Housing Options Officer
| Posting date: | 20 May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £17.30 per hour |
| Additional salary information: | per hour PAYE |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 18 June 2025 |
| Location: | Bournemouth, BH2 6DY |
| Company: | Triumph Consultants Ltd |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: | Bournemouth 5268565 |
Summary
What's involved with this role:
Housing Options Officer – Rough Sleeper specialist
Reference number: Bournemouth 5268565
This role is office based
An Enhanced DBS Required for this role
A Rough Sleeper specialist is needed to assess the Council’s housing duty to those applying for housing as homeless or threatened with homelessness, in accordance with statute and policy and working procedures.
You will support people who find themselves rough sleeping, to secure new or reconnect with existing accommodation through the provision of housing advice, guidance and support under the framework of the Housing Act 1996 and Homelessness Reduction Act.
As a member of a committed team, you will provide person centred housing options advice and support with a focus on preventing homelessness.
You will work closely with BCP commissioned outreach service and other relevant partner agencies to provide wrap around support and multi-agency response to people rough sleeping or at risk of rough sleeping.
You will contribute to the collective aim of preventing rough sleeping in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole where possible and where it is not ensuring it is rare, brief and non-recurring.
You will carry out wide ranging complex and sensitive meetings with individuals who are rough sleeping, applying technical knowledge to assist and resolve housing needs where you can.
You will work in a multi-disciplinary environment, collaborating with specialist services & using your skills and knowledge, to respond to those with complex problems, including, domestic abuse, adult safeguarding, mental health, substance misuse, learning difficulties, child protection, disabilities and other medical / social issues.
Other duties to include:
To hold a caseload & carry out detailed legal assessments of applications for housing under Part VII Housing Act 1996 (as amended), making decisions on all aspects of housing or homelessness applications
Determine the support needs of households in housing need and refer to specialist providers where appropriate
To participate in Housing Options Duty Rota, providing excellent customer service in respect of a range of complex and contentious housing enquiries, through a range of communication channels, online, face to face & in the community
To lead multi-agency case meetings for households with complex support needs
To act as housing lead in response to serious domestic abuse, child protection, adult safeguarding etc. where clients have identified housing needs
Contribute to BCP’s muti-agency delivery of Severe Weather Provision (SWEP) when triggered to safeguard and protect people who are rough sleeping
To provide affidavit evidence in cases where legal review is triggered
To constructively participate in one-to-one supervision, case reviews and case conferences, employee appraisals and training sessions. To assist in providing induction and/or training programs to other officers as required
To respond to and initiate routine and non-routine correspondence with a wide range of agencies including Councillors and Members of Parliament
To produce and analyse statistical reports as appropriate
To respond to emergency situations where appropriate, attending cover at externally located rest centres
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.
Key requirements:
Level 4 diploma or the equivalent experience
Significant experience of providing excellent customer service
Experience of providing professional advice or support to people in housing need or a relevant sector.
Experience of working for a range of different vulnerable clients (e.g. victims of domestic abuse, mental health, offenders, substance misuse, young people, learning or other disabilities)
Experience of managing a caseload and developing support plans
Experience of team working and multi-agency working
Ability to understand and impart information and legislation though face to face interviews and in writingEffective interpersonal and negotiation skills.
Be able to deal with conflict and challenging behaviour and have strategies to deal with this
To be able to problem solve and make decisions using professional judgement and intuition in a complex environment
Ability to recognize issues relating to Adult safeguarding, child protection and domestic abuse
Ability to effectively use casework management systems
Ability to support vulnerable households in trauma informed and strength based manner
Ability to travel around the area (and to other areas of the UK) in an agreed timely manner
Flexible approach to working hours to cover 24 hour call out which operates on a rota basis
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.
Qualification details and any other experience/skills relevant to the role to help support your application should be clearly shown in your CV.
Due to the number of CVs being sent to us 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.
1
Job Ref: Bournemouth 5268565
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.