Housing Support Officer

Mears; Aberdeen City; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A community support organization in Aberdeen City seeks a Housing Support Officer to assist asylum seekers during their application process. The role involves providing emotional and practical support, ensuring wellbeing, and maintaining accurate records for an efficient service. Ideal candidates will be empathetic, resilient, and possess strong communication skills, with experience in safeguarding and working with vulnerable clients.

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Annual Mears Fun Day

Volunteering Leave

Staff perks with Mears Rewards

Family friendly policies

Company Vehicle and Fuel Card

Access to EAP Counselling sessions

Qualifications

• Experience of working with vulnerable and diverse client groups.
• Experience and understanding of safeguarding.
• Experience working with mental health and/or challenging behaviour.
• Full UK driving licence.

Responsibilities

• Ensure service users are supported during their asylum application process.
• Provide practical and emotional support to service users.
• Monitor service users’ wellbeing and support needs.
• Update all records accurately for Home Office audits.

Skills

Communication skills

Empathy

Resilience

Trustworthiness

Ability to work under own initiative

Job description

Overview

About the Role: Due to contract expansion, we are seeking a Housing Support Officer to join our team. This is an exciting position that works exclusively to support asylum seekers going through their right to work asylum application process with the Home Office. The ideal candidate will be resilient, trustworthy, caring, a people person and extremely empathetic to others. As a Housing Support Officer every day is different. Although this role comes with challenges it is an extremely rewarding role.

Responsibilities

As a Housing Support Officer your main duties will include but are not limited to:

• Ensuring service users are supported at various stages of their asylum application process, including safeguarding and welfare issues you come across.
• Providing practical and emotional support to service users.
• Monitoring service users’ wellbeing and support needs.
• Ensuring all records are updated and accurate for Home Office audit purposes.
• Maintaining boundaries and being resilient to provide a professional and well-defined service to meet the needs of the service users.

Role Criteria / Qualifications

• Experience of working with vulnerable and diverse client groups.
• Experience and understanding of safeguarding.
• Ability to identify individuals and family needs and recognise the required support packages to maintain independence.
• Experience working with mental health and/or challenging behaviour.
• Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues, local authorities, and service users.
• Experience with record keeping and risk assessments.
• Ability to work under own initiative.
• Resilient, supportive, trustworthy, a good listener, approachable and empathetic to others.
• Flexible and happy to travel.
• Full UK driving licence.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Annual Mears Fun Day – Our annual Fun Day is organised as a massive thank you from the Executive team for all the hard work.
• Volunteering Leave – Mears supports employees to undertake paid volunteering in the community, in support of our social value commitment.
• Staff perks with Mears Rewards – discounts of up to 10% on weekly groceries, holidays, eye test vouchers, Share save scheme, plus much more.
• Family friendly policies.
• Company Vehicle and Fuel Card.
• Access to EAP Counselling sessions.