Housing Sustainment Officer

Job Description

Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest

Salary: PO1 £41,133 - £43,680

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract (12 months)

Working hours per week: 36

Application Deadline: 25/02/2026

Proposed Interview Date(s): TBC

Reference: 2011

About Us:

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.

We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.

London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.

The Council’s preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method.

About the role:

As a Housing Sustainment Officer, you will work proactively with individuals and families at risk of homelessness, offering tailored advice and early‑intervention support. You will manage a mixed caseload, helping households understand their options, resolve tenancy issues, maximise income, and access the right services to stay securely housed.

The role involves building strong partnerships with internal teams, landlords, the DWP, Social Care, and voluntary organisations to coordinate holistic support. You will negotiate with private rented sector landlords, assist residents to secure suitable accommodation where needed, and prepare clear, accurate case records and reports.

You will also help develop and improve service processes, identify gaps in local provision, and contribute to Waltham Forest’s wider prevention strategy. This is a dynamic role suited to someone organised, empathetic, and confident working with diverse residents and partners to deliver meaningful outcomes.

>> Click here to download the Role Profile <<

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide early‑intervention housing advice and practical support to households at risk of homelessness, helping them sustain tenancies and resolve issues before they escalate.
• Manage a varied and sometimes complex caseload, carrying out assessments, creating action plans, monitoring progress, and recording information accurately.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal teams, private landlords, letting agents, the DWP, Social Care, health services, schools, and voluntary and community sector partners.
• Identify creative and effective prevention solutions, including income maximisation, debt support, accessing employment or education opportunities, and securing alternative accommodation when required.
• Map and utilise local community assets, identify gaps in provision, and support residents to access relevant services, networks, and community‑based support.
• Prepare clear reports, contribute to service improvements, and help develop new procedures, pathways, and prevention initiatives within the Housing Sustainment Team.
• Ensure all work complies with safeguarding requirements, housing legislation, data‑sharing standards, and Council policies.

Projects and Initiatives:

• Support the implementation of Waltham Forest’s new upstream homelessness prevention model, focusing on early identification and targeted intervention.
• Lead or contribute to projects aimed at improving internal processes, strengthening community partnerships, and enhancing the borough’s homelessness prevention pathways.
• Participate in ongoing service development work as this new role evolves, helping to shape and refine the Housing Sustainment offer.

Qualifications and Requirements:

Essential Qualifications

• A relevant qualification in Community Development, Housing, Health, Social Care, or a related field; or a minimum of three years’ experience in a similar role at a similar level.

Experience

• Experience working directly with individuals and families from diverse backgrounds, providing practical support tailored to their needs.
• Experience offering advice on housing, homelessness, and/or welfare benefits.
• Experience managing complex casework and working within communities.
• Experience of the private rented sector, ideally within a homelessness or housing advice environment.

Knowledge

• Strong understanding of homelessness legislation, housing advice casework, and relevant statutory duties.
• Awareness of community, voluntary sector (VCS) services, and local resources (desirable).
• Knowledge of the local private rented sector and experience negotiating with landlords (desirable).

Skills and Abilities

• Able to listen, empathise, and provide person‑centred, non‑judgmental support.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present complex issues clearly.
• Ability to identify, assess and manage risk when supporting individuals and families.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise work, use initiative, and manage competing demands.
• Ability to influence, support change, and work collaboratively with a wide range of partners.
• Ability to recognise and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns.

IT and Software Requirements

• Confident using IT systems, including word processing software, email, and the internet to create plans, reports, and case documentation.

Personal Attributes

• Resilient, client‑focused, and able to work independently with a high degree of autonomy.
• Able to remain calm under pressure and committed to delivering positive outcomes for residents.
• Flexible in approach, including the ability to work outside normal office hours where required.

Physical Requirements

• No specific physical requirements listed, but the role may occasionally require working from different locations within the borough

Terms and conditions:

The below terms and conditions apply to this role:

Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks;

Satisfactory declaration of interest;

This role is subject to safer recruitment practices as it involves work with children and/ or vulnerable adults;

Satisfactory DBS check;

As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply’ button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.

To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.

For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other-opportunities/working-us.

Contact Information:

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Phillida Chimara - Housing Sustainment Manager at Phillida.chimara@walthamforest.gov.uk

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk.

Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.