Housing Advisor

Fixed term contract until 31 st December 2021

Closing date: 31 st May at 11.30pm

Interview date: 15th June 2021

We're looking for a highly motivated, customer-focused and influential individual who is passionate about making a difference to vulnerable and homeless people to join us as a Housing Advisor and offer vital support to the pioneering Motiv8 project.

About Shelter

A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet millions of people across Britain struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change - with individuals, in communities, across society - and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

At Shelter we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.

We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.

About the Team

Motiv8 is delivered through the Manchester Athena partnership and as one of the project's key partners, Shelter will provide participants with housing, welfare benefits and debt advice and support, either face to face, via a Helpline Plus telephone service or through guided self-help.

You will be employed to work solely on the Motiv8 project. The post is funded through the Building Better Opportunities programme by the European Social Fund (2) and BIG Lottery Fund.

About the Role

The Housing Advisor will be part of the dedicated Shelter Motiv8 team, as well as working closely with the wider Motiv8 partnership, which includes a range of local housing providers and voluntary sector organisations across Greater Manchester. Collaborative working and joint reporting systems will be a key feature of the programme.

You will provide dedicated and impartial advice, casework and advocacy to clients concerning housing, debt and welfare benefits. This will involve conducting initial client interviews and detailed diagnostic interviews at service centre, outreach sites and over the telephone, plus agreeing on the client's needs and identifying desired outcomes/actions. You will also be expected to generate letters confirming advice and support, write and implement case plans, make referrals to solicitor at the earliest point in an individual case and support solicitors when required.

About you

We're looking for a resilient, adaptable and proactive individual, with demonstrable experience of specialist level housing and/or debt and/or welfare benefit advice. You will also have a proven track record of working with vulnerable people and/or people with multiple and complex needs, plus experience of working within a safeguarding framework. An excellent communicator, both verbal and written, you will be able to prepare, plan and deliver impactful briefings and/or group work sessions, while strong interpersonal, relationship-building and IT skills are also essential.

Benefits include 30 days' annual leave, the possibility of flexible working, enhanced family friendly policies and significant opportunities for learning and development.

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We're here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

To find out more about the role and the benefits of working for Shelter please visit our website.

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

At Shelter, we welcome and encourage applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. We are facing diverse problems, so need diverse people to tackle them.

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.