Housing Options Officer

Our Values

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

The Housing and Homelessness Service is a very busy environment and faces several challenges to meet the housing needs of citizens of Coventry. The team have grown significantly during the last 12 months and this reflects the fact that Housing & Homelessness are now a key council priority.

The team are responsible for the delivery of the following service functions:

• Provision of the statutory homeless service

• Provision of temporary accommodation

• Management of the housing register

• Co-ordination of support to citizens rough sleeping

• Commissioning of homeless services, and

• Responsibility for housing strategy

The Council has a strategic vision that is clearly set out in both the Housing & Homelessness and the Rough Sleeping Strategies which were both approved in 2019.

By becoming part of an expanding team who are focused on preventing households from becoming homeless as well as providing tailored support and interventions when someone does become homeless this is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to some of the most vulnerable people in our city.

This is a unique role within the Housing & Homelessness service, as it involves co-location with our Rough Sleepers Outreach Team. As a result, the successful candidate will be based with Rough Sleepers Outreach predominantly at Dover Street and work flexibly to deliver assessments, statutory decisions, and support across the city whilst delivering customer-facing service.

What is the job role?

The successful candidate will be responsible for a caseload of applications for households that are homeless or threatened with homelessness, predominantly focused on people either already sleeping rough, or at risk of rough sleeping, as a part of the Council's wider Homelessness strategy and commitment to providing routes off the streets.

They will conduct assessments and make statutory decisions for applicants in a variety of settings in line with the Housing Act 1996, as well as supporting those applicants in preventing and relieving their homelessness.

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

All candidates must have the Right to Work in the UK. We are currently not offering sponsorship for this role.

Who are we looking for?

You will be a confident communicator with strong organisational skills and the ability to work with people facing complex and challenging situations.

Knowledge of housing or homelessness legislation is advantageous but not essential.

The role involves working in community settings and working flexibly on occasions across the week to meet the needs of the service which may include some early mornings and evenings, and relies on the whole team working flexibly as necessary. Use of your own car is desirable.

Please note that this role is customer-facing and will involve being office-based or working in an outreach setting 5-days a week.

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. We recognise that you might use AI tools to help with your application. While these tools can be useful, please make sure that all information you provide about your experience, skills, and qualifications is accurate. What matters most to us is hearing about your experience and the achievements that truly reflect you!

Provisional interview dates (please note that interview dates are subject to change dependent on availability and the number of applicants):

27th November 2026

4th December 2026

About Coventry

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies