8 Homelessness support worker jobs in Bristol

Please note - this role is homebased in Scotland, with some travel througout Scotland and to London required.

Independent Age is the national charity working towards ending financial hardship in later life.  

Our Helpline and expert advisers offer free information and advice to older people without enough money to live on, while our external training equips professionals with the information they need to support older people on low incomes. Through our grants programme, we fund and support hundreds of local charities working with older people across the UK.  We use the knowledge and insight gained from our support services and partnerships to highlight the issues experienced by older people in poverty and campaign for change.  

We believe no one should face financial hardship in later life. We would love to find individuals from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds to join us on this journey.

Responsibilities and Person Specification:

This new role is an integral part of the day-to-day delivery of our Advice and Support Service. The service is targeted at older people in or facing financial hardship, and provides information, advice and follow up support relating to a range of issues, including Welfare Benefits, Social Care and Housing. 

As an Adviser (Scotland) you will be responsible for providing specialist support to older people, their families and carers through our advice service with their enquiries relating to housing and welfare benefits in Scotland as well as providing generalist level support on a range of issues through our duty service.

You should have in depth, specialist level knowledge of Housing or Welfare Benefits in Scotland as they relate to older people. Experience of working within a high-volume advice setting and advice supervision framework such as the AQS framework.

We plan to further develop our advice offer in Scotland to cover advice around charging for Social Care, so whilst not essential, knowledge of this area, or a desire to develop will be beneficial.

For full details on the role and requirements, please review the job description and person specification.  If your experience doesn’t align perfectly with all the criteria in the person specification but you do meet most of them and are excited about the role, we encourage you to apply anyway. 

This is a full-time role, 35 hours per week, which you can choose to work over five days or a 9-day fortnight. We also are open to this role being worked on a part-time basis on a minimum of 21 hours per week.

What it’s like to work at Independent Age:

We celebrate diversity at Independent Age and champion the differences that make each of us unique. We actively support and encourage people from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and skill sets to join us and help shape what we do. We aim to attract and retain a wide range of talent and create an environment where everyone can feel safe, protected, welcome and included.

We offer great benefits including 28 days annual leave plus public holidays, a generous pension scheme with life assurance, and fantastic learning and development opportunities. We also offer a number of enhanced leave provisions and benefits.

We know that a good work life balance helps us perform at our best and supports wellbeing. Flexible working hours and hybrid working is standard for all. But if you need a different form of flexibility, we are always happy to talk flexible working. 

With an employee engagement score of 98%, colleagues say Independent Age is a great place to work. You can find out more about what it’s like to work at Independent Age by visiting the Careers page on our website.

Application Process:

To apply, please visit our website to submit a CV and a Supporting Statement, detailing how your skills and experience meet the criteria within the Job Description and Person Specification. 

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you require any specific arrangements or adjustments to enable you to fully participate in the recruitment process, such as having the job description in a larger text format or to apply in an alternative format, please get in touch with us via the email address on the ‘Contact Us’ page on our jobs site. 

To support our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion our hiring managers use anonymous shortlisting. Please don’t include your name, photo, or any information that could indicate your gender or age in your CV and supporting statement, and don’t include your name in the title of any documents that you upload. However, please do include all dates of employment.  

Independent Age is committed to safeguarding and follows Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding those we work with. We therefore ask that you supply your full work history with explanations for any gaps in the application documents you submit and, if offered the post, we will require a minimum of two employment references including your current or most recent employer. A Level 1 (Basic) Disclosure check will be carried out for the successful candidate.

Closing Date: Sunday 4th October 2026 11:59pm

Interview Dates: 

First round of interviews will take place online on Tuesday 13th & Wednesday 14th October

Second round of interviews will be held in person, in Glasgow, on Wednesday 21st October

Opoka is a subsidiary of Chrysalis Group and provides emotional support and guidance to women and children escaping domestic violence. Our services are delivered by specially trained bilingual IDVA’s, DV Outreach workers, Counsellors and Helpline & Crisis Response workers as well as a team of volunteers, peer-mentors, and community champions across the region.

We are seeking a Support Worker who will provide high quality practical and emotional support to women and children escaping domestic violence seeking refuge in our safe houses. You will oversee the smooth running of our safe houses and work alongside our Housing Team to provide an intensive housing management in our safe houses.

You will be bilingual in Polish and English and be able to converse fluently as organisational and communication skills are a key element to this role. You will have an understanding of safeguarding and domestic violence whilst bringing a trauma informed and a non-judgemental approach to this highly sensitive and confidential role.

High levels of time management skills and the ability to accurately enter highly confidential information into our databases so that your fellow team members can follow individual’s caseloads are essential.

