Housing Solutions Officer

Role purpose The Council is focused on delivering the best possible outcomes for its communities. To do this the Council needs employees who thrive in an agile and networked organisation and who can support continuous improvement within a constructive organisational culture. The purpose of the role is to work proactively and collaboratively with households who are homeless or threatened with homelessness to provide comprehensive advice and assist them to prevent their homelessness by retaining their current housing where possible, or otherwise to help them to relieve their homelessness by helping them to secure alternative accommodation. You will agree practical and reasonable steps for the Council and the household to take to prevent and/or relieve homelessness. Households will include private or social tenants, home owners, those evicted by family members or facing relationship breakdown, and may be vulnerable and/or have complex needs. It will be the responsibility of the post holder to ensure that all performance targets are met, promote the profile of the Council’s services and ensure high levels of customer satisfaction and support the Team Manager by contributing to the overall development of the service. You will report directly to the Housing Solutions Team Manager Important relationships include: Customers/Clients Community Housing Colleagues Landlords & their agents Registered Providers and other housing providers Social Services Finance Housing Management Other statutory (Probation Service, Police, etc) Voluntary agencies (Mind, Womens Aid, etc) Key activities Performance Works with manager and colleagues to define outcomes, set targets and monitor performance, within a culture of continual improvement Supports operational plans to ensure that the resources within the teams are used to best effect and impact Customers and Partners Builds strong internal and external working partnerships to enable the service to be delivered in an outcome-focused and efficient way Supports Kingston’s commitment to community cohesion and valuing diversity and social inclusion Digital/New Ways of Working Uses new technologies, particularly Google, to adopt modern, agile working practices, improve customer service and eliminate paper-based processes wherever possible. Delivery To ensure that all aspects of the Housing Solutions Service are delivered effectively in line with legislation and statutory guidance, policies, procedures and protocols. To provide high quality advice and assistance and ensure homelessness is prevented wherever possible by providing effective advice. To ensure that all homelessness investigations are undertaken in accordance with statute, the Code of Guidance, case law, local authority agreements and Council policy. To manage a caseload of applicants who have approached the Council for assistance under the Homelessness Reduction Act, keeping your caseload under review and taking timely action to minimise the time in temporary accommodation and ensuring the Council’s duties are met within statutory timescales To participate in the operation of a duty rota system for ‘homeless on the day’ interviews and to arrange placement of people into interim emergency accommodation where required. To make decisions with respect to homelessness applications and to ensure the efficient referral of cases for longer term temporary accommodation to the Housing Access service where the Council has accepted a duty. To ensure accommodation is provided to qualifying homeless applicants at point of homelessness accessing accommodation suppliers provided through the Housing Supply team. When completing licence agreements with residents to ensure property compliance evidenced by certificates, rent account set-up, and information to residents given around rent and housing benefit. To undertake discharge of duty on applications where identified and to liaise with the Housing Access and Temporary Accommodation Teams to effect eviction where discharge of duty requires. To identify and raise safeguarding alerts and to attend multi-agency meetings regarding applicants' needs refer residents to support services including those to maximise income and employment opportunities and manage debt as applicable. To provide responses to enquiries related to applications under Housing Act 1996 Part Vii from applicants, their advocates and elected representatives. To undertake home visits to verify an applicant's residence and circumstances in undertaking investigations. To work to meet and exceed performance targets, and to submit to the Team Manager information and performance statistics relating to the work of the service and to identify trends in homelessness and applications for housing. To assist with the identification and implementation of best practice and innovation. Work with the legal team in relation to prosecution cases and contribute to the development of local representation services in the County Court. Maintain and keep up to date with knowledge of case law, statute and policy and to provide specialist advice to colleagues and partners in regards to homelessness and private sector housing issues and the needs of service users. The person In order to successfully deliver the responsibilities of the role, you will need to: Question and challenge ways of working, with an understanding of the bigger picture in terms of the corporate context and external environment Demonstrate agility and adaptability in mindset and ways of working Work successfully with key stakeholders within and outside of the Council Demonstrate commitment to own personal and professional development to meet the changing demands of the role Demonstrate innovation and creativity Actively engage in positive cross organisational communications and team working Communicate clearly, confidently and appropriately with colleagues using the best methods of communication for the task.