37.5 hours per week / permanent / working onsite on a seven-day rolling rota, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
YMCA DownsLink Group is the leading charity for children and young people across Sussex and Surrey. We offer safe homes, mental health support and trusted advice.
We believe that every child and young person has the right to be safe, heard and to shape their own future. We work alongside them to make that happen.
We are here for children and young people, many of whom face multiple challenges and need our support.
Our Values - we do what’s right, we work with heart, and we build real connections – guide us in all our actions.
Hastings Foyer provides medium-high supported accommodation for a total of 47 young people at risk of homelessness, aged 16 to 25, and care experienced young people under the age of 18. The service offers self-contained accommodation with access to shared communal facilities, helping young people build the confidence and skills needed for independent living. Support includes managing finances and budgeting, developing life and employment skills, and maintaining personal wellbeing and self-care.
We have a dedicated team of Support Workers, Night Support Workers and Bank Workers who provide consistent, high-quality support to our residents. We take a trauma-informed and psychologically informed approach, empowering young people to develop essential life skills, identify and achieve personal goals, and build the confidence needed to progress towards independent living and a positive future.
Located just off the seafront, the service is well connected to local amenities and has strong links with the wider community, actively encouraging residents to engage with and contribute to community life.
We are looking for a Supported Housing Support Worker to join our team, who will hold a caseload of residents and meet with them weekly to build a support plan. Main areas of responsibilities are:
Housing and Compliance
- Support young people to understand and comply with their occupancy agreements, including coaching them to meet house rules and responsibilities as part of preparing for successful independent living.
- Promote a strong rent‑payment and credit culture, encouraging residents to maintain regular payments and understand their financial obligations.
- Maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of housing legislation, welfare benefits, and statutory requirements affecting young people, ensuring practice aligns with current housing law and organisational policies.
- Respond promptly and effectively to breaches of agreement, including rent arrears, antisocial behaviour, or property damage, using restorative approaches where appropriate and working collaboratively with the wider team.
Coaching and Engagement
- Coach young people so they can articulate their aspirations and ambitions and take the lead in acquiring the skills they need to live independent and fulfilling lives.
- Ensure young people are encouraged to take responsibility for their own personal development, to engage with the services on offer and build strong networks and connections within the local community.
- Ensure consistent standards of safeguarding and Trauma Informed Practice when supporting young people, observing our safeguarding procedures, and keeping yourself and residents safe by respecting professional boundaries.
- Maintain client records on In-Form (client database) detailing the young person’s journey in relation to their strengths and needs, any risks, and any outcomes (to monitor service performance).
There will be times when lone working will be a requirement for this role, but you will get to know the team and service, along with an induction and training prior to starting on a rota.
If you are enthusiastic about this opportunity but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway and demonstrate how your experience is transferrable. You may be just the right candidate.
This is a dynamic and varied role; you will be passionate about being involved in the support and growth of young people.
Experience and Knowledge
- Experience in housing or supported accommodation, ideally supporting young people with multiple and complex needs.
- Strong understanding of occupancy agreements, rent management, welfare benefits, and tenancy sustainment.
- Ability to manage arrears, ASB, and other non‑compliance issues using appropriate and restorative approaches.
- Good knowledge of housing legislation, safeguarding procedures, and compliance requirements, with the ability to maintain clear professional boundaries.
- Familiarity with statutory and voluntary services available to young people and ability to work proactively with a caseload to support progression towards independent living.
Skills and Abilities
- Confident in record‑keeping, including case notes, incident reporting, and health and safety checks.
- Ability to communicate clearly both verbally and in writing for appropriate recording of a resident’s progression, and to evidence outcomes achieved.
- Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with all stakeholders, including signposting and advocating for clients as necessary.
- Ability to work autonomously, and use own initiative, as well as being part of a team.
- Clear verbal and written communication skills, good IT, and keyboard skills.
- Ability to de-escalate volatile situations and manage challenging behaviour appropriately.
If you would like any further information or an informal discussion about this post, please contact [email protected]. Should you require any assistance with our application process, please email us at [email protected].
CLOSING DATE: Tuesday 18 August at midnight, with a proposed interview date of Monday 24 August 2026.
PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to provide work permits or visa sponsorship for this role, so applicants must already have the right to live and work in the UK independently.
An inclusive workplace We are committed to policies and practices of equity, diversity, and inclusion and to supporting our people to make sure our culture is consistent with this commitment.
Accessibility If you require assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please do contact us.
YMCA DLG requires all staff and volunteers to be committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and to respond proactively to safeguarding concerns.
Successful applicants will undergo a thorough background screening process, conducted by an accredited third-party provider. This includes an Enhanced DBS check (with Children’s and Adults’ Barred Lists) as well as comprehensive reference and activity checks.
