Homelessness Prevention & Solutions Officer

Job Description

The London Borough of Harrow is seeking a dedicated and proactive professional to take on the role of Homelessness Prevention & Solutions Officer within the Housing Services Division.

This vital position is at the forefront of preventing and relieving homelessness for households in housing need. You will provide intensive, specialist support to individuals and families, helping them sustain existing accommodation or secure suitable housing solutions. Working in a fast-paced environment, you will conduct statutory homelessness assessments, negotiate with landlords and other stakeholders, and develop personalised housing plans to prevent homelessness wherever possible.

A core focus of the role is empowering households to find sustainable solutions to their housing crisis, while ensuring compliance with the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and other relevant legislation. You will provide practical advice on housing options, welfare rights, and tenancy support, and work collaboratively with internal teams, external agencies, and landlords to deliver positive outcomes. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong problem-solving skills, excellent communication, and the ability to manage complex cases under pressure.

The successful candidate will have:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent, or substantial relevant work experience.
• Comprehensive knowledge of core legislation, including the Housing Act 1985, Housing Act 1996 (as amended), Homelessness Act 2002, and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, as well as related case law.
• A good working knowledge of housing benefit rules and the supply and demand issues related to public and private housing in a London borough.
• Detailed understanding of the private rented sector, the council’s statutory function to protect citizens from illegal eviction, county court possession proceedings, and prevention tools and options.
• Expert knowledge of homelessness policy and practice, and a deep understanding of national and local welfare and housing systems.
• Outstanding customer service skills, including the ability to explain technical information simply and provide sensitive, effective support to vulnerable customers.
• Experience of giving advice and information in a busy, front-line customer-focused environment.
• Strong negotiation, advocacy, and mediation skills, with experience of interviewing homeless applicants and handling sensitive information.
• Ability to gather and interpret complex information quickly, think creatively about problems, and identify practical solutions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write detailed technical letters and reports, and devise Personalised Housing Plans.
• Ability to organise and monitor workload, prioritise competing demands, and work effectively under pressure to meet statutory deadlines and performance targets.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including active listening and the ability to maintain positive working relationships with customers and stakeholders.

This post will require a satisfactory enhanced DBS check, travel for business purposes, and occasional work outside normal office hours.

For more information, please refer to the Role Profile/Selection Criteria

About us

Harrow Council is the 12th largest London borough and one of the most culturally diverse local authorities in the UK, making it a great place to live, work and visit with a range of cultures, religions and opinions that come together to produce high achieving schools and a close and friendly community. Located 10 miles from the city centre and just 13 minutes to Euston from Harrow & Wealdstone station there are great transport links via the Metropolitan Line, Watford DC Line and national rail service. It is easily accessible to the M1, M25 and A406.

Other information

Support for candidates visit:Harrow.gov.uk Our behavioural indicators roles below G11 and above G11 Here at Harrow Council, the vision is one of 'Working together to make a difference for Harrow' Please click here to view Harrow Council's benefits

Important Note

To deliver our commitment to equality of opportunity in service provision, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs at the London Borough of Harrow. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender, reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, or maternity unless a Genuine Occupational Qualification applies. As such, we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds. For further information, please read our equality statement.

As a disability-confident employer, we are committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and accessible to everyone. This includes reasonably adjusting the recruitment process for those with disabilities or long-term health conditions. For further information, please contact us at resourcing@harrow.gov.uk

London Borough of Harrow is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Harrow operates stringent, safer recruitment procedures.

Due to the high number of applications received for some posts, we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

Harrow redeployees will be given priority consideration.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, any your data protection rights, can be found by visiting www.cifas.org.uk/fpn