Housing Support Worker in Oxford

Our mission at Response is to enable people of all ages to live a more fulfilled life by providing excellent mental health services, housing, and supported living. Do you have the desire to empower and promote independence and an interest in mental health?

Response are recruiting for a Housing Support Worker within our Housing Team. The successful candidate is responsible for providing a proactive person-centred approach and support to residents of our Rapid Rehousing Project. Residents may experience conditions such as mental and physical health issues, neurodiversity, drugs and alcohol use and cognitive impairment, criminal history, domestic abuse; family breakdowns, unemployment and abuse. The role helps to get people into supported accommodation; identify individual resident's needs; plan, develop and deliver the independent living skills program; monitor and manage engagement and challenging behaviour in addition to payment of occupancy charges and support and enable residents for moving into more permanent accommodation. Once residents have moved on, the role will deliver low level move on support for a maximum of three months to establish if the resident has settled into their more permanent accommodation.

Some of the core duties include:

• Support the Project Lead to manage and monitor the waiting list and assessments.
• Take lead on moving residents in and managing a caseload and supporting other staff caseloads in instances of absence.
• Diligently carrying out right to rent checks with potential residents and ensuring residents are able to sustain accommodation and providing residents with accurate advice and expectations of the project.
• Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements in relation to housing management and understanding of tenancy law; expectations and regulations.
• Support and provide relevant guidance to residents to sustain and manage accommodation successfully.
• Addressing needs in a person centred approach and documenting all conversations and actions necessary within the database.
• Handle general administrative duties related to housing management, including filing, data entry, and correspondence.
• Assist with scheduling and coordinating meetings, inspections, and other housing-related activities.
• Ensure all housing management processes are carried out in line with organisational policies and procedures.
• Provide high-quality customer service to tenants and prospective tenants.
• Offer advice and support on housing-related issues, including disputes and maintenance requests.
• Work closely with other team members to ensure tenant satisfaction and address any issues promptly.
• Responding to and logging incidents from residents; benefit notifications; complaints and queries; and passing them on to the relevant person(s).

Our main priority for all our roles at Response is to find people that can live our values every day - Caring, Safe, Creative and Aspirational. We provide excellent training on everything else, but we do ask that you have:

• Specialised knowledge of a function, trade or craft acquired through advanced formal training.
• BTEC National Certificate/ONC level or "A" Levels or Scottish Highers in job-related discipline may be included.
• Training to City & Guilds level 3. (NVQ-3).
• Knowledge of benefit entitlement and assessments.
• Experience in supported housing management setting and being able to deliver positive outcomes.
• Experience of rent accounting.
• Experience of providing trauma informed care in challenging situations.
• Understanding of the homeless pathway.
• Understanding of mental health and its challenges and barriers.
• Understanding of housing and tenancy regulations and law.
• Good literacy and numeracy skills.
• Knowledge of welfare benefits; safeguarding; risk assessments; referral management; of refer tenancy at risk; and needs assessments.
• A genuine interest in reducing homelessness, mental health and well-being with a commitment to delivering Response's mission.

What We Offer:

• 37 days annual leave (inclusive of bank holidays).
• Blue Light card and other discounted shopping.
• Employee Assistance Plan - with access to free counselling.
• Cycle to Work Scheme (after probation).
• Enhanced family friendly leave.
• Flexible and agile working opportunities (role dependent).
• Professional qualification sponsorship and study leave.
• £500 refer a friend bonus scheme.
• Optional health cash care plan with money off prescriptions and treatments.
• Wellbeing hub and mental wellbeing support app - approved by NHS.
• Free flu jabs.
• Free DBS application.

If this Housing Support Worker position sounds like the role for you then please apply today! We would love to hear from you! This vacancy may be closed early. To learn more about Response and what we do, please visit our website.

Our employees and clients come from all over the world, we proudly promote a friendly and inclusive culture and are registered as a Disability Confident Employer. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our clients. All our roles require an enhanced DBS check, two references from most recent employers and you must have the right to work in the UK.