Targeted Housing Adviser

About the Borough

The London Borough of Sutton is situated less than 30 minutes by train from Central London, with direct connections to London Victoria and London Bridge. Found in zone 5 with good transport links in and out of London, Sutton boasts award winning parks and open spaces, low crime rates, affordable housing and great schools. As well as high levels of resident engagement and satisfaction, providing quality services and success in addressing our financial challenges, whilst involving residents in key issues and high street changes.

Sutton is continuously investing in the health, wellbeing and education of our residents and the future generation, as set out in the “Ambitious for Sutton” corporate plan. We are home to the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together with the development of the London Cancer Hub, Sutton will be the world’s leading life-science district, specialising in cancer research and treatment. Our vision will create around 13,000 jobs while contributing £1.2bn to the UK economy each year, a vibrant community of scientists, doctors and innovative companies intended to deliver real benefits for cancer patients and drive economic growth. With the regeneration of the local areas with new homes and schools, Sutton is passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

The Council is seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment. As we strive to improve our services and spaces for our residents as set out in the ‘Ambitious for Sutton’ corporate plan, Sutton aims to shape the future of the borough and adapt to the needs of its residents to make our Borough a great place to live, work and raise a family.

About the Service and Team

Sutton is a borough defined by ambition, community and change. We are proud of our strong local identity, vibrant neighbourhoods and commitment to delivering services that make a real difference. We are determined to ensure everyone has access to a safe, secure and affordable home.

Housing is central to our mission. As a Targeted Housing Advisor, you will be part of a team dedicated to delivering an effective and efficient Homelessness Prevention and Statutory Homelessness assessment service.

About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate

Based in Housing Advice Services, this is a vital front-line role to make a tangible difference to prevent and relieve homelessness. As a Targeted Housing Adviser, a proactive, holistic, and personalised approach is required to housing advice and support will deliver housing needs assessments and personal housing plans to support residents to resolve homelessness.

This role will take a casework approach to seek out solutions for customers, developing and reviewing person-centred support plans with both short and long-term aims. This requires being responsible for making relevant robust enquiries and assessing eligibility for accommodation in accordance with the, specifically Part VI and VII of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended 2002), Homeless Reduction Act 2017 and Renters Right Act 2025.

A key part of your role will be issuing robust decision letters, preparing documents for court and attending court to meet the requirements of prevailing legislation and case law.

This role requires a creative problem-solver who can identify risks and take appropriate action to mitigate against them. There is a need to forge effective working relationships with internal and external organisations to provide advice and support to vulnerable adults and young people. You will also contribute to the continuous improvement of our policies and procedures to ensure we deliver a quality service.

About You

You will have an in-depth working knowledge of housing options and housing legislation, specifically Part VI and VII of the Housing Act 1996, Regulation of Investigatory Power Act 2000 (RIPA) and Investigatory Powers Act 2016, Homeless Code of Guidance, Renters Right Act 2025, Localism Act 2011, Deregulation Act 2015, Housing Act 2004, Protection from Eviction Act 1977, security of tenure, welfare and Housing Benefits. You must have experience providing support, advice, and guidance in a complex environment and are looking for experience in a similar role and have a high level of competence.

We are looking for someone with a customer-focused attitude who can show empathy while resolving complex issues. You will be able to interpret and explain complex legislation to a variety of audiences and make clear, consistent decisions. You must be able to manage expectations through negotiation and influence to effect positive changes in customer behaviour.

You will be highly organised, able to manage a caseload and monitor the progression of tasks to meet deadlines. You will also be capable of collecting and evaluating information to draw conclusions supported by reasoned argument. Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, are essential, as is the ability to maintain accurate case records using IT systems.

Our Offer to You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 26-32 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade
• Enhanced Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Two volunteering days per year
• Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role)
• Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle leasing scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Application Process

Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application and check your CV details have been uploaded correctly in the relevant sections.

We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.
However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Sutton we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our PRIDE values.
Here at Sutton we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

As part of our award winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.