Homelessness Prevention Adviser

Working on behalf of a Local Authority, Aatom Recruitment has an opportunity for a Homelessness Prevention Adviser on a three months contract with the possibility of an extension.

Job purpose:

To provide tailored advice to customers approaching the Housing Options and Advice Service on a range of options and opportunities including housing, training & employment, wellbeing, welfare benefits and debt. To provide specialist advice and casework service to a range of residents including, homeless households, households who are threatened with homeless, households in insecure accommodation young people and families within families. To work jointly with the Housing Assessment and Allocation Services to maximise homelessness prevention and the take up of a range of effective solutions to meet housing need. To work with the Private Sector Initiatives Team to plan the delivery of a broad range of housing options which meet the needs of homeless households and others in housing need.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• To provide tailored advice on housing options, training & employment, wellbeing & welfare benefits/money management to customers threatened with homelessness or who are living in private rent accommodation or other settled non social housing.
• To respond effectively to, prevent homelessness through advice, negotiation, mediation or conciliation, or by securing immediate access to alternative accommodation and generally promoting a housing options approach to service delivery to a full range of customers.
• To be responsible for managing a caseload, maintaining accurate, detailed casework records, identifying priorities and meeting individual and service performance targets.
• To maintain and develop extensive and specialist knowledge of housing options, homelessness law and practice and related fields including housing benefit and welfare rights.
• To deliver advice from drop in service and to attend advice and options surgeries and outreach sessions as required, and to visit people at home who are threatened with homelessness as necessary.

Essential requirements:

• Good knowledge of homelessness prevention and the public and private sector options available to people in housing need.
• Good knowledge the issues affecting homeless or households threatened with homelessness and the range of policy initiatives to address these.
• Good knowledge of housing options, opportunities, training & employment, wellbeing, welfare benefits and debt.
• Good working knowledge of immigration and related social welfare legislation and benefit regulations.
• Ability to apply negotiation tools and mediation to promote options and opportunities
• Ability and commitment to respond effectively to emergencies to achieve positive solutions.
• Experience of working in a service within a pressurised and high profile environment providing a quality service.
• Experience of working in an advice setting.
• Ability to manage a varied caseload including landlord/tenant, mortgage arrears, welfare rights and homelessness in the public and private sector

If you are interested in this job opportunity, please contact Pocholo!