As this role is working with women and children in extremely vulnerable situations, the post is only open to women applicants and as this role provides regulated activities under the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) candidate are required to undertake an enhanced DBS check.

You will hold a full UK driving licence as you will be visiting our safe houses daily.

Do you want to get out there and work in a role where you will support an end to rough sleeping in Bristol? 

St Mungo’s Bristol Street Outreach Team will be recruiting to a number of Outreach Worker roles as part of an increased number of opportunities across rough sleeping services. This could include working with focused groups of clients including those residing in vehicles on the roadside or people who have been rough sleeping for a particularly long time, some of whom are part of the ‘Target Priority Group (TPG)’.

Our belief is that rough sleeping is an intrinsically harmful and dangerous activity both for the individual and for the wider community. Therefore, we take a proactive and assertive approach to supporting people away from this activity. Our aim is to support people to recover from the effects of rough sleeping and move away from a street lifestyle permanently.

Working as an Outreach Worker you will:

• Work with people who are rough sleeping to assess their needs and deliver a person-centred support that meet peoples individual needs and connect them to suitable housing options. This could also include working alongside people who are residing in vehicles on the roadside.
• Balance time in the community, on Outreach, working with people where they are sleeping or spending their days, alongside time in the office completing administrative tasks and attending meetings.
• Help people access vital services like healthcare, substance use support, and adult social care.
• Work in partnership with multi-disciplinary teams and agencies across the city to meet client’s individual needs.

It’s not always an easy job, but the opportunity to work with different people every day, helping individuals experiencing homelessness and the local community end the harms of rough sleeping can be highly rewarding.

You will work on a weekly shift rota including mornings, evenings, weekends and bank holidays. This helps us to ensure we are available to support people experiencing homelessness when they need us the most. Shifts can vary particularly during periods of extreme weather.

About you

We are always on the lookout for people who share our ambitions. You don’t need direct experience to succeed in these rewarding roles; if you are ready to get out there and support our clients, we encourage you to apply!

• You will have good communication skills with the ability to network and build effective relationships with a variety of people, a good understanding of the complex issues faced by homeless people and the difficulties they experience in accessing services.
• If you think you have the resilience and patience to work with people who may have complex needs and challenging behaviour, we will provide you with the tools and training to support clients to end rough sleeping for good.  
• Due to the nature of this role a full UK or equivalent driving license is desirable for this post, and/or competency in cycling.

St Mungo's are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We strongly encourage applications from all under-represented groups.

How to apply

To view the job description and guidance on completing your application form, please click on the ‘document’ tab on the advert page on our website.

To find out more and apply please go to the St Mungo’s careers page on our website.

Closing date: 10am on 24 September 2026

Interview and assessments on: 5-6 October 2026

What we offer

• Excellent Development and Growth Opportunities
• A Diverse and Inclusive Workplace
• Great Pay and Other Benefits

Job Summary 
The Service Manager - Z House will provide operational leadership for Z House, Caring in Bristol’s emergency accommodation service for young people aged 18–25 experiencing housing crisis. 

The Service Manager will be responsible for ensuring that Z House is a safe, welcoming, well-managed and psychologically informed service, where young people are treated with dignity and supported to move towards greater stability and appropriate longer-term accommodation. 

You will lead the day-to-day operation of Z House, overseeing referrals and placements, safeguarding with support from our Safeguarding team and risk management, staff and volunteer practice, accommodation standards, partnership working and service development. 

The Service Manager role will combine operational management with a strong focus on relationships and practice. You will work closely with the young people using Z House, the wider Caring in Bristol team and partners across Bristol to ensure that the service responds effectively to individual needs while contributing to our wider ambition to prevent and reduce homelessness. 
 
The role will also have capacity to lead or contribute to the development and delivery of additional accommodation or youth-focused projects that sit within the scope of Z House and Caring in Bristol’s Support Services. This may include developing new provision, responding to emerging needs and opportunities, and working with partners to extend or adapt our accommodation offer. 

Reporting to the Head of Support Services, you will be part of the wider Support Services team and will contribute to the development of Caring in Bristol’s approach to accommodation, youth homelessness and early intervention. 

Key responsibilities 

• Lead the day-to-day operation of Z House, ensuring the service is safe, effective, welcoming and responsive to the needs of young people experiencing housing crisis.

• Manage the referral, assessment and placement process, making appropriate decisions about suitability and ensuring risks and support needs are identified and managed effectively.

• Oversee safeguarding practice within Z House, ensuring concerns are identified, responded to and escalated appropriately and in line with organisational procedures.

