Outreach Worker (Rough Sleepers)

OPEN ROAD VISIONS; Basildon; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Royal London Pension

Training Plan and development

Health & Safety training

GDPR training

25 days annual leave

Job summary

Open Road is seeking an Outreach Worker (Rough Sleepers) in Basildon to engage, assess and signpost rough sleepers into treatment and support services. You will work with a multi-disciplinary team to reduce rough sleeping numbers and help clients access structured drug treatment and recovery planning.

You will collaborate with partners across Essex, manage a time‑limited caseload and build trusting relationships with high‑need individuals to support progression and resettlement.

Qualifications

• Experience of working with people affected by drug use, homelessness or other forms of disadvantage.
• Capacity to work under pressure and manage time effectively, whilst remaining enthusiastic and motivated.
• Ability to work with people in an empathic and non-judgemental way.
• Knowledge and understanding of effective risk management as well as the ability to complete risk assessments.
• Good interpersonal skills; able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people.

Responsibilities

• Work in collaboration with Phoenix Futures and other partner agencies to engage, assess and signpost rough sleepers across Essex into treatment and other support services.
• Manage a caseload providing skilled and time-limited interventions to improve readiness for treatment.
• Book and attend GP and housing appointments and assist with applications for benefits, housing and rehab.

Skills

Empathy

Time management

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Driving licence

Job description

Outreach Worker (Rough Sleepers)

Location – Basildon (South Essex)

Hours – 37.5 hours per week – Permanent

Salary – £27,000 per annum

Closing date – 2nd October 2026

Summary

The Outreach Worker will take a specialist lead on engaging, assessing and signposting rough sleepers into treatment and other support services. Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, you will aim to reduce the number of rough sleepers, engaging with and supporting them through structured drug treatment, building recovery and creating effective care plans, so they do not return to the streets once resettled.

What you’ll be doing

Work in collaboration with Phoenix Futures and other partner agencies (i.e., drug & alcohol services, housing support, physical/mental health and wellbeing workers) to engage, assess and signpost people who sleep rough across Essex into treatment and other support services. Working effectively and in partnership with stakeholders across the county, you will manage a caseload providing skilled and focused time-limited interventions to the improve the readiness of people sleeping rough to consider and access treatment for their drug use.

A day in the Life of an Outreach Worker (Rough Sleepers)

A DASS (Drug & Alcohol Street Support) worker is part of a multi-disciplinary team working across the treatment services to support our most vulnerable and hard to engage people. A typical day will be extremely varied and could for example include booking and attending GP and housing appointments with the person you are supporting. Helping someone fill out applications for benefits, housing, and rehab. It includes making outreach visits and getting to know the homeless in the area. Liaising with relevant professionals and organisations, to ensure that progress is happening on a weekly basis. It’s completing relevant paperwork and risk assessments for alcohol and substance intake and referring clients to agencies that can help with their specific support needs. Above all, DASS is about building trust in relationships, and showing patience and understanding, to high risk and high need individuals, that otherwise fall through the net.

What it’s like to work for Open Road

Open Road provides drug and alcohol treatment services across Essex & Kent including a range of interventions that deliver mentoring, advice and information programmes. Accredited with Investing In Volunteers, our mission is to empower a diverse range of individuals, families and communities to lead healthy and more meaningful lives, free from addiction, offending behaviour and disadvantage, to ensure healthier, happier lifestyles.

Benefits to you

• £27,000 per annum
• Royal London Pension and Death in Service benefit
• Access to our in-house Organisational Training Plan, and full training tailored to your development needs
• Legal training including Health & Safety, Safeguarding and GDPR
• 25 days Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays, plus a day off for your Birthday!

What you need

• Experience of working with people affected by drug use, homelessness or other forms of disadvantage.
• Capacity to work under pressure and manage time effectively, whilst remaining enthusiastic and motivated.
• Ability to work with people in an empathic and non-judgemental way.
• Knowledge and understanding of effective risk management as well as the ability to complete risk assessments.
• Good interpersonal skills; able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people.
• Due to the outreach nature of this position, access to a car and the ability to drive will be advantageous.

Open Road values and respects the diversity and individual differences of our services users, staff and our volunteers.

Open Road values and respects the diversity and individual differences of our services users, staff and volunteers.