Homelessness Prevention Officer

• Contract Type: Full-time, Temporary (2 months)
• Location: Oldham Council
• Salary: £15.77 - £17.69 per hour (PAYE)

Oldham Council are looking for a Homelessness Prevention Officer to deliver high-quality, customer-focused advice and support to individuals in Oldham who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. This role involves providing housing advice, completing investigations into homelessness applications, and ensuring compliance with relevant homelessness legislation.

• Provide professional housing options interviews and conduct thorough homelessness investigations, taking full applications from customers and ensuring duties are carried out at relevant stages within homelessness legislation.
• Assess customers' needs accurately in accordance with the Care Act 2014, the Children Act 1989, and all relevant housing legislation.
• Undertake detailed casework with customers who are homeless or threatened with homelessness, including assessments of legal duties owed, housing and support needs, and the production of Personal Housing Plans.
• Visit customers and their excluders to assess and validate current circumstances and advise on options available to remain in existing accommodation.
• Organise specialist help and make referrals on behalf of customers to support them with specific problems such as substance misuse, mental health, debt management, benefits, and council tax.
• Write and issue all required notifications, letters of referral to other authorities, and outcome letters, including statutory s184 notification letters, which must be approved by a manager before being sent.
• Respond to incoming enquiries by various means and provide timely responses where required.
• Work with colleagues in the Temporary Accommodation Services to place housing in line with policy and existing processes, update housing records, and issue correct notifications at the time of placing and when placements are ended.
• Provide the Council’s Out of Hours Emergency Housing Service and Cold Weather Provision on a rota basis, offering advice or practical assistance, including placing customers where it is established that they are roofless.
• Ensure that comprehensive, timely, and accurate records are kept for all customers, maintaining computer records, reports, and other monitoring information as required.

• Experience in housing or homelessness services.
• Knowledge of the Housing Act 1996 Part VII, the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, and relevant case law.
• Ability to undertake detailed casework and provide effective solutions to prevent homelessness.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to interact effectively with a diverse range of clients and professionals.
• Proficiency in maintaining accurate records and handling sensitive information.