Housing Solutions Gateway officer

Middlesbrough Council; Tees Valley; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Middlesbrough Development Corporation is hiring a Housing Solutions Gateway Officer to coordinate access to supported accommodation for residents facing homelessness and multiple disadvantages. You will work with referral organisations, accommodation providers and partner agencies to maximise placement opportunities and ensure fair, timely access.

You will oversee referrals, track vacancies and capacity, and help match people to suitable options while maintaining trauma-informed language and

Qualifications

• Experience coordinating housing referrals and admissions.
• Strong communication with applicants, providers and partners.
• Ability to use sensitive language when handling referrals.

Responsibilities

• Manage referrals into supported accommodation services with complete information.
• Be first point of contact for vacancies, referrals and placement queries.
• Collaborate with providers, referral agencies and partners.
• Support improvements to the quality of referrals and information on needs and risks.
• Monitor vacancies, capacity and service pressures to optimise use of housing.
• Record decisions accurately and using trauma-informed language.
• Gather data on referrals and occupancy to inform planning.
• Represent Housing Solutions at meetings and forums.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Referral management

Trauma-informed communication

Job description

We are passionate about improving the lives of our residents, focused on achieving and creative in the way we work with customers, ensuring they receive the best support available. We have an exciting permanent opportunity for a motivated individual to join the Housing Solutions Gateway Officer. The role will act as a central co-ordination point for supported accommodation pathways across Middlesbrough, helping to ensure fair, timely and effective access to accommodation and support for people experiencing homelessness and multiple disadvantages. Working closely with referral organisations, accommodation providers, internal service and partner agencies, you will help maximise accommodation opportunities, improve access to supported housing and reduce barriers to securing appropriate accommodation and support. You will oversee referrals, maintain up-to-date information about vacancies and capacity, and help match people to accommodation that is suitable for their needs, risks and circumstances. We are looking for someone who can:

• Manage referrals into commissioned supported accommodation services, ensuring they contain sufficient information and are appropriately matched to available provision.
• Act as a first point of contact for accommodation providers in relation to vacancies, referrals, admissions and placement queries.
• Work constructively with commissioned and non-commissioned accommodation providers, referral agencies, internal and wider partners.
• Support referral agencies to improve the quality of referrals, including the information provided about people's needs, risks and support requirements.
• Monitor accommodation vacancies, capacity, service pressures and move-on arrangements to help make the best use of available supported accommodation.
• Identify barriers to accessing accommodation and work collaboratively with partners to find practical, creative and person-centred solutions.
• Record referrals, placements, contacts and decisions accurately, clearly and in a timely manner, using appropriate and trauma-informed language.
• Gather and analyse information about referrals, occupancy, capacity and move-on activity trends and support future service planning.
• Contribute to the monitoring of provider performance and service quality, recognising good practice and supporting improvement where concerns are identified.
• Communicate confidently and sensitively with applicants, colleagues, accommodation providers, and other stakeholders.
• Represent Housing Solutions at relevant meetings, forums and multi-agency discussions, promoting effective partnership working, appropriate information sharing and shared problem-solving.

To be successful in this role you need to demonstrate how you prioritise development and well-being of a team, have experience of working effectively with a range of services and have the skills, passion and resilience to work creatively with service users who are accessing Housing Solutions.