Housing Support Officer in Macclesfield

This is a unique opportunity to join our established temporary accommodation and floating support team. The vacancies have arisen due to staff promotion, and we have a strong senior support team to instil experience in some new officers on the team. Successful candidates will have experience of having delivered support previously ideally in a homelessness setting; however this is not essential, housing and homelessness knowledge can be provided through training.

Applicants will need to be able to demonstrate strong organisational skills and a genuine drive to support and motivate people to support themselves. The roles are based in our temporary accommodation units across the borough; you will need to have a full driving licence and a car to facilitate travel; expenses will be covered. The Council offer 26 days a year annual leave rising to 31 after 5 years of service; the Council have a good pension scheme with 23% employer contributions and also a flexible working policy. You will be confident in lone working and have the ability to pull together as part of a team.

The successful applicants will work in a small team to deliver support to people in tenancies and temporary homelessness accommodation. To ensure that our temporary accommodation and prevention duties are delivered through a supportive structure. This will be achieved by supporting individuals and families affected by homelessness to achieve and sustain accommodation.

• Provide support - Act as a support worker to a caseload of households, working with them, their other support agencies, accommodation providers and other relevant persons to enable them to settle in, to sustain and where required to promptly move on from accommodation.
• Record keeping - Ensure that support is recorded, and reviewed, using prescribed support planning techniques; linking in with support services or signposting to appropriate agencies for specialist advice, aiming to sustain accommodation or facilitate timely and planned move on.
• Income maximisation - Access appropriate funding/ benefits for households in service to ensure that their accommodation is sustained and maintained to a good standard.
• Multi-agency working - Ensure there is a multi-agency approach to complex cases where the customers support needs are high.
• Attention to detail - Ensure that the quality of support and recording of support is sound and feeds into investigations and assessments for homelessness applications and discharge of duties in accordance with current legislation.
• Promote independence - Through support and a multi-agency approach, ensure that households are enabled to achieve independence and receive a good level of physical, emotional, social, and intellectual support.
• Provide tailored support - Adapt to household needs and ensure that the level and frequency of support is appropriate and meets the needs of households in service.
• Landlord/ provider negotiation - Negotiate with accommodation providers to sustain failing tenancies and work with tenants/ residents to ensure affordability of living expenses, utilities, rent, service charges and other expenditure by maximising income and facilitating access to benefits.
• To undertake any other duties as assigned by the Housing Options and Home choice Manager, within the competence of the post holder and appropriate to the grade.

• Experience of delivering support, preferably in homelessness or related housing and support settings.
• Strong organisational skills and a genuine drive to support and motivate people to achieve self‑sufficiency.
• Full driving licence and access to a car to facilitate travel (expenses covered).
• Ability to work independently (lone working) and as part of a team.