Housing Solutions Officer

Job description

Job responsibilities

This role is to work with the public to address their housing need by sympathetically interviewing and assessing their households housing requirements and tailoring advice and information that best addresses their issues. This may include advice around low-cost home ownership and other forms of home ownership, working with landlords to overcome issues/barriers to renting in the private sector, assessing a household as eligible for the councils social housing register or recognising a homelessness role as part of the duties under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. The role, above all, will be to prevent homelessness and provide a fully rounded approach to housing solutions for customers. Specific duties and responsibilities include: Housing Advice

Responding to the inquiries of customers, internal and external, who require free, independent advice and information on all housing-related issues, ensuring compliance with the Councils policies and procedures

Communicating well with customers, strongly focusing on their housing concerns, the improvement of their housing conditions, the development of greater independence and the prevention of homelessness by offering timely, bespoke, good quality and consistent housing advice

Advising customers in a timely way on all housing solutions appropriate to their personal circumstances, including improving the current housing conditions to relieve their housing need

Providing housing costs and money management advice and appropriately signposting to specialist services individuals experiencing financial issues, debt and/or welfare rights problems

Appropriately identifying and referring customers with tenancy sustainment issues to internal tenancy sustainment services for in-depth upstream advice and support

Under the Councils safeguarding responsibilities, identifying and making appropriate and timely referrals to the MASH or Advice & Contact to support a customers wellbeing, safety and independence

Maintaining and efficiently managing a demanding case load with competing demands, effectively prioritising and re-prioritising cases as necessary to ensure that customers receive attention appropriate to their needs Ensuring, alongside other team members, that inquiries receive a prompt response, taking part in a rota to cover telephone and digital workstreams

Working to develop strong partnerships with colleagues and stakeholders in the local community, statutory and third sector agencies, private landlords and letting agents alike

Working with other agencies and statutory and third sector bodies to raise awareness of the housing challenges and options for residents of Wiltshire and help implement any education or advice programmes in the community

Attending on behalf of housing and be involved in decision making at MAPPA, MARAC, DACC, Rough Sleeper Operational Panel and CIN/safeguarding meetings to ensure we meet our statutory requirement to co-operate

Using the councils homelessness prevention fund appropriately, effectively and in accordance with reporting requirements to relieve housing stress in particular cases

Being aware at all times of the imbalance of power between the local authority and private individuals Housing Allocations

Sensitively interviewing prospective housing applicants in unsuitable, insecure or unaffordable housing and advising them about the solutions available make their homes suitable, secure and affordable

As part of holistic assessments of customers housing needs, assessing their eligibility to join the councils allocations scheme, supporting them to make the relevant application and provide the necessary supporting information and documentation for their housing need to be assessed

Making timely and appropriate inquiries to inform housing needs assessments under the Councils Allocation Policy and Part VI Housing Act 1996, liaising as necessary with landlords, social care professionals, clinicians and other professionals and determining any tenancy sustainment issues in particular cases. These assessments are based on the whole households needs and can be complex, the statutory decisions the postholder makes on behalf of the Council being challengeable

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• HNC in housing or business or working towards a professional L4 Chartered Institute of Housing
• qualification
• Full or part membership of either the Chartered Institute of Housing, the Royal Institute of
• Chartered Surveyors, or Chartered Institute of Environmental Health is desirable
• At least three years experience of working in a housing or similar environment In depth understanding of housing/environmental/health policy and legislation and strategic role
• of local authorities
• Knowledge of housing law, in particular Housing Act 1996 Part VI and VII and the Homelessness
• Reduction Act 2017.
• Detailed knowledge of social housing, private housing sector, landlord and tenant legislation.
• Fluent in both written and spoken English.

Desirable

• CIH qualification or equivalent relevant housing qualification
• Detailed knowledge of housing law, in particular Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (as
• amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017) and Landlord & Tenant housing law
• Knowledge of Welfare Benefits, wider Wiltshire Services and their interactions

Experience

Essential

• High level of relevant and practical experience acquired on.
• An advanced understanding of relevant procedures and working practices.
• Advanced knowledge of specialist function relevant to service area.
• Excellent ICT skills including use of Microsoft applications and specialist systems
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Good customer service skills with experience of resolving customer enquires in the relation to
• the service area.
• Experience of working with the public in a customer facing / contract role.
• Relevant practical experience working as part of team to meet service standards, targets and
• deadlines
• Good planning and organisational skills, with proven ability to use initiative, prioritise workloads
• and achieve deadlines
• Good literacy and numeracy skills

Employer details

Employer name

Wiltshire Council

Address

County Hall

Bythesea Rd

Trowbridge

Wiltshire

BA14 8JN

Employer's website

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)