Housing Officer (Supporting Young People) in Leicester

Salary: £20,420 pro-rata (£27,227 FTE)

Hours of Work: 30 hours per week (working 1 weekend out of 4)

Location: Leicester city centre - Dispersed properties

Benefits: 33 days of annual leave, including bank holidays (pro-rata), Birthday leave, Service leave (pro-rata), Pension and Health Cash Plan, Company Sick Pay, Free on-site Gym access, Menopause Welfare leave, complimentary Y Theatre tickets and Blue Light discount card eligibility.

At YMCA Leicestershire, we believe that having a safe place to live can change a life, but only when it's paired with kindness, trust and the right support. Many of the young people we work with have experienced homelessness, instability, trauma or displacement. Some are finding independence for the first time, others are re-building their confidence and sense of security. The Housing Officer role exists to ensure young people are never doing that alone. As a Housing Officer at YMCA Leicestershire, you’ll play a vital part in creating homes that feel safe, respectful and empowering, while helping young people move forward at their own pace.

As a Housing Officer, you’ll support young people living in our Move-On and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) accommodation. The Housing Officer role combines practical housing management with relationship-based support. This isn’t about fixing people. It’s about noticing strengths, building confidence and offering steady, practical support when it matters most.

Key duties of the Housing Officer role:

• Supporting young people to settle into their homes
• Providing structured housing-related support (including more intensive support within the UASC provision)
• Managing housing responsibilities such as rent, behaviour, property standards and safeguarding
• Supporting access to education, training, employment and wider services
• Building trusting relationships while maintaining clear professional boundaries closely with colleagues and partner agencies to achieve positive outcomes

You will be part of a supportive Housing Officer team where reflection, supervision and wellbeing are built into how we work, not as an afterthought. An enhanced DBS check is required as part of our safer recruitment process.

About you:

You don’t need to have all the answers, but you do need to care. You’ll be a Housing Officer who:

• Treats people with dignity and respect
• Understands that behaviour often comes from experience
• Can be warm and human while holding clear professional boundaries
• Stays calm when things feel difficult

You may already be working as Housing Officer, Support Worker, Youth Worker or in a people-focused role, or you may be ready to take the next step into a Housing Officer position. You’ll bring:

• Experience supporting young people or adults in a people focused role
• A Level 3 qualification in Housing, Youth & Community, Social Work, Coaching or a related field (or a willingness to work towards this)
• Confidence working alongside other professionals and agencies
• Emotional resilience, flexibility and good judgement
• A full driving licence, access to a vehicle and business insurance

Why work for YMCA Leicestershire as a Housing Officer?

Because people matter here, including the people who work here. We are a values-led charity supporting young people aged 16-25 through housing, care, wellbeing, sport and culture (including the Y Theatre, Leicester’s oldest theatre). People chose to work here because:

• You are trusted to do meaningful work
• Kindness and professionalism go hand in hand
• Your development and wellbeing are genuinely supported
• You can see the difference you make every single day.

Our vision is simple: every young person deserves a safe place to call home and the support to create lasting change.

Safeguarding:

YMCA Leicestershire is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk. All staff are expected to act in line with our safeguarding policies and procedures.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:

We want our workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applicants from people of all backgrounds and identities, and we’re especially keen to hear from those under-represented in the charity and housing sectors. If you need adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, just tell us, we will do our best to support you.