Housing Options Officer

Purpose of the Role:

• To prevent and relieve homelessness.
• To assess and determine homeless applications.
• To provide advice and assistance to homeless applicants.
• To deliver an effective and appropriate service to all service users, fairly and without discrimination.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Deliver effective, efficient, consistent, and customer-focused housing services in line with relevant legislation, guidance, and council policies and procedures, working in partnership with other teams and organisations.
2. Handle customer enquiries effectively, including by email, letter, telephone, video call, in person, in the council offices, in customers' homes, and at other locations as appropriate.
3. Provide advice and assistance on housing rights, responsibilities, and options to help prevent and relieve homelessness for customers.
4. Investigate, assess, and determine homeless applications, ensuring compliance with all relevant criteria.
5. Make decisions and recommendations for homeless applications, and produce decision letters accordingly.
6. Assess the housing circumstances, housing needs, and housing-related support needs of households who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, identifying necessary actions to secure and sustain suitable accommodation, while monitoring progress and providing regular updates.
7. Allocate accommodation to homeless applicants, ensuring suitability assessments are carried out and ensuring the best use of available housing.
8. Arrange, manage, and monitor interim and temporary accommodation placements, including overseeing charges, satisfactory behaviour, and adherence to terms and conditions, with the goal of minimising the number and duration of placements where possible.
9. Participate in the housing options service duty rota during normal service hours, and provide emergency standby and advisory duties outside of normal service hours.
10. Assist the Housing Allocations Team by providing advice and assistance, investigating, assessing, and determining housing register applications, and allocating accommodation to housing register applicants, as needed.
11. Assist the Housing Allocations Team with the housing allocations service duty rota during normal service hours, when required.
12. Maintain accurate, up-to-date, and appropriate records relating to all aspects of the service.
13. Protect and manage information securely, reporting any information security breaches or suspected breaches, in accordance with council policies and procedures.
14. Provide fair and equal services to all customers, in line with council policies and procedures.
15. Identify and report safeguarding concerns, in line with council policies and procedures.
16. Undertake other duties as appropriate to your grade, when required.

Special Factors:

• The nature of this role may require the post-holder to work outside of normal service opening hours.
• As this job is designated as a 'regulated activity' (involving certain activities in relation to children and/or vulnerable adults), or is an exempt position under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, an enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check is essential.