Housing Options Officer

About the role

Can you help our homeless households overcome the barriers to keeping their current home or finding a new one?

Working within our Housing Solutions team we are looking for individuals to work with single-person households and families to support them to remain in their accommodation or find new homes.

Based in The Guildhall in the heart of Northampton’s Cultural Quarter, the Housing Options Service serves a large and diverse community. You will work throughout West Northamptonshire as required.

We also have one Part Time position available for 18.5 hrs per week.

What will you be doing?

You will work collaboratively with households at risk of homelessness to remove any barriers to their rehousing, review and update their personalised housing plan and minimise any stay in temporary accommodation.

You will assess if applicants are homeless, eligible for assistance, in priority need, and have a local connection with West Northamptonshire. Where appropriate, you will also consider if they are intentionally homeless.

You will issue legally compliant letters, referencing relevant guidance and case-law, and detailing the reasons for your decision.

About you

You are a high achiever who relishes a challenge.

You are aware of and can active work with local support agencies, health, and social services to ensure that we have sustainable and strong outcomes for families and vulnerable adults.

You have an organised approach to your work, making methodical and appropriate enquiries to confirm eligibility for housing assistance, homelessness, and priority need.

To meet the requirements of this challenging and exciting role, you will:

• Be able to work in a fast-paced, demanding, front-line, people-focused service.
• Have excellent negotiating and advocacy skills.
• Have a strong understanding of the Homelessness Reduction Act and the duties it places on housing authorities.
• Be able to understand, interpret and apply statutory legislation and related case-law.
• be organised and methodical with an interest in housing and homelessness, a strong team ethos and a desire to make a positive difference.

Want to know more or chat about our flexible and hybrid working? Please email our Housing Options Manager- Kay.Gilbert@westnorthants.gov.uk

Our benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days annual leave per year, 29 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
• Cycle to Work scheme. 
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Car Lease scheme
• Payment of professional subscription / membership - If your job description requires that you are registered with or are a member of a professional body, WNC will pay for your professional subscription or membership fees.
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Ongoing training and development opportunities.
• A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
• Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
• Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

About us

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services. 

Hear more from our Chief Executive, Anna Earnshaw, about what it's like to work at West Northants Council https://youtu.be/lV0EfeUF4aU  

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential.  We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.