Housing Coach

**Recovery Connections is a peer led drug and alcohol recovery support service providing a range of support and intervention for those striving for and achieving abstinence-based recovery.**

**Purpose of Job**

To deliver and develop a housing support service for people who require sustainable housing, and in particular those who:

- have successfully completed Residential Rehabilitation Programme
- are in Medically Assisted Recovery
- have achieved abstinence based recovery via other pathways
- self-identify as a person in recovery

Develop contacts with housing associations and local landlords in Sunderland to provide opportunities to access rented accommodation for the target group.

Promote the service to landlords as offering ‘peace of mind’ by providing intensive support and monitoring to tenants, and intervening early to resolve any problems.

To assess potential tenants and develop and deliver a pre-tenancy training programme - aligned with structured treatment providers - to help them prepare for independent living in the community.

To support tenants to manage and sustain their accommodation. Provide support, direction and supervision to volunteers and peer mentors.

To introduce the tenants to their local community and support their participation in associational life.

To work as part of the wider Recovery Connections team.

**Management Accountability**

To the Service Manager who will provide direct line management supervision.

**Key Duties**:
**Services to the people we work with**:

- To provide a flexible and comprehensive tenancy support service that focuses upon the development of independent living skills, access to education and employment, benefit support and advice and referrals to relevant partner agencies, enabling people to sustain their accommodation and promote their recovery goals and integration within the wider community.
- Support clients in bidding for prospective properties
- Support client’s continued engagement in structured treatment, aftercare and mutual aid services to help them maintain abstinence and sustain treatment goals.
- Deliver a Tenancy Skills rolling programme
- Assess the tenant's recovery capital utilising their assets and support any deficits.
- Introduce the tenant to their local community and support engagement with associational life.
- Connect with local assets and create an asset map for Sunderland.
- Ensure that client confidentiality is compatible with the effective sharing of information with appropriate agencies to achieve the best outcome for clients.
- Ensure that equality of opportunity policies and anti-discriminatory practices are adhered to and fully implemented at all times and that all practices positively promote Recovery Connections’ commitment to valuing diversity.
- Provide specialist housing advice to drug and alcohol workers.
- Maintain accurate and comprehensive records/data collection on clients, as required by the fund holder performance frameworks and reporting requirements.
- Share information sensitively within the terms of information sharing protocols with a range of agencies when necessary in line with Recovery Connections’ policies and contractual requirements.
- Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the service offered to clients and actively involve, engage and consult with service users regarding on-going service development.

**General duties and responsibilities**:

- Participate in audits in line with Recovery Connections’ policies and in relation to relevant guidelines and standards.
- To provide clearly written reports and verbal updates to the Line Manager as required and requested.
- Work flexibly within an agreed number of hours to maintain the most appropriate level of service provision. This will include evening and weekend work.
- Seek to improve personal performance, contribution, knowledge and skills.
- To attend and to actively participate in the appraisal, training and supervision processes.
- Be willing to take on lead roles within the team.
- Ensure the implementation of, and adherence to Recovery Connections’ policies and procedures.
- Prepare reports for internal and external stakeholders as required and when requested.
- Contribute to the design and implementation of service developments as determined and requested.
- Attend all relevant partnership, service user and internal Recovery Connections meetings as required and/or instructed by the Team Manager or Regional Service Manager.
- Work with and support colleagues to foster a comfortable and healthy working environment.
- In conjunction with other team members, develop training and educational packages/material for service and agency needs.
- To support and challenge workers on specific aspects of their practice. To be open to support and challenges from your colleagues and reflect upon your own practice and role within the team.
- To undertake any other duties as deemed to be within the spirit of the post

**Salary**: £