Support Worker

Support Worker

We are looking for a Homeless Support Worker to provide support to individuals to help them on their path to resolving their homelessness. You will be making a real difference in this role.

Position: Homeless Support Worker

Location: Milton Keynes

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, including occasional evening/weekend work.

Salary: £25,000 to £28,500 per annum, depending on skills and experience, plus employer-matched pension contribution of up to 5%

Benefits: Pension and 36 days holiday including Public Holidays.

Closing date: 10th October 2024 - the role may be closed earlier if the right candidate is found.

About the role:

The Homeless Support Worker will be required to provide support and expertise to guests to help resolve their homelessness.  Once initial housing solutions have been found, they will continue to provide ongoing support to maintain tenancies and general well-being when needed.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Undertake day-to-day procedures to ensure the smooth and safe operation of TBSMK in line with the charity’s ethos, policies and direction of the Service Manager.
• Ensure safeguarding policies are clearly understood and record and report any breaches or concerns.
• Carry out assessments, inductions and processes involved in leaving the service.
• Develop and agree a support plan with guests to resolve their homelessness.  Regularly meet with guests to discuss their support needs and ensure progress is being made to make sustainable changes in their lives.
• Maintain and monitor electronic and other records and ensure they are accurate and up to date and prepare weekly and ad hoc reports and case studies.
• Assist guests with official processes and applications for such things as Universal Credit, Passport or Driving Licence, Bank Accounts, Housing etc.
• Undertake ad hoc administrative tasks.
• Assist the Service Manager to schedule and oversee maintenance and repair of our facilities.
• Ensure Health & Safety, Fire and Food Hygiene Regulations are fully understood and adhered to
• Respond to any emergencies immediately and ensure were appropriate an incident report is completed.
• To carry out individual risk assessments with guests, identifying control measures that need to be put in place, and they are in constant review.

About you:

For the Homeless Support Worker position, you must have a commitment to helping people affected by homelessness. You will need excellent communication skills (oral and written) and a confident and clear telephone manner, be well-organised and have enhanced levels of skill and experience to provide effective support. You should have good IT skills and computer literacy and be able to produce written reports and keep accurate casework records. The successful candidate will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS check.

To perform well in this role, you’ll need:

• Experience working in the housing or homelessness sector.
• Experience working in a helpline, support, or service delivery role.
• Knowledge of the private rented sector and searching for/securing affordable accommodation.
• Experience in using trauma-informed practices to provide support.
• Knowledge or a good understanding of legislation, policy and practice regarding homelessness.
• Knowledge of the welfare benefits system.

About the organisation:

The organisation is a small Milton Keynes based charity which provides a temporary home and extensive person-centric support to single people experiencing homelessness, with the aim of providing a sustainable, long-term solution.

Originally based on a double-decker bus (hence the name), the charity now has a unique nine-bedroom facility in Stantonbury, Milton Keynes, and three “move-on” houses elsewhere in the city, providing a further twelve rooms. The level of ongoing support offered to guests is delivering long-term success and preventing the well-known “revolving door of homelessness.”

The employer welcomes and encourages applications from people of all backgrounds. They do not discriminate based on disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or other categories protected by law.

You may also have experience in areas such as Homeless Recovery Worker, Benefits Advisor, Peer Support, Resettlement Worker, Homelessness, Homeless Project Manager, Homeless Caseworker, Project Coordinator Homelessness, Resettlement Caseworker, Housing Support, etc.

PLEASE NOTE: This role is being advertised by Not For Profit People on behalf of the organisation.