daily responsibilities will include:

• Promoting Harm Reduction & Health: Facilitating harm minimisation (including needle exchange procedures and Naloxone administration) and encouraging healthy lifestyle choices.
• Teaching Basic Life Skills & Housing Management: Supporting residents with budgeting, tenancy processes, breakfast preparation, and maintaining personal/communal hygiene.
• Key-Work & Support Planning: Assisting with risk assessments, updating case notes/IT systems, logging maintenance requests, and coordinating room clearances and turnarounds.
• Providing Essential Emotional & Community Support: Offering empathy and stability while helping residents access volunteering, training, or opportunities like selling The Big Issue.
• Maintaining Safety: Carrying out regular welfare checks, reporting safeguarding concerns, and handling incoming rent/petty cash in line with financial procedures.
• We are searching for someone with a compassionate approach who can deal with difficult or challenging behaviour calmly, effectively, and professionally.
• Communication & IT Skills: Ability to listen, build positive relationships, and maintain accurate records (case notes, handover logs, emails) using IT systems.
• Adaptability & Initiative: Able to work flexibly on a 12‑hour shift rota, respond effectively to emergencies, and manage time well within a team.
• Empathy & Awareness: A genuine sense of humor, dynamic understanding of equality and diversity, and strict adherence to professional boundaries.
• Key Domain Knowledge: Understanding of mental health, substance use, lone working, and adult safeguarding/protection.

Desirable Experience

Prior experience working with individuals with histories of homelessness, mental health problems, or substance misuse in a residential or supported housing environment.

About SSJ

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic Charity and Housing Association. The Society of St James (SSJ) has been working in Hampshire for over 50 years, delivering high impact, person-centred, accommodation services to adults and young people experiencing homelessness, problematic substance use and mental health problems. We believe that every person is of worth and we are prepared to take risks to house and support the most at risk and socially excluded members of society.

Make a real difference where it matters most. Come join SSJ as a Homeless Support Worker.

Benefits

• A competitive annual leave entitlement of 25 days rising to 30 days, plus public holidays
• Flexible working options
• Buying additional annual leave
• Comprehensive induction and training
• Counselling, financial, personal support and health and wellbeing services via our Employee Assistance Programme
• Company cycle to work scheme
• Discounted laptops and computers with Jamie's Computers
• Electric Card Scheme
• Blue Light Card

SSJ are an equal opportunity employer and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds and walks of life.

At SSJ, we recognise the benefits of a supported workplace. SSJ is affiliated with Unite the Union. To learn more about their membership benefits or to sign up, you can visit their official website.