Job Details
Brent Council are looking for an Homelessness Prevention officer To be responsible for the effective delivery of the Council’s duty to prevent and relieve homelessness for households who approach the Council in housing need.
- This will involve assisting homeless households to avoid the experience of temporary accommodation by engaging with all necessary parties including landlords and other excluders to stop the loss of their current accommodation followed by a planned move to the Private Rented Sector where appropriate..
- Housing Options Prevention and Relief Officers will deliver intensive, specialist support to
homeless clients. This will include: - Managing a caseload of people who are currently experiencing a housing crisis, and provide a
service that seeks to minimise the duration of that crisis; - Understanding the complex, multiple needs as well as strengths of those individuals; and
develop trusting, non-dependent relationships to improve their confidence and motivation to
progress towards their next step in housing - Empowering individuals to find their own solution to their housing crisis, drawing on the
assistance provided by the Housing Options Team. - Create individual Personal Housing Plans (PHPs) for everyone in housing need to sustain
existing accommodation and/or find new housing, taking account of their personal
circumstances and keep the plan under review. - Carry out all agreed actions in the PHP that the Council is to take in a timely manner and
update the plans promptly - Helping people to understand the rented housing market, keeping up-to-date with Local
Housing Allowance, benefit changes, and opportunities; - Providing some support for individuals through the resettlement process when moving to a
new home; - Helping tenants with preparing defence forms for section 21 and other relevant court
proceedings. - Ensuring all applicants who approach the Council in housing need are supported to sustain
their tenancies and to resolve the threat of homelessness and to secure suitable and
affordable accommodation based on their vulnerability and needs. - Facilitating the relationship between tenants and landlords/agents, secure the letting and
ensure that Housing Benefit / Universal Credit is in place. - Achieving and exceeding challenging, individual and team targets to achieve measurable
outcomes. - Attending court where necessary and appropriate to support tenants with a defence against
claims by their landlords. - Delivering the Housing Needs Out of Hours Service on a rota basis as required.
- Interviewing all applicants who approach the Council in housing need, to determine what
actions can be taken to resolve any threat of homelessness, to secure their continued
occupation of their current accommodation. If this is not possible, or appropriate, to explore
what other options are available to them to prevent them from becoming homeless. - Conducting home visits to appropriate locations both inside and outside of the borough, as and
when is necessary, to assist in the investigation of households circumstances. This could be
achieved through some use of public transport, however it is desirable that the postholder has
access to some form of their own transport. - Having good understanding of the issues affecting affordability of housing including accurate
understanding of benefits, benefit tapers, welfare reforms (current and proposed), and
geography. - Maintaining a detailed knowledge of homelessness legislation, case law and government
guidance concerning the Council’s statutory duties and maintain a working knowledge of
related housing, property, immigration and family legislation - Maintaining up to date knowledge of the different housing options available to service users
seeking accommodation and systems of access to housing of all types including; the private
rented sector, intermediate housing schemes, and hostels. - Payrate: £25.44 umbrella
