Prevention and Relief Officer

Does the idea of preventing someone from losing their home tomorrow appeal to you? Are you passionate about making a meaningful difference, supporting residents through challenging times and finding solutions that create lasting change? If yes, we have an exciting opportunity for you! Join Southwark Council as a Prevention and Relief Officer and play a key role in helping residents overcome housing challenges, prevent homelessness and build more secure futures.

About the Role: We are looking for passionate and committed housing professionals who want to make a positive difference. This is an opportunity to use your skills, knowledge and professional judgement to support residents at some of the most challenging moments in their lives - helping them understand their options, access their rights and find practical, sustainable solutions. Southwark is a diverse and ambitious borough, and we are committed to putting residents and communities at the heart of everything we do. Through our Fairer Futures ambition, we are working to tackle inequality, challenge discrimination and ensure every resident has the opportunity to thrive. As part of our Housing Needs and Support service, you will join a dedicated team focused on early intervention, homelessness prevention and delivering high-quality services that achieve positive outcomes for residents.

What You'll Be Doing: As a Prevention and Relief Officer, you will manage a varied and complex caseload of residents who are at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness. Taking a proactive and person-centred approach, you will work with residents to understand their circumstances, identify solutions and support them towards sustainable housing outcomes. You will:

• Carry out statutory homelessness assessments and make clear, fair and legally robust decisions in line with the Housing Act 1996 and Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
• Develop, implement and review Personalised Housing Plans, agreeing realistic actions that support residents to achieve positive outcomes.
• Provide high-quality advice and guidance, helping residents understand their rights, responsibilities and available housing options.
• Work creatively with residents, landlords, internal services and external partners to prevent homelessness, sustain tenancies and secure suitable accommodation.
• Support residents experiencing complex challenges, including financial hardship, health needs, safeguarding concerns, domestic abuse, mental health issues and other vulnerabilities.
• Connect residents with wider support services, including employment, income, health and wellbeing support, recognising that stable housing is fundamental to improving lives.
• Maintain accurate case records, produce high-quality documentation and contribute to a service committed to accountability, learning and continuous improvement.

This role requires more than knowledge of legislation - it requires empathy, resilience, problem-solving and the ability to see the person behind the case. You will help residents navigate difficult circumstances while ensuring decisions are fair, lawful and focused on achieving the best possible outcomes.

What We're Looking For: We are looking for a confident, compassionate and solution-focused housing professional who is committed to preventing homelessness and improving residents’ experiences. You will bring:

• Strong knowledge of homelessness legislation and the ability to apply it confidently and effectively.
• Experience managing complex housing casework and making sound professional decisions.
• A prevention-focused approach, with the ability to identify risks early and take meaningful action.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex information clearly and supportively.
• The confidence to manage challenging conversations while treating residents with dignity, respect and understanding.
• Strong partnership-working skills and the ability to build effective relationships with residents, colleagues, landlords and external agencies.
• The ability to manage competing priorities, maintain accurate records and deliver high-quality work in a busy frontline environment.

You will understand that homelessness is rarely caused by housing issues alone. You will consider the wider circumstances affecting residents’ lives (including health, income, employment, family circumstances and wellbeing) and use this understanding to develop practical and sustainable solutions.

Contact Information: To arrange an informal discussion about the role, please contact our dedicating Housing Needs inbox via email at HNASapplications@southwark.gov.uk

Additional Information: Working hours: 36 hours per week Location: 25 Bournemouth Road, Peckham, London, SE15 4UJ Type of contract: Permanent

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.