• Lead the development and implementation of effective operational systems, policies and procedures that support high-quality and consistent service delivery.

• Manage and support staff and volunteers involved in Z House, creating a positive, inclusive and reflective culture and ensuring people have the information, training and support they need to work safely and effectively.

• Build strong relationships with referral partners and organisations across Bristol, ensuring young people can access appropriate specialist support and move towards suitable longer-term accommodation.

• Develop effective pathways with the wider Caring in Bristol support offer, ensuring Z House guests can access appropriate support around housing, independent living and other areas of need. 

• Budget responsibility Manage the Z House budget effectively, ensuring expenditure is appropriately monitored, controlled and managed within agreed financial parameters. 

• Lead or contribute to the development and delivery of new projects and service developments within the scope of Z House and Support Services, responding flexibly to emerging opportunities, funding and identified needs 

Outreach Support Worker Opportunities

Bristol

£34,873 - £38,763 pa 

Do you want to get out there and work in a role where you will support an end to rough sleeping in Bristol? 

St Mungo’s Bristol Street Outreach Team will be recruiting to a number of Outreach Worker roles as part of an increased number of opportunities across rough sleeping services. This could include working with focused groups of clients including those residing in vehicles on the roadside or people who have been rough sleeping for a particularly long time, some of whom are part of the ‘Target Priority Group (TPG)’.

Our belief is that rough sleeping is an intrinsically harmful and dangerous activity both for the individual and for the wider community. Therefore, we take a proactive and assertive approach to supporting people away from this activity. Our aim is to support people to recover from the effects of rough sleeping and move away from a street lifestyle permanently.

Working as an Outreach Worker you will:

• Work with people who are rough sleeping to assess their needs and deliver a person-centred support that meet peoples individual needs and connect them to suitable housing options. This could also include working alongside people who are residing in vehicles on the roadside.
• Balance time in the community, on Outreach, working with people where they are sleeping or spending their days, alongside time in the office completing administrative tasks and attending meetings.
• Help people access vital services like healthcare, substance use support, and adult social care.
• Work in partnership with multi-disciplinary teams and agencies across the city to meet client’s individual needs.

It’s not always an easy job, but the opportunity to work with different people every day, helping individuals experiencing homelessness and the local community end the harms of rough sleeping can be highly rewarding.

You will work on a weekly shift rota including mornings, evenings, weekends and bank holidays. This helps us to ensure we are available to support people experiencing homelessness when they need us the most. Shifts can vary particularly during periods of extreme weather.

About you

We are always on the lookout for people who share our ambitions. You don’t need direct experience to succeed in these rewarding roles; if you are ready to get out there and support our clients, we encourage you to apply!

• You will have good communication skills with the ability to network and build effective relationships with a variety of people, a good understanding of the complex issues faced by homeless people and the difficulties they experience in accessing services.
• If you think you have the resilience and patience to work with people who may have complex needs and challenging behaviour, we will provide you with the tools and training to support clients to end rough sleeping for good.  
• Due to the nature of this role a full UK or equivalent driving license is desirable for this post, and/or competency in cycling.

St Mungo's are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We strongly encourage applications from all under-represented groups.

Closing date: 10am on 24 September 2026

Interview and assessments on: 5-6 October 2026

Please note: This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must have existing and ongoing right to work in the UK for the duration of employment.

Successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their right to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

Are you a proactive, collaborative and compassionate individual with experience of supporting, engaging with, or communicating with young people or people experiencing disadvantage? Do you have the ability to understand and maintain appropriate professional boundaries when supporting vulnerable young people?

If so, St Giles is looking for a SOC Volunteer who will support the Serious Organised Crime (SOC) team in its work with young people who may be vulnerable to, experiencing, or at risk of criminal exploitation, serious violence, offending and associated harms. This is a supported volunteer role. The volunteer will not hold an independent caseload or undertake lone client contact.

About St Giles Trust

An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need. Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.

About this key role

As our volunteer, you will support SOC staff to build positive, trusting relationships with young people and engage them with the service. This will involve attending planned client sessions, appointments and community-based activities alongside an authorised St Giles staff member and supporting young people with agreed practical activities, including education, training, employment, volunteering and positive activities, under the direction of SOC staff.

We will also rely on you to support confidence-building, strengths-based and positive decision-making activities with young people, assist SOC staff with appropriate preparation and follow-up activities connected to client sessions and support the delivery of group activities, workshops and engagement sessions where appropriate.You willlisten to young people without judgement and encourage them to recognise their strengths, aspirations and opportunities for positive change and work collaboratively with SOC caseworkers and the wider team, sharing relevant information with the staff member responsible for the young person’s case.

