Job Details
London borough of hillingdon are looking or an housing advice and homeless prevention officer to be part of the busy Housing Team at the front door of Housing reception providing a proactive service, giving advice and assistance to anyone with housing related problems in accordance with current legislation and code of guidance and identifying those who are already homeless or at risk of becoming homeless within 56 days.
- Act as first point of contact for incoming queries to the Council in person at the reception desk, operating the switchboard.
- To demonstrate understanding of the Council’s Customer Care Standards and ensure that these standards are met to deliver the Council vision of ‘putting our residents first’.
- Resolve standard customer queries received by telephone or through e-transactions promptly and accurately, using established procedures or readily available guidance.
- Escalate nonstandard queries to the appropriate next level promptly, keeping the customer aware of the action being taken.
- actively support the management of the service delivering a professional,
- responsive and individualised service to Hillingdon residents requiring housing.
- advice and to explore and sign-post to housing options.
- To demonstrate understanding of the Council’s Customer Care Standards and
- ensure that these standards are met to deliver the Council vision of ‘putting. our residents first’.
- To provide holistic, informed, and accurate housing advice which is “right first time”, to all approaches to the service.
- To support, coach and empower residents to independently assess and manage their own housing situation and make informed choices.
- To assess and determine applications from homeless households within the terms of part VII of the Housing Act 1996.
- To contribute to communicating clearly and effectively with staff, customers and their representatives, Elected Members, colleagues and other third parties around all aspects of the service delivery and linkages with other areas, promoting a widespread understanding of the service and its capacity to manage stakeholder’s expectations and agree realistic outcomes and goals.
- Represent the service at meetings, case conferences and on committees/bodies as required.
- To contribute to preparing and implementing the housing strategy, homelessness strategy, rough sleepers’ strategy, allocations policy as it relates to housing need, and to
undertake projects related to the development of the service area. - To actively detect and prevent fraudulent applications for housing assistance and refer any possible cases to our Counter Fraud Team.
- To undertake investigations into complaints and Members Enquiries and ombudsman enquiries as required. Ensure corporate standards are met consistently, including
- complaints and Members Enquiries.
- Operate and navigate a variety of computer systems, logging data and updating records simultaneously with dealing with the customer query.
- Sign point customers to appropriate sources of information on the council’s internet, and for internal customers to the council’s intranet pages.
- Carry out customer verifications and issue non-complex communications to customers.
Play an active role in the wider contact centre team undertaking general daily administrative tasks within the wider team including photocopying, printing, and post distribution.
Payrate : £26.13 umbrella
