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Job Title


Housing Solutions Officer


Company : Integrated Care System


Location : Salisbury, England


Created : 2025-07-21


Job Type : Full Time


Job Description

** WE ARE CURRENTLY UNABLE TO ACCEPT APPLICATIONS VIA NHS JOBS. TO CONTINUE WITH YOUR APPLICATION, PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING LINK TO OUR CAREERS SITE ** Hours per week: 30 hours Interview date: Tuesday 22 July 2025 Housing - Empowering Housing Solutions for All in Wiltshire Our Housing Solutions team ensures that customers can get housing advice and help if they are homeless or threatened with homelessness. The aim is to help people in housing need find suitable and affordable housing. Main duties of the jobIn this crucial role, you will provide advice, work proactively to prevent or relieve homelessness, and assess housing needs for the council's Housing Register. You will carry a caseload of homeless customers whose homelessness we are seeking to prevent or relieve. You'll collaborate with various departments and agencies to fulfil our statutory responsibilities to homeless people and help others in housing need in our challenging housing market. We are looking for someone who not only has knowledge of landlord & tenant, allocations and homelessness law, but also someone who is empathetic, adaptable, customer focused and able to work in a trauma-informed way. If you have similar experience in another type of customer service, and are accustomed to helping people in difficulties and making decisions within a statutory legal framework, we want to hear from you. Be the change you want today, advise and support those in your community in unsuitable housing and empower them to improve their housing prospects through applying for this role and securing your future. About usWiltshire Council is a friendly, welcoming place to work, with a 'One Council' ethos. That's why we focus on getting the things that matter to our people right. Job responsibilitiesThis role is to work with the public to address their housing needs by sympathetically interviewing and assessing their households' housing requirements and tailoring advice and information that best addresses their issues. This may include advice around low-cost home ownership and other forms of home ownership, working with landlords to overcome issues/barriers to renting in the private sector, assessing a household as eligible for the council's social housing register or recognising a homelessness role as part of the duties under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. The role, above all, will be to prevent homelessness and provide a fully rounded approach to housing solutions for customers. Specific duties and responsibilities include: Housing Advice Responding to the inquiries of customers, internal and external, who require free, independent advice and information on all housing-related issues, ensuring compliance with the Council's policies and procedures Communicating well with customers, strongly focusing on their housing concerns, the improvement of their housing conditions, the development of greater independence and the prevention of homelessness by offering timely, bespoke, good quality and consistent housing advice Advising customers in a timely way on all housing solutions appropriate to their personal circumstances, including improving the current housing conditions to relieve their housing need Providing housing costs and money management advice and appropriately signposting to specialist services individuals experiencing financial issues, debt and/or welfare rights problems Appropriately identifying and referring customers with tenancy sustainment issues to internal tenancy sustainment services for in-depth upstream advice and support Under the Council's safeguarding responsibilities, identifying and making appropriate and timely referrals to the MASH or Advice & Contact to support a customer's wellbeing, safety and independence Maintaining and efficiently managing a demanding caseload with competing demands, effectively prioritising and re-prioritising cases as necessary to ensure that customers receive attention appropriate to their needs. Ensuring, alongside other team members, that inquiries receive a prompt response, taking part in a rota to cover telephone and digital workstreams Working to develop strong partnerships with colleagues and stakeholders in the local community, statutory and third sector agencies, private landlords and letting agents alike Working with other agencies and statutory and third sector bodies to raise awareness of the housing challenges and options for residents of Wiltshire and help implement any education or advice programmes in the community Attending on behalf of housing and being involved in decision making at MAPPA, MARAC, DACC, Rough Sleeper Operational Panel and CIN/safeguarding meetings to ensure we meet our statutory requirement to co-operate Using the council's homelessness prevention fund appropriately, effectively and in accordance with reporting requirements to relieve housing stress in particular cases Being aware at all times of the imbalance of power between the local authority and private individuals Housing Allocations Sensitively interviewing prospective housing applicants in unsuitable, insecure or unaffordable housing and advising them about the solutions available to make their homes suitable, secure and affordable As part of holistic assessments of customers' housing needs, assessing their eligibility to join the council's allocations scheme, supporting them to make the relevant application and provide the necessary supporting information and documentation for their housing need to be assessed Making timely and appropriate inquiries to inform housing needs assessments under the Council's Allocation Policy and Part VI Housing Act 1996, liaising as necessary with landlords, social care professionals, clinicians and other professionals, and determining any tenancy sustainment issues in particular cases. These assessments are based on the whole household's needs and can be complex, with the statutory decisions the postholder makes on behalf of the Council being challengeable. Person SpecificationQualificationsHNC in housing or business or working towards a professional L4 Chartered Institute of Housing qualification Full or part membership of either the Chartered Institute of Housing, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, or Chartered Institute of Environmental Health is desirable At least three years experience of working in a housing or similar environment. In-depth understanding of housing/environmental/health policy and legislation and strategic role of local authorities Knowledge of housing law, in particular Housing Act 1996 Part VI and VII and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 Detailed knowledge of social housing, private housing sector, landlord and tenant legislation Fluent in both written and spoken English CIH qualification or equivalent relevant housing qualification Detailed knowledge of housing law, in particular Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017) and Landlord & Tenant housing law Knowledge of Welfare Benefits, wider Wiltshire Services and their interactions ExperienceHigh level of relevant and practical experience acquired on An advanced understanding of relevant procedures and working practices Advanced knowledge of specialist functions relevant to the service area Excellent ICT skills including use of Microsoft applications and specialist systems Good communication and interpersonal skills Good customer service skills with experience of resolving customer inquiries in relation to the service area Experience of working with the public in a customer-facing/contract role Relevant practical experience working as part of a team to meet service standards, targets and deadlines Good planning and organisational skills, with proven ability to use initiative, prioritise workloads#J-18808-Ljbffr