Lead Worker - Hounslow Reach Floating Support Service

Thames Reach Charity; Hounslow; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday allowance 29 days + 8

Employer pension 6.5%

Wellbeing support 24/7 EAP

Life assurance 4x salary

Job summary

Thames Reach Charity is seeking a Lead Worker for the Hounslow Reach Team. The role focuses on floating support to sustain tenancy and prevent homelessness, using a strength-based approach. You will assess referrals, provide housing advice, and coordinate with landlords and services to enable independence.

The post requires managing complex needs, promoting tenants’ rights, and delivering proactive, person-centred support in a busy, client-facing environment in Hounslow.

Qualifications

• Understanding of the complex issues contributing to homelessness and its impact on people’s lives.
• Excellent communication skills to form and maintain effective working relationships with clients, colleagues and partner agencies.
• Knowledge of the needs and aspirations of people with homelessness experience and supporting independence.
• Ability to provide a flexible and responsive service to people with complex needs and multiple disadvantage.
• Strong organisation skills to manage priorities, deadlines and risk; capable of running a busy service.
• Experience in supervising casework with staff, trainees, students, or volunteers.

Responsibilities

• Assess suitability of referrals and support management with oversight of referrals.
• Provide practical resettlement support and information on housing rights, benefits and income.
• Collaborate with housing providers and referral agencies to sustain tenancies.
• Signpost and support engagement with specialist services (drug treatment, mental health, NHS, community groups).
• Co-produce plans with individuals to help achieve aims and ambitions.
• Lead the team and coordinate support workers, volunteers and placements.

Skills

Communication skills

Understanding homelessness

Flexibility

Organisation

Team supervision

Job description

Job Summary

Role: Lead Worker – Hounslow Reach

Salary £37,143 per annum

Hours: 37.5 per week

Location: Hounslow

Closing date: 18/10/2026

Interview date: 30/10/2026

Whatever your experience of street homelessness and its impact on people’s lives – personal or professional – when you join the Thames Reach team as a Lead Worker we will make the best use of all your understanding, compassion and commitment

About us…

About this role…

We are looking for a Lead Worker to join the Hounslow Reach Team.

Floating Support services work with people to sustain their housing. We use a strength-based approach to work with people to identify what support they require and how we can address them together or / and in collaboration with others e.g. landlords, Department of Work and pension or mental health services.

We can support people for the duration of their tenancy, or we can provide short term interventions. We can provide resettlement support when a tenancy commences, and we can equip people with the skills to manage their home and goals independently or when they are move on ready and require minimal support.

You will:

• Assess suitability of individuals referred into the services, and support management team with oversight of referrals.
• Provide practical resettlement support for individuals who may have never held a tenancy before and provide information and advice around; housing rights and responsibilities, benefits and maximising income, and education, training and employment.
• Work with both the housing provider and referral agencies to ensure individuals can sustain their tenancy and move towards independence in their new homes.
• Liaise with, signpost, and support client engagement with specialist agencies as appropriate e.g. drug treatment services, Community Mental Health Teams, NHS services, community groups etc.
• Provide person-centred support to individuals and co-produce all plans to assist them to achieve their aims and ambitions.
• Take a lead role within the team, working closely with support workers, assistant support workers, volunteers and student placements around casework and resource provision for individuals accessing the service.

You will have:

• An understanding of the complex issues contributing to homelessness and the impact on the lives of individuals.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to form and maintain effective working relationships with individuals accessing the service, colleagues, and partner agencies.
• Knowledge and understanding of the needs and aspirations of individuals with experience of homelessness and a commitment to supporting people to achieve the best outcomes as they work towards independence.
• The ability to provide a flexible and responsive service to people presenting with complex needs and facing multiple disadvantage.
• Strong organisation skills, with the ability to manage conflicting priorities and deadlines, to carry out administrative tasks alongside practical support work, and manage and mitigate risk. Able to organise the operations of a complex, integrated and busy service.
• Knowledge, understanding, or experience of supporting and supervising casework practice of support workers, trainees, students, or volunteers.

• Generous holiday allowance – 29 days per year plus 8 public holidays (pro rata).
• Pension – we contribute 6.5% to your pension when you contribute 1.5%.
• Wellbeing support – our 24/7 employee assistance programme and opportunities for TOIL.
• Life assurance – four times your annual salary and critical illness cover.

Job Profile

Job Profile document

Location

Hounslow

For further information please contact, Folasade Babade, Lead Manager at [e-mail]

Thames Reach is committed to safeguarding. Applicants must be willing to undergo pre-employment screening appropriate to the post, including, but not limited to checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. Having a criminal record will not exclude you from applying but you will be asked to provide further details as most posts are considered exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.