Somerset Council are looking for a Housing Officer to join their team. You will be working for the Rough Sleeping Team. You may be required to work unsociable hours and this is a front-facing role, although there is some flexibility for working at home. You may be required to attend outreach/in-reach sessions and assist on spotlight counts.
This is also a Hybrid position with 3 days required on site.
Role Purpose:
Provide advice, information, and assistance to applicants who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Help applicants to explore their housing options and find suitable accommodation that meets their needs. Work with a range of partners and agencies to prevent and reduce homelessness in the community.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Advice & Guidance: Offer advice and information on topics such as homelessness prevention, housing options, tenure rights, and security of tenure. Communicate with applicants or their authorised representatives through phone, email, or letter. Make advice accessible to all applicants and help them avoid or resolve homelessness and secure long-term housing solutions.
2. Progress Applications: Make enquiries and collect all relevant information from the applicant including financial statements or health information and carry out other verification checks as necessary, including authorised communication with statutory and voluntary agencies to support decision-making. Progress all homeless applications (Part 7 application) under current legislation, ensuring compliance with the Homelessness Code of Guidance. Progress all housing applications (Part 6 applications) in line with the Homefinder Somerset Choice Based Lettings scheme and ensure these are completed in a timely manner.
3. Assessment & Plan: Carry out an assessment of circumstances and needs to identify what has caused the homelessness or threat of homelessness and the housing needs of the applicant and any support needs to be able to secure and retain accommodation. Following the assessment, create a personalised housing plan with the applicant to help them retain or find accommodation.
4. Decision Making: Decide on what duties are owed to the applicant (e.g., interim duty, prevention duty, relief duty), progressing all homeless applications, notifying applicants within target times whilst ensuring all decisions comply with current legislation. Make appropriate referrals to partner agencies and organisations to help with issues such as access to private rented accommodation, benefits, relationship breakdown, debt, budgeting, warrant, substance misuse, domestic abuse, rough sleeping, mental health, health, support, complex needs, and learning difficulties.
5. Record Keeping: Maintain accurate and comprehensive records of all housing applications, assessments, decisions, and outcomes. Use the case management system to record and update information in a timely and consistent manner. Ensure that all records are stored securely and comply with data protection and confidentiality policies.
6. Private Rented Sector Access: Assist applicants to access the private rented sector to prevent or relieve homelessness. Assess the applicant’s financial situation and where appropriate, assist them with financial help to secure a tenancy via the Council's bond guarantee or rent deposit scheme.
Dimensions of Role:
Somerset Council has approximately 7,000 households that approach the council for help about a housing issue each year. As of November 2022, there were 150 households in temporary accommodation. There are approximately 10,000 households on the Homefinder Somerset Choice Based lettings scheme. We work with teams from across the council such as Housing Benefits Discretionary Housing Payments, Private Sector Housing, Councillors, Children and Adult services, partner organisations such as Mental health, Police, Registered providers, private landlords, Department of Work and Pensions, Substance Abuse services, Health, voluntary organisations, refuges, and other responsible authorities such as Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC) as required.
Work Experience Knowledge & Skills
Essential:
1. Effective written and verbal communication
2. Ability to deal inventively and sensitively with a wide range and spectrum of people in greatly varying circumstances.
3. Ability to establish and manage realistic applicant expectations.
4. Ability to manage a diverse caseload effectively where detailed and complex investigations are required, working with precision and attention to detail.
5. Ability to maintain accurate detailed and timely case notes and other evidence-based records.
6. Good organisational and administrative skills.
7. Ability to speak fluent English as stated in Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016).
Desirable:
1. Knowledge of the Homelessness legislation (Housing Act 1996, Homelessness Act 2002, Suitability Order 2012, Homelessness Reduction Act 2017)
2. Knowledge of the Landlord and tenant law.
3. Knowledge of options available to somebody that is homeless or at risk of homelessness.
4. Knowledge of Data Protection.
5. Negotiating skills.
6. Equality and diversity issues and an understanding of the relevance to a housing advice service.
7. Experience of working within a Housing Options team.
8. Experience of working in a housing association, local authority housing department, or similar organisation.
9. Experience of dealing with the public and in particular vulnerable applicants.
10. Experience of effective partnership working which has led to positive solutions.
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