Homelessness Prevention & Relief Officer

Are you a creative thinker who can come up with innovative and realistic solutions for those who are threatened with homelessness?  Do you possess excellent verbal and written communication skills?  Have you got experience of working in a challenging environment using your own initiative or would you relish the opportunity to do so?  If so, then working in our Housing Service, with the main aim of helping to prevent homelessness and provide alternative housing solutions, is for you.

This is an exciting opportunity for an exceptional individual to join our expanding Housing Options Team.                                                   

We are looking for a Homelessness Prevention and Relief Officer with at least 12 months experience of working in a Homeless Prevention / Housing Options arena with a working knowledge of the Housing Act 1996, Homeless Reduction Act 2017 and the Deregulation Act 2015 predominantly relating to s21 notices.

You will be supporting customers with finding solutions to their housing issues and will do this by providing robust housing options advice, liaising with private or social landlords and developing personal housing plans for customers with a firm focus on homelessness prevention.  You will identify and take the reasonable steps necessary and ensure customers do the same to resolve their housing issue/s.  In addition, you will be expected to make decisions on homeless applications where appropriate.

A strong commitment to providing ongoing exceptional customer service is also an essential requirement of this role.

If you meet the above criteria, are organised and flexible with an innovative approach to your work we would welcome your application for this post.

West Berkshire Council offer excellent employment benefits such as flexible working, access to a wide range of relevant training, local government pension scheme, family friendly policies, a range of local discounts and much more. You will also be entitled to a generous annual leave entitlement of 29 days per annum rising to a maximum of 34 days.

For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Tamara Hemmings on 01635 519316