Homelessness Relief

**What's involved with this role**:
**Interim Homelessness Relief & Prevention Officer - Housing**

**Reference no: W Berkshire 5246133**

**Pay Rate: Up to £28.12 per hour PAYE depending on experience TBC**

**Hours per week: 37 Monday - Friday, normal working hours**

**Role Length: This opening assignment is for 3 months**

**City: Newbury, Berkshire**

**Hybrid working - at least 2 days in the office per week, please ask for more details at time of interview.**

**Please note the pay rate is provisional only and the ad will be amended with the confirmed rate, once received.**

**Key responsibilities**:

- Provide comprehensive advice and assistance to all households in housing need to enable them to maintain their accommodation and/or prevent homelessness either in person, on the telephone or in writing.
- Participate in the frontline duty service.
- Conduct a housing needs assessment and prepare a personal housing plan (PHP) taking into account the needs assessment and to keep the PHP updated in line with the Homelessness Reduction Act.
- Prevent homelessness and resolve threats of homelessness to eligible households by giving appropriate housing advice and providing hands on support.
- Provide excellent standards of customer service at all times.
- Maintain confidentiality, particularly when handling sensitive personal information regarding households’ details, in accordance with the Council’s confidentiality policy and protocol, acting at all times within the highest standard of professional practice.
- Attend multi-agency case conferences and meeting to represent the Housing Service. These may include Child Protection Conferences, Signs of Safety meetings, discharge planning meetings, the Young Persons Housing Panel, the Integrated offender Management meetings, the Mental Health Housing Panel, the Homelessness Forum, the Rough Sleepers Task and Targeting Group, MARAC, MAPPA and other meetings as and when necessary.
- Conduct home visits and attend professionals meetings in order to verify information regarding a households’ housing need.
- Support households with defending possession proceedings in court and assist with preparation of their file for review by the judge.
- Maintain a high level of professional knowledge of current legislation and best practice/case law.
- Actively participate in reducing rough sleeping within the district by giving appropriate housing options advice, liaising with the Outreach Worker and other relevant services, such as Probation, Swanswell and the Community Mental Health Team.

**To help speed up the process of uploading your CV to the client we would suggest that you send us your CV in Word format (or equivalent) if possible, rather than as a PDF**

**If you are successful in securing this role, please note that for the entire duration of this contract, regardless of extension you will be working this role at the PAYE rate that has been advertised. For absolute clarity, we only work on a PAYE basis, rather than entertaining umbrella pay terms, we do not offer Ltd/umbrella or outside IR35 rates. If you wish to understand PAYE vs Umbrella more, please let us know and we can send you some additional information for clarity.**

**Other “Essential Requirements” - Please check to ensure that your CV addresses the following items**:
**Full UK driving licence.**

**Qualifications**:
**Experience**:

- Experience in negotiation and influencing people.
- A minimum of two years experience in a front line housing service.
- Experience in multi-agency working.
- Some experience of working with households with complex needs, social, medical or mental health issues.
- Experience of working in a fluid environment and the ability to adapt to meet current needs.
- Experience of drafting and making S184 decisions.
- Experience of developing PHPs (Personalised Housing Plans).

**Knowledge**:

- Good working knowledge of homelessness legislation including but not limited to the Housing Act 1996, the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and other related legislation
- Good understanding of housing advice, options and homelessness, including law relating to landlord and tenant relationships, prevention of eviction, harassment, basic guidance on money advice, the Matrimonial Homes Act, domestic violence, Children Act, proactive advice on other housing issues, e.g. disrepair, grants.
- Good working knowledge of welfare benefits including but not limited to Local Housing allowance and universal credit.

**Skills & Abilities**:

- Able to possess good oral and written communication skills and will be able to communicate effectively at different levels with different client groups.
- Ability to analyse written information and establish/revise procedures.
- Able to conduct housing needs assessment to determine what statutory duty is owed.
- Ability to manage own workload and balance competing demands in a highly pressurised environment.
- Ability to take control of challenging situations