Homelessness Prevention Officer

Thrive Oldham are recruiting for a Homelessness Prevention Officer within the Oldham area.

Job Purpose

To deliver high quality, customer focused advice and support to people in Oldham who find themselves homeless or at risk of homelessness. This will include providing housing advice to people in the district and completing investigations into applications from customers who are at risk of homelessness as defined by the statutory duties under Housing Act 1996 Part VII, the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and relevant case law. To provide support to the Council in delivering its statutory homelessness duties by taking homeless applications in an effective manner and ensuring the council is legally compliant, providing an out of hours service and meeting performance targets and standards.

Key Tasks

• To provide a professional and effective housing options interview and homelessness investigation, taking a full application from customers and ensuring duties are carried out at the relevant stages within homelessness legislation.
• To assess customer's needs accurately in accordance with the Care Act 2014, the Children Act 1989 and all relevant housing legislation.
• To undertake detailed casework with customers who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. This includes an assessment of legal duties owed, housing and support needs, the production of Personal Housing Plans and consideration of all suitable interventions and potential solutions to prevent homelessness.
• To visit customers who are potentially homeless and their excluders in order to assess and validate their current circumstances, as well as advising on options available to remain in existing accommodation.
• To organise specialist help and make referrals on behalf of customers to support them with specific problems e.g. substance misuse, mental health, debt management, benefits and council tax.
• To write and issue all required notifications, letters of referral to other authorities where the customer's local connection lies elsewhere and outcome letters to advise the customer of the outcome of their initial interview. This includes 'minded to letters' and the drafting of the statutory s184 notification letters which must be approved by a manager before being sent.
• To respond to incoming enquiries by whatever means they are received and to provide timely responses where required.
• To work with colleagues who provide the Temporary Accommodation Services in placing housing in line with policy and existing processes.
• To update housing records and issue customers with correct notification at the time of placing and where their placement is ended.
• To provide the Council's Out of Hours Emergency Housing Service and Cold Weather Provision on a rota basis with other colleagues.
• To provide advice or practical assistance, including placing customers where it is established that they are roofless.
• To ensure that comprehensive, timely and accurate records are kept for all customers.
• To maintain computer records, reports and other monitoring information as required in connection with the duties undertaken.
• To comply with all relevant legislation, Government Guidance, Codes of Guidance, policies and procedures, professional and performance standards and good housing and homelessness practice.
• To represent the Service and the Council at meetings in relation to the role and where required to do so.

Standard Duties

• To actively promote the equalities and diversity agenda in the workplace and in service delivery.
• To uphold and implement policies and procedures of the Council, including customer care, data protection, finance.
• To actively engage with the behaviours and values of the Council to promote and support our Co-operative Agenda.
• To undertake continuous professional development and to be aware of new developments, legislation, initiatives, guidelines, policies and procedures as appropriate to the role.
• Undertake any additional duties commensurate with the level of the post.

We have a clear set of values that outline how we do business. We share these Borough-wide with our residents, partners and businesses:

• Fairness - We will champion fairness and equality of opportunity, and ensure working together brings mutual benefits and the greatest possible added value. We will enable everyone to be involved.
• Openness - We will be open and honest in our actions and communications. We will take decisions in a transparent way and at the most local level possible.
• Responsibility - We take responsibility for, and answer to our actions. We will encourage people to take responsibility for themselves and their actions. Mutual benefits go hand-in-hand with mutual obligations.
• Working together - We will work together and support each other in achieving common goals, making sure the environment is in place for self-help.
• Accountability - We recognise and act upon the impact of our actions on others and hold ourselves accountable to our stakeholders.
• Respect - We recognise and welcome different views and treat each other with dignity and respect.
• Democracy - We believe and act within the principles of democracy and promote these across the borough.

Internally we've translated these values into five Co-operative behaviours which outline the priority areas of focus for staff at all levels:

• Work with a Resident Focus
• Support Local Leaders
• Committed to the Borough
• Take Ownership and Drive Change
• Deliver High Performance

More information around our Values and Behaviours can be found on our Greater Jobs pages.