Job Details
- £25.96 an hour
- Full time
Purpose:
The purpose of this position is to provide a customer focussed service to meet the housing needs of customers who are threatened with homelessness or who are homeless. The position will interview customers face to face to provide housing advice; assistance and support to prevent homelessness were possible. The position will be responsible for the maintenance of the Personalised Housing Plans when customers are interviewed or receive housing advice, assistance and support over the telephone or via all electronic modes of communication. The position will assess the customers housing needs and provide housing solutions to meet the customers housing needs. To serve as the first point of contact for all customers with housing needs adopting the council’s fairer future principles and a win-win approach in assisting such clients. This position is fundamental to the provision of services to vulnerable customers who may approach the council for assistance through the Children’s Act, the Care Act, and all relevant housing legislation including the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
Duties:
- To receive and deal with members of the public, tenants, contractors , visitors and council staff in a professional and efficient manner with due regard to customer care standards
- To provide advice and assistance to customers attending the Council’s Homesearch Centre and ensure that they receive the help they require at the earliest opportunity.
- To administer appointments for all services where clients require additional assistance after being provided with the right advice required
- To provide a daily telephone advice service on behalf of Housing Solutions Service for customers with housing related problems including those at risk of homelessness providing them with comprehensive advice to resolve their query or to enable them to access services, including making appointments and signposting them to other services.
- To ensure full and accurate records of all clients, all advice and support provided.
- To draft letters and reports on correspondence, complaints and Member Enquiries and to advise team and senior managers as appropriate and to access the housing options inbox and respond to emails or forward to the most appropriate team/service
- To support customers to use the council’s PC Hub in reception and assist them to access a range of on-line services including the housing options self-assessment service, housing registrations, Housing Moves (London mobility scheme), HomeFinders UK, Seaside and Country Homes, House Exchange and other mutual exchange schemes
- To submit bids for vulnerable customers via Southwark Homesearch and to assist and enable customers to place their own bids (where possible) using the PC Hub or other access points
- To take part in promotional, welfare reform and information events, advising and signposting customers within the Gateway reception or at outreach events throughout the borough
- To liaise closely and foster a positive working relationship with other services and business units in the Council regarding responses to correspondence and complaints, providing advice and assistance as necessary, and to administer and resolve complaints
- To devise computer and word-processed report formats and produce reports on a regular basis as requested, including statistical calculations and analysis.
- To assist in carrying out surveys of service users and collating the information collected
- To provide general administrative back-up within the business unit
- Assist with preparation and presentation of documents / reports for other initiatives, investigations, events and mailshots. This can include manipulating data and collating large volumes of paperwork
- The officer is required to take reasonable care for the safety and health of themselves and others who may be affected by their acts; and to work with management to comply with Service/Unit procedures and protocols and with Southwark Council’s Health and Safety Policy and all guidance, instructions and risk assessments. In particular the officer is required to attend training relevant to their post in order to ensure their health and safety responsibilities are met.
- To undertake interviews with all homelessness customers on a face to ace basis and to ensure the personalised plans and outcomes of the homelessness prevention and relief interview work is communicated to customers clearly and to support vulnerable customers to access alternative accommodation in the private rented sector, and affordable housing sector.
- To provide an effective, customer-friendly and efficient service to clients presenting with housing problems and to support them in keeping their current home or in accessing a new home in public or private housing sector.
- To provide advice to clients on full range of options to solve their housing problem, including intervention if threatened with homelessness, registering on Council housing list, private renting, moving out of London and shared ownership.
- To assess the customers housing needs in accordance with the Homelessness Act 2017. A high percentage of customers presenting as homeless will be vulnerable and it is essential to assess the customers needs accurately in accordance with the Care Act 2014, the Children’s Act 1989 and all relevant housing legislation,
- To complete the Personalised Plan following a detailed assessment with all customers following the first interview and to ensure this Personalised Plan is kept up to date.
- To advise clients of available tenancy support services including income maximisation, debt and rent arrears advice and Universal Credit support.
- To conduct pre-assessment/filtering interviews enabling clients to access the advice and assistance suitable to them at the earliest opportunity.
- To provide a face to face interviews and telephone advice service to customers seeking housing and homelessness advice, preventing homelessness, making appointments as necessary and signposting them to relevant services
- To assist in managing the council’s PC Hub, supporting customers to access on-line services including housing options self-assessment tool, housing registrations Housing Moves London scheme, Seaside and Country Homes Scheme, HomeFinders UK and House Exchange and other mutual exchange schemes
- To assist customers in bidding for a home via Southwark Homesearch using the PC Hub
- To draft responses to correspondence, complaints, and Members Enquiries and related activities
- To ensure the service delivers its homelessness prevention and relief duties as outlined in the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
- To take a lead on Safeguarding issues for customers accessing the service for the first time.
- Initiate referrals for a home visit at the Triage stage.
If you think this job role is for you, please send your CV to rebeccabentum@carringtonblakerecruitment.com
