Support Worker (Women’s Homelessness)
Esther Women Supported Community, Exeter (on-site)
25 hours per week | Fixed-term (12 months, with potential to extend)
£13.29 – £13.65 per hour | 6 weeks’ annual leave (pro rata)
Make a real difference in women’s lives
Are you passionate about supporting women to rebuild their lives after homelessness and trauma? Do you believe that everyone deserves more than just a roof over their head?
At Keychange, we’re looking for a Support Worker to join our Esther Community in Exeter — a small, specialist service providing safe, trauma-informed accommodation for women experiencing homelessness.
About Esther Community
Esther Community offers a supportive, all-female environment where women can begin recovery, rebuild confidence, and prepare for a more secure future. Our women’s provision consists of five self-contained bedsits, alongside shared communal spaces and a garden, creating a calm and respectful place to live.
As a Christian charity, we are inspired by Christ’s example of love and service — but we warmly welcome people of all faiths and none, both as residents and colleagues.
About the role
As a Support Worker, you’ll play a vital part in the day-to-day running of the service and in supporting women on their individual journeys. This is a varied and rewarding role combining practical support, emotional encouragement, and casework. There is some flexibility to autonomously choose your working hours to suit your schedule.
You will:
- Build trusting relationships with women and provide strengths-based, person-centred support
- Act as a key worker, supporting women to identify goals around health, wellbeing, housing, education, employment, and relationships
- Carry out assessments, support planning, reviews, and accurate case recording
- Support women to access benefits, housing, and external services
- Work closely with partner agencies to ensure joined-up support
- Help maintain a safe, welcoming, and well-run living environment
- Respond calmly and professionally to challenging or crisis situations
- Contribute to a supportive, values-led team culture
Who we’re looking for
You don’t need to tick every box — we’re looking for someone with the right values, attitude, and resilience, alongside relevant experience.
Essential:
- Understanding of the issues facing women who are homeless or vulnerably housed
- Experience supporting women with complex needs
- A non-judgemental, caring and flexible approach
- Strong communication and relationship-building skills
- Ability to remain calm in stressful or crisis situations
- Commitment to safeguarding and promoting women’s wellbeing
- Experience in supported housing or homelessness services
Desirable:
- Relevant qualification (e.g. social care, housing, mental health)
- Training in trauma-informed practice or mental health
- Knowledge of housing legislation or welfare benefits
- Experience with being a floating support worker
Occupational Requirement
This role is open to women only, under Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010. This is a genuine occupational requirement to ensure a safe, supportive environment for women who have experienced trauma and abuse.
Why work for Keychange?
- Be part of a supportive, values-driven charity with over 100 years’ experience
- Make a meaningful impact every day
- Access personalised learning and development opportunities
- Join a warm, collaborative team where relationships really matter
How to apply
Please submit your most recent CV to your application.
Closing Date: 6th February 2026
Interviews will take place on w/c 16th February 2026
Starting Date: 2nd March 2026
If this role feels aligned with your experience and values, we’d love to hear from you.
To focus on developing and encouraging community for vulnerable adults by seeking to address the risks in society of increased loneliness.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Contract Type: Full-time, fixed term until 31 December 2026, with the intention of extending, depending on funding.
Location: Hybrid (2 days per week in the London office)
Reports to: Senior Consultant
Salary and Benefits: £28k, plus discretionary annual bonus, 35 days leave per annum (inclusive of bank holidays), a 6% employer pension contribution, the option to work from any location for up to 25 working days per year.
Career Progression: We want our people to flourish and grow whilst working for us, helping to contribute towards Future Advocacy’s continued success and impact. This is why we place a big emphasis on learning and development. There are potential future pathways for the right candidate to quickly progress into a Junior Consultant role and beyond.
Why join us?
Future Advocacy is a global agency, based in London, Brussels and Berlin. We put cutting-edge advocacy, campaigning and communications tools into the hands of individuals and organisations working to create a better future.
We are highly skilled at:
- Designing winning advocacy and strategic communications strategies
- Mobilising targeted and powerful campaigns for change
- Securing strategically important media coverage
- Digital and creative campaigns
- Research, analysis, policy development and writing
- Training in all aspects of strategy, government relations, campaigning, and media work
We are proud to work for some fantastic clients seeking to make the world a better place. Current and previous clients include the Jamie Oliver Group; Movember; the Elton John AIDS Foundation; Brave Movement ; Centre for Democracy and Technology ; ECPAT International ; Which? ; WaterAid; Bite Back 2030; World Food Programme; Islamic Relief; Sarah Brown’s TheirWorld charity; Wellcome Trust, and the World Wide Web Foundation.
Our small but mighty team is made up of people from 8 countries around the world, with experience in government, politics, NGOs, foundations, and the private sector - all motivated to drive positive change. Our Founder/CEO previously was Director of the ONE campaign across Europe for seven years, responsible for all ONE’s policy, campaigns, digital, media, and advocacy work. He was a key architect of the Make Poverty History Campaign; Movement Director for the anti-slavery organisation Walk Free; and an Executive Director of the UK Labour Party.
The Role
Future Advocacy is seeking a Research, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator. This is a great opportunity to be thrown in at the deep end in a small but growing, dynamic organisation that places a strong focus on team and personal development. The successful candidate will gain hands-on experience in a range of skills, including research, advocacy, writing, and communications. They will work closely with, and learn from, our energetic and talented team at all levels, contributing directly to our campaigns and initiatives from day one.
Responsibilities will include:
- Researching key policy issues and stakeholders relating to consultancy projects
- Using monitoring tools to help the team spot opportunities
- Supporting advocacy, campaigns, digital and communications work
- Supporting business development
- Supporting project management
- Other tasks as required
Requirements
We would love to hear from you if you meet the criteria below:
- Undergraduate degree or equivalent
- At least one year of work experience in research; advocacy; or communications.
- Ability to deliver work accurately in a fast-paced but supportive environment
- First-class writing and verbal communications skills in English at native level or equivalent
- Digital skills, including experience in and excitement about using AI tools ethically
- Experience of using social media effectively
- An excellent eye for detail and quality
- Politically engaged, with a keen interest in following the news agenda
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Enthusiasm, flexibility, and ability to manage competing priorities
- Willingness to undertake routine admin tasks
Our Culture
Our culture and values are very important to us, allowing us to thrive in a fast changing world. The key values that drive us at Future Advocacy are:
- Always Learning: We constantly strive to improve the work we do, as a team and as individuals.
- Impactful: We define success in terms of the impact our work has on making the world more equal, sustainable and more prosperous.
- Supportive: We are open, responsive, positive and supportive to each other and to others.
Apply for this Job
Please apply by submitting a CV and cover letter below. In your cover letter please demonstrate how you meet the criteria with relevant examples. The deadline for applications is 23:59 on Sunday, March 1st.
If successful in your application, you will be invited to first round interviews (online) in the week of 16 March.
If we’re both excited to proceed, second interviews will be held in person the week of 23 March in our office in London, where we will ask you to complete a written task.
Future Advocacy is committed to equal opportunities. We welcome applications from individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, or disability. We particularly encourage applications from members of groups that are currently under-represented in our organisation, including Black, Asian and minority ethnic people.
We are happy to discuss flexible working and other adjustments on a case by case basis.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.