Housing Solutions Gateway officer

At Middlesbrough, we truly live our values and incorporate them into everything we do.

We are passionate about improving the lives of our residents, focused on achieving and creative in the way we work with customers, ensuring they receive the best support available.

We have an exciting permanent opportunity for a motivated individual to join the Housing Solutions Gateway Officer.

The role will act as a central co-ordination point for supported accommodation pathways across Middlesbrough, helping to ensure fair, timely and effective access to accommodation and support for people experiencing homelessness and multiple disadvantages.

Working closely with referral organisations, accommodation providers, internal service and partner agencies, you will help maximise accommodation opportunities, improve access to supported housing and reduce barriers to securing appropriate accommodation and support.

You will oversee referrals, maintain up-to-date information about vacancies and capacity, and help match people to accommodation that is suitable for their needs, risks and circumstances.

We are looking for someone who can:

• Manage referrals into commissioned supported accommodation services, ensuring they contain sufficient information and are appropriately matched to available provision.
• Act as a first point of contact for accommodation providers in relation to vacancies, referrals, admissions and placement queries.
• Work constructively with commissioned and non-commissioned accommodation providers, referral agencies, internal and wider partners.
• Support referral agencies to improve the quality of referrals, including the information provided about people’s needs, risks and support requirements.
• Monitor accommodation vacancies, capacity, service pressures and move-on arrangements to help make the best use of available supported accommodation.
• Identify barriers to accessing accommodation and work collaboratively with partners to find practical, creative and person-centred solutions.
• Record referrals, placements, contacts and decisions accurately, clearly and in a timely manner, using appropriate and trauma-informed language.
• Gather and analyse information about referrals, occupancy, capacity and move-on activity trends and support future service planning.
• Contribute to the monitoring of provider performance and service quality, recognising good practice and supporting improvement where concerns are identified.
• Communicate confidently and sensitively with applicants, colleagues, accommodation providers, and other stakeholders.
• Represent Housing Solutions at relevant meetings, forums and multi-agency discussions, promoting effective partnership working, appropriate information sharing and shared problem-solving.

To be successful in this role you need to demonstrate how you prioritise development and well-being of a team, have experience of working effectively with a range of services and have the skills, passion and resilience to work creatively with service users who are accessing Housing Solutions.

If this is you, this may be the opportunity you are looking for!

If you would like to talk through this opportunity further, please contact Martin Picken – Housing Services Strategic Lead at Martin_Picken@middlesbrough.gov.uk or call 01642 726439 or Rachel Jenkins – Housing Solutions Operational Lead at Rachel_Jenkins@middlesbrough.gov.uk or call 01642 727139.

Please note Middlesbrough Council do not currently offer sponsorships.

We operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran.

If you are viewing this advert on the North East Jobs website, please go to Vacancies ¦ Middlesbrough Council to view the Job Description & Person Specification and apply for the role.

The above post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

For more information about working in Adult Social Care, click the link below:

Adult Social Care in Middlesbrough ¦ Middlesbrough Council