Homelessness Prevention Support Worker

**About Aspire**

Aspire is a multi-award-winning employment charity and social enterprise.

We empower people facing homelessness, poverty and disadvantage to find employment and housing. In 2020-21, we engaged with over 2,000 people across our projects and programmes throughout Oxfordshire and the wider Thames Valley.

**About Homelessness Prevention**

Aspire are committed to their work in preventing homelessness and operate within the Oxfordshire Homelessness Alliance to move interventions ever further upstream. Our prevention work began in 2018 under the Trailblazer Project. We saw such value in this work that we established our own countrywide service in 2020.

Our focus has always been in seeking opportunities to intervene at the earliest point of homelessness risk. We empower individuals through supporting them to understand their situation and the possible options and actions required to move towards a satisfactory resolution. We support a diverse range of individuals across a variety of housing risk situations.

The role will provide support to the manager and support navigator to strengthen our presence in community spaces where people need us most. You will be encouraged to be innovative in identifying themes and opportunities to extend our reach.

**Key tasks and accountabilities**

Key tasks and accountabilities are intended to be a guide to the range and level of work expected of the post holder. This is not an exhaustive list of all tasks that may fall to the post holder and employees will be expected to Undertake other reasonable duties which may be required, and within the capability of the post holder.
- Managing a mixed caseload of brief interventions and varying levels of intensive case work to resolve the situation placing a household at risk of being able to sustain their accommodation.
- Supporting the team in identifying opportunities for early intervention - through sustaining & strengthening key referral pathways and establishing additional referral routes, as deemed appropriate/beneficial.
- Supporting the team to identify those at high risk of homelessness, enabling earlier intervention and improving the likelihood of successful homeless prevention.
- Supporting the team in identifying key partners to support us in achieving solutions for those at risk of homelessness.
- Ensuring accurate data recording to inform the managers completion of quarterly monitoring report into the Alliance and to recognise emergent trends to drive our interventions. Using Aspires internal recording system to track support planning, risk assessments, creating and tracking goals, safeguarding.
- Integrating your work with our wider charitable programmes; in housing and ETE; where these opportunities align with support needs of your caseload.
- Building and maintaining excellent working relationships with external stakeholders, partners and other relevant organisations to enable multi-agency support.
- Engaging in Alliance related activities relevant to the role and using this as an opportunity to drive for transformation and systems change.
- Attend Aspire’s fortnightly all of team meetings, quarterly all Aspire away days and training and support sessions, as appropriate.
- Partaking in training in Psychologically Informed Environments and Trauma Informed Care

**Person Specification**
- An empathetic and non-judgemental attitude to clients, and an understanding of their difficulties in accessing and maintaining accommodation
- Experience of supporting people facing difficulties such as homelessness, mental health, drug or alcohol problems, poor basic living skills, debt or with offending histories **AND/OR** lived experience of dealing with these barriers in your personal life.
- Have experience in developing support packages that are person centred and considerate of barriers faced by people experiencing situational vulnerabilities and barriers
- Proven ability to complete risk assessments, risk management plans and reporting of relevant safeguarding.
- Confident communication skills, both oral and written, including the ability to present a positive image of the organisation, and your client group, to a range of audiences
- Demonstrated high levels of flexibility and adaptability to a constantly changing work flow.
- Strong team-working approach with the aim of maintaining a positive and productive work environment.
- Ability to work collaboratively and responsively
- Possess some practical understanding of housing legislation, HRA-17, current trends in the county related to accessing the housing register and private rented accommodation (desirable)
- Knowledge of the benefits system, and experience of supporting people with benefits related issues (desirable)
- Able to demonstrate your commitment to empowering and involving individuals in their own journey to rebuild their lives and realise their potential
- Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to work with a wide range of colleagues