Homelessness Prevention & Solutions Officer

Job Description

The London Borough of Harrow is seeking a Homelessness Prevention & Solutions Officer to join its Housing Services department on a fixed-term contract. In this role, the successful candidate will be responsible for delivering the Council’s statutory duties to prevent and relieve homelessness for individuals and families who approach the Council in housing need. The officer will work to prevent homelessness by engaging with landlords and other relevant parties to help households retain their current accommodation. Where this is not possible, they will support a planned transition into the Private Rented Sector or explore alternative housing options to meet the household’s needs. The role involves managing a variety of cases, including complex ones that may be subject to judicial review or ombudsman investigation. Key responsibilities include conducting statutory homelessness assessments, supporting households in sustaining their tenancies, and ensuring a smooth transition into new accommodation. The postholder will play a vital role in reducing the use of temporary accommodation and promoting long-term housing stability.

The successful candidate will have:

• Comprehensive knowledge of all core legislation such as the Housing Act 1985, Housing Act 1996 as amended by Homelessness Act 2002, the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, housing needs issues, related legislation and case law.
• Experience of giving advice and information to vulnerable customers and working in a busy front line customer focused environment.
• Experience of carrying out interviews, investigations and negotiations.
• Experience of successfully working to performance targets and deadline.
• Ability to devise Personalised Housing Plans, provide advice to customers verbally and in writing and write accurate and comprehensive decisions on own initiative quoting relevant legislation, case law and statutory guidance.
• Experience of negotiation/advocacy/mediation.
• Experience of carrying out interviews, investigations and negotiations.
• Experience of effective record keeping including electronically.

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