Housing Needs Officer - #1678357

Red Snapper Recruitment are recruiting a housing needs officer for a client of ours based in Birmingham. The purpose of this role is to deliver a responsive and customer focused temporary accommodation (TA) tenancy support service that enables residents to sustain their homeless centre tenancy and successfully move on into suitable secured accommodation. Contract type: Temporary, four months initially Hours: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week Salary: £12.60 per hour PAYE Main duties and responsibilities

• Deliver a high-quality tenancy support service to residents and effectively respond to the changing needs of customers and legislation.
• Issue licence agreements, deliver resident inductions and facilitate resident group meetings.
• Help residents to build support networks and engage in relevant local community activities.
• Ensure residents promptly access support identified in their Personal Housing and TA Move On plans. Make referrals to support agencies and build confidence in customers to effectively manage their expenditure and maximise their income and independence.
• Process housing benefit/DHP claim forms to minimise the risk of rent arrears and bad debt. Promptly liaise with TA Finance Officers to determine best course of action in dealing with non-payment of TA rent and service charge.
• Monitor and accurately record income received. Ensure any income collected is received within agreed procedures and targets.
• Follow service procedures when issuing and recording warnings for minor breaches in tenancy. Immediately report serious breaches of tenancy to your line manager and the resident's caseworker. Attend court evictions where required.
• Ensure discharge of interim duty and notice to vacate decisions are made in accordance with relevant homelessness legislation and service policies.
• Support the service to compile TA suitability review paperwork and case bundles for court proceedings.

Person Specification

• Experience of working in a customer service environment (preferably within a housing context).
• Experience of working in a frontline service role, delivering services to customers with vulnerabilities and multiple complex needs.
• Experience of delivering tenancy support to customers.
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary environment that is driven by strict and demanding deadlines.
• Experience of responding to complex and sensitive situations displaying empathy and diplomacy.
• Experience of working closely with communities, partners and other stakeholders.
• Experience in following administrative procedures and maintaining accurate records and compiling basic correspondence.
• Knowledge of Landlord & Tenant legislation and building Health & Safety requirements.
• Good knowledge of welfare benefits, relevant Homelessness and Housing legislation.

Due to the high volume of applications received, if you do not hear from us within 7 working days, I am afraid your application has been unsuccessful. We are a dedicated recruitment company providing top quality professionals and services to Housing Providers across the UK. Red Snapper Recruitment is a member of the Red Snapper Group. The Red Snapper Group acts as an employment agency (permanent) and as an employment business (temporary) - a free and confidential service to candidates. The Red Snapper Recruitment Group is an equal opportunities employer.