HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION & OPTIONS OFFICER

Hull City Council; Harrogate; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Harrogate seeks a Homelessness Prevention and Options Officer to deliver empathetic advice and assistance in preventing homelessness. The ideal candidate will have strong interpersonal skills and knowledge of relevant legislation, engaging with clients to find sustainable housing solutions in challenging circumstances. Office-based and outreach work is involved, providing a flexible work environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in a housing or social work environment.
• Ability to handle sensitive situations with empathy.
• Proven problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality homelessness advice and assistance.
• Investigate homelessness applications and provide solutions.
• Engage with clients face to face and via outreach.

Skills

Strong interpersonal skills

Knowledge of homelessness legislation

Confidence in in-person meetings

Job description

HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION AND OPTIONS OFFICER - 3 x POSTS

Hull City Council is seeking a committed and proactive individual to join our Housing Options Team. The primary focus of this role is to deliver a high quality and empathetic homelessness advice and assistance service to customers, with an emphasis on preventing homelessness so that the need for homelessness relief and temporary accommodation services is minimised. To help customers find realistic and sustainable housing solutions which meet their needs from a range of options and allocate available council homes.

We are looking for someone with knowledge of the legislation relating to homelessness and social housing allocations, who wants to further their career in social housing, to join us as a Homelessness Prevention and Options Officer. Providing a professional, empathetic and high-quality service to customers, you will investigate homelessness applications, determine and discharge the local authority’s statutory duties and provide a wide range of advice in respect of potential solutions to meet people’s needs, with a particular emphasis on preventing homelessness from occurring.

The role involves regular face to face interaction with clients experiencing homelessness, so strong interpersonal skills and confidence in in-person meetings are essential. The role also involves some office-based working, home working, and outreach work including visits to clients in their homes, ensuring a flexible approach to service delivery.

This is a hugely challenging but rewarding role in an exceptionally busy environment, with those contacting the service for homelessness assistance often being in urgent or crisis situations. You must be willing to own and resolve issues, using professional judgement to make decisions within the legislation whilst empowering customers to find suitable housing solutions at a time when affordable housing options are severely limited and demand far exceeds supply, and as a result their expectations often cannot be met.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Katherine Hewitt by email [e-mail] to arrange.

Please ensure that your application demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria against the person specification as listed in the job description.