Job Description
Job Title: Housing Options Officer
Location: Chatham Kent
Contract: Temporary, 3 months
Pay: £21.54 per hour LTD
Working Pattern: Full-time, Monday to Friday
Working Style: Hybrid
Service Care Solutions are recruiting for a Housing Options Officer to join a busy Strategic Housing team in Medway. You will provide frontline housing advice, homelessness prevention and statutory homelessness casework, supporting residents to secure suitable and sustainable housing solutions.
Key responsibilities
- Delivering housing options advice to customers at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness.
- Completing homelessness assessments in line with Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
- Producing and monitoring Personal Housing Plans, taking reasonable steps to prevent and relieve homelessness.
- Managing a complex caseload, including carrying out investigations and making recommendations on the duties owed.
- Preparing clear, legally robust Section 184 decision letters within required timescales.
- Supporting customers to access social housing, private rented accommodation, supported housing and other appropriate housing options.
- Completing affordability, welfare benefit and basic financial assessments, alongside referrals for debt, benefits and specialist support.
- Working closely with landlords, Registered Providers, Social Care, health professionals and voluntary agencies to achieve positive outcomes.
- Supporting households in temporary accommodation and helping to minimise length of stay through effective move-on work.
- Maintaining accurate case records and documentation, ensuring GDPR compliance and accurate HCLIC reporting.
- Responding appropriately to safeguarding concerns, domestic abuse and other vulnerabilities.
Essential requirements
- Proven experience within homelessness prevention, housing options or statutory homelessness casework.
- Strong working knowledge of Part VII of the Housing Act 1996, the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and relevant homelessness guidance.
- Experience completing housing needs and affordability assessments, Personal Housing Plans and homelessness decisions.
- Confident communicating with vulnerable customers in difficult or stressful circumstances.
- Excellent case management, written communication and partnership-working skills.