Homelessness Prevention Officer (Fixed Term for 1 year)

Job introduction

This exciting role will play a key part in how we support clients with a mental health need who are at risk of homelessness in Brighton & Hove.

As a Homelessness Prevention Officer, you will be giving advice and support on accessing housing, assessing people’s circumstances to determine what rights they have and ultimately working to help people find somewhere to live.

To support this, you will have a strong knowledge of the main causes for homelessness and remedies available. You will also have a thorough understanding of the legislative framework from which we work and be able to apply this in your day-to-day work.

You will be collocated with SPFTS Mental Health Housing Team, working closely with SPFT teams, supporting those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to access accommodation.

You will need to be flexible in your approach providing the best service for people experiencing homelessness and you’ll have to be proactive to ensure their ongoing support.

Good communication, team working and partnership working skills are essential, as well as a good knowledge of the city and support services available.

Fixed term for: 12 months

Interview date: Interviews will take place on the last week of August

This role is available as a secondment to internal applicants in line with our secondment policy. Before applying, please ensure you have read the Secondment policy to ensure you are eligible to apply. In accordance with the policy, please ensure you have the written approval of your line manager before applying. Evidence of this must be included with your application.

For an informal discussion, please contact Fran.Costello@brighton-hove.gov.uk

About the role

Experience we are looking for:

A housing professional with experience working directly with vulnerable adults and their families completing assessments, using legal frameworks, and carrying out duties in line with the Housing Act 1996.

You should have had experience of:

• Working with diverse and complex situations and in multi-disciplinary contexts

• Making decisions in line with housing legislation

• Working with people to overcome barriers to accessing accommodation

You must also be able to:

• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing

• Prioritise work in accordance with demand and risk

• Promote and sustain professional relationships with a wide range of people including those with care needs, their family/carers, other professionals and relevant agencies

In return we will offer you regular 1-2-1 supervision meetings, bi-annual appraisals, a career average pension scheme, generous leave entitlement, flexible working opportunities plus a range of other staff benefits.

Please read our Apply for a job at the council pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.

As part of your application, you will need to upload your Application Form and answers to some shortlisting questions. Your answers to the shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as it will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our guidance here (Application Form guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) and (Shortlisting guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.

Additional information

Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.

For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us

Company information

Encouraging a diverse workforce

Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.

Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).

Please note that this post is subject to a Basic Disclosure Criminal Records Check.