Housing & Homelessness Impact Manager in Cardiff

Report to: Head of Governance and Impact

Fixed term until end of March 2030

Hours: 35 hours per week - normal office hours are 9am to 5pm but this role may involve some agreed out-of-hours’ activity and occasional working away from the office.

Location: Minimum 2 days from our Cardiff Office pw. We have a blended approach with office and home working.

Up to 2 days paid volunteering leave, up to 3 days paid carers leave, up to 5 days paid study leave related to role, 5% pension, Employee Assistance Programme: Health and wellbeing support, Cash health plan.

We are the Welsh Refugee Council. You will be joining us at an exciting time in our journey, helping us and the sector to support those who are forced to seek safety. With over 35 years’ experience, we are trusted by the communities we serve and are seen as the lead organisation in Wales for sanctuary seekers and refugees.

Welsh Refugee Council has been awarded funding to deliver a housing and homelessness project seeking to increase access to housing for refugees across Wales and to support those with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) who are facing homelessness.

This role will hold the overall day-to-day operational responsibility for managing the project which aims to:

• Increased sanctuary seeker awareness of routes to prevent homelessness and destitution, through crisis intervention and specialist support.
• Increased sanctuary seeker access to direct, timely and tailored housing and homelessness advice.
• Improved refugee confidence in addressing housing challenges, through being supported by mentors and peer networks.
• Improved stakeholder knowledge of refugee challenges in accessing housing pathways.
• Better informed decision-makers and officials leading housing and immigration policy, as a result of Welsh Refugee Council’s engagement, influence, and advocacy.

Someone who cares deeply about human rights and inclusion and wants a job that genuinely does good and changes lives.

Hold IAA Level 2 Immigration Advice Authority accreditation in Asylum and Protection, or be willing to complete the required training and pass the examination within six months of appointment.

In return, you’ll receive a decent salary and a very generous annual leave allowance.

Project management:

• Leading a small team, you will oversee and advise on the day-to-day delivery of this project. You will ensure services are delivered to the highest quality and will work to improve systems, including structure, and training.
• Provide line management support including setting objectives and conducting performance reviews for all team members.
• Collect and monitor case data, demonstrating the scale of need and the effectiveness of interventions in reducing homelessness and destitution, among Refugees and migrants with NRPF.
• Oversee the collection, collation and submission of monitoring and evaluation reports to the Oak Foundation and SLT.
• Remain updated on relevant legislation, policy and practice and its impacts on people seeking sanctuary in Wales.
• Ensure referrals are made appropriately and work closely with other internal WRC projects to provide coordinated support.

Support the Senior NRPF Caseworkers to provide in-person 1-2-1 emergency casework and specialist advice for sanctuary seekers with NRPF, including immigration, welfare, and housing guidance to prevent destitution and homelessness.

Housing and homelessness advice:

• Deliver bi-monthly tailored, language-appropriate and culturally relevant workshops in community settings in partnership with local community members.
• Build collaboration in the widening of dispersal areas, with local authorities, housing associations, private landlords and agents, to expand refugee access to housing opportunities across Wales.
• Ensure individuals can prepare well in advance of being granted refugee status and NOT just within the 42-day eviction period.

Mentoring and peer networks:

• Support the peer mentoring network to guide refugees and strengthen their ability to resolve challenges independently.
• Collaboratively design and deliver a certified training course on tenant responsibilities and good neighbourly attitudes.
• Use insight from WRC’s landlord survey to align training with landlord expectations, expanding rental opportunities for refugees.
• Working with the Housing and Landlord caseworker increase partnerships with 10 local housing providers per year, to improve their understanding of refugee housing needs, introduce the good tenant certified training scheme, and the benefits of renting to refugees who have completed training.
• Develop 1 multilingual digital resource (toolkit), accessible to refugees, partners and stakeholders, providing up-to-date guidance on housing support and policy changes that may affect housing options.
• Design and deliver training to improve local authorities’ knowledge of the barriers to housing pathways.

Policy & engagement:

• Monitor policy changes in Local Authority housing allocation systems, Home Office White Paper and UK Government immigration reforms.
• Respond to relevant consultations and support the wider policy aims of the WRC.
• Share insights and key information about policy updates and changes that affect the sanctuary seeking community.
• Engage with housing and immigration policymakers, to inform and influence their work, ensuring the lived experiences of sanctuary seekers are represented.

Act as onsite Duty Manager for the Cardiff Office in line with Duty Manager Rota.

To carry out all duties in accordance with the principles of the WRC’s Confidentiality Policy and within agreed norms of impartiality and boundaries.

To abide by and to work to WRC’s Equal Opportunities Policy.

On occasion, the post holder may be required to provide cover in one of the other Welsh Refugee Council offices: this may involve overnight stays away from home.

The Welsh Refugee Council is committed to equality of opportunity in recruitment, the workplace and service delivery. The post holder is expected to follow Welsh Refugee Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy.

Interviews will likely be held on 18 & 19 June at our Cardiff Office.