Housing Options Officer

Housing Options Officer

Our client, a well-respected local authority in Somerset, is looking for an experienced Housing Options Officer to provide front-line housing advice and homelessness services to those seeking a home in the area.

Location: Somerset

Duration: 2 Months +

Hours: 37 Mon to Fri

Rate: £18.48 via Umbrella

Vacancy Ref: J69170

Responsibilities:

• Offer advice and assistance to applicants to enable them to maintain their accommodation and/or prevent homelessness
• Contribute towards the prevention of homelessness by giving appropriate housing advice to applicants
• Assist applicants in accessing privately rented accommodation by liaising with private landlords
• Give appropriate advice to maximise income, including advice around welfare benefits, Housing Benefit and Discretionary Housing Payments
• Provide housing advice on the law relating to landlord and tenant relationships, prevention of eviction, harassment, anti-social behaviour, disrepair, domestic abuse, grants and proactive housing advice on a range of other issues
• Investigate medical or social circumstances through liaison with medical professionals, Social Care Service, the Community Mental Health Team and other professionals in health and social work
• Attend multi-agency case conferences and meetings to represent the Housing Service
• Conduct home visits and attend professionals’ meetings in order to verify information regarding an applicant’s housing need
• Support applicants with defending possession proceedings in court and assist with preparation of their file for review by the judge
• Determine homeless applications from applicants who are homeless or threatened with homelessness under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996, placing in suitable temporary accommodation and discharging the duty, where appropriate

Essentials:

• Working knowledge of the HRA 2017, Housing Act 1996 Part VII and Localism Act 2011
• A current enhanced DBS
• A valid full car driving licence with access to a vehicle

To apply for this role or to find out about other Housing jobs, please contact Ashleigh Clarke or Paulo Davis on the Bristol Housing Recruitment team on 0117 930 8760 oraclarke@venngroup.com

Venn Group is an equal opportunities employment business and employment agency and welcomes applications from all candidates.