Job Description
Job title: Housing Management Worker – Supported Housing
Reports to: Service Lead – Supported Housing
Hours: 37.5 hours per Monday - Friday (Will consider if someone wants to do part-time)
Salary: £22,000 per annum
Job role and purpose:
Lotus Housing is a community interest company. We operate nationally, providing transitional supported housing to vulnerable adults and families at risk of homelessness and private sector rental accommodation. For our supported residents, we provide Intensive Housing Management services which aim to empower residents with the right tools to live independently by managing a tenancy and household. For every person we’ve helped reach independence, we know there are many more that could benefit as the demand for housing out paces the supply. We are constantly expanding our services by growing our housing provision and the number of residents we empower.
Our aim is to end homelessness and the size of our task is what keeps us motivated.
Main duties and responsibilities:
Working as part of a team, the main purpose of this role is to manage a portfolio of properties and tenancies
across a designated area to deliver a high quality, responsive and effectively supported, intensive housing management service to Residents. You will be working with vulnerable adults, or families that may be at risk of homelessness and some of whom may have complex needs.
Main Responsibilities
- Directly support up to 15 Residents to manage and maintain their tenancy, provided thorough weekly scheduled support meetings to each Residents in your designated area & complete thorough support logs. This will include travelling between locations for which mileage is paid.
- Undertake/review application reports and suitability assessments for incoming applicants.
- Prepare and update accommodation support plans & risk assessments at point of sign-up and schedule meetings to assist the resident in settling in and working towards their set targets.
- Act as advocate for Residents so that they can access all key services, signposting them to relevant support services and liaising with support services where required. This may include but is not limited to, debt management, employment, training, volunteering.
- To sign up Residents onto the correct Tenancy agreements and explain the Residents’ obligations. Ensuring that each housing benefit claim is submitted at tenancy signup stage and a reference number is obtained. Record tenancy and housing benefit claim onto our inhouse system and chase any delays in payment with the local authority.
- Ensure that Residents are fully maximising their income, by assisting them to apply for housing and welfare benefits, budgeting, paying their personal service charges.
- Ensure that the proof of identity process and right to rent checks are being completed and recorded.
- Provide accommodation which meets our lettable standards, ensuring that the property is prepared and cleaned prior to letting.
- Be involved in ordering furniture and goods for the property and work closely with the Compliance and Asset Management teams to ensure property standards are maintained, repairs are reported in a timely manner and ensure the properties are suitable for letting and safe occupation.
- Maximise rent collection and adhere to the arrears management policy and procedure and monitor agreements made to reduce rent arrears, when necessary, with relevant parties.
- To ensure we are adhering to regulatory requirements, carry out health and safety property inspections and assist with scheduled compliance checks to ensure that all systems are updated, and repairs are reported to maintenance.
- To take actions and escalate any areas of concern where there are any issues identified at the property or with your residents, such as anti-social behaviour, non-engagement with the service and to ensure that service delivery is provided in line with Lotus Sanctuary operational standards, policies and procedures and any issues are escalated to your Line Manager.
- Ensure that we are notified of all empty properties in a timely manner. Liaise closely with your line manager to understand the current position of all voids within your designated area. To ensure voids meet lettable standards before letting and ensuring voids are turned around within 7 days.
- To take responsibility for safeguarding the welfare of our Residents, attend multidisciplinary team meetings where safeguarding issues have been identified and if necessary, progress any actions with the Residents and keep detailed records of all actions agreed.
- Complete all mandatory training required for your role, attend regular 121 meetings with your line manager and team meetings.
Organisational Responsibilities
- Liaise effectively and develop strong working relationships with a variety of internal departments,
Statutory and voluntary agencies, including local authorities, housing benefit departments, welfare rights services, DWP, charities and debt management services, drug, and alcohol services as needed.
- Respond swiftly to enquiries, complaints requests or problems raised by residents, local authorities, Probation, Police, or your Line Manager.
- Support and maintain Residents involvement opportunities and submit content for newsletters.
- Comply with Lotus Sanctuary’s Housing Management, Safeguarding, Complaints, Lone Working, GDPR, confidentiality and H&S Policies.
- Undertake other duties as commensurate with the role and as instructed by the Regional Operations Manager/Head of Supported Housing and other Managers as required.
