Housing Support Officer

**Job title**: Housing Support Officer
**Reporting to**:Team Leader
**Staff reporting**: None
**Based**:Harlow

**Purpose**
To provide housing related support to Caridon Foundation clients, to enable them to maintain their tenancies and to achieve their aspirations for independent living.
This will be achieved by assisting and encouraging customers to meet their personalized housing plans and helping them to access support from a wide range of agencies.

**Tasks**
- To carry out Personal Housing Plans and Risk assessments
- To support clients in meeting their set goals set in accordance to their Personal Housing Plans
- To work with clients to understand their housing and support needs, as well as their ambitions, strengths and talents, with a view to increase their ability to cope and live independently
- To provide support and advice to vulnerable people to enable them to manage their tenancies
- To assist clients in reporting repairs
- To maintain regular contact with clients to support them to implement their Personal Housing Plans and help people to action their support needs
- Provide support on budgeting, maximizing income, reducing expenditure, dealing with debt, rent arrears and welfare benefits including Housing Benefit
- Working with a range of agencies to promote health and wellbeing, including harm reduction to reduce the impact of risky behaviours such as alcohol and/or drugs misuse
- To sign post clients to specialist organization
- To liaise with colleagues and other partners in event of tenancy breakdown
- To maintain accurate Arthur records
- To record and report safeguarding concerns in line with Caridon Foundation duties and established policies and procedures
- To attend multi-agency meetings to promote the needs of clients or Caridon Foundation
- To refer clients to Resettlement Housing Officer in the event of tenancy breakdown
- To carry out regular planned visits in order to maintain the support service for tenants
- To provide monthly statistics
- To ensure confidentiality and data protection are observed at all times in compliance with the Data Protection Act & the General Data Protection Regulation
- To stand in for other team members as and when required

**Communications**
- Contribute to Group Newsletter
- Collate case studies, photographs and information from the field and provide to

**Personal Specification**

**Experience**
- At least two years’ experience in support work or similar role
- Demonstrable ability to develop non judgmental professional relationships with vulnerable clients i.e. people with mental health issues, substance misuse
- Experience working with those who have experienced homeless
- To be able to communicate well with clients and peers
- Ability to work positively without direct supervision, managing own time, meeting deadlines and undertaking training.
- Ability to liaise positively with other agencies
- A knowledge of Health & Safety legislation to include basic first aid, food hygiene and infection control

**Skills and Competencies**
- Computer literate (Excel, Word, Outlook and the Internet).
- Demonstrable ability to plan and prioritize own workload
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to demonstrate initiative and work well under pressure
- Ability to work as part of a team
- Acts as a role model to others in the team, sharing knowledge and experience when necessary, whilst respecting and valuing the contribution other team members’ experiences can bring.

**Benefits**
- Annual Leave - 33 days including bank holiday
- Health Insurance
- Discounts at High Street retailers
- Company events

**Job Types**: Full-time, Permanent

**Salary**: £25,900.00 per year

**Benefits**:

- Company events
- Employee discount
- On-site parking

Schedule:

- 8 hour shift
- Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

- Harlow, Essex: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

**Experience**:

- Social Housing: 2 years (preferred)

Licence/Certification:

- Driving Licence (preferred)