Our client is a leading organisation that has a dedicated team of homelessness, housing and domestic abuse professionals that can offer in-house multi-disciplinary support to people with a range of support needs. They require a Housing Solutions Officer to join their busy team. The role is running up to October 2024 initially, with the chance to extend.
This post holder will carry out homelessness assessments in line with the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 in relation to supporting service users and their children and make all necessary statutory decisions throughout the application process, assess the needs of the service user and formulate a personal housing plan. It will provide comprehensive information, advice and guidance to service users and landlords with the aim of preventing homelessness where possible and helping to source alternative accommodation when prevention is not possible. The post holder will be responsible for arranging temporary accommodation, making referrals to supported accommodation services and assisting service users to obtain accommodation in the private and social sectors where necessary. The post holder will also be responsible for working with the Council's commissioned safe accommodation services or, where not available or appropriate, secure safe accommodation out of area
This team will offer a range of support, sometimes working within a rota system that will require staff to work across locations within a blended working arrangement.
Duties and Responsibilities

1. To carry out a statutory assessment of homelessness owed under the statutory provisions of the housing Act 1996 and homeless reduction act 2017 including eligibility, homelessness, local connection, priority need and intentional homelessness to determine what duties are owed to those in housing need. Make all necessary statutory decisions throughout the application process, assess the needs of the service user and formulate a personal housing plan.

2. Provide advice to service users on solutions open to them to retain existing accommodation or secure suitable re housing including negotiations with landlords to prevent homelessness, financial assessments, maximisation of income and completing applications for discretionary housing payments.

3. If homelessness cannot be prevented arrange suitable temporary accommodation for service users and provide ongoing support and oversight until alternative suitable accommodation can be secured

4. Arrange safe accommodation for victims of domestic abuse, appropriate to their service user and their children's needs in and out of area and, where not available, arrange temporary accommodation until such time suitable safe accommodation can be secured.

5. Identify, assess and work therapeutically with risk and trauma. Practice will be creative and underpinned by knowledge of, and skills in community based interventions

6. Be proactive and responsive to changes in risk and support needs, referring to other teams and organisations where the support needs become more complex.
7. Record risk assessment, support planning and case notes accurately and in a timely manner.

8. Represent the service user at relevant multi-agency meetings, coordinating and leading meetings where required and working effectively with professionals across the system.

9. Work collaboratively with other teams, external agencies, the service user and their personal support network to collate all relevant information to co-produce personalised housing plans.

10. Maintain a detailed knowledge of homelessness and domestic abuse legislation, case law and government guidance concerning the Council's statutory duties and maintain a working knowledge of refuge/ safe accommodation, rented sector, commissioned services, housing schemes and Choice Based Lettings.

11. Have responsibility to keep up to date with any changes in area of specialism and inform and update colleagues and processes that will be affected by change.

An enhanced DBS is required for this post.
Please apply with your CV to (url removed) <mailto:(url removed)>
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Barker Ross Group values diversity and promotes equality. No terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate against any of the protected characteristics that fall under the Equality Act 2010. We encourage and welcome applications from all sections of society and are more than happy to discuss reasonable adjustments and/or additional arrangements as required to support your application.

For the purposes of the Conduct Regulations 2003, when advertising permanent vacancies we are acting as an Employment Agency, and when advertising temporary/contract vacancies we are acting as an Employment Business.