- To provide information to the business support team on the local service to assist in completing reports or marketing projects. To assist in the development and promotion of the service.
Essential recordkeeping
- Ensure Residents files, reports, housing management plans, and other documents are accurate, kept up to date and that confidentiality is maintained.
- Ensure all information relating to services are accurate and up to date
- Provide relevant reports, etc., as required by the line manager and others.
- Maintain accurate records of progress towards the achievement of agreed goals for service
- Always Follow & promote all policies and procedures
Health and Safety
- To comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- To take responsibility for your own health and safety and that of other persons who may be affected by their own acts or omissions.
- To report any untoward incidents, accidents, illness, or other occurrences which may affect the health or safety of the people we support or employees in accordance with the policies and procedures.
- To carry out all duties in a healthy and safe manner in accordance with the service’s policy and procedures on Health and Safety, including manual handling, risk assessment and food hygiene.
- Report to line manager any potential health and safety risks identified.
Equality and Diversity
To always carry out their responsibilities in line with Equal Opportunities Policy and Procedure and ensure that equality of opportunity is promoted throughout the service and that no other employee or client is discriminated against on the grounds of age, gender, race, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, or belief.
Confidentiality
To maintain confidentiality of information relating to clients, staff, and other users of the services in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 including outside of the work environment. Any breach of confidentiality may render an individual liable for dismissal and/ or prosecution.
General
This job description is not intended to be exhaustive. You may be required to perform any other duties as the organisation may require. You undertake to work to the best of your ability and use your best endeavours to promote, develop and extend the employer’s organisation and interests.
Conditions
All offers of employment are conditional on you demonstrating your eligibility to work in the UK. Offers are also conditional on receipt of a minimum of two satisfactory references, covering at least the last three years on employment, with any gaps in employment history being explained satisfactorily. Whether references are deemed satisfactory is at the discretion of the organisation.
Convictions
During the recruitment process, we will ask job applicants to disclose any unspent convictions but will not ask job applicants questions about spent convictions, nor expect them to disclose any spent convictions, unless the job is exempt under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. If the position is identified as being exempt, the applicant will be required to undergo a DBS check, and this will also form a condition of employment.
Person specification:
Requirement
Essential
Desirable
Qualifications
- Car driver with own transport and business insurance
- Relevant NVQ in Housing or Health and Social care
Role experience
- Must have experience working with people or in settings providing services for domestic violence, Substance and Alcohol Misuse, Challenging Behaviour, Prison Leavers, Mental Health issues, homeless, rough sleepers and hostels.
- Proven experience of working with people who have complex needs
- Experience working in a Supported Housing environment, with experience of void and arrears management and dealing with housing benefit claims
Knowledge
- Knowledge of intensive housing management services to clients
- Up to date knowledge of welfare rights and relevant legislation
- Full understanding of safeguarding and how it impacts the work that we do
- Maintaining professional boundaries
- Up to date knowledge of housing legislation
- Understanding of Trauma
- Understanding of Adverse childhood experiences
Skills and aptitude required
- Able to create and maintain effective working relationships with partners and external agencies
- Able to deal with challenging situations calmly and effectively, ensuring risks are reduced, assistance sought when required, and disruption is kept to a minimum
- Able to plan and organize own work, use of online diary to plan specific targets, work proactively in a fast-paced environment where priorities change frequently and keep on target and update records as needed.
- Ability to risk assess situations and to identify and act upon risks posed and escalate
- Effective communicator
- Proficient IT skills and experience of housing management databases, Microsoft packages (Excel, Word, Teams) with ability to retrieve information.
- Excellent customer service skills including negotiation and influencing skills.
Motivation
- Willingness to learn and develop new skills, open to changing needs and growth of the business
- Emotional intelligence, demonstrate self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, Self-Reliance, and social skills.
- Shows consistent integrity, trust, and fairness and embraces equality and diversity
- A caring person with a genuine passion to help people.
24 Days Annual Leave and 8 Bank Holidays
Please note that all applicants must have the right to work in the UK. A full UK driving license is essential. The role may be subject to DBS checks.
Job Type: Permanent
Salary: £22,000.00 per year
Schedule:
Work Location: On the road
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