• Locations

  Mid Sussex, West Sussex

• Salary

  £224 - £248 per day

• Sector

  Homelessness, Housing, Revenues & Benefits

• Type

  Contract / Interim

Mid Sussex District Council – Housing Options Officer (Duty Relief)

Are you a Housing Options Officer in the market for a new assignment? I am working with Mid Sussex District Council to recruit a Housing Options Officer to join their team on a contract basis.

Please see below;

Seek to prevent homelessness arising wherever possible by working with people at risk of becoming homeless, ensuring that timely advice and assistance is provided on a range of complex issues, using innovative and cost-effective solutions to support a preventative approach to homelessness.

• Ensure that the Council’s statutory duties and responsibilities for homeless persons are discharged in accordance with provisions set out in Part VII of the 1996 Housing Act (as amended), having full regard to current statutory codes of guidance, ever changing homelessness legislation, case law, and the Council’s best practice policies.
• Fully investigate formal applications for assistance from persons who may be homeless or threatened with homelessness, taking all action required or appropriate in accordance with the homelessness legislation.
• Making complex legal decisions regarding the Council’s duties to such applicants, ensuring that they are made in a timely manner to minimise impact to the client and the Council.
• Respond to and deal with referrals received from public bodies in relation to those who may be threatened with homelessness under the “Duty to Refer” in a timely and effective manner to prevent homelessness as detailed above.
• Work closely with Housing Association landlords to ensure “commitment to refer” is complied with, so that proactive early intervention work is undertaken, resulting in effective homelessness prevention from social housing.
• Assess the client’s housing needs and identify problems causing potential homelessness and provide tailored solutions, advice, and assistance to enable them to sustain their existing accommodation or achieve a planned move to alternative accommodation whilst managing their expectations around the solutions available.
• Carry out home visits where appropriate to mediate between households who are at risk of homelessness.
• Provide general housing advice, mediation, and information on request to members of the public seeking assistance from the Council, in person, by telephone and in writing, regardless of their housing tenure.
• Ensure that appropriate temporary accommodation is secured for clients to whom the Council has a statutory duty, considering the impact of the location of accommodation on clients and the Council.
• Monitor the welfare and impact on the lives of applicants placed in temporary accommodation and assist them with advice regarding their general welfare and benefit matters as well as the housing options that may be available to them.
• Develop links and positive working relationships with private landlords and letting agents to ensure a supply of private rented homes is available to clients and to enable the Council to discharge its full homelessness duty into suitable private lettings where possible.
• Investigate and take all appropriate action in relation to allegations of harassment or illegal eviction in accordance with the Protection of Eviction Act 1977, liaising as necessary with tenants, landlords, the Council’s legal staff, solicitors and the Police.
• Foster effective working relationships with other agencies such as Social Services, Health Services, Probation, and the Police to ensure partnership working, particularly to prevent homelessness and ensure that appropriate support is secured.
• Maintain accurate case records and assist in the compilation of relevant statistics and information.
• Acquire and maintain an up-to-date knowledge of housing options available, including the private rented market and home ownership and all forms of assistance available to resolve or prevent housing problems, at all times considering creative solutions to a client’s individual needs.
• Assist in the operation of the Council’s Housing Register, including liaising with applicants, housing providers and advocates, ensuring accurate record keeping, shortlisting, and bidding.
• Represent the Housing Services Business Unit at meetings with other departments of the Council and with other agencies and voluntary organisations, including, multi-agency meetings.

Morgan Hunt is a multi-award-winning recruitment business for interim, contract and temporary recruitment and acts as an Employment Agency in relation to permanent vacancies. Morgan Hunt is an equal opportunities employer. Job suitability is assessed on merit in accordance with the individual’s skills, qualifications and abilities to perform the relevant duties required in a particular role.