Part-Time NHAS Consultancy Line Adviser

Closing date: Thursday 29 th July 2021 at 11.30 pm

Are you a client-focused individual with a good understanding of homelessness, housing and related social welfare issues? Then join Shelter as a NHAS Consultancy Line Adviser and you could soon be playing a vital role in the fight against bad housing and homelessness.

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
The NHAS is a vital partnership project provided by Shelter and funded by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. Providing specialist support on housing advice with a focus on preventing homelessness, NHAS promotes and supports best practice in the provision of high-quality housing advice. As well as delivering free training in housing law to 4,500 advisers from the local authority and advice sectors, we handle over 10,000 calls per year on the NHAS Consultancy Line. We also promote joint working between voluntary and statutory agencies, building partnerships to prevent homelessness and provide solutions for people in housing need. Have you got what it takes to join us?

About the role
As a Consultancy Line Adviser you'll be providing second tier specialist housing consultancy advice to Citizens Advice Bureaus, Other Voluntary Agencies and Local Authorities. This will involve answering enquiries by telephone, webchat and email, using diagnostic questioning to assess client needs, agreeing those needs and identifying desired outcomes and actions. Providing written confirmation of advice given and entering relevant information onto a case management system accurately and punctually will be important too, as will identifying cases requiring legal aid and/or face-to-face advice and referring them on as appropriate. Along the way, you'll need to work with other Shelter services and external agencies and ensure all work meets both external and internal quality, contractual, performance and professional targets and standards.

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

About you
Commercially aware and client focused, you have great organisational and time management skills, respect other people's opinions and are comfortable answering enquiries both over the phone and via email and webchat. What's more, you enjoy working collaboratively and are great at building effective working relationships, both with service users and a variety of stakeholders. Someone who values and respects others opinions, equally, you're not afraid to challenge the status quo and introduce new ideas, where appropriate, to help improve the way we do things. Last but not least, you're proficient using case management systems and Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, email and the internet and have the ability to type.

Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave (pro rata), enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

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. Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.

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.

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