Volunteer support worker at homeless day centre jobs

Join Homeless Oxfordshire as a Project 41 Support Worker, supporting people with experiences of homelessness, trauma, substance use, and mental health needs to live more independently in dispersed accommodation. You’ll build compassionate, trauma-informed relationships, deliver high-quality support, coordinate with partners, manage risks and safeguarding, and help clients move on to suitable long-term housing. Join a supportive team where your commitment, resilience, and positive approach truly change lives.

Main Purpose Of Job:
Project 41 accommodates individuals within the homeless pathway and as part of Oxfordshire’s Homelessness Alliance. These individuals have support needs including substance use, mental health and offending histories, but are able to live in dispersed accommodation in Oxford with a higher level of independence than in our hostels. The successful candidate will understand the trauma people using our services have experienced, and have a compassionate and assertive approach to building relationships. At Project 41 you will provide high quality support service provision, work with clients to ensure suitable and timely move on, ensure the health and safety and safeguarding of service users and colleagues, work in a psychologically informed way, and develop and maintain effective partnerships with relevant agencies.

Main Areas Of Responsibility:

• To ensure the effective delivery of high quality support, housing management and resettlement opportunities.
• To develop effective professional relationships with service users that is trauma informed and compassionate, and which empowers and motivates our service users to make positive changes in their lives.
• To work in partnership with support agencies to coordinate a holistic response to an individuals needs; this may include substance use services, probation, health professionals and adult social care.
• To lead on identifying and applying for suitable move on accommodation, and providing support throughout the move and whilst settling in to new accommodation.
• To assess risk and suitability of referrals for the service.
• To be responsible for creating and actioning person centred, strengths based support plans, and identifying and working towards suitable move on.
• To assess and manage risk for individuals and in the service, creating and maintaining risk assessments for all clients. Reporting any safeguarding concerns without delay in line with procedures.
• Work with the Team Manager and colleagues to achieve agreed contractual performance targets and organisational targets and objectives.
• Maintain a safe, clean and welcoming environment across accommodation services; this may including room cleaning and clearance.
• Manage challenging situations in line with procedures and to ensure the safety of yourself and others.
• Ensure that IT systems are updated as required and concise record keeping is completed promptly.
• To participate in the induction of and support new team members.
• To contribute to a positive team culture which is inspiring and motivational.
• Comply with Homeless Oxfordshire’s policies and procedures.
• Contribute to a positive working environment in which equality and diversity are valued and staff are enabled to do their best.
• Contribute to the work of the broader team.

About Us:

We are an open door for people experiencing homelessness whose lives have been shaped by trauma and disadvantage; providing safety, stability and support when it is needed most. We deliver this support across Oxfordshire by providing a range of accommodation with access to high quality support, offering a safe and welcoming space for people to take control of their own lives. We are an accredited Oxford Living Wage employer, and benefits to the role include: annual leave starting at 26 days (excluding bank holidays), flexible working, enhanced benefits with qualifying service, retail discounts with our Homeless Oxfordshire Benefits Hub, and life assurance up to four times your salary and a £250 bonus if you successfully refer a someone as a new colleague through our Employee Referral Scheme as a thanks from us!

What’s Next: Have a look at the job description to find out more about the role and apply on our website. Please be aware that this role is subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure check and will be undertaken for the successful candidate .

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we identify a suitable candidate before the advertised closing date.

Are you passionate about supporting people at a critical point in their lives? Do you believe everyone deserves to feel safe, respected, and supported?

We are looking for three Hostel Support Workers to join our team at a 14-bed, 24-hour hostel, where you will play a vital role in creating a calm, welcoming, and well-managed environment for residents experiencing homelessness.

Working day and evening shifts, you will provide practical, emotional, and safeguarding support to vulnerable adults, ensuring their welfare, dignity, and protection at all times. You will remain alert to risk, respond confidently to incidents or concerns, and follow clear safeguarding and risk-management procedures to keep residents and colleagues safe.

You will hold a small caseload of residents, offering person-centred, trauma-informed key-work support that helps individuals build independence, stability, and wellbeing. This will include encouraging engagement with support services, promoting positive routines, and helping residents work towards longer-term housing and life goals.

Working closely with colleagues across the service, you will:

• Maintain accurate records and case notes

• Communicate clearly with the wider team

• Deliver effective handover between shifts to ensure continuity of care and support

Above all, you will help foster an environment where residents feel safe, listened to, and encouraged, supporting them to move forward at their own pace.

This role is ideal for someone who is compassionate, resilient, and committed to making a meaningful difference—whether you bring previous hostel experience or are looking to grow your career in homelessness and supported housing services.

