Rough Sleeper Outreach Worker

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias. The Housing and Homelessness Service is a very busy environment and faces several challenges to meet the housing needs of citizens of Coventry. The team have grown significantly during the last 12 months and this reflects the fact that Housing & Homelessness are now a key council priority. The team are responsible for the delivery of the following service functions:

• Provision of the statutory homeless service
• Provision of temporary accommodation
• Management of the housing register
• Co-ordination of support to citizens rough sleeping
• Commissioning of homeless services, and
• Responsibility for housing strategy
The Council has a strategic vision that is clearly set out in both the Housing & Homelessness and the Rough Sleeping Strategies which were both approved in 2019. By becoming part of an expanding team who are focused on preventing households from becoming homeless as well as providing tailored support and interventions when someone does become homeless this is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to some of the most vulnerable people in our city.What is the job role? This is a great time to be working in Rough Sleeping. Coventry's Rough Sleeping team have been operating for five years now and each year we see new challenges and new opportunities, and it is never boring. If you want to support some of our city's most vulnerable people and help others who have hit a difficult patch and have nowhere to live working as a Rough Sleeping Outreach Worker can be extremely satisfying. We find, engage, assess, support and follow up with people we find rough sleeping, supporting them at all stages of their rough sleeping journey to find a suitable place to live. We do our best to understand their unique situation and needs, so we can support them to find accommodation. This can be challenging and building rapport with people and being creative are important skills in the work. The role involves working early morning outreach, other unsociable hours on occasion and relies on the whole team working flexibly as necessary. Use of your own car is desirable. This role is currently funded until March 31st 2025. Rough Sleeping work is grant funded each year and we have been funded since 2019. We are expecting confirmation of any funding for 2025-26 in the coming weeks, therefore this contract could be extended past the 31st March 2025. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).


• Knowledge and understanding of the issues faced by homeless people, including adults with multiple and complex needs and/or no recourse to public funds.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; being able to really listen to people and understand their situation and needs.
• Knowledge of homelessness
• Experience in working with people with complex backgrounds or those with multiple and complex needs
• Excellent negotiating and advocacy skills
• Ability to assess people's needs and complete risk assessments
• Ability to work effectively in partnership with multiple partner services
• Ability to lone work and manage own day to day caseload
• Ability to deal positively with conflict and work to avoid situations escalating.
  
  In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.
Our Values are:
• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do., Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.
We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse. At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things. To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities. If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:
• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition
We are a great team, and new staff will be supported to settle into the work, working alongside experienced and confident colleagues. We have great partners across the city, and we work together to support people.