GROW Trainee

We’re looking for passionate individuals with personal experience of homelessness, bad housing, which may include other related disadvantages such as substance misuse and mental ill-health; to come and join us and make a difference to the way we do things. If you believe that people should have a say in their own support and that they should be at the front of making meaningful change then this could be the traineeship for you.

About the role

The GROW trainee will be working with our specialist Drug and Alcohol Prevention and Recovery Service which supports people with current or previous substance misuse to maintain their home and live independently and with our Home at Last Team that supports people with current substance issues who are not in structured drug or alcohol treatment/have difficulties engaging with treatment, who are currently or at significant risk of rough sleeping to access temporary accommodation and resettle longer term.

This vacancy is an opportunity for you to gain experience working with a leading provider of homelessness and housing advice and support. You will be part of a thriving Hub of advice and support services in Sheffield, supporting vulnerable people. The traineeship is open to anyone who has previously experienced any form of substance misuse and can bring their insight of how substance misuse affects housing need.  The GROW trainee programme is an opportunity for us as an organisation to learn from your expertise. You will help us to develop our services in Sheffield and across Shelter at a national level, ensuring that they follow the principles of co-production and being trauma informed. You will use your experiences to bring knowledge and insight to influence this work.  You will also have the opportunity to be involved in other projects within the Hub.

You'll support local campaigns and strengthen connections between the lived experience involvement group and the Hub, making sure lived experiences are valued and included.

Role specifics

We are looking for people who are passionate about the opportunity to use their own life experiences to help make positive change for others.

You’ll also need a commitment to equality and a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and exclusion.

Good communication skills and the ability to make people feel heard will also be essential.

Basic computer skills, e.g. word processing, the internet and email would be useful, but support can be provided.

Above all, we need people with a real desire to develop personally and learn new skills.

Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.

Benefits 

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

About the team

Shelter Sheffield has been providing housing advice and support to the city’s residents for over 20 years, specialising in emergency homelessness work, intensive support to children and families, people experiencing domestic abuse, and people experiencing multiple disadvantage. We offer a range of help to people in the community – including high intensity support, legal representation, housing advice, practical DIY assistance, and employment, training, and welfare benefits advice.  This model, while focusing on housing and homelessness, ensures that we can help an individual or family to address a range of inter-connected issues that may be impacting on their ability to sustain accommodation and thrive within the community. These issues include physical and mental health conditions, drug and alcohol use, income and money management, and domestic abuse.

We deliver housing and homelessness awareness raising and targeted advice sessions in a range of community settings. We aim to build the understanding and capacity of communities to take action on housing issues for themselves. We work in partnership and collaboration with many organisations to address the broken housing system.

This role is ring-fenced for those with lived experience of multiple disadvantage.

About Shelter

Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet everyday millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.

We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.

We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent. We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.

Safeguarding statement

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies. 

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.