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Housing Options Officer

Job details
Posting date:	18 October 2024
Salary:	£27.81 per hour
Additional salary information:	per hour PAYE
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	16 November 2024
Location:	March, Cambridgeshire, PE15 8NQ
Company:	Triumph Consultants Ltd
Job type:	Temporary
Job reference:	Fenland 5256706

Summary

What's involved with this role:

Interim Housing Options Officer

Job Ref: Fenland 5256706

Pay Rate: £27.81 per hour PAYE

Hours per week: 37 Monday – Friday, normal working hours

Role Length: This opening assignment is for 2-3 months

City: March, Cambridgeshire

Pay rate negotiable for the right candidate

The purpose of the role is to provide front line advice with regard to Housing Options to clients with a focus on prevention. Offering options to clients to prevent homelessness where possible through negotiation with private sector landlords to offer housing solutions.

This can include deposits, mediation between landlords and tenants, or parents and children. Negotiation and problem solving with housing associations and private sector landlords to prevent evictions for rent arrears, anti-social behaviour cases and seeking out new housing opportunities for our customers.

Key Responsibilities:

Provide housing advice and assistance in preventing homelessness by telephone, in writing or in person to clients wherever possible in line with the new Homelessness Reduction Act. Including the use of negotiation and creativity to resolve homelessness.
Interview clients who are homeless or threatened with homelessness in accordance with Part VII Housing Act 1996 incorporating the Homelessness Act 2002 and the homeless Reduction Act, recommend the appropriate decision to the Housing Options Team Leader. Interviews will be conducted at various Council locations within Fenland.
Carry out thorough investigations and assessments of homelessness applications for assistance under the homeless legislation.
Liaise and negotiate with Landlords, registered providers, Citizens Advice Bureau, Local Authorities, Police, Doctors, Community Psychiatric Nurses etc. by telephone, in writing or in person.
Arrange the provision of interim accommodation for homeless clients where necessary and also ensure the protection and storage of furniture where appropriate.
Take and progress applications under the Council’s deposit incentive Scheme and other initiatives to help prevent homelessness.
Undertake home visits with Registered Providers or other agencies when required.
Ensure that information is updated on ICT systems used for homelessness and the Housing Register.
Keep abreast of changes in legislation; case law; Council policy and practice; as may affect statutory duties or actions.
Assist the Housing Options Team Leader in the provision of performance indicators and contribute to the delivery of the service plan.
Collate data for the Housing Options Team Leader relating to the provision of interim accommodation in Bed and Breakfast and the Hostel for budget management purposes.
Raise and progress orders for interim accommodation and taxis.
Take responsibility for the re-ordering of information leaflets and advice booklets in relation to housing related issues.

Qualifications:

Minimum of 5 GCSE ‘O’ Levels at Grade A – C or equivalent.

Skills & Experience:

Minimum of 12 months recent experience in a similar role, or context and ideally within a public sector organisation.
Experience in a local authority or housing association housing options team.
Dealing with customers in difficult / stressful situations.
Monitoring and maintaining computer records.
Knowledge of Home-link and experience in using software.
Effective interpersonal skills to communicate effectively orally and in writing with a range of people e.g. homeless persons; landlords; doctors.
Able to explain matters of Housing Legislation in a clear and concise manner to meet the needs our clients.
Strong IT skills including Microsoft packages or equivalent (e.g. G Suite).

Full UK driving licence required and access to own vehicle.

Please quote the Job Title & Vacancy Reference No. in your application, or we will be unable to match your CV to the role being applied for.

Unless the DBS requirement stated above is for a Basic Disclosure, your DBS must be either through us or be accompanied by a subscription to the DBS updating service.

Clients are generally looking for candidates who are local to, or who can commute easily to the place of work. It will help your application if your CV states, in broad terms, where you reside – there is no need for a full address.

Please feel free to apply to us direct via jobs@tclrec.com by quoting the job reference and exact job title.

To help speed up the process of uploading your CV to the client we would ask that you send us your CV in Word format (or equivalent) if possible, not 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 at the PAYE rate that has been advertised. For absolute clarity, we only work on a PAYE basis, rather than 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.

Due to the number of CVs being sent to us under current market conditions, unfortunately we cannot respond to all applications. If you have not heard from us within 3 working days, please assume that you have not been shortlisted on this occasion. We will, however, be very happy to receive future applications from you for other roles.

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Job Ref: Fenland 5256706

Anticipated Length of Assignment: Unless otherwise stated (we do carry the occasional permanent vacancy) all of our roles are technically temporary, though opening assignments can be and often are, extended by clients on a longer term basis and can sometimes become permanent.

Please do try to resist contacting us with requests for progress updates.

We really do read every CV sent to us. All applications will be acknowledged by a human, not a robot, provided the job remains live and provided your CV meets the “Essential Requirements” listed.

Please note that we do our level best to take down ads as soon as roles have been filled. We are not in the business of harvesting CVs.

Important: We will interpret your application as being permission to submit your CV to this role (with the right to represent you) unless you advise us to the contrary.