Tenancy Sustainment Officer

Terms and Conditions: 37 hours per week, Fixed-Term contract for 3 years
Department: People, Social Work & Housing Needs
Interview date: 9th November 2026

Blackburn with Darwen has a disproportionately high number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), which provide accommodation to a significant number of vulnerable individuals, many of whom present with complex and multiple support needs. The Tenancy Sustainment Officer plays a vital role in supporting residents living within HMOs, Shadsworth Pods, temporary accommodation, and other housing settings, helping them to maintain their accommodation and successfully progress towards independent and permanent housing solutions.

The Role:

The post holder will work closely with residents to identify barriers to sustaining accommodation and develop tailored support plans that promote stability, independence, and positive life outcomes. This includes supporting individuals to access appropriate services such as mental health provision, substance misuse treatment, healthcare, welfare benefits advice, employment support, and other specialist interventions. The role focuses on ensuring accommodation placements are both suitable and sustainable, reducing the risk of tenancy breakdown and repeat homelessness.

Alongside direct resident support, the Tenancy Sustainment Officer will build strong working relationships with HMO landlords, accommodation providers, and support staff across the borough. Evictions from HMOs remain one of the leading causes of rough sleeping in Blackburn with Darwen, and the post holder will work proactively with landlords and residents to identify risks at an early stage, promote good practice, and implement interventions that prevent avoidable evictions. Through effective communication, mediation, and support planning, the role will contribute to improving tenancy sustainment rates and reducing rough sleeping across the borough.

For this post:

The successful candidate will coordinate a multi-agency response for individuals with complex needs, bringing together housing providers, health services, social care, substance misuse services, criminal justice agencies, and voluntary sector organisations to ensure residents receive the support required to maintain accommodation. They will act as an advocate for residents, helping them navigate services and access opportunities that promote long-term housing stability and social inclusion.

The role requires significant experience of working with vulnerable individuals who may present with multiple disadvantages, including homelessness, mental ill-health, substance dependency, offending histories, and trauma. The post holder must possess excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to build trust and rapport, and an understanding of person-centred and trauma-informed approaches to support. Experience of working within temporary accommodation, supported housing, or homelessness services, along with coordinating support from multiple agencies, would be highly desirable.

In addition to tenancy sustainment responsibilities, the Tenancy Sustainment Officer will support the Housing Needs Team in delivering the Council's statutory homelessness functions. This will include contributing to homelessness prevention activity, supporting individuals who are threatened with homelessness, and assisting with the implementation of duties arising from the Housing Act 1996 (Parts VI and VII), the Homelessness Act 2002, and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. The post holder will ensure that all casework is recorded accurately, safeguarding responsibilities are met, and service delivery contributes to the Council's wider objectives of preventing homelessness, reducing rough sleeping, and improving outcomes for some of the borough's most vulnerable residents.

If you would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Aleshia Skellern on aleshia.skellern@blackburn.gov.uk