Housing Support Worker

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Housing Support Worker to join our North Surrey Floating Support service in Surrey.

£25,437.98 per annum, working 35 hours per week.

Want to feel valued? You'll feel at home here.

Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures – we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

To enable vulnerable people living in a variety of different tenures to manage their tenancies/ licences and prevent homelessness by providing a flexible and individually tailored support package.

What you'll do:

* Undertake key-working responsibilities for a caseload assigned by the Manager
* Ensure that referrals to the service are managed effectively and in line with the referrals and assessment procedure
* Undertake initial and assessments and continuous reviews of support needs and potential risks, and agree levels of support and actions
* Create and review support/ action plans for providing appropriate housing-related support based on the assessment and reflecting the services and resources available
* Develop and maintain links with key agencies and service providers in the local community
* Empower customers to ensure they receive the benefits and services they are entitled to
* Signpost customers to support services that can help them address additional support needs such as mental or physical health, employment and education, adult social care, domestic abuse and family support
* Encourage and enable customers to pay their rent and other housing-related costs, and to ensure that rent accounts are managed effectively in conjunction with the relevant housing provider
* Encourage and enable customers to adhere to all other conditions of their tenancies/ licences, eg maintaining a satisfactory living environment, refraining from anti-social behaviour, allowing access for essential work
* Encourage and enable customers to take necessary steps to seeking and preparing for alternative accommodation where maintaining their current housing situation is unsuitable or unviable
* Ensure that all safeguarding concerns are managed in line with safeguarding protocols and are reported to Contract Manager/Head of Operations, as appropriate
* Undertake all administrative work and keep accurate and comprehensive customer records to professional standards
* Adhere to Look Ahead's Policies and Procedures
* Engage in learning and development activity to increase knowledge and skills
* Work closely with the team and communicate openly
* Undertake any other duties consistent with the grade and nature of the post as may be reasonably assigned by the manager within the remit of the service and contract.

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead

About you:

* Enjoys social interaction and the company of others, joins in local activities to encourage customer involvement
* Approachable and open behaviour
* Prefers working as part of a group or team
* Is fundamentally calm and resilient, does not let emotion adversely affect them or obscure their judgement
* Has a practical and logical mind and is naturally well organised
* Flexible
* Open to feedback and self development
* Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments
* Is confident with high levels of self-esteem
* Is respectful, articulate and sensitive in style of communication
* Is essentially customer-focused
* Is motivated towards excellence and improvement of personal performance with a can do attitude
* Ability to cope positively with challenging and diverse behaviours

What you'll bring:
About us:

Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 100 services, providing support to thousands of customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness and complex needs, young people and care leavers and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.