Housing Solutions Assistant

Babergh District Council and Mid Suffolk District Council; Ipswich; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading council in the UK seeks a Housing Solutions Assistant to join their dedicated team. The role involves providing comprehensive support for individuals facing housing crises, ensuring effective advice and managing administrative processes. Ideal candidates will demonstrate empathy, strong organizational skills, and a commitment to service excellence.

Benefits

Learning and development opportunities

Generous leave entitlement

Competitive Local Government Pension Scheme

Wellbeing Support Programme

Health Care Options

Qualifications

• Understanding of homelessness and housing legislation.
• Empathy and compassion when supporting individuals in crisis.
• Strong organizational skills to manage competing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Triage initial contacts to the Housing Solutions Team.
• Support officers with managing caseloads and administrative tasks.
• Make basic assessments before referring to Housing Solutions Officers.

Skills

Empathy

Organizational skills

IT skills

Job description

• Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 2BX
• £26,835 - £30,060 per annum
• Full Time, 37 hours per week
• Permanent

Full time, part time and job share opportunities will be considered.

What we are looking for

We are looking for a Housing Solutions Assistant to join our Housing Solutions Team. To be successful, you will share our values , commitment, and motivation to make a difference for our residents, clients, and communities.

About the role

The Housing Solutions Team provide a comprehensive advice service to those facing a housing crisis and our aim is to prevent or relieve homelessness, working in line with the homelessness legislation and more specifically the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 which was introduced in April 2018.

We are looking for a customer focussed, organised individual who can work under pressure managing competing demands to join our team.

In this busy and varied role, you will be expected to triage' all initial contacts to the team and make basic assessments before referring to Housing Solutions Officers.

You will support the Housing Solutions Officers to manage a busy caseload of clients who have a housing crisis, providing administrative support, written correspondence and telephone calls on their behalf to households on the advice given through a personal housing plan.

About you

We are seeking a dedicated and compassionate individual to join our team. The ideal candidate will possess the following:

• understanding homelessness and legislation: A good knowledge of the causes and impacts of homelessness, along with a basic understanding of current housing legislation and policy frameworks
• empathy and compassion: A genuine ability to support and engage with individuals and families in housing crisis, demonstrating empathy, patience, and a non-judgmental approach
• strong organisational skills: Proven ability to manage multiple and often competing priorities, with the flexibility to adapt and reprioritise tasks in a fast-paced environment
• commitment to professional development: A strong desire to build a career in housing, including a willingness to undertake relevant training and gain professional qualifications
• excellent administrative skills: High level of accuracy and attention to detail in administrative tasks, including record-keeping, data entry, and correspondence
• team player: A collaborative and supportive approach to working with colleagues, contributing positively to team goals and a shared commitment to service excellence
• strong IT skills, particularly Microsoft Office.

About us

Working together across our councils and with our partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors, we provide excellent services to our 190,000 residents across Babergh and Mid Suffolk.

We are proud of the role we play in creating the environment, economy, and communities for our districts. We believe that the heart of Suffolk is an incredibly special place to live and work. With picturesque market towns, 60 conservation areas and with two National Landscapes within our districts, it is little wonder that we are consistently within the top 50 places to live in the UK.

Benefits

• Great opportunities for learning and development
• Generous leave entitlement (equivalent to 26 days a year, increasing to 31 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays)
• Competitive Local Government Pension Scheme
• Wellbeing Support Programme
• Employee Assist Programme
• Health Care Options.

For more information, please visit our Employee Benefits page .

Our ways of working

Work is what we do, not where we go! We are committed to working in a more Hybrid way, with a mix of office, home, and remote based working (Business needs permitting). This has worked well for us and is something we will be continuing with.

We are committed to supporting equality and diversity, Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils provide opportunity and ambition for all, supporting and enabling our people to deliver the best possible service for our residents.

For more information

Please read the Job Description and Person Specification (pdf) before applying for this job opportunity.

If you wish to discuss the hybrid working approach for this role, or for an informal discussion, please contact Sarah Aldous by emailing [e-mail] .

Closing date: 5pm, 22 July 2025.

When applying, please ensure:

• that you complete the application form as fully as possible with your employment and educational history as shortlisting will be based upon the application form and supporting statement only.
• your statement indicates how you meet each of the criteria in the Person Profile' section of the Job Description/Person Specification.

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.