JOB PURPOSE 

The Resettlement Coordinator supports the Resettlement & Housing Needs Service Manager with both the development and the day to day running of the Resettlement Team, the core team within The Passage Resource Centre. The Resettlement Coordinator line manages a team of Resettlement Workers, who are responsible for the initial assessment of service users. The Resettlement Coordinator will lead the team in providing advice and housing-related support to clients with a wide range of needs to enable them to sustain their tenancies, improve their quality of life and increase self-reliance. 

They are responsible for:

Managing and coordinating the work of the team in providing support and resettlement of service users, ensuring:

• Service users have a safe and welcoming place to access and work towards positive change.

• That the team are offering practical and personal support in a way that is approachable, engaging, flexible and caring.

• That the team are supporting service users to make the most of their strengths and to make progress to achieving their hopes and ambitions.

• That service users have opportunities to contribute and be involved through co-production, working with the Experts by Experience Facilitator to identify new ways of involving service user voices in the development and delivery of front-line services

• Ensuring the service meets best practice requirements.

• Managing, leading, motivating and developing the staff team.

• Supporting the Service Manager to maintain and build on the network of relationships with other statutory and voluntary agencies, and the local community.

• Continual service development & improvement, establishing referral pathways and building new partnerships to support positive resettlement for service users.

• Overseeing the No Night Out project, ensuring cases are progressing and assisting to produce high quality reports and evidenced based impact analysis.

• Reviewing and developing working practices to ensure they are in line with The Passage policies and procedures, and that the best possible service is provided to all service users. 

MAIN TASKS 

Care and Support of Service Users

• Ensuring that all service users receive high-quality Triage Assessments and Needs Assessments, support, care and advice that is focused on their strengths and goals, and delivered in a way that suits them and within a framework of active engagement, positive risk taking and person-centred planning. 

• Ensuring that effective and reliable assessments are carried out and that person centred Resettlement Plans and Safety Plans are created and updated for all service users through a lead case worker system.

• Ensuring that the service users' rights to privacy, dignity and self-determination are promoted, and that their rights as citizens are upheld. 

• Ensuring as far as possible that service users are involved in the management of the service and that regular service user consultation occurs. 

• Enabling the service users to participate in, and have access to, available resources in The Passage and the wider community by promoting worthwhile activity and referring internally and externally to appropriate agencies. 

To Lead and Manage a Team

• Providing leadership and day to day management & supervision of a team of Resettlement Workers

• Management of Resettlement Team staff rota.

• Taking the lead in recruitment and selection of new staff and volunteers to the team.

• Developing performance targets and quality control measures for the work of the team, and monitoring team members’ work to ensure that these are met and are aligned with The Passage Values.

• Supporting staff by setting clear objectives and holding individual supervisions and case reviews regularly.

• Ensuring good communication between staff by holding team meetings regularly, and additional briefings as necessary.

• Inducting new staff and planning the continuing development of existing staff on the basis of an annual appraisal.

• Managing the rota and workload of the team to ensure that adequate cover is provided at all times.

• Ensuring the health and safety of team members. 

• Defining (and reviewing from time to time) the roles of staff to ensure these support the function’s aims and objectives.

• Operating The Passage’s disciplinary and grievance procedures where necessary.

Resource Centre Management

Working closely with the Operations Coordinator to ensure the provision of high-quality service delivery within the Passage Resource Centre through:

• Assisting with incident management and follow up to instances of anti-social behaviour, or other breaches of the Service User Agreement.

• Assisting with Duty Manager shift cover within the Resource Centre as needed to ensure service continuity. 

• Prompt follow up of maintenance issues.

• Liaison with the Facilities Team to ensure provision of quality and seamless service management.

• Processing and responding promptly and objectively to complaints from service users and other agencies as required.

• Ensuring property related risk management and assessment procedures are followed by all team members.

Networking, Liaison and Resource-building

• To be responsible for good and effective liaison with outside agencies including the police, social services and other statutory and voluntary agencies and delegating this work where appropriate.

• To identify volunteering opportunities, for both corporate partners and individuals, to add value to the work of the team and ensure volunteering policies and procedures are put into place and monitored

• To work collaboratively with the Service Manager to attend external meetings, manage internal and external communication effectively, encourage and seek opportunities to maintain partnerships across the sector.

Information Management

• Ensuring the team is recording and updating. To ensure the Resettlement Team are keeping accurate record keeping, while maintaining timely record keeping using internal database as well as client files and ensuring all record keeping is kept securely in line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

• Ensuring that The Passage’s policies and procedures in relation to information management, monitoring and reporting are fully implemented, in an accurate and timely way, ensuring that all staff members are clear about their responsibilities.

