Housing and Homelessness Support Team Leader

Housing & Homelessness Support Team Leader
£45,750 – £49,056 per annum

The role

London Borough of Newham is looking for a Housing & Homelessness Support Team Leader to lead our frontline housing service. You'll be the operational lead across our face-to-face locations, managing a team of up to 12 officers and ensuring residents can access housing advice, make homelessness applications, and raise housing need enquiries — every day, in person, at the point of need.

This is a leadership role at the frontline: you'll set the standard for how the council shows up for residents facing some of the most difficult moments in their lives.

What you'll do

• Provide day-to-day leadership and oversight of frontline teams responding to resident demand at our face-to-face locations across the borough.
• Lead on eligibility and homelessness decisions where the position is clear, ensuring residents get a prompt, accurate response.
• Ensure the service meets its statutory obligations under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017).
• Oversee HPAS administration, including invoice processing and delegating tasks such as file copies and basic reporting.
• Work closely with Temporary Accommodation colleagues — handling enquiries, advice, and support for residents in section 188 accommodation.
• Lead on Private Sector Housing advice, working with the Renters Rights Team where breaches are identified. 
• Work proactively with the Solutions Team to ensure residents always have access to private rent options to negate homelessness or temporary accommodation. 
• Balance early intervention with urgent need, keeping the service responsive without losing sight of prevention.

Where you'll work

You'll be based in the office five days a week, primarily our lead office in Stratford, while leading a team that also operates from the Stratford and Canning Town Housing Hubs. There may be some capacity to work from home up to 1 day a week in agreement with the Senior Manager Pathways where an appropriate solution can be implemented.

About you

You're an experienced housing advisor with detailed, practical knowledge of homelessness legislation and significant frontline experience in a high-demand environment. You're decisive, calm under pressure, and confident managing a team while still being hands-on with complex cases.

Why this role

Homelessness in Newham is driven by private sector evictions, overcrowding, and domestic abuse. This role sits at the point where residents meet the council in that moment — it's challenging, but it's also where you can make a direct, visible difference to thousands of lives.

If you're an experienced Housing Advisor (or similar) in a busy London local authority looking for your next step, this role offers real scope for progression.

Interesting. Difficult. Fulfilling. Never boring.

Please note this may close early if we receive a high amount of applications

Please view JD here

Closing date: 31st August 2026

Additional Information

We are committed to creating an inclusive, anti-racist environment for all. When you apply for a job at Newham, your application is considered on its merits regardless of your age, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender identity or sexual orientation. If you share our vision and values, and you bring the experience and skills we need, that’s all that matters to us.

The London Borough of Newham has important responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. If you are appointed to a job that involves working with these groups, you may be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Please attach your supporting statement, explaining in no more than x2 A4 sides why and how you meet the criteria for this role. 

We practice anonymised recruitment. Please ensure that you remove all personal information from any documents that you upload.

rights, can be found by https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn.