Tenancy Support Specialist
Job Title: Tenancy Support Specialist
Responsible to: Housing Sustainment Team Leader
Base: Three Counties House, Festival Park (Head Office)
The postholder requires a full driving licence & access to a vehicle
We are looking for a robust but passionate support professional to support our wider Housing
Sustainment Team and customers in ‘crisis’ get back on track with their journey.
The ideal candidate will be used to working independently with a wide range of customers with a
variety of support needs.
This role does not provide personal care.
Purpose of the job:
To provide targeted temporary support to customers who are struggling to manage with only our usual Housing Sustainment offer.
You will support the wider Housing Sustainment team when cases are identified providing traditional intensive support with the overall aim to get customers back on track and back sustaining tenancies under our main service offer.
The postholder will aim to achieve the following objectives;
- Objective 1: Empower customers by supporting their thinking and decision making and
helping them get in touch with their ability to do what they need to achieve their goals.
- Objective 2: Provide intensive targeted support unique to the needs of each customer
- Objective 3: To build/develop partnership connections across the city to ensure that when
signposting customers for third party support you are signposting to the most appropriate
partner
- Objective 4: To support Housing Sustainment Workers to manage/support customers in
‘crisis’
- Objective 5: Contribute to main aims of the Housing Services department
Duties and Key Responsibilities:
- You could be working with customers with a variety of support needs not limited to those
with; mental health, addictions, learning disabilities, recent homelessness, debt issues.
It is important to note that many of our customers are able to sustain their accommodation
with our main sustainment model so your case load is likely to be these customers during
particular periods of crisis.
- You will assist the customers to re/engage with external services to address support needs
to do this you will need to be able to (not an exhaustive list);
- Identify support needs/ vulnerabilities
- Identify missing routines and life skills essential for independent living and guide
- Apply/Access support via specialist external partners
(this role may include accompanying customers to appointments where required)
- Identify risks and triggers to positive progression or blockers with the current Housing
Sustainment approach – providing clear information to Housing Sustainment Worker to
ensure Risk Assessments are appropriately maintained
- Working with the customer to identify short term goals and setting action plans
(this role may include practical support to achieve goals)
- Identify step down accommodation options and assist customers to access it where greater
levels of support are needed above and beyond our Housing Sustainment Offer
- Provide a trauma informed approach to customers lived experiences.
- You will prioritise the core business objectives
- To be responsible for a fair and transparent implementation of the Housing Sustainment
Strategy across License and Tenancy accommodation
- You will be expected to provide clear and transparent information in case notes and work
closely with the Housing Enforcement specialist
- To promote the importance of customer engagement with customer, to ensure the
Customer Engagement Specialist is supported in their work.
General Operations
- Contribute to day-to-day Housing Management activities including allocations, voids and
arrears management, and enforcement activities (where required).
- Work constructively with customers to ensure that they understand contractual obligations
agreed to via tenancy or license agreements to avoid tenancy breaches such as
abandonment, disrepair etc.
- Create and maintain effective internal and external working relationships to ensure that
customers receive the support that meets their needs.
- Ensure a high-quality service is provided to meet the needs of the customers
Accessing External Support Services
- You will support customer access to a wide range of statutory sector, voluntary sector, and
other services that are appropriate to their needs, co-working with other service providers/
colleagues working with the customer.
- Customers may need support with applications/ phone calls or practical attendance
- Customers may need support digesting and interpreting medical advise/guidance or
directions
- Customers may require practical support to access medications/treatment essential to
ongoing well-being
Money/Debts
- Some of our customers struggle with budgeting and managing their income to ensure that ‘priority’
payments are budgeted for and paid so being able to assess the basics of someone income and
expenditure and being able to guide the customer through a basic budget is an essential skill
- Some customers are still navigating recent benefit changes so knowledge of benefits/ how to apply
and evidence is essential
- Some customer will need practical support to appeal benefit decisions or attend hearings you may be
required to support with evidence collection and attendance
- Where specialist support if required the customer may need support to collate evidence/ attend
meetings and or interpret what they have been instructed by the specialist money advisor – it will be
your job to support and accurately record to ensure positive progress
Property Condition
- Work intensively with customers who maybe struggling to maintain their home conditions
this could include those with no ability or knowledge to set routines and or those with
hoarding conditions
- Understand the importance of clear communal areas and to escalate any customers not
compliant with requests to clear personal items from communal area without delay
- Understand when to escalate concerns for those customers who persistently damage stock
either by neglect or wilful damage
Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)
- To attend ASB awareness session and understand the procedure for recording and reporting
ASB for prompt and fair investigation by the Housing Enforcement Specialist
- Where customers support needs are impacting their behaviour; falling of script or
disengaging from service you maybe asked to attempt to support the customer to re-engage
to continue to safeguard accommodation offer
Safeguarding
- Have an understanding of both adult and child safeguarding
- Report concerns and provide written reports detailing safeguarding concerns and actions
taken.
- Support and advise other staff on professional boundaries and conduct and report issues of
concern as appropriate to Team Leader or above.
- Work with partners to ensure that customers and staff are protected from abuse, incidents
are responded to and plans implemented.
- Be clear with customers how we carry out safeguarding activities and where possible (unless
there is a greater risk of harm) obtain consent for any Safeguarding referrals.
- Attend referrals, assessments, MDTs and other meetings as appropriate.
- To play a key role in ensuring Safeguarding practices are embedded in all areas of your work and that you are following policy and procedure guidelines accurately.
- Collaborate and work closely with partners (internal and external) to maximise resources and deliver shared outcomes.
Information and Record Keeping
- Contribute to the customer case files being kept up to date including Hope Journey and risk assessment and that all paperwork is readily accessible via internal databases.
- Use all databases as trained.
- Represent and promote the service to stakeholders, neighbours and the wider community.
- Attend referrals, assessments, MDTs and other meetings as appropriate.
- Collaborate and work closely with partners to maximise resources and deliver shared outcomes.
Health and Safety
- Operate within internal and external health and safety requirements.
- Follow all business health and safety policy and procedures; ensure the correct reporting
tools are used to accurately record issues and they are circulated to the responsible person
- Seek advice and guidance from management if you are not clear on process
- Use lone working devices as per business expectations
- Ensure any personal or business health and safety issues are reported swiftly, and matters are followed up to a conclusion
Additional Responsibility
- To promote the aims and values of Brighter Futures to any other agency or organisation in a professional manner.
- Work with other agencies to secure specialist hep and support, and to encourage customers with social engagement, employment, education and training skills.
- Represent and promote the service to stakeholders, neighbours and the wider community.
- Assist the Customer Engagement and Initiatives Specialist with engaging your customers to ensure they could be consulted and voice their opinions on current or proposed services
- Contribute to the ‘duty’ office based rota cover
- Take responsibility for your own professional development and training.
- Promote equality and diversity best practice in all areas of work.
Behaviour & Competences:
Behaviour embodies Brighter Futures values and is within the Code of Conduct
Demonstrate the competencies and behaviours set out in the Competency Framework.
Work to Brighter Futures aims, values, policies and procedures and ensure that others do so.
Hours of Work:
37 hours per week. It is requirement that the Housing Sustainment Team will work flexibly
throughout the working week to provide onsite cover where necessary (usually on a rota basis).
There is a possibility for work needing to be completed outside of core house to meet the needs of the business.
There is a possibility for work needing to be completed outside of core house to meet the needs of the business.
Salary & Benefits:
Salary: £27,673.67 per annum
27 days annual leave plus 8 additional days
Group Personal Pension Plan, including life assurance and group income protection
Health Care Cash Plan
Occupational Sick Pay
Staff Counselling Service
Pay: £27,673.67 per year
Work Location: In person
