Housing Advice Worker

New Horizon Youth Centre; Greater London; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

New Horizon Youth Centre is seeking a Housing Adviser to deliver a youth-focused housing advice service. You will assess needs, progress clients into accommodation, and collaborate with external partners to widen options for move-on.

The role requires experience in youth homelessness, strong advocacy, and partnership work. You will work flexibly within NHYC to support young people and ensure safeguarding and health and safety standards are met.

Qualifications

• Ability to work effectively with young people facing homelessness to identify personal goals and support mechanisms for change.
• Experience of delivering specialist housing advice services within a youth, community or other relevant setting.
• Proven track record of assessing, referring, advocating and progressing vulnerable people into stable accommodation outcomes.
• A working knowledge of accommodation options and referral pathways relevant to the client group.
• Experience of working in partnership with internal and external stakeholders to deliver projects or achieve objectives.
• Knowledge of safeguarding policy and procedures for children and vulnerable adults and experience using IT systems/databases.

Responsibilities

• Delivering a housing advice service to young people with multiple needs.
• Carrying out thorough needs assessments to refer young people to appropriate accommodation and external specialist services.
• Providing young people with expert housing guidance and monitoring progress.
• Engaging external partners to provide accommodation and move-on opportunities.
• Referring young people to internal NHYC teams to support progression.
• Attending briefings, team meetings and ensuring safeguarding/Health & Safety at all times.

Skills

Housing advice delivery

Youth homelessness experience

Referral and advocacy

Partnership working

IT systems and databases

safeguarding knowledge

Tools

Databases

Job description

Role overview

You will be working within our Housing team to deliver an effective housing advice service for young people. You should be experienced in delivering housing advice within a youth and community or other relevant setting, of supporting clients with multiple and complex needs, and have a proven track record of referring and progressing vulnerable people into suitable accommodation.

Key details

• Contract type and hours: Full-time, permanent role. 35 hours per week Monday - Friday
• Salary: starting salary for role is AP26: £32,136.00. The salary scale is: AP26 (£32,136.00) – AP30 (£35,778.08)
• Location: New Horizon Youth Centre, 68 Chalton Street, London, NW1 1JR
• Application deadline:9am, Wednesday 11th November

Key objectives:

• To deliver an effective housing advice service to young people accessing New Horizon Youth Centre (NHYC), carrying out thorough assessments of need and enabling young people to move on into independence.
• To maintain and build a network of relationships with relevant external agencies and internal specialists.
• To increase accommodation options for young people, both through NHYC’s own projects and with external partners and make appropriate referrals into accommodation and external specialist services.

Reporting to: Service Manager and Head of Service (Housing)

Main tasks and responsibilities

Young people's services

Delivering a housing advice service to young people with multiple needs. Including:

1. Working to ensure young people receive a high-quality service from the point of registration to move-on. Taking a hands‑on approach to dealing with complex or difficult cases.
2. Carrying out thorough needs assessments with young people accessing the service in order to refer young people into appropriate accommodation and to external specialist services.
3. Providing young people with expert advice and guidance relating to their housing situation. Monitoring and evaluating young people’s progress.
4. Engaging other relevant external partners, able to provide accommodation and other move on opportunities to young people.
5. Referring young people to other internal New Horizon Youth Centre teams in order to support their progression, including Health, Youth Work, Outreach and Youth Justice.
6. Providing advocacy and referring young people to a wide range of specialist external advice services including around advocacy, substance misuse, mental health, immigration, counselling, financial/debt advice, and legal services.
7. Attending regular briefings, team meetings, reflective practice and clinical supervision, both with NHYC and project partners. Ensuring that Health and Safety or safeguarding issues are addressed at all times.

Sharing best practice

To proactively share best practice with internal and external stakeholders in order to maximise the impact of the work of NHYC. This will include:

1. Identifying and acting to maximise NHYC’s profile by seeking out and responding to opportunities with specialists and agencies who might offer resources, funding, or individual services relevant to client needs.
2. Promoting and representing NHYC at relevant forums, meetings and events.

Information management

To produce and maintain accurate and useful information in a range of formats in order to promote effective service delivery and evaluation. This will include:

1. Recording all contacts with clients appropriately and maintaining all relevant files and recording systems up to date.
2. Producing written reports in a variety of formats to meet the requirements of NHYC, external service providers and funders, e.g., project reviews and assessment reports.
3. Inputting and extracting information from client monitoring systems other accounting and database systems. Utilising other relevant software for the production of reports.
4. Being self‑servicing in day‑to‑day administration and following team and NHYC’s administrative procedures.

Reviewing personal and professional development needs

To be proactive in reviewing and evaluating own performance and identifying and acting upon areas for improvement. This will include:

1. Reviewing and evaluating own performance to identify strengths and areas for development. Identifying own learning and development needs and opportunities.
2. Undertaking development and training opportunities and being responsible for obtaining maximum benefit through review, reflection, and practice.
3. Taking a proactive approach to supervision including regular line management supervision, team meetings, team reflective practice and clinical supervision.

Other

To contribute positively and constructively to the development of the teams, service and NHYC. This will include:

1. Covering for other members of the team where necessary.
2. Following NHYC’s policies, procedures and performance expectations in all functions of the post.
3. Undertaking as required any other duties compatible with the level and nature of the post and/or reasonably required by the Service Manager, Head of Services or wider Leadership Team.

Person specification

We are looking for an individual who can demonstrate the following competencies to a high level and want to use these to the full in their work.

Essential experience, skills and knowledge

1. Ability to work effectively with young people facing homelessness to identify personal goals and support mechanisms for change.
2. Experience of delivering specialist housing advice services within a youth, community or other relevant setting.
3. Proven track record of assessing, referring, advocating and progressing vulnerable people into stable accommodation outcomes.
4. A working knowledge of accommodation options and referral pathways relevant to the client group.
5. Experience of working in partnership with both internal and external stakeholders to deliver specific projects or achieve organisational aims and objectives.
6. Ability to maintain enthusiasm for a high level of contact with clients on a day‑to‑day basis and a genuine interest in helping vulnerable people/young people to make changes in their life to move towards independent living.
7. Experience and knowledge around safeguarding policy and procedures for children and vulnerable adults
8. Knowledge of health and safety issues in a working environment.
9. A working knowledge of and commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as it applies to a supportive service and in the workplace.
10. Understanding of the kinds of challenging behaviour that young people might demonstrate and ability to deliver strategies for dealing with such behaviour.
11. Experience of using IT systems (including knowledge of databases) to support the achievement of personal and collective work goals.

Desirable experience, skills and knowledge

1. Thorough and up-to-date working knowledge of: Local and National Government policies and procedures in relation to the client group; Relevant local and national organisations and their role/responsibilities in providing support to vulnerable young people; The benefits system and how this impacts young people.
2. Knowledge of working to performance indicators, including monitoring and reporting on service outputs/outcomes, client tracking, analysing performance information, and identifying corrective action

Additional job requirements

1. Willingness and ability to work outside of normal hours on occasion (within New Horizon’s flexible working arrangements), including work over the Christmas period.
2. Willingness to work flexibly in response to changing organisational requirements.
3. Willingness to travel to different sites in London.

Dates

• Closing date for applications: 9am, Wednesday 11th November 2026
• Shortlisted candidates will be informed: 16th November 2026
• Interviews: Wednesday 20th November 2026