• Locations

  West Sussex

• Salary

  £224 - £256 per day

• Sector

  Homelessness, Housing, Revenues & Benefits

• Type

  Contract / Interim

Homelessness Prevention Officer

Are you a Homelessness Prevention Officer looking for your next assignment? A Local Authority in West Sussex are currently looking for a Homelessness Prevention Officer to join their team on a contract basis! Please see below;

Homelessness Prevention and Housing Advice

1. 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. Thereby minimising the impact to the client and the Council.

2. Receive applications for assistance from persons who may be threatened with homelessness, taking all action required or appropriate in accordance with the homelessness legislation. This will include making decisions in consultation with senior Housing Needs staff regarding the Council’s prevention duties to such applicants under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

3. 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 in order to prevent homelessness as detailed above.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Carry out home visits where appropriate in an attempt to mediate between households who are at risk of homelessness.

7. 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.

8. Support the operation of the Council’s Deposit Guarantee and Rent in Advance scheme, and other similar initiatives, carrying out financial affordability assessments to protect both client and Council finances and ensuring that all appropriate action is taken to recover any costs involved.

9. In liaison with the Private Tenancy Negotiation and Sustainment Officer, 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.

10. Assist the Housing Options Officers to 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.

11. Foster effective working relationships with other agencies such as Social Services, Health Services and the Police to ensure partnership working, particularly to prevent homelessness and ensure that appropriate support is secured.

12. Maintain accurate case records and assist in the compilation of relevant statistics and information.

13. To assist the Deputy Housing Options Manager in the analysis of data associated with homelessness and its prevention.

14. 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.

15. Acquire and maintain an up-to-date awareness of relevant legislation and case law in relation to homelessness prevention as well as any local or national policies or initiatives.

16. Acquire and maintain an up-to-date working knowledge of current benefits and forthcoming benefit changes, reacting proactively to assist and manage the impact of these on clients and the Council.

17. Carry out detailed enquiries on cases subject to statutory review proceedings as directed by the Deputy Housing Options Manager, the Homelessness Prevention Team Leader or the Housing Options Manager.

18. To assist the Deputy Housing Options Manager, the Homelessness Prevention Team Leader and the Housing Options Manager in the development of strategies and schemes to prevent homelessness and to implement good practice.

19. To provide cover and assistance in other areas of the department as may be necessary from time to time to take account of staff absences and peaks and troughs in work programmes.

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.