Trainee Housing Specialist

The Band 4 Trainee Housing Specialist will work under guidance from Housing Specialists to deliver housing advice, assistance, and interventions to people who use our services in relation to their housing needs which will prevent or relieve homelessness, secure good quality and longer term settled housing solutions, and reduce financial hardship.

Prepare information and support decision makers on formal applications for assistance, on behalf of the Local Housing Authority they are attached to, from persons who may be homeless or threatened with homelessness, acting in accordance with the homelessness legislation, statutory Code of Guidance and the policies of the relevant Local Housing Authority.

To work between local mental health and housing systems to ensure people who use our services and staff receive high quality and timely specialist housing input and access to wider housing teams and referral pathways. Regular travel across a variety of locations within the local area/community and externally within the District will be required.

The Trainee Housing Specialist is a development opportunity role which would be supported by the Housing Manager to work towards a Band 5 role within the first 24 months of employment.

The Trainee Housing Specialist will be supported through a structured programme of training, professional supervision, and peer support from the Housing Team and our partner Local Authorities at the end of which the Trainee will progress to a Band 5 position, The Trainee Housing Specialist will provide housing related support to people with identified housing needs under the care of either community or inpatient mental health teams .

To provide effective housing advice and interventions that are responsive to the needs of people who have accommodation difficulties.

Support mental health team staff to identify housing needs, respond to enquiries, assessing applications, providing advice and guidance to people with a range of housing needs including: prevention of homelessness, relationship breakdown, domestic violence, housing options, mortgage repossession, debt advice, housing and welfare benefits and all landlord and tenant issues.

A key aspect of the role is to support the Trust to exercise it's Duty to Refer as a Public Body as defined under the Homelessness Reduction Act (2018), ensuring accurate and timely verification of applications for assistance from persons who have housing needs and may be homeless or threatened with homelessness or may be owed a duty under the Act.

The Trainee Housing Specialist will work closely with key personnel and departments who assess priority for social housing in accordance with the Allocation Policy of the Local Housing Authority they are attached to, with onward processing of nominations to Registered Providers, gathering, presenting, and communication of information on behalf of the people using our services.

We recognise that working in mental health can be stressful at times so we prioritise staff welfare; providing regular supervision, mentoring, and any other support that our staff need to ensure their wellbeing. We also encourage flexible working.

Our vision is to provide outstanding care and treatment; the people that we employ are at the heart of making this vision a reality. If you've got the passion, the belief, the drive and the talent to help us achieve our vision then we would like to hear from you.