Temporary Accommodation Move On Officer – S02

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

This role is to act as a liaison point between the Temporary Accommodation Income team and the Hackney Money Hub. The overarching intention is to secure settled accommodation for individuals and families in temporary accommodation, by tackling the rent arrears and/or other financial barriers that prevent residents from “moving on”. The Temporary Accommodation Move On (TAMO) officer will join the Hackney Money Hub team specifically to support individuals and families in temporary accommodation (TA) who have fallen into arrears. The intention is that, through support from the TAMO officer, individuals and families in TA will maximise their income, increase their money management skills, start managing their arrears and, ideally, come to an arrears repayment arrangement. The TAMO officer will provide holistic support through money management advice and guidance, income maximisation, including benefits claims, and one-off financial support, such as Discretionary Housing Payment. Combined, these actions will allow them to secure settled accommodation.

Person Specification

• Has experience of best practice in building relationships and working with vulnerable residents with complex needs, towards positive behaviour change.
• Has experience of income maximisation, including identifying entitlement to benefits, and wider support including free school meals, healthy start vouchers, warm home discounts and social tariffs for water, and broadband/phone bills.
• Has and maintains a detailed working knowledge of law, practice, council policy and guidance relating to financial support, such as: Disability-related welfare benefits including PIP, DLA and Attendance Allowance; good working understanding of Housing Benefit and how it is calculated; Council Tax Benefit and Council Tax Reduction; Discretionary schemes: DHP, HDCSS and CTRHDS; Housing; Tenancy; Lettings; Benefits advice; Debt and money management; Income maximisation; Security of tenure.
• Has the ability to manage own workload and manage conflicting priorities in a working environment that is subject to frequently changing circumstances in order to achieve targets within challenging timescales.
• Has an understanding of income and expenditure reviews, ability to complete income and expenditure sheet, identify ‘reasonable’ and ‘unreasonable’ expenditure and, using this information, provide money management advice.
• Is able to identify where a resident has problem debt and signpost to specialist debt advice services.
• Has good organisational skills and the ability to prioritise your workload to deliver to tight deadlines, targets and performance standards.
• Has excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills and the ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences including partner services and agencies and the ability to explain complex processes in simple language.
• Experience of customer service; in dealing with people on the telephone and in person.
• Experience of effective partnership working with agencies and stakeholders and the proven ability in engaging, negotiating and consulting with a wide range of audiences.
• Ability to exercise good judgement.
• Experience of reflective practice and peer support.
• Comfortable with change, welcoming it as an opportunity to grow.
• Ability to travel around the borough in order to attend community events.
• Experience of working flexibly to meet the needs of the service and its customers.
• Experience of assisting vulnerable and challenging customers.
• Ability to mediate and negotiate effectively.
• Experience of dealing with and advising customers in a user-centred manner.
• Ability to adapt to new legislative, technological and financial developments whilst maintaining services outcomes in periods of change.
• Ability to analyse and understand complex information.
• Experience of building positive relationships with a range of both internal and external customers and stakeholders.
• Experience of cross-organisational working, taking into account the views of others and arriving at solutions of mutual benefit.
• Experience of creating a culture of learning, to maintain a capable and high performing workforce.
• Be available to work outside normal working hours including at weekends if required.
• Must demonstrate an understanding and be committed to the Council’s Equalities policy carrying out all duties with regard to the policy.
• Must demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the importance of confidentiality.
• Must demonstrate an ability to carry out research independently using electronic communication systems and other sources of relevant information.
• Experience in or ability to learn digital tools such as the LIFT dashboard to identify residents in or near financial hardship through a data-driven approach.
• Officers involved with Benefits and discretionary awards processing will comply with the required security checks for the Department for Work and Pensions and Cabinet Office.
• Officers will be required to complete a declaration of interests’ submission for this post.