Housing Options Officer

**Salary: £33,366 - £37,035 per annum**

**Grade: I**

**Contract: Maternity Cover for up to 12 months**

**Hours: Full Time, including an out of hours standby rota to respond to homelessness emergencies within the locality area (additional financial incentives for participation)**

**Location: Malton, with expectations to work across Selby when required**
- Your chance to be at the forefront of homelessness prevention within an ambitious team working towards the start of a new 5 year homeless and Rough Sleeping strategy for the Council._

**About the Council and the Service**

Are you driven by a passion for making a real difference in people’s lives?

North Yorkshire Council is offering an exciting opportunity to join our **Housing Needs Service**as a **Housing Options Officer**. In this pivotal role, you’ll be at the forefront of preventing homelessness, providing expert advice, and guiding individuals and families through challenging housing situations to secure stable, long-term solutions.

You’ll play a crucial part in transforming lives, supporting vulnerable households during difficult times, and collaborating with partners to ensure the best outcomes. If you’re looking for a rewarding career where your skills and compassion can create lasting change, we’d love for you to bring your talents to North Yorkshire Council.

This is an exciting opportunity to work within our new Housing Options team at North Yorkshire Council. The team is part of the new Housing needs Service, which will lead on delivering the Council’s homeless and Rough Sleeping strategy and in delivering the Council’s bold ambitions around homeless prevention.

**The role**

This role will provide an opportunity to be at the forefront of delivering homeless prevention and will play a key role within the team. You will provide a full housing options advice and homeless service to those clients who are in housing need, fulfilling the Councils statutory duties, powers and functions under the relevant homeless legislation.

You will play a key role in supporting the objectives of the new Council's Homelessness Strategy and prevent homelessness wherever possible and assist households to achieve sustainable housing solutions. Where required, you will participate in an out of hours standby rota to respond to homelessness emergencies within the locality area, including incidents in temporary accommodation.

You will have Knowledge or understanding of current housing issues and solutions in respect of homeless people and experience of assessing need and offering housing advice to the public to achieve effective solutions to housing problems as well as an awareness and knowledge and commitment to equality and diversity and Health and Safety legislation and of safeguarding responsibilities.

You will have a track record of dealing with the public in a customer service/advisory capacity.

Also the ability to plan, allocate and evaluate workloads, determining work methods to achieve objectives and to seek, evaluate and organise information to aid decision making. You will be able to have difficult conversations and have professional curiosity in your ability to assess customer’s circumstances and be able to exchange information to solve problems and make decisions through leading and contributing to meetings and group discussions to solve problems and make decisions.

**Who We're Looking For**:
**To be successful in this role**:
**Essential**
- **You will bring a passion for delivering high quality services to our customers, often those in the most need, which will meet the needs of our vulnerable communities.**
- **Excellent communication and negotiation skills are a must, The ability to exchange information effectively with colleagues, customers, and external agencies to solve problems and make decisions. The role also requires the ability to work on your own initiative and as part of a team.**
- **IT Skills: Proficiency in using IT systems to manage case files.**
- **Customer Service Skills: Experience in providing housing advice, assessing needs, and offering solutions in a client-focused manner. This is a very challenging role that requires someone who is resilient, has empathy and patience to deal with clients in difficult situations.**

**Desirable**
- **Knowledge & Experience: Understanding of current housing issues, homelessness legislation, landlord-tenant law, and safeguarding responsibilities.**

**Working for us**

**When you join us, you are entitled to our outstanding benefits and wellbeing plan as part of your position.**
- **Holiday entitlement: starts at 28 days rising to 34 days (pro-rata) per year with continued service, plus public holidays.**
- **Pension: for your retirement with our generous local government pension scheme with a 22.6% contribution.**
- **Fitness & Rewards: Fitness discounts with various gyms across the county. Stay on top of your game and £££.**

**Lifestyle Savings: explore a huge range of discounts to help