Private Accommodation Sustainment Officer

The purpose of the role is to help our customers who are, or have been at risk of, homelessness to attain and/or sustain long term, settled housing. This will include working with customers who need short-term tenancy support to ensure the sustainability of their current or new accommodation. The Private Accommodation Sustainment Officer will support customers with claiming welfare benefits, maximisation of their income, managing their household budget and work alongside partner agencies, when needed, to achieve positive outcomes. They will ensure the customer understands the terms of their tenancy agreement, give advice on setting up rent payments and to mediate with landlords to agree affordable arrangements for arrears based on the household's individual circumstances. The role will require developing a professional working relationship with local landlords to negotiate tenancy arrangements on behalf of customers including rent deposits and rents as appropriate.

The role will help clients to prevent homelessness wherever possible. Activities will range from negotiating with landlords, support with income management, signposting to services and helping customers to identify and apply for sources of financial support they may be eligible for. Based within the Housing Needs, Advice and Support Service, the role will work closely with the Housing Assessment & Advice Team and those services commissioned by Housing Needs, Advice & Support to deliver accommodation-based support to homeless people.



Skills:

• Ideally has previous experience of working with customers in a challenging front-line service and be comfortable visiting customers in their home.
• Ideally has worked with vulnerable customers, supporting them to sustain successful tenancies
• Has up-to-date and detailed knowledge of the current issues in homelessness at a local and national level
• Has current knowledge and experience of the welfare benefits system
• Has an awareness of the diversity within Portsmouth’s private housing market, and the options for accommodation.
• Is self-motivated, with the autonomy to make decisions and implement improvements where necessary.
• Understands the customers' needs and translate them into finding the right sustainable housing solution.
• Has excellent people skills with the ability to resolve conflict.
• Has a sympathetic, friendly, and empathetic manner to be able to understand the situations of our customers.
• Has excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Has strong negotiation, mediating, and relationship building skills
• Is emotionally resilient and able to deal with the impact of being exposed to customer's difficult circumstances.
• Is able to remain professionally detached and focused even if the message you deliver involves saying no in difficult circumstances.
• Is competent in the use of IT systems with a good working knowledge of Microsoft Packages (to include Word, Outlook, and Excel) and databases.