Housing Advice & Homeless Prevention Officer

• To actively support the management of the service delivering a professional, responsive and individualised service to Councils residents requiring housing advice and to explore and sign-post to housing options.
• To demonstrate understanding of the Council's Customer Care Standards and ensure that these standards are met in order to deliver the Council vision of 'putting our residents first'.
• To provide holistic, informed and accurate housing advice which is "right first time", to all approaches to the service.
• To support, coach and empower residents to independently assess and manage their own housing situation and make informed choices.
• To ensure that potentially homeless clients are given advice and assistance including those in housing need to whom the Council has no legal obligation to provide emergency accommodation to claim housing and other welfare benefits available to them with the aim of preventing or delaying homelessness, including the use of discretionary hardship payments (DHP).
• To assess and determine applications from homeless households within the terms of part VII of the Housing Act 1996.
• To discharge the Council's statutory duty in investigating, assessing and determining applications from homeless households within the terms of part VII of the Housing Act 1996.
• To actively manage case work in accordance to expected standards of timeliness and quality and to adhere to agreed procedures at all times, including maintaining a high standard of accurate written records and reports. effective record keeping.
• Be knowledgeable and up to date with housing legislation, policy, procedures, case law and Codes of Guidance to ensure statutory requirements are consistently met.
• To contribute to communicating clearly and effectively with staff, customers and their representatives, Elected Members, colleagues and other third parties around all aspects of the service delivery and linkages with other areas, promoting a widespread understanding of the service and its capacity in order to manage stakeholders expectations and agree realistic outcomes and goals.
• Represent the service at meetings, case conferences and on committees/bodies as required.
• To contribute to preparing and implementing the housing strategy, homelessness strategy, rough sleepers' strategy, allocations policy as it relates to housing need, and to undertake projects related to the development of the service area.
• To actively detect and prevent fraudulent applications for housing assistance and refer any possible cases to our Counter Fraud Team.
• To undertake investigations into complaints and Members Enquiries and ombudsman enquiries as required. Ensure corporate standards are met consistently, including complaints and Members Enquiries.

Housing Options and Move-On

• Be able to provide advice on a range of housing options, including low cost home ownership which promotes self-service, independence and prevents homelessness.
• To manage case work using expertise, knowledge of legislation and well established networks and partnerships to move clients on from temporary accommodation into longer term suitable and sustainable accommodation which effectively fulfils the Councils statutory duties.
• To ensure that suitable housing solutions are delivered to residents consistently. This includes reducing the use of temporary accommodation and developing creative solutions to achieve this, including consistent use of the Social Housing Allocations Policy and the Private Rented Sector (PRS).
• To develop and maintain effective relationships with privatesector landlords, local managing and lettings agents and owners of empty properties in order to secure use of privately rented properties for households in housing need in the Borough.
• To engage with the HousingRegister and Allocations Team, Adult SocialCare and Children's Services to deliver a seamless service.
• Identify and manage safeguarding concerns and risk, introducing risk aversion plans and make safeguarding for vulnerable individuals, including CAF referralsfor families with/and children and young people. Taking the lead professional role where necessary and attend joint meetings, case conferences etc
• Manage the risk and respondsensitively to adults,children and youngpeople and fleeing abuse or violence, keeping them away from further harm, by undertaking appropriate risk assessments and to provide the best possible solutions.