Housing Support Worker

BHT Sussex; Brighton; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

BHT Sussex is seeking a Housing Support Worker in Brighton to provide vital support to single homeless individuals. The role involves managing client caseloads, ensuring a psychologically informed approach, and working within a supportive team environment. The position offers a competitive salary, a comprehensive benefits package, and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

5.5% stakeholder pension scheme

Medical cash plan with Medicash

Access to BHT Learning & Development platform

Free and confidential employee assistance helpline

Cycle-to-work scheme

28-day Network Saver Brighton bus pass

Generous holiday allowance starting at 27 days

Participation in well-being and fundraising activities

Qualifications

• Understanding of psychologically informed practice and trauma-informed care.
• Experience managing risk and supporting individuals with low self-esteem.
• Ability to work under pressure and build trusting relationships.

Responsibilities

• Induct new clients and assess their housing and support needs.
• Manage a caseload of clients and create support plans.
• Provide informal and practical support to ensure client safety.

Skills

Communication

Emotional Intelligence

Resilience

Motivational Skills

Active Listening

Job description

Housing Support Worker

We have an exciting opportunity for a Housing Support Worker to play a vital role in providing support at our Phase One project.

Position: Housing Support Worker
Location: Brighton
Salary: £30,167 (Salary £28,698 Plus £1,469 Anti-Social Hours Enhancement)
Hours: 37 hours per week (shift pattern Monday – Sunday 08:00 – 22:00, average over 5-week rolling rota)
Contract: Permanent
Closing Date: 29 May 2025

About:

As a Housing Support Worker, you will be working for a people-led organisation whose mission and values is to inspire change across Sussex.

About the Role

The Housing Support Worker ensures that the day-to-day running of the project is carried out efficiently and within the framework of psychologically informed practice and trauma informed approach. To provide advice and support to single homeless people on a key working basis and to take an active role in enabling their resettlement within the project’s resettlement strategy. To support clients in the Hostel and/or the Recovery Focused Flats. The Housing Support Worker will need to understand a strengths-based and solution focussed approach to support and service delivery to clients. The Housing Support Worker will be expected to take responsibility for the running of the project in the Manager and Deputy Manager’s absence.

About Phase One

Phase One is a 52-bed high support hostel for single homeless people with high support needs. The project works with clients who are largely vulnerable, deep into their behaviours and are pre-contemplative about change, working with them to increase self-esteem and create a space where clients can begin to address the issues at the root of their homelessness and understand how trauma has impacted their journey through life.

The service aims to support clients to lead more settled lives and realise aspirations by delivering a client-centred model of support that is psychologically and trauma informed. A team of experienced and highly skilled support staff work with clients who may be using alcohol and substances or have mental health difficulties and encourage them to take small, considered steps towards their recovery.

The project has an internal accommodation pathway, with nine self-catering bed spaces in the structured Recovery-Focused Flats attached to the project. Clients from the main hostel move into these if they want to focus more intensely on their substance use recovery. This includes developing their life skills, attending weekly check ins and a bespoke Life Skills programme and other recovery focused activities delivered by the service Activity and Move-On coordinator, Phase One staff and external partners that support a client’s journey.

Key Responsibilities:

• Induct new clients and inform them of their rights and responsibilities, explain the aims and purpose of Phase One.
• Offer informal and practical support to clients to ensure they feel safe and secure, ensuring clients are treated with dignity and respect.
• Assess the housing and support needs of the client including identifying risk and create a support plan to meet the client’s needs to enable them to move on.
• Manage a caseload of clients.

Person Specification:

To be successful in the role of Housing Support Worker you will need to have great communication skills and be committed to the values of BHT Sussex. Some of the key skills and experience you will need to bring with you include:

• An understanding of psychologically informed practice, strengths-based approaches, and trauma informed care.
• Experience of managing risk, from identifying concerns through to reduction or elimination of risk.
• Ability to motivate and support people with low self-esteem through a process of change including when they are resistant.
• Ability to actively listen to clients and build relationships based on trust and understanding.
• Ability to work under pressure within a challenging environment, have high levels of resilience, emotional intelligence and strong motivational skills.

In return:

In recognition of our commitment to staff, BHT Sussex has been awarded Gold Accreditation from Investors in People. We are also signed up to the Disability Confident employer scheme and have made the Mental Health at Work commitment.

You will also receive a fantastic benefits package including:

• 5.5% stakeholder pension scheme and life assurance scheme
• Medical cash plan with Medicash
• Access to BHT Learning & Development platform
• Free and confidential employee assistance helpline for both personal and work-related concerns
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Free new starter 28-day Network Saver Brighton bus pass
• Generous holiday allowance starting at 27 days per annum pro rata, rising 1 day for each year of service to a maximum of 32 days pro rata
• The opportunity to participate in well-being and fundraising activities throughout the year

BHT Sussex is an equal opportunities employer using a fair and open recruitment process that fully complies with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. We are committed to encouraging equality, equity, inclusion, and diversity within the workplace. As an employer we are committed to promoting and supporting our people’s social, physical and psychological health at work. Please let us know if you require any special arrangements or reasonable adjustments if called for interview. BHT Sussex welcomes applications from individuals with lived experience.

BHT Sussex reserves the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applicants for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

An Enhanced with Adults DBS Check (Disclosure and Barring Service) is required on all successful applicants as a condition of employment for this post.