Housing Solutions Advisor

Job title: Housing Solutions Advisor

Contract length: 2 months (sick cover, potential extensions)

Pay rate: 17.50 per hour

Location: Bridgend County

JOB PURPOSE

Provide a comprehensive assessment, options, advice, and assistance service to those approaching or referred to the Council on all aspects of housing and housing-related support. The aim is to prevent homelessness, maximise choice, and minimise housing need.

Ensure the Council's statutory duties in relation to homelessness, or those threatened with homelessness, are discharged in accordance with statutory provisions, the code of guidance, and the Council's policies and procedures.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACTIVITIES

• Comprehensively assess, investigate, and verify the housing, social, support, and medical needs of applicants for housing in accordance with the Council's Social Housing Allocations Scheme and procedures. This will be done through interviews, home visits, and liaison with all relevant statutory and voluntary agencies.
• Provide a point of contact for advice and support for frontline officers and customers seeking advice and assistance relating to all aspects of homelessness, accommodation, disrepair, money management (including benefits), and housing rights. Make appropriate referrals to other agencies and Housing Support Providers to ensure that high-quality support and assistance are available to achieve positive outcomes for customers. Participate in office and telephone rotas as required.
• Interview, advise, and investigate applications from persons presenting as homeless or threatened with homelessness in accordance with the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, including difficult and complex cases. These may include, but are not limited to, ex-offenders, young persons, those with mental ill health, and substance misuse clients. Seek appropriate advice and information to ensure applications are determined and decisions are notified within agreed timescales, preventing homelessness wherever possible. Where necessary, identify, secure, and organise temporary accommodation and storage facilities for homeless households, arranging support as appropriate.
• Undertake proactive and detailed casework, devising creative and innovative solutions to customers' housing problems. Contact third parties such as private landlords, letting agents, and building societies to resolve housing problems and/or prevent homelessness. Maintain manual and computer records to ensure they accurately describe customers' housing needs, their current situation, the advice provided, and outcomes achieved.
• Assist customers to obtain accommodation in both the private and public sectors. This may involve providing assistance with form completion or telephone enquiries, liaising with housing providers and other agencies, promoting initiatives, and making referrals as appropriate (e.g., shared ownership, supported housing schemes, and the Council's Empty Homes scheme).
• Share supervisory responsibility for the Housing Solutions Assistant, including allocating and checking work on a daily basis.
• When appropriate, visit applicants in their homes or in hospital to take homeless applications. Participate on a rota basis with homeless prevention assessments in Parc Prison to take all reasonable steps to prevent a prisoner being homeless on release.
• Assist as necessary in the provision of emergency advice and assistance outside normal office hours, including arranging temporary accommodation.
• Keep up to date with current housing legislation, case law, policy, and practice. Contribute to the development of policy and new initiatives by providing feedback on the changing nature of housing needs encountered on a day-to-day basis. Develop and maintain specialist knowledge in agreed areas such as single homelessness, money advice, and complex needs. Represent the Authority on relevant inter-agency panels and case conferences in respect of homelessness and housing needs casework.
• Work as a member of a team and contribute to the achievement of team performance. Undertake any other duties allocated by the Housing Solutions Team Leader that are consistent with the responsibilities and grading of the post.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• Extensive knowledge of policy, procedures, and practices in housing needs and homelessness.
• Previous experience of dealing with a wide range of people, including vulnerable persons who may present complex and challenging behaviour (face-to-face, telephone, and email).
• Current and detailed knowledge of housing legislation, code of guidance, and case law.
• Experience in conducting complex investigations, enquiries, interviews, and casework management.
• Recent experience and competency in at least four of the following areas of housing advice, homelessness, and assessment work
• Provision of information, advice, and assistance on all housing matters and related issues, primarily aimed at the prevention of homelessness (including welfare benefits, money management, and housing rights).
• Advice and assistance with accessing all forms of accommodation, including supported and sheltered housing across all tenures.
• Assessment and determination of applications for assistance under the provisions of the Housing and Homelessness Acts.
• Proactive approach in seeking housing solutions.
• Experience of constructing multi-agency support packages.

Randstad Business Support is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.