• Ensuring the collation and submission of accurate and timely monitoring information for external bodies as required.

• Participating in the production of promotional information in relation to The Passage’s services.

• Regularly reviewing and analysing data from In-Form to identify gaps in delivery, monitor caseloads, identify trends and to plan service delivery. 

• Work closely with the Service Manager to produce high quality and engaging reports for our funders (both voluntary and statutory) and supporters that demonstrates both hard and soft outcomes that our services achieve. 

Finance

• To liaise with the Finance team in the preparation of project budgets.

• To monitor the service’s income and expenditure in line with the budget. 

• To monitor and authorise staff-related and office expenditure in line with the organisational and service budget and in line with financial regulations. 

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES 

• To keep abreast of current housing legislation, welfare benefit legislation and other matters relevant to successful support and resettlement of clients.

• To adhere to The Passage’s Policies and Procedures at all times.

• To provide or arrange cover for other members of the team and division as necessary.

• Being proactive in reviewing and evaluating own performance and identifying and acting upon areas for improvement, training, and development.

• To participate in regular supervision and annual appraisal and help in identifying your own job-related development and training needs.

• Undertaking, as required, any other duties compatible with the level and nature of the post and/or reasonably required by more senior members of staff

• Attend and participate in internal & external divisional and team meetings and other forums as required.

• To contribute to the effective implementation of The Passage’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Policy as it affects both The Passage and its work with vulnerable adults.

• In conjunction with other managers and the Head of Community Services, to continuously develop the role to ensure that all tasks are being undertaken in an effective and appropriate manner which meets the strategic aims and objectives of The Passage.

• To always undertake your role in a professional manner maintaining a high-quality standard of work, and to always work in accordance with the aims, values, and ethos of The Passage.

• Undertake any other duties that may be required which are commensurate with the role or organisational requirements.

This job description covers the current range of duties and will be reviewed from time to time. It is The Passage’s aim to reach agreement on changes, but if agreement is not possible, The Passage reserves the right to change this job description. 

Salary: £20,420 pro-rata (£27,227 FTE)

Hours of Work: 30 hours per week (working 1 weekend out of 4)

Location: Leicester city centre - Dispersed properties

Benefits: 33 days of annual leave, including bank holidays (pro-rata), Birthday leave, Service leave (pro-rata), Pension and Health Cash Plan, Company Sick Pay, Free on-site Gym access, Menopause Welfare leave, complimentary Y Theatre tickets and Blue Light discount card eligibility.

Why this role exists

At YMCA Leicestershire, we believe that having a safe place to live can change a life, but only when its paired with kindness, trust and the right support.

Many of the young people we work with have experienced homelessness, instability, trauma or displacement. Some are finding independence for the first time, others are re-building their confidence and sense of security.

The Housing Officer role exists to ensure young people are never doing that alone.

As a Housing Officer at YMCA Leicestershire, you’ll play a vital part in creating homes that feel safe, respectful and empowering, while helping young people move forward at their own pace.

About the Housing Officer role

As a Housing Officer, you’ll support young people living in our Move-On and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) accommodation. The Housing Officer role combines practical housing management with relationship-based support.  

This isn’t about fixing people. It’s about noticing strengths, building confidence and offering steady, practical support when it matters most.

Key duties of the Housing Officer role

You’ll focus on the core responsibilities below (full details are available in the job description)

• Supporting young people to settle into their homes
• Providing structured housing-related support (including more intensive support within the UASC provision)
• Managing housing responsibilities such as rent, behaviour, property standards and safeguarding
• Supporting access to education, training, employment and wider services
• Building trusting relationships while maintaining clear professional boundaries
•  closely with colleagues and partner agencies to achieve positive outcomes

You will be part of a supportive Housing Officer team where reflection, supervision and wellbeing are built into how we work, not as an afterthought.

An enhanced DBS check is required as part of our safer recruitment process.

About you

You don’t need to have all the answers, but you do need to care.

You’ll be a Housing Officer who:

• Treats people with dignity and respect
• Understands that behaviour often comes from experience
• Can be warm and human while holding clear professional boundaries
• Stays calm when things feel difficult

You may already be working as Housing Officer, Support Worker, Youth Worker or in a people-focused role, or you may be ready to take the next step into a Housing Officer position.  

You’ll bring:

• Experience supporting young people or adults in a people focussed role
• A Level 3 qualification in Housing, Youth & Community, