Hostel support worker jobs

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Support Worker to join our Social Care Homelessness and Complex Needs service in Kensington and Chelsea.

£28,808.00.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week.

Want to feel like you have an exciting future? You'll feel at home here.

Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.

Our benefits include:

Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
Free DBS
Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
Fully paid induction programme and further training
ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
Cycle to work scheme
Employee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential support
Online wellbeing resources
A generous pension - we will contribute up to 4% and life assurance cover up to £10,000 (T&Cs apply)
Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff's commitment and contribution

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

For a full job description, please visit our website.

The Heaney Hub Cluster is an intensive supported housing scheme for the most challenging customers in the Kensington & Chelsea. The majority of the customers come with a history of entrenched rough sleeping; often coupled with enduring mental health difficulties. The aim is to offer a home to those who would have difficulty finding accommodation because of their lifestyle choices involving extreme drug and alcohol misuse. The high-support hostel caters for eleven service users with complex needs and is staffed 24-hours a day with the minimum of three staff on duty. The medium support services are staffed from 9am to 9pm where the customers present with varying degrees of mental health issues. The Assessment Centre is staffed 24/7.
The hostels are in close proximity to each other, and staff will be expected to work across the units. Three of the hostels supports both male and female customers and one is males only.

Heaney Hub implements and promotes the Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) model. This is an approach to supporting people out of homelessness, particularly those who have experienced complex trauma or are diagnosed with a personality disorder. It also considers the psychological needs of staff: developing skills and knowledge, increasing motivation, job satisfaction and resilience.

Support Workers will devise person centred support plans with customers to help them develop the life skills they require to meet their needs and goals. This will include sign-posting them to the local drug and alcohol services to address substance misuse issues. They will work with customers to promote social inclusion and alongside other members of the team to promote independent living, encouraging customers to maximise their skills and choices.

The team comprises of Therapist, Move on coordinator, Housing Officer, 16 support workers, 2 Team Leaders, One Project Manager.

The role requires one to work on a shift pattern:7.45am to 3.45pm and 2.00pm to 10pm.

What you'll bring:

Essential:

NVQ Level 2 or equivalent or experience within charity/social care sector

Desirable:

Relevant experience in supporting those experiencing homelessness and people with complex needs

About us:

Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 100 services, providing support to thousands of customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness and complex needs, young people and care leavers and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.
We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:

We focus on Excellence and innovation.
We are Caring and Compassionate.
We are Inclusive and Trusted.
We work in Partnership and are One-Team.

Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.

Whatever your experience of street homelessness and its impact on people’s lives – personal or professional – when you join the Thames Reach team as a Support Worker we will make the best use of all your understanding, compassion and commitment.

About us…

Thames Reach runs projects and services that help to end homelessness in and around London. We work directly with homeless people on the streets and in hostels. We work to prevent vulnerable people from becoming homeless. We help formerly homeless people get their lives back on track. We help people find work and access training and volunteering opportunities.

Is our mission easy? No, but we never give up on people. Last year we helped more than 15,000 people. 

Is our work rewarding? Yes, in every sense. We’re listed as one of the top 100 Best Workplaces in the UK. There’s no better place to develop or transfer your skills and build a fulfilling career.

About this role…

The Thames Reach Outreach teams operate across London and help those who are rough sleeping to find routes away from the street. The teams respond rapidly and work flexibly to reach people. Individuals are assessed to identify their support needs and support plans are created, including work to obtain identification, access health services and refer to other specialist agencies, including those offering immigration support.

We will not accept applications where Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been used to assist with completing the competency questions.

You will:

• Contribute to the continual improvement of service effectiveness, ensuring that service users or internal customers receive a high-quality outcome-focused service
• Provide key-work, support any crisis intervention work, complete case recording, face to face work, group work, advice giving, advocacy and other interpersonal work
• Maintain good working relationships with colleagues in other Thames Reach teams as appropriate
• Contribute to the provision of timely and accurate information, reports, and analysis
• Deliver support to a caseload of clients with complex and multiple support needs
• Contribute to the meeting of the targets in the areas of Education, Training and Employment / move on of the service users, maximising service user involvement /and other Key Performance Indicators

You will have:

• Strong record and good understanding of the issues involved in delivering effective support services to a range of vulnerable people
• Experience in establishing good working relationships with service users, colleagues, etc.
• Experience in working independently using own initiative whilst remaining accountable to line management and communicating effectively as part of a team
• An understanding of a range of approaches to case working including key working with service users and the implementation of different agendas, such as personalisation
• An understanding of homelessness and the impact on the lives of individuals and a depth of understanding of the needs and aspirations of homeless people which is based either on your own personal experience of being homeless or professional work or voluntary experience

We are listed in the top 100 UK Best Workplaces 2023 in the UK. As part of a commitment to our employees we offer: 

• Generous holiday allowance – 29 days per year plus 8 public holidays (pro rata).
• Pension – we contribute 6.5% to your pension when you contribute 1.5%. 
• Excellent development opportunities – career progression, regular supervision and appraisals, and learning programmes to support your career with Thames Reach. 
• Wellbeing support – our 24/7 employee assistance programme and opportunities for TOIL. 
• Life assurance – four times your annual salary and critical illness cover.
• Other benefits including a blue light discount card, interest free season ticket and cycle to work loans.

