Housing Officer - Supported Temporary Accommodation

Coventry City Council; Coventry; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Coventry City Council is expanding its Housing Officer team in the Housing and Homelessness Service to manage temporary accommodation and sustain tenancies. You will work with support providers and partner agencies to resolve housing issues and help customers move into settled housing.

You'll manage a varied caseload, balance accommodation needs with neighbourhood considerations and ensure safe, well-managed housing across the city. This is a fast-paced, reactive role requiring sound judgement.

Qualifications

• Experience in housing management, tenancy management or homelessness context is advantageous.
• Ability to manage a varied caseload and prioritise in a fast-paced environment.
• Good communication skills with customers, partners and agencies.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of supported accommodation properties across the city, ensuring homes are safe, well managed and occupied.
• Take ownership of tenancy management, property standards, neighbourhood issues and customer outcomes with partner agencies.
• Carry out property inspections, meet new customers, respond to anti-social behaviour and coordinate repairs.
• Handle tenancy sign-ups, attend multi-agency meetings and support move-on into settled accommodation.

Skills

Problem solving

Relationship building

Housing services delivery

Caseload management

Prioritisation

Communication

Decision making

Negotiation

Resilience

Housing legislation knowledge

Job description

Our Values

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

The Housing and Homelessness Service is a very busy environment and faces several challenges to meet the housing needs of citizens of Coventry. The team have grown significantly during the last 12 months and this reflects the fact that Housing & Homelessness are now a key council priority.

The team are responsible for the delivery of the following service functions:

• Provision of the statutory homeless service
• Provision of temporary accommodation
• Management of the housing register
• Co-ordination of support to citizens rough sleeping
• Commissioning of homeless services, and
• Responsibility for housing strategy

The Council has a strategic vision that is clearly set out in both the Housing & Homelessness and the Rough Sleeping Strategies which were both approved in 2019.

By becoming part of an expanding team who are focused on preventing households from becoming homeless as well as providingtailored support and interventions when someone does become homelessthis is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to some of the most vulnerable people in our city.

What is the job role?

We've expanded our Supported Accommodation service and are looking for a proactive, solution-focused Housing Officer to join our growing team.

This is a Housing Officer role, not a Support Worker or Support Assistant position. While you'll work closely with support providers and people experiencing homelessness, your focus is on managing temporary accommodation, sustaining tenancies, resolving housing issues and helping customers move into permanent accommodation.

You’ll manage a caseload of supported accommodation properties across the city, ensuring homes are safe, well managed and occupied efficiently. Working alongside partner agencies, you’ll take ownership of tenancy management, property standards, neighbourhood issues and customer outcomes, balancing the needs of individuals with the effective management of the accommodation.

No two days are the same. You could be carrying out property inspections, meeting new customers, responding to anti-social behaviour, coordinating repairs, completing tenancy sign-ups, attending multi-agency meetings or supporting customers through the move-on process into settled housing.

This is a varied, fast-paced and reactive role that requires confidence, sound judgement and the ability to make decisions while managing competing priorities.

Shift Pattern

• Monday to Friday
• 7:30am - 3:30pm and 11:30am - 7:30pm

A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle would be advantageous, as the role involves travel between accommodation sites across the city.

Applicants must have the Right to Work in the UK. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Who are we looking for?

We're looking for someone who enjoys solving problems, building professional relationships and delivering excellent housing services in a challenging but rewarding environment.

You’ll be someone who can:

• Manage a varied caseload and prioritise effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Build positive working relationships with customers, support providers and partner agencies.
• Confidently manage tenancy, property and neighbourhood issues.
• Communicate effectively, even in difficult or sensitive situations.
• Make informed decisions and use your initiative to resolve problems.
• Negotiate, influence and advocate to achieve positive housing outcomes.
• Remain resilient and professional when dealing with challenging situations.
• Maintain accurate records and work confidently with housing systems.
• Learn and apply housing legislation, policies and procedures.

Experience of housing management, tenancy management, homelessness, social housing or a related housing environment would be advantageous.

If you're looking for a role where you'll have a direct impact on helping people successfully move from temporary accommodation into settled housing while ensuring accommodation is safe, well managed and compliant, we'd love to hear from you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

Interview date(s):21st and 23rd October

About Coventry

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies

Attached documents

• Supported Accomm Housing Off - Job Description .pdf
• Coventry City Council Application Process 2.pdf