Housing Options Officer

Horsham; Horsham; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days annual leave

Flexible/hybrid working

Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)

Job summary

Horsham District Council is seeking a Housing Options Officer to join our housing service. You will manage a caseload of homeless households and work to end rough sleeping, ensuring statutory duties under the Housing Act are met.

The role involves proactive housing pathways and multi-agency collaboration. You will triage and assess applicants, provide advice and housing solutions, and write in-depth decision letters.

Qualifications

• Experience in housing options or homelessness prevention.
• Ability to write detailed decision letters.
• Strong interpersonal and multitasking skills in a multi-agency environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of homeless households to meet statutory duties and identify housing solutions.
• Triaging, assessing and advising on housing options to prevent homelessness.
• Make section 184 decisions and write complex decision letters.

Job description

Contract type: Fixed Term 36 Months (or on return of the postholder)

Interview date: Suitable applicants will be contacted for interview on an ongoing basis

Ref: CS1761

About the role

Horsham District Council is looking for a Housing Options Officer to join our dynamic, solution-focused housing service. We are looking for a passionate, self-motivated, enthusiastic individual to join our team with an aspiration to end rough sleeping and prevent homelessness in the Horsham District.

Its an exciting time to join the Council’s Housing team as we make progressive steps towards preventing homelessness and supporting people to stay in their homes. Where households become homeless, we are pro-active in finding solutions to resolve their housing need which could be through supported accommodation, private rented accommodation and the use of the Council’s housing register to nominate to registered providers of social housing. The Housing team is well respected at the Council with recent growth approved to enable us to continue to meet the needs of the district’s residents.

As Housing Options Officer, you will be responsible for a caseload of homeless households to ensure the Council meets its statutory duty and finds solutions for those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. You will be responsible for making appropriate support referrals and identifying suitable housing pathways to prevent homelessness. You will also be required to identify any statutory homeless duties and make decisions under the Housing Act 1996 (as amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017). As a Housing Options Officer, you will undertake triaging and assessments of those seeking housing assistance, provide advice, options, and housing solutions to homeless households and those in temporary accommodation with the aim of preventing or relieving their homelessness. The role is that of a decision maker and you will be responsible for making section 184 decisions and writing complex decision letters.

About you

To succeed as a Housing Options Officer in this role you will be a dedicated individual with a passion to end rough sleeping in the Horsham District. You will be self-motivated and able to prioritise your workload with face-to-face and telephone contact with homeless applicants as well as responsibilities to meet the Council’s duty by writing in depth housing decision letters. You will be able to work successfully in a large team and have experience of working in a multi-agency environment. You will be required to participate in the out of hours homelessness rota (approx. one week in ten, for which you will receive additional payment).

We are seeking dedicated and compassionate individuals to join our team. If you have experience working with vulnerable tenants and a background in housing, we would love to hear from you. We believe in the potential of passionate individuals, and we provide comprehensive training to ensure you have the necessary skills to excel in this role. Please do not be discouraged from applying if you have not worked in housing options before, we recognise the value of transferrable skills and willingness to learn just as much as experience.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Amy Johnstone, Housing Options Team Leader on 01403 215 553 or Margaret Cartmell, Housing Services Manager on 01403 215 110

About us

We have a friendly and supportive working environment and being a smaller Council, you can really get to know everybody.

We encourage and support our employees to have a healthy work life balance by, offering 28 days' (207.2 hours) annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rata), and flexible/hybrid working options where applicable.

We offer a generous benefits package, including an online discounts platform, and membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) , which provides an attractive employer contribution.

To support employees' professional development the Council provides reimbursement for professional subscriptions and a number of training opportunities, including extensive in-house learning resources, short courses, Apprenticeships, and qualifications such as Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), Master of Business Administration (MBA).