Housing Options Officer

MMP Consultancy are looking to recruit to an Homelessness Officer join a fantastic Local Authority Association based in Surrey on a temporary hybrid contract.

To provide comprehensive housing advice to the public to prevent homelessness where possible, enable customers to make informed decisions based on an understanding of the options available to them and to maximise the use of good quality housing across all tenures.

This will be a temporary role paying £30.00 an hour.

Duties:

* Provide, as a member of the Housing Options Team, a comprehensive housing options service to the public, including retaining their current accommodation, obtaining alternative accommodation, debt counselling, mortgage advice, welfare benefits and income maximisation advice, advice on landlord and tenant disputes and generally wherever possible to assist individuals to secure accommodation suitable for their needs, within the council's current homeless prevention agenda and financial and policy constraints.
* Offer free, confidential and impartial information and advice to the public about their housing rights and obligations under legislation and Council policy either in the Town Hall or alternative locations as appropriate.
* Provide advice about the provisions of Part VI and Part VII of the Housing Act 1996, Homelessness
* Act 2002, Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and Localism Act 2011.
* Investigate the circumstances of people presenting to the Council as homeless and to determine, in accordance with current legislation, case law and the Code of Guidance issued to local authorities by the Department of Communities and Local Government, what duties the Council has towards them and to issue legal and robust notification plans and decision letters accordingly.
* Arrange for homeless applicants to be placed in temporary accommodation where a duty to do so has been triggered in accordance with current legislation and procedures.
* Ensure the most effective use is made of temporary accommodation, especially in relation to the cost to the Council of providing it and to the needs of the applicant.
* Refer homeless applicants to other Local Authorities where appropriate.
* Arrange for the storage of furniture and belongings of homeless applicants, where the Council has a duty to assist them with this, in accordance with current procedures.
* Write up detailed case notes, reports and housing plans, ensure that up-to-date file notes and other records, including computerised records are maintained, conduct correspondence and deal with telephone enquiries as appropriate.

Skills & Abilities

* Able to work on own initiative
* Able to prioritise workloads and meet deadlines
* Excellent communication skills at all levels
* Developed negotiating skills
* Good written and oral communications skills
* Be confident and competent with standard IT packages
* Proven decision making skills
* Good numeracy skills
* Detailed and extensive knowledge of the current legislation and duties owed to persons by the
* Council under Parts VI and VII of the Housing Act 1996, Homelessness Act 2002, Homelessness
* Reduction Act 2017, Localism Act 2011 and its application.
* Detailed and extensive knowledge of the current Code of Guidance for Local Authorities, Relevant Case Law and its application.

Title: Homelessness Officer
Location: Crawley

MMP Consultancy are working with a fantastic organisation to recruit a Supply Chain Administrator to join them based in West London.

We are seeking enthusiastic and experienced administrators or coordinators to apply, who possess exceptional customer service and clerical skills. Ideally someone who thrives in challenging atmospheres and can remain calm under pressure.

Responsibilities:

* Ensure the effective management of the service operation by optimising the use of all operational resources and developing and implementing robust and effective policies and procedures to achieve contract requirements for respective clients.
* Support the Project Lead in their duties and manage supply chain.
* Liaise DTD supervisors to ensure service compliance with contractual service standards measured through KPI's providing an efficient and effective maintenance service including Voids, Disrepair, Day to Day Repairs and Planned Works workstreams which results in commercial success and high levels of customer satisfaction through supply chain management.
* Ensure all works orders received are completed within target dates leading to delivery of contractual key performance indicators.
* Manage supply chain to ensure that they comply with relevant specifications, understand their individual performance targets and deliver accordingly.
* Liaise with the planning team to ensure correct allocation, check to clarify what trades and timeframes are required, and if a pre-inspection is necessary resulting in high levels of customer care and minimising non-productive time / activities.
* Support schedulers in reviewing diaries daily to ensure that the correct orders have been distributed across all supply chain.
* Ensure that pre and post repairs inspections are carried out, undertaking all necessary checks in accordance with Professional standards and other associated policies and procedures.

MMP Consultancy are currently recruiting for an Income Officer based in East London on a temp/permanent basis.