Thames Reach is committed to achieving a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We value, respect, and celebrate diversity. We welcome and encourage applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their history of homelessness, sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religious belief.

To apply visit our website and complete our application form.

Closing date: 30/11/2025

For further information please contact, Folasade Babade, Lead Manager via our website.

Thames Reach is committed to safeguarding. Applicants must be willing to undergo pre-employment screening appropriate to the post, including, but not limited to checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. Having a criminal record will not exclude you from applying but you will be asked to provide further details as most posts are considered exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Do you have experience in working with vulnerable people with complex needs in a Housing,  Hostel or Supported Accommodation environment? 

 
We have a new Housing job opportunity where you will be working with a team of Housing professionals with the aim of supporting some of the districts’ most vulnerable adults to move on from temporary accommodation. 

You will be managing all temporary and emergency accommodation placements on behalf of Cotswold District Council. The role involves working closely with homeless clients in various emergency accommodation arrangements. The aim is to assist these individuals in accessing affordable housing options and ultimately reducing the time they spend in short-term accommodation.

• You will be based primarily within one of our Hostels working intensively with homeless clients to enable them to access the full range of affordable housing options with the aim of reducing time spent in short term accommodation.

• The role involves travel across our district to visit homelessness households in their temporary accommodation (including Hostels and various B&B’s) with the aim of assisting them with maximising all of the housing options available to them to ensure that they are able to move on from temporary        accommodation as soon as possible.

• Create bespoke ‘Tenancy Ready’ plans for each client and ensure that they have access to the appropriate support and resources to achieve this.

• You will also take part in assisting the Temporary Accommodation Supervisor in ensuring that full risk assessments are carried out on each client before being offered a placement in Council managed accommodation.

• Assist with the daily running of the homeless hostel’s, ensure repairs are promptly reported to the Property Service Team and assist with ensuring H&S risk assessments are up to date and adhered to.

What we are looking for…

Someone who values structure, confidentiality, and professionalism as much as they do empathy and support. You will be expected to handle sensitive personal information with the utmost discretion, in line with GDPR and safeguarding protocols. Maintaining client confidentiality is non-negotiable in this role. 

You will need to have knowledge of Housing and related legislation, including the Housing Acts, case law, the Homelessness Reduction code of guidance and good practice.

This role requires a strong understanding of professional boundaries and the ability to maintain them — even in emotionally complex situations. This is a rewarding but demanding role — ideal for someone who thrives on helping others in crisis, but who understands the importance of clear boundaries, resilience, and confidentiality. 

You will need resilience and adaptability as you will often work with people experiencing stress, crisis, or confrontation, so it is essential you can manage these situations calmly and confidently. Being emotionally resilient and understand how to support others without becoming personally involved or emotionally entangled.

Teamwork is essential for this role to work effectively with colleagues and external agencies.

Please note you will be based at the hostel 5 days a week and will need the ability to travel as required.

For more information about this role please see the Job Description/Person Specification.

You will need…
• GCSEs (5 A-Cs or equivalent, including Maths and English)
• Experience of working in a Housing, Supported Housing or Homelessness focused service
• Experience of working with vulnerable people and people with complex needs

Special Conditions…
• Full UK Driving Licence with access to a vehicle for work purposes
• DBS Check

Should we receive sufficient applications for this role we reserve the right to close the vacancy early, therefore we advise candidates to apply as soon as possible. Previous applicants need not apply.

Publica is a unique place to work – we are a local government organisation with a twist! Publica wants to transform the way local services are delivered. To help do this we have started to fundamentally rethink the way we design our services in the digital era so that Publica is a customer-focused organisation driven by real user needs.

What can we do for you…
• Flexible working arrangements (depending on the role)
• 27 days paid annual leave (pro rata if you are working part time) plus bank holidays and an extra two volunteering days off a year for you to support a charity of your choice
• Health cash plan giving you cash back on health, dental and eye care
• Pension scheme with a good employer contribution of 7% of your earnings
• Employee Assistance Programme 24/7, providing positive, preventative and supportive advice and counselling to deal with everyday events and issues
• Cycle to work scheme
• Salary sacrifice car lease scheme with huge tax and NI savings to be made on electric cars
• Access to digital financial advice (covering your pension scheme, mortgages and other finances)
• Generous sickness cover above statutory entitlements
• Additional income protection, covering 50% of your salary for potentially a further five years if you are unable to work due to sickness or injury
• Life assurance, currently four times your annual salary
• These are just a handful of the benefits that you can enjoy when you join us!

To apply for this position please click on "apply now" within this page and submit your CV and supporting statement. Please tell us about your skills, knowledge, qualifications, experience and how they meet the criteria listed above and in the job description/person specification. It’s important that we’re a good fit for each other, so let us know what’s important to you and why you want to work for Publica Group Ltd.

Your application will not be considered if you have not provided a supporting statement, in addition to your CV.

