Housing Options Officer

at  South Gloucestershire Council

HOW YOU’LL MAKE A DIFFERENCE

As a Housing Options Officer, you will make a difference by providing comprehensive housing advice to people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. You will often be supporting the most vulnerable people in society to help them sustain their existing home or find new accommodation.

WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU

• It is essential that you hold a professional qualification (HND/HNC in Housing, NVQ Level 4 or Equivalent) and/or considerable experience of housing and homelessness legislation.
• You’ll have an understanding of housing remedies, with considerable experience of delivering housing access and homelessness services with knowledge of relevant legislation.
• We require you to have experience of dealing with customers, voluntary bodies and an understanding of the needs of vulnerable people and minority groups.
• You must have the ability to manage your workload, respond to emergency assessments, be flexible and be able to work as a team, making a positive contribution.
• Ideally, you will have an awareness of the link between good advice and the use of resources.

• You will be working with households who are homeless, or threatened with homelessness to offer them advice and assistance to resolve their housing situation. You will often be dealing with complex situations, which could involve a household’s tenure rights, or multiple health and welfare issues.
• It will be your responsibility to complete an assessment to determine what statutory duties the council may owe to the household, develop a personal housing plan and issue decisions around any on-going duties. You will also establish eligibility for the council’s various homelessness prevention schemes.
• In the role you will work with households to determine what support they may require and refer to relevant support services. You may also be required to co-ordinate a multi-agency response and attend safeguarding meetings.
  You will take lead responsibility to maintain effective contact with households whilst they are working with the council to develop creative solutions to resolve their housing situation.
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  Please note that due to the nature of this role it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained for this post.