Housing Options Officer

Seven Social Care are looking for Housing Officer to work in Bournemouth. This is working for one of the Country’s leading providers of affordable housing, care and support and neighbourhood regeneration, this position is paying £19.46 per hour.

The role:

• To assess the Council’s housing duty to those applying for housing; as homeless or threatened with homelessness, in accordance with statute and Council policy and working procedures.
• As a member of a committed team, provide person centred housing options advice and support with a focus on preventing homelessness
• Carry out wide ranging complex and sensitive meetings with vulnerable households, applying technical knowledge to assist and resolve housing needs where you can 
• To work in a multi-disciplinary environment, collaborating with specialist services & using your skills and knowledge, to respond to those with complex problems; including child protection, domestic abuse, adult safeguarding, mental health, substance misuse, learning difficulties, disabilities and other medical / social issues.

Key Responsibilities:

• To provide specialist advice on a range of complex housing options and homeless prevention initiatives
• To hold a caseload & carry out detailed legal assessments of applications for housing, making decisions on all aspects of housing or homelessness applications including verification, eligibility, housing need and support 
• Determine the support needs of households in housing need and refer to specialist providers where appropriate.
• To participate in Housing Options Duty Rota, providing excellent customer service in respect of a range of complex and contentious housing enquiries, through a range of communication channels, online, face to face & in the community.
• To lead multi-agency case meetings for households with complex problems 
• To act as housing lead in response to serious domestic abuse, child protection, adult safeguarding etc. where clients have identified housing needs. 
• To develop strong relationships with all housing providers and promote multi-agency initiatives in the prevention of homelessness 
• To maintain continuous professional development and up to date knowledge of related legislation, such as landlord and tenant, family, welfare benefits, child and adult safeguarding
• To prevent homelessness wherever possible by negotiation and collaboration with a range of stakeholders
• To effectively manage a caseload through personal housing plans, communication strategies and effective record keeping. 
• To provide affidavit evidence in cases where legal review is triggered. 
• To apply client confidentiality procedures to investigations undertaken and to follow guidance in relation to lone working where there are potential risks to personal safety.
• To constructively participate in one-to-one supervision, case reviews and case conferences, employee appraisals and training sessions. To assist in providing induction and/or training programs to other officers as required.
• To respond to and initiate routine and non-routine correspondence with a wide range of agencies including Councillors and Members of Parliament.
• To produce and analyse statistical reports as appropriate.
• To respond to emergency situations where appropriate, attending cover at externally located rest centre(s).
• During the course of your employment, you will be required to maintain a record of all training and development undertaken. 
• To undertake such other duties as may be required from time to time commensurate with the level of the post. 
• To comply with all decisions, policies and standing orders of the Council and any relevant statutory requirements, including Equality and Diversity legislation, the Health and Safety at Work Act and Data Protection Act.

Applicant Requirements:

• Qualifications: N/A.
• Experience: 2+ years working in a housing role.
• Compliance: Up to date DBS.
• Travel: Clean UK driving license with the ability to commute to and from work independently.
• Hours: 37.5 hours p/w.

Working with Seven Social Care:

We have been helping social care professionals find exciting new roles for almost a decade, so we know exactly where to look when it comes to sourcing the best opportunities. We operate across the UK, and, with over 300 five-star reviews, multiple awards and amazing relationships with the biggest employers in UK social care, we give you the best chance of landing your next role.

We have a reputation for recruiting at lightning speed, however, we can only respond to candidates who meet the exact requirements of the position. If you have any queries about a role or application, please visit our website where our amazing candidate support team will be more than happy to help.