Housing Options Officer

Your new company
Our client, a local government authority in Suffolk, is seeking a Housing Officer to join their well-established team in Ipswich. The organisation provides a range of services for the community, including housing, planning, leisure, and waste management. Our client employs over 1,000 staff and highly value employees\' wellbeing, progression, and personal development. There are set policies and procedures which host an inclusive and positive workplace culture where staff feel valued and are encouraged to embrace change. In addition, a strong work ethic and achievements are celebrated as staff are recognised as their greatest asset.
Your new role
The purpose of this role is to provide comprehensive housing advice, information, and advocacy on all housing rights and responsibilities and also conduct homelessness assessments. Duties include interviewing customers regarding housing issues, providing assistance and mediation on sensitive personal concerns (i.e. debt advice, domestic violence), and investigate claims of homelessness. You will encourage good practice, make decisive decisions on homelessness, and manage your own caseload. This involves report writing, correspondence, preparation of statistics, and maintaining records accurately. As an expert, you must keep your knowledge of housing legislation and policies up to date, in order to effectively assess, review, and advise applicants on social Housing Options.
What you\'ll need to succeed
To be successful, the applicant will have experience within housing and educated to A Level standard (or equivalent), and is advantageous if you possess relevant qualifications in housing or advice work. This position is customer facing and requires prior experience of dealing with the public, often in challenging circumstances, whilst remaining professional and able to make informed decisions. The office side of work involves statistics and reporting. Therefore, you will be able to accurately store and retrieve data from systems and be IT literate. You will also be a resilient and empathetic individual with awareness of social housing and homelessness issues, and it will benefit your application if you have working knowledge of homelessness legislation. Due to the sensitive nature of cases, your communication and conflict resolution skills must be exceptional with the ability to build and maintain relationships with internal and external bodies. Finally, you will be a team player who uses initiative and possesses strong organisational and prioritisation skills, meeting tight deadlines.
What you\'ll get in return
The organisation offers a competitive reward package that combines pay, pension, and a range of additional benefits. There are also flexible working options available, such as working one day in the office per week.
What you need to do now
If you\'re interested in this role, click \'apply now\' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.
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