Homeless Outreach Support Worker

This is a brilliant and unique opportunity to join our very dynamic and enthusiastic Homeless Outreach Support Team (HOST) in Guildford. Together, we will be able to transform the lives of people who have been affected by the trauma of homelessness in this area. We are looking for a person who needs to be resilient, empathetic and have a positive attitude to support people to move away from homelessness and settle into the community.

Our aim is to have tailored support in place for vulnerable people who have been suffering from or are at risk of homelessness using the Trauma Informed Care principles through the Psychologically Informed Environment model. The Homeless Outreach Worker post holder will be responsible for the delivery of a knowledgeable, creative, and highly personalised support service to people who are rough sleeping or at risk of rough sleeping. You will work flexibly, on your own and as part of the team to support each client, negotiating solutions to access suitable housing and offering opportunities to engage with a range of other services to promote good health and wellbeing and reduce the risk of future homelessness.

You will work through challenging barriers, but it will be rewarding when you know that your support is making a difference in people’s lives by transforming them into more resilient and independent lives.

Job responsibilities:

• Provide a housing related support service to clients who are homeless and are in need of temporary accommodation.
• Attend meetings within the local partnership focused on problem solving and information sharing.
• Feed back relevant information to the team related to the support of our customers.
• Ensure the delivery of individual personalised support packages, reflective of different client needs, including culture and diversity issues.
• Undertake assertive outreach, visiting known sleep sites, searching for new rough sleepers in response to reports and carrying out regular early morning/late evening checks to maintain an overview of the current rough sleeping situation in Guildford.
• Take steps to form positive and supportive relationships with clients from the first point of contact, adapting your approach as necessary to maintain good relations for the duration of their time with the service.
• Carry out assessments of need with sensitivity, asking questions to clarify understanding and listening carefully to find out what is important to your clients.
• Work with clients to agree next steps and develop a plan to support the client to find accommodation and other help.
• Make referrals to a wide range of specialist services e.g. mental health, substance misuse, housing etc. to address the wider needs of the client and do what is needed to help clients maintain engagement.
• Provide ongoing practical help, advice, information, support and encouragement to clients throughout their involvement with the service, keeping in daily contact (or as otherwise agreed) to update on progress.
• Support our customers in a variety of ways, linking them in with employability coaches and other support agencies, helping them manage their money, signing up for benefits or to move on to a more permanent home.
• Help boost their confidence and support them on their journey as they rebuild their lives.
• Keep records of everything, so there is some admin to do.

As a minimum requirement you’ll need:

• An understanding of the challenges, traumas and barriers faced by people at risk of homelessness.
• An understanding of diverse customer groups and vulnerable individuals with complex needs.
• Team player with a caring, empathetic, flexible approach and a resilient, can-do attitude.
• Excellent time management with the ability to prioritise on a daily basis to do your work effectively.
• Effective communication skills.
• The ability to demonstrate initiative and the confidence to make and act on decisions.
• Competent administrative and IT skills and ability to produce reports and other communications.

Ideally you’ll also have:

• An understanding of supporting vulnerable people.
• Knowledge of Psychological or Trauma Informed approaches to support.
• Experience of working in challenging environments with the ability to plan, prioritise and organise tasks to achieve results.
• Knowledge of current benefit systems particularly Universal Credit.