Job Title: Housing Advice and Prevention Officer
Location: Lowestoft, Suffolk, United Kingdom
Salary: £27,344 – £33,820 per annum
Job Type: Permanent/Full-time – 37 hours per week
Closing Date: 11.30 am, 26 May 2023
Interview date: w/c 5 June 2023
East Suffolk Council is an exciting place to work, delivering essential local services and making a real difference to a quarter of a million people across East Suffolk.
We currently have an opportunity to join East Suffolk Councils Housing Team.
The Role:
As a Housing Advice and Prevention Officer (4 posts) you will be responsible to provide a comprehensive housing options service to customers with varying levels of housing need to enable suitable positive outcomes in line with Part VI (Housing Register and Allocations), Part VII (Housing Advice and Homelessness) and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
The post holder will have responsibility for a caseload of applicants who present to the Council in acute housing need. You will be expected to undertake active homelessness casework to prevent or relieve homelessness using your prerequisite expertise, knowledge, and skills to deploy a range of interventions including in-house private rented sector access schemes and applications to the register.
You will also be responsible for assessing and verify applications made under Part 6 of the Housing Act 1996 in line with the current Allocations Policy.
The successful candidate will be able to promote a customer centred approach and work with vulnerable customers, their advocates, family, and support networks to ensure that homelessness prevention is maximised and effective first point of contact housing advice is given.
In return, we can offer great opportunities for training and development. We want you to stay with us for the long-term, so we’ll give you all the support we can to build a great career with our organisation. There’s also a superb benefits package including flexible working options and a generous leave entitlement, discount scheme, pension scheme and free car parking.
The Candidate:
The ideal candidate will have at least three years previous experience of working within a similar role and relevant qualification in the sector and have the ability to explain complex legislation in a clear and precise way. They will obtain working knowledge of homelessness and current housing legislation and ability to provide advice and guidance to other team members. The postholder will hold at least 3 GCSE’s (C grade and above) and a hold a relevant Housing Qualification (CIH Level 3) and a proven track record of working at the required level or equivalent.
Why work for us?
East Suffolk Council is a great place to work and there are lots of benefits our employees can access. To find out more about why we are so proud of East Suffolk Council, take a look at our video and hear why our employees think it is such a great place to work (youtube).
The Benefits:
- Generous leave entitlement (equivalent to 25 days a year, increasing to 31 days after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays)
- Local government pension scheme
- Flexible working arrangements
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- A wide variety of staff support networks including access to health and wellbeing initiatives and programmes
- Discounts on mobile phones, computers, holiday and travel, fashion and clothing, health and beauty and many other products and services
The majority of our teams are working in an agile way, with a mixture of home and office working, depending on individual preferences and service requirements. If you wish to discuss how that might impact your working arrangements if you were the successful candidate, please contact the recruiting manager listed at the bottom of this advert.
About us:
East Suffolk Council is an exciting place to work and a great place to make a real difference to people’s lives, delivering vital services to a quarter of a million people across East Suffolk.
We hugely value our staff and know that in order for us to remain successful, it is essential for us to recognise talented employees, developing and retaining them within the organisation. We are therefore committed to investing in our staff and providing first-class support to ensure a positive culture and rewarding careers.
Please click on the APPLY button and you will be redirected to the Council’s careers page.
Candidates with experience of: Housing Options Officer, Social Housing Advisor, Homelessness Officer, Housing Needs Officer, Housing Officer, Housing Support Officer, Housing Assistant, Housing Officer, Housing Services, Customer Housing Assistant, Social Housing Assistant, Information Advisor, Information Specialist, Supported Housing Officer, Social Housing Worker, Housing Administrator will be considered for this role.
