Homeless Prevention Officer

Project overview

Homeless Prevention Officer

Project details

West Midlands

Contract: 6 months

£22–£24 per hour

Vivid Resourcing is working with a local authority in the West Midlands to recruit an experienced Homeless Prevention Officer for an initial 6-month contract. You’ll join the Housing Services team, preventing homelessness by helping customers keep their current home or, where that isn’t possible, find suitable alternative accommodation.

The role

What we’re looking for

• Be the first point of contact for customers, assessing housing situations and eligibility for prevention and relief duties under the Housing Act 1996 and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017
• Develop and agree Personal Housing Plans, using coaching techniques to encourage positive engagement
• Carry out early intervention work, responding to housing and homelessness queries through the team’s inboxes
• Assess applications for financial assistance awards
• Take proactive steps to prevent homelessness, liaising with landlords, families and other parties and using mediation and negotiation to resolve issues
• Manage your own caseload, monitor progress against plans and keep accurate records on the council’s IT systems
• Build strong working relationships with statutory agencies, voluntary organisations, support providers and private landlords
• Make safeguarding referrals where needed and work in line with data protection, confidentiality and health and safety requirements
• Recent experience in homelessness prevention, housing options or a similar frontline housing role, ideally within a local authority
• A sound working knowledge of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996
• Excellent communication and listening skills
• Strong problem-solving, negotiation and mediation skills
• The ability to coach and motivate customers to take positive steps
• Resilience and adaptability, with the ability to manage a busy caseload and meet deadlines under pressure
• Start: flexible
• Location: GB