Housing Assessment Officer

Norwich City Council; Norwich; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full training

Career development

Job summary

Norwich City Council is seeking a motivated Assessment Officer to join the Homelessness team. You will interview applicants, carry out homelessness assessments and investigations, and make decisions under the Housing Act to relieve housing need.

Working in the Housing Options service, you will develop personalised housing plans, liaise with partners, and provide advice to homeless clients to secure suitable accommodation.

Qualifications

• Degree or CIH qualification or equivalent housing experience
• Strong negotiation and written communication skills
• Ability to understand and apply housing legislation accurately

Responsibilities

• Interview applicants approaching the Council to determine actions to relieve housing need
• Carry out homelessness assessments and investigations under Part VII of the Housing Act
• Create personalised housing plans and coordinate with private sector for accommodation
• Provide comprehensive advice under the Homelessness Reduction Act
• Produce high-quality written work that can stand up to scrutiny

Skills

Negotiation skills

Written communication

Legislation knowledge

Client empathy

Education

Degree

CIH qualification

Equivalent housing experience

Job description

We are looking for a motivated individual to join our busy Homelessness team as an assessment officer.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with an interest in homelessness who is looking to build a career in this field. You will work with households who are homeless, carrying out homelessness assessments and investigations, making decisions in line with homelessness legislation, and supporting customers through the relief process to help secure suitable accommodation.

Full training, support and ongoing development will be provided.

Interviews will be held in person at City Hall.

Job Description

As a vital part of our busy frontline Housing Options service you will interview applicants that approach the Council as homeless to determine what actions can be taken to relieve their housing need. This will involve carrying out legal investigations, analysing complex information and assessing homelessness applications in accordance with Part VII of the Housing Act.

In accordance with our duties under the Homelessness Reduction Act, you also will offer comprehensive advice and provide the best possible housing solutions to homeless clients in order to relieve their situation.

Responsibilities

• To provide a comprehensive and specialist housing assessment service for homeless clients in accordance with Part VII of the Housing Act 1996.
• Work closely with internal and external agencies to provide a professional and comprehensive assessment of the housing need.
• In accordance the Homelessness Reduction Act, create personalised housing plans and seek opportunities to work with third parties in the private sector to provide accommodation and relieve homelessness for clients in housing need.
• Carry out relevant investigations to assess statutory homelessness in accordance with Part VII of the Housing Act 1996.
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of legislation in order to advise clients about their housing rights and provide assistance as required.
• Produce high level and detailed written work, which if challenged can stand up to legal scrutiny.
• Liaise with advice and support agencies to ensure a co-ordinated approach and maximise the range of advice available to clients.

Skills Required

We would like to hear from you if you would enjoy working with people to help them resolve their housing problems. You must have excellent negotiation skills and the ability to deal sensitively with clients in difficult and often pressurised circumstances. You should be able to produce written work to a consistently high standard and have the ability to understand and apply legislation accurately.

You should be a confident, pro-active and capable individual with a positive attitude and the potential to quickly learn and develop your skills and knowledge in this key role.

Key to success in this role is being able to work constructively and creatively to help clients meet their housing needs. We will provide training as necessary for successful candidates on relevant areas of housing and related law.

Educational Requirements

• Degree or CIH qualification or
• Equivalent housing experience or working within a field with identifiable transferable skills.

Why work for us

Our council is full of people who have chosen to work in local government because they want to help others and make a difference to their lives or the environment in which local people live.

To find out more about working and living in Norwich Home | Work in Norwich.

The council has a long and proud history of being a council that is keen to push the boundaries of what a district can achieve, to find out more about what it is like to work in local government visit Working in local government - #LocalGov Careers - Youth Employment UK

We offer our employees a competitive pay and benefits package. Whether you’re looking for a new career, promotion, flexible working opportunity to fit with your home life or a sideways move – we have a variety of challenging employment opportunities for everybody.

Norwich City Council offers the opportunity to work with great people who are passionate about promoting Norwich and the services the council provides. We also offer good career prospects with competitive rates of pay, generous holidays and working arrangements to suit all lifestyles.

Equal Opportunities Policy

The council is committed to a policy of equality opportunity in employment, in recruitment and the services we provide. Applications are considered on the basis of their suitability for the post regardless of sex, gender reassignment, race, ethnic origin, disability, age, marital status, domestic responsibilities, sexual orientation or religious affiliation. People with disabilities are guaranteed an interview provided they are suitably qualified and/or experienced.

Candidates will be considered for shortlisting on the factual information on their application form. Therefore it is important to give as much detail as possible including information about experience gained outside employment.

Benefits

We offer our employees a competitive pay and benefits package and are proud to have the Living Wage accreditation. Whether you’re looking for a new career, promotion, flexible working opportunity to fit with your home life or a sideways move – we have a variety of challenging employment opportunities for everybody.

• All employees are eligible to join the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Paid holiday entitlement starts at 26 days per annum and increases with length of service to a maximum of 33 days per annum. This is pro rata for part-time employees
• In addition to the statutory public holidays, we grant an additional statutory day leave at Christmas
• Norwich City Council supports its employees through the provision of occupational health and employee assistance support