Main Responsibilities:
* Maximise rental income, minimise loss through bad debts
* Provide advice to services, and lead on effective legal actions, including occupation and anti-social behaviour
* Support clients to maintain accommodation through provision of housing management of at least one block of independent accommodation
* Ensure high level of accommodation standards through effective repairs and voids management, and responsibility for statutory and organisational health and safety
* Maximise financial income through effective management of occupation, minimising void loss in semi-independent accommodation
* Collate performance returns against KPI's and provider monitoring returns
* To support the Senior Officer with actions to recover former tenant arrears where services are decommissioned, or there is no allocated service manager
* Review former tenant arrears at surgery meetings, and support teams to action attempts to recover arrears, guiding in the policy and process where needed
* Review, check and process all bad debt write off request forms submitted for first tier review
If this could be of interest to yourself, please send me your most up to date CV and I will give you a call at my earliest convenience

MMP Consultancy are looking to recruit a Relief Scheme Manager on a Permanent basis, based in Kent.

Main Responsibilities:

* Deliver monthly support sessions, with outcomes, across our independent older people's schemes.
* Effectively manage all aspects of housing related services to provide a high-quality housing management service to residents.
* Monitor and action low level rent arrears cases in accordance
* Conduct risk assessments and provide support to residents.
* Take ownership of the scheme key performance indicators (KPIs) and responsibility for ensuring their achievement and reporting to timescale.
* Build positive working relationships with multi-agency partners, and other services.
* Develop and maintain a varied activities programme which links in with the local community and encourage tenants to support their own activities.
* Implement and carry out any required health and safety and fire checks, ensuring that all schemes are compliant.
* Deliver an excellent level of service to customers ensuring that their needs are met.
* Ensure safeguarding concerns are dealt with.
* Maintain confidentiality regarding any sensitive information you come across in the course of your work, ensuring professional boundaries are adhered to.
* Ability to carry out support work at other sheltered schemes.
* Ad hoc testing of systems.
* Continuously look to improve the service and ensure all paperwork and record keeping is accurate and up to date.
* Ability to work at other schemes throughout the county.

Requirements:

* Desire to work in older adults' services and with a good understanding and knowledge of the issues facing the older person housing sector.
* Knowledge of welfare benefits, budgeting, and risk assessments in relation to housing management and allocations'
* Self-motivated, resilient, and able to work independently and with the ability to prioritise own workload and self-manage own learning.
* Experience of delivering excellent customer services.
* Able to use Microsoft office packages.
* Confident using bespoke ICT systems and databases.
* Excellent communication skills with the ability to tailor written and verbal communication to suit individual needs.
* Demonstrate ability to analyse and prioritise workload and be able to work under pressure.
* Ability to build relationships and gain trust while maintaining professional boundaries.

MMP Consultancy are looking to recruit a Senior Housing Advisor on a temporary basis working for a Local Authority based in Hammersmith.

To manage a team of officers delivering a customer facing first point of contact for people who are presenting as being homeless or threatened with homelessness. To ensure the team provide excellent services to all residents and customers who present, apply, or are referred to the service by offering high standards of customer care at all times acting with integrity and courtesy.

This will be a temporary position paying £32.13 Umbrella

Responsibilities:

* Manage a team providing the first point of contact for customers approaching the Council for housing assistance using all contact methods e.g. in person, by telephone, email, fax or by post. Postholder will work flexibly across all access channels as required to meet the needs of customers and the efficient and effective running of the service.
* Ensure the service is suitably covered to deal with demand, managing rotas and taking decisions, often at short notice, depending on customer flow and staff absences. Part of this is also ensuring appropriate cover by suitably skilled officers for Out of Hours service.
* Develop and maintain a detailed knowledge of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, Housing Act 1996 Part VII, the Code of Guidance and all associated case law and apply this knowledge in the administration of our prevention and relief and other statutory duties.
* Ensure the team applies the legislative framework correctly during the 'triage' process, so that correct and appropriate decisions are made at the initial stages, that these are appropriately recorded, and that the council is not exposed to legal or reputational risk as a result.
* Oversee best practice in terms of record keeping, confidentiality and administration, working within approved policies, procedures and standards.
* Monitor and track all customer enquiries, complaints and member enquiries coming into the Assessment and Prevention Team. To ensure these are responded to within the appropriate timescales and to the appropriate level. To contribute to analysis enabling the service to learn from these enquiries, which leads to service improvement.
* Contribute towards the management of health and safety within H&F Advice, in particular to be responsible for ensuring that the public areas are kept safe, tidy and free of avoidable hazards.
* Be responsible for managing and recording all contacts with high standards of customer care to effectively and efficiently meet the needs of customers e.g. providing information and advice, signposting to other providers, undertaking adult social screening, housing advice interviews and all associated follow-up enquiries.
* Assist with the assessment and verifications process of applications to join the Council's general Housing Register, taking care at all times to ensure information to support applications are evidenced, verified and appropriately processed. To make sure officers have a good understanding of the Council's Allocation Policy in order to correctly support Housing Register applications.
* Log case reviews, where a formal review or appeal has been requested. To send acknowledgement letters in relation to this, ensuring that they comply with the relevant statutory regulations and requirements.