Accredited of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies - Please state this within your covering statement or in a separate email. 

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable adults, young people and children.  Safer recruitment practices are applied to all job vacancies. Safer recruitment practices are applied to all job vacancies. Successful candidates will be required to complete a pre-employment medical questionnaire; provide references;  proof of identity; nationality and immigration status; three years’ employment or education history (if applicable) and, in some cases, verification of criminal record.

• About Us

• You will be employed by Publica Group Ltd which was created by four partner Councils (West Oxfordshire District Council, Cotswold District Council, Cheltenham Borough Council and Forest of Dean District Council) to deliver more efficient and improved services. 

  
  Publica is a unique place to work, established to transform the way local services are delivered, fundamentally rethinking the way our services are designed and delivered in a digital era, making us a customer-focused organisation driven by real user needs.

The Hepatitis C Trust runs national projects where peers draw on their lived experience of drug use and hepatitis C to support others. We are now recruiting for a role to join our Bristol & Severn team for a fixed term of 12 months. 

As part of an experienced team, this role will promote hepatitis C awareness, blood borne virus testing and referral to treatment, for people living with hepatitis C. The role will support volunteer peers and increase the project’s reach to underserved communities. You’ll be providing vital harm reduction interventions including needle, syringe and naloxone provision across Bristol & Severn.

We value creativity, innovation, and compassion. We encourage applications from people with lived experience. Full support, coaching and training will be given. 

Location: Across London

Whatever your experience of street homelessness and its impact on people’s lives – personal or professional – when you join the Thames Reach team as a Senior Practitioner, we will make the best use of all your understanding, compassion and commitment

About us…

Thames Reach runs projects and services that help to end homelessness in and around London. We work directly with homeless people on the streets and in hostels. We work to prevent vulnerable people from becoming homeless. We help formerly homeless people get their lives back on track. We help people find work and access training and volunteering opportunities.

Is our mission easy? No, but we never give up on people. Last year we helped more than 15,000 people. 

Is our work rewarding? Yes, in every sense. We’re listed as one of the top 100 Best Workplaces in the UK. There’s no better place to develop or transfer your skills and build a fulfilling career.

About this role… 

The Rapid Response Outreach Team responds to reports of rough sleeping every night of the year, across London and work flexibly to reach London’s most vulnerable.

We aim to quickly find realistic accommodation options for everyone we find sleeping on the streets. The team also delivers a service across the Transport for London network, responding to referrals and proactively looking for people sleeping rough across the network and supporting them to find a route away from the streets.

We will not accept applications where Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been used to assist with completing the competency questions.

You will:

• Work alongside the service manager and other senior practitioners to improve and manage the service effectiveness, and performance against the contract. Provide accurate reports and timely information to support the monitoring of the project’s KPIs
• Be responsible for directly managing a team of outreach workers and overseeing casework practice including conducting supervisions and appraisals. Ensure the team are focused on rapidly finding and assessing new rough sleepers and finding safe accommodation options where possible.
• Maintain good working relationships with partner organisations including local authority leads and local outreach teams. Represent the service at multi-agency meetings and work with partners to maximise the impact we are able to achieve in their boroughs.
• Continuously improve team performance through monitoring and weekly joint outreach shifts with team members, modelling good practice and coaching staff to maximise the number of people found on shift. This requires 1-2 night shifts per week.
• Reporting incidents to senior management and commissioners and ensuring staff are aware of and working to health and safety guidelines.
• Be involved in ensuring the finances of the service are well managed and that the team is compliant with all relevant policies.

You will have:

• Good understanding of the issues involved in managing support services to a range of vulnerable people.
• Experience in managing a team that works effectively with clients’ challenging and difficult behaviour, and successfully engages with clients with a range of support needs, using an outcome-based approach.
• Experience in managing change processes, ensuring the team still delivers a strategically relevant service.
• Experience of managing and sustaining relationships with colleagues, funders, other organisations and service users.
• Experience of working independently using own initiative whilst remaining accountable to line management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

We are listed in the top 100 UK Best Workplaces 2023 in the UK. As part of a commitment to our employees we offer: 

• Generous holiday allowance – 29 days per year plus 8 public holidays (pro rata).
• Pension – we contribute 6.5% to your pension when you contribute 1.5%. 
• Excellent development opportunities – career progression, regular supervision and appraisals, and learning programmes to support your career with Thames Reach. 
• Wellbeing support – our 24/7 employee assistance programme and opportunities for TOIL. 
• Life assurance – four times your annual salary and critical illness cover.
• Other benefits including a blue light discount card, interest free season ticket and cycle to work loans.

Thames Reach is committed to achieving a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We value, respect, and celebrate diversity. We welcome and encourage applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their history of homelessness, sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religious belief.

To apply visit our website and complete our application form.

For further information please contact, Anneke Ziemen, Service Manager via our website.

Thames Reach is committed to safeguarding. Applicants must be willing to undergo pre-employment screening appropriate to the post, including, but not limited to checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. Having a criminal record will not exclude you from applying but you will be asked to provide further details as most posts are considered exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Closing date: 30/11/2025

Interview date: 15/12/2025