What we are looking for

• Experience of volunteering, community activity, mentoring, peer support or youth work is desirable but not essential
• A willingness to work alongside staff, follow guidance and undertake relevant training
• An understanding of, or willingness to learn about, criminal exploitation, serious youth violence and the vulnerabilities that can increase exploitation risk
• An awareness of strengths-based, person-centred and trauma-informed approaches
• The ability to encourage and support young people while respecting their choices and maintaining professional boundaries.
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building and communication skills, verbal and written
• A flexible, collaborative and professional approach to your work

We are an equity and inclusion-confident employer. We welcome all applications, and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi-heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuroexpansive, or neurodiverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.

Please note St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.

An enhanced Children’s Barred List DBS check is required for this role.

PERSON SPECIFICATION In your application form, please provide a written statement (maximum 1,000 words) showing how you meet the criteria outlined in the Person specification. 

Job Role: Service Manager – Supported Accommodation for Autistic Adults

Salary: £31,365 per year

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Contract type: Permanent

Location: Bath

Additional information:

• Participation in an on-call out-of-hours rota.

About Alongside

Alongside is the new name for Julian House. We work with people experiencing social exclusion across the South and West of England, providing outreach, accommodation and support. Our clients may be sleeping rough, fleeing abuse, rebuilding after trauma, leaving prison, recovering from addiction, or trying to settle safely in a new community. Whatever their starting point, we work alongside people to help build safety, stability and independence.

If you’d like a real sense of job satisfaction, great career prospects and a competitive benefits package, you could be who we’re looking for!

About the Role

We are looking for a passionate and dynamic leader to manage our Supported Accommodation for Autistic Adults service in Bath.

You'll be responsible for managing day-to-day service delivery, ensuring contractual and organisational standards are met while creating a positive, supportive environment where both staff and clients can thrive. Working closely with internal colleagues, commissioners and external partners, you'll drive continuous service improvement and ensure positive outcomes for the people we support. You will maintain a visible and active presence at the project and ensure that service improvements are embedded.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced manager who is passionate about leading teams, developing services and making a lasting difference within the local community.

If you’re ready to make a real impact and be part of a team that changes lives, we’d love to hear from you!

What you’ll be doing

• Building an effective and motivated team, promoting a positive culture and supporting staff to provide expert support to clients.
• Managing our Support Workers, including 1-to-1s, annual objectives, monitoring performance, and recruiting and inducting new starters.
• Ensuring clients are provided with high-quality person-centred services, using a strength-based and trauma-informed approach.
• Ensuring clients are provided with advice, information and signposting to relevant services, and that client views and feedback shape the design and delivery of local projects.
• Establishing positive relationships with external agencies to maximise opportunities for clients.
• Maintaining team performance in line with agreed KPIs and external contracted targets and providing stats and information on a regular basis.

Please note: Job descriptions are not exhaustive, and the successful candidate may occasionally be asked to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the responsibilities of the role.

You can view the full job description by clicking here.

What we're looking for

• Knowledge and understanding of working with autistic adults, and of the care and support requirements of those experiencing social exclusion.
• Managerial experience within the sector, including managing teams through change and promoting a culture of excellence, teamwork and high performance.
• Experience of property management.
• Experience of managing budgets and achieving value for money within projects.
• Experience of working in partnership with Local Authority Commissioners.

There are many great reasons to join our team!

• Access to our Rewards Platform, which includes an Employee Assistance Programme and Health Cash Plan.
• 27 days annual leave, including an extra day off for your birthday, plus bank holidays - increasing to 30 days after four years' continuous service.
• 30% staff discount at our charity shops.
• A generous and competitive pension scheme.
• Great opportunities for career development and free monthly training sessions from experienced facilitators.
• Blue Light Card eligibility, offering discounts on thousands of brands.
• A supportive culture where staff feedback is valued and regular supervisions are encouraged.
• Reflective Practice sessions facilitated by external professionals.

Our Ethos

As an Equal Opportunities employer, we have an Equality and Diversity Action Plan demonstrating our commitment to creating an inclusive culture. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, particularly those currently underrepresented within our workforce. We also encourage applications from people with lived experience.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident and Mindful employer, as well as an Armed Forces Covenant Supporter.

If you require any reasonable adjustments or additional support during the recruitment process, please let us know. We welcome applications in all formats.

DBS Checks

This role is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. A criminal conviction will not necessarily prevent employment; each disclosure will be considered fairly and in line with our Data Protection Policy.

Please note: We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a suitable candidate has been identified. Early applications are encouraged.