Skills & Abilities:

* Experience of managing a team and providing advice, assistance and homelessness prevention services.
* Good knowledge of the needs of vulnerable single people in housing need and the ability to apply this knowledge to applications for housing assistance.
* Ability to communicate and negotiate effectively, in writing and orally, with team members landlord, tenants, members, solicitors, stakeholders, partners and the public.
* A commitment to and understanding of the Council's equal opportunities policy, and the ability to implement the policy in relation to the homelessness prevention agenda.
* Excellent knowledge of IT systems and databases and the ability to extract information, produce statistical data and present in report format.
* A good understanding of issues relating to homelessness and housing legislation including the Homelessness Reduction Act and experience of working in this area
* Experience of dealing with partner agencies in terms of creating and implementing effective solutions.
* Experience of working in a service within a pressurised environment within a multi-disciplinary team, providing a quality service.

Title: Senior Housing Advisor
Location: Hammersmith
Salary: £32.13 Umbrella

MMP Consultancy are looking to recruit a Specialist Housing Officer on a temporary basis working for a Local Authority based in Hammersmith.

To deliver an enhanced tenancy and estate management service which continually improves the quality of life and satisfaction with services for older & vulnerable residents & maximises the opportunity to co-ordinate and work with key partners and stakeholders.

This will be on a temporary basis paying £24.96 per hour Umbrella.

Responsibilities:

Deliver a comprehensive enhanced housing management service to help residents maintain their tenancy and ensure they are able to access and receive a range of housing and support services.
Work as part of a specialist team working with older and vulnerable customers and as such be responsible for identifying ways to develop and continuously improve the service.
The post holder must always follow appropriate guidelines and procedures to ensure the Council provides the appropriate level of service in the most efficient manner.
Complete systematic monitoring and inspection of sheltered housing schemes to provide secure, clean and well maintained communal areas and services including ensuring residents needs are taken into account for planned maintenance.
Report and monitor completion of household repairs for residents less able to do so and co-ordinate / deploy a handy person to provide a more accessible and tailored service.
Facilitate and promote social activities within the scheme and co-ordinate the use of communal lounge and guest room to enhance the quality of life for residents.
Manage the rehousing process including working with the void works team in property services to get the property into works and receive the property back once works are complete, to carry out viewings and sign up new and transferring tenants.
Deliver a tenancy management service tailored to the needs of sheltered housing residents, including the signing up of new tenancies and enabling residents to effect changes to tenancies including successions, name changes etc…..
Identify breaches of tenancy, such as anti-social behaviour, illegal occupancy or sub-letting, and raise these with the sheltered housing manager who will direct investigations. Furthermore, to identify tenancies which should be brought to an end, and to alert the sheltered housing manager that a notice to quit should be considered, or to assist tenants or next of kin on how to end their tenancy.
Ensure the effective resettlement of new customers into vacant homes providing information about scheme facilities, tenancy related matters and local services to maximise customer satisfaction.

Skills & Abilities:

* Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Council policies in relation to equal opportunity, customer care and service delivery, and the ability to implement these policies in the workplace.
* Evidence of success in promoting equal opportunities through innovative, integrated and client/community focused service provision.
* Evidence of a clear understanding of all aspects of enhanced housing management and an ability to demonstrate commitment to continuous improvement
* An understanding and knowledge of housing and other relevant legislation and regulatory framework within housing.
* Knowledge of dealing with safeguarding issues to ensure alerts are made efficiently and sensitively
* Experience of working in a customer facing service and dealing sensitively and effectively with customer issues, specifically with older and vulnerable customers
* Experience of working within a performance management framework and reporting on KPIs and outcomes
* An understanding of assistive technologies and operations, for example falls detectors, medication alerts, flood sensors.
* Ability to use information and communications technology to maintain up to date information and retrieve information quickly and accurately to help customers.

Title: Specialist Housing Officer
Location: Hammersmith
Salary: £24.96 Umbrella