Homelessness Prevention & Assessment Officer

Corus Consultancy; Lewisham; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in housing support is seeking a dedicated professional to provide high-quality homeless prevention services. The role involves assessing customer needs, offering practical advice, and ensuring compliance with homelessness legislation. Ideal candidates will have strong communication and negotiation skills, along with a thorough understanding of housing law and welfare benefits. Join a team committed to making a difference in the community.

Qualifications

• Experience in composing legally robust S184 decision letters.
• Experience in producing detailed reports and correspondence.
• Experience working in a demanding front-line housing service.

Responsibilities

• Provide confidential and impartial advice regarding housing rights.
• Negotiate with landlords and agencies on behalf of customers.
• Maintain detailed case notes and reports.

Skills

High ICT proficiency

Excellent interviewing skills

Strong communication skills

Negotiation skills

Excellent report writing skills

Conflict management

Education

Knowledge of Landlord & Tenant Legislation

Knowledge of the Housing Act 1985

Knowledge of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977

Job description

Purpose for the Role

To provide a comprehensive, high-quality homeless prevention, support, and advice service to all households who are homeless or threatened with homelessness.

To conduct assessment services for customers to determine the duties owed by the authority and explore available housing options.

To demonstrate thorough knowledge and understanding of Homelessness legislation and case law, with practical experience in preventing homelessness and making statutory decisions.

To develop specialist knowledge and skills related to customer needs, enabling the delivery of a flexible and responsive housing needs service that can adapt to changing demands and customer pressures.

To maintain up-to-date, clear, accessible, and accurate casework and data records, and to report on performance as required.

Duties and Responsibilities

• To prevent and resolve homelessness by providing confidential and impartial advice and information regarding housing rights and obligations under legislation and policy, either in offices or other locations as needed.
• To actively promote and deliver the homeless prevention agenda by identifying suitable housing options and utilizing prevention tools such as DHP to resolve accommodation issues and minimize temporary accommodation use within agreed timeframes.
• To maintain detailed, accurate case notes and reports, update computerized records, handle correspondence, and respond to inquiries to efficiently progress cases.
• To provide advice and practical assistance to customers regarding security of tenure across all types, including matrimonial rights, and to attend court as necessary to prevent homelessness.
• To investigate landlord and tenant disputes, including harassment and illegal eviction allegations under relevant legislation, intervening and negotiating with all parties to prevent homelessness.
• To inform customers about debt counseling, money advice services, welfare benefits, and prioritizing debts, referring to DWP, Housing Benefit Service, or CAB as appropriate.
• To negotiate with landlords, banks, building societies, lenders, estate agents, and solicitors on behalf of customers in rent or mortgage arrears.
• To assess the support and housing-related needs of vulnerable customers, including risk assessments.
• To refer vulnerable clients to supported accommodation services and develop move-on pathways for each household as needed.
• To liaise with other statutory services that may owe duties to vulnerable customers under legislation other than homelessness acts.
• To handle member inquiries and draft responses to complaints/enquiries on individual cases.
• To provide statistical information on performance upon request.
• To engage in personal supervision, team meetings, and contribute to service development and planning.
• To manage administrative tasks related to this role, including record keeping, file maintenance, and responding to customer and agency inquiries.

Knowledge

Up-to-date knowledge of relevant case law related to homelessness and its application.

Knowledge of Landlord & Tenant Legislation, the Housing Act 1985, and the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.

Knowledge of homeless prevention initiatives, their application, and effectiveness.

Knowledge of the welfare benefit system and its application.

Understanding of other statutory and voluntary agencies providing advice and assistance under different legislation and tenures.

Understanding of tenancy agreements across all tenures.

Skills

High ICT proficiency with packages like Word, Excel, Outlook, and bespoke databases.

Excellent interviewing skills for extracting relevant information and conducting assessments.

Strong communication skills at all levels.

Negotiation skills with various parties, including partner agencies and colleagues.

Excellent report writing skills for detailed and accurate reports and correspondence.

Ability to manage conflict and stress effectively.

Experience

Experience in composing legally robust S184 decision letters in line with homelessness legislation duties.

Experience in producing detailed reports and correspondence for the public and professionals.

Experience working in a demanding front-line housing service.

Experience in front-line interviewing and handling confrontational situations effectively.

Experience supporting vulnerable clients and providing appropriate assistance.

Experience advising on welfare benefits to resolve accommodation issues.

Experience working collaboratively within a team and managing own caseload.

Experience advocating for customers with statutory and voluntary agencies and the public.