Homelessness Advisor

**Salary**

£30,298 - £35,432

**Reference number**

BUC08083

**Contract type**

Fixed Term / Secondment

**Working hours**

Full Time

**Level of DBS check required**

Yes

**Date posted**

16 Feb 2023, 11 p.m.

**Application deadline**

5 Mar 2023

**Overview**:
We are looking for **Homelessness Advisers** to join our newly restructured housing team and deliver our homelessness and advice service. This is a career grade post and we are seeking both experienced homelessness officers and those who are looking to take the next step to develop their careers in this sector.

**About us**:
The Housing Service has recently been restructured to provide a single countywide service going forward. This is an exciting opportunity to join our newly formed Homelessness and Advice service within the new structure and help us to deliver the best possible outcomes to our residents.

**About the role**:
The role will be a mix of home and office-based working. The Council’s main area offices are located in Aylesbury, Amersham and Wycombe. There will be requirements for site and home visits across the Council Administration Area in Buckinghamshire.

Any-Desk:
As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

**About you**:
You will be an experienced homelessness officer, or you will be someone who is looking to take the next step in their career to work in the local authority homelessness sector.

You will work proactively with clients to resolve their housing problems and strive to prevent homelessness whenever possible. You will need to build relationships quickly and demonstrate an empathetic and non-judgmental approach to customers. The role will require you to deal with customers and partner agencies face to face, by telephone and in writing. Therefore, you will need to have excellent communication skills and a demonstrable experience of delivering advice and support to the public as well as liaising with other bodies. You will be an excellent problem solver to enable you to assess a client's situations and provide a comprehensive frontline service.

If you have a customer-focused approach and the experience to make a real difference to the residents of Buckinghamshire we would love to hear from you.

**Other information**:
Please see the job summary attached for more information.

Please note these posts are 12-month secondment/fixed-term contracts.

Closing Date - Sunday 5th March 2023

Shortlisting date - Monday 6thMarch 2023

Interview Date - Interviews to be held as soon as possible following the advert closing date

If you would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Clare Newcomb on 01494 421292 or Mrs Julie Lerpiniere on 01296 585124.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

- All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
- All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

**Our values and culture**:
We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are - Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

- a fair and inclusive culture
- the chance to really make a difference to those around you
- health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
- a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
- ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
- opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

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