Our local authority client has a 3-month contract vacancy (with the possibility of extension) for the role of a HOUSING REGISTER, ALLOCATIONS AND TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION ASSISTANT, details as follows

Job Purpose

To be responsible for the day to day support to deliver organisation’s housing register and housing allocations service that not only meets statutory requirements but realises our ambitions to support residents who need assistance to resolve their housing need. The post-holder will be responsible for undertaking case by case allocations of temporary accommodation, maintenance of the Housing Register and transfer list and resolution of accepted homeless cases to ensure the service is responsive to client needs within available resources ensuring agreed team plans and performance targets are delivered.

Responsibilities

  • To support appropriate nominations and allocations to all permanent accommodation that the Council owns or has nomination rights to. To do so within agreed timescales to minimise voids / re-let periods.
  • To be responsible for the daily booking of clients into B&B and temporary accommodation. Support the placing of households into emergency accommodation, where required, including households for social care services. To support reception and late duty rotas (outside office hours) if required to ensure that all customers approved for emergency accommodation are placed on the day.
  • To make contact with households in temporary accommodation where needed to provide them with advice and guidance on the full range of housing options available to them and manage their expectations, taking into account their needs and aspirations, their priority on the Housing Register, where this applies, and ability to sustain other options, including intermediate housing options and private rented accommodation.
  • To support the development and implementation of temporary accommodation tenancy checks, investigate cases where there is concern that temporary accommodation has been abandoned, sub-let or misused and where appropriate, assist in taking action to discharge the Council’s homelessness duty.
  • To work with members of the Team to monitor bidding activity across households in temporary accommodation and offer support to those households who require assistance, in order to help them make informed choices about their future housing.
  • To support the making of referrals to relevant services or departments, including the Council’s medical officer, social care services and housing options services and contribute to investigate high need or exceptional cases.
  • To encourage and help homeless households in temporary accommodation to comply with their licence or tenancy conditions. Where there is a serious breach of duty (including harassment, anti-social behaviour and hate crime) and/or the Council has discharged its homelessness duty, ensure the accommodation is withdrawn and recovered as efficiently and quickly as possible, where appropriate to do so.
  • To provide accurate advice to households regarding their offer and consequences of refusals.

Essential Requirements

  • Hold an appropriate qualification in a relevant field: NVQ, Diploma, relevant degree or relevant experience.
  • A good standard of education with English & Maths GCSE grade A-C or equivalent.
  • Ability to have or acquire an excellent working knowledge of all elements of housing needs: housing advice, temporary accommodation, property allocation and choice based lettings.
  • Experience of working in a front facing team interviewing and assessing clients with a need for assistance.
  • Experience of case work and the application of case work management systems.

If you have the necessary experience and qualifications to fulfill this role, please submit your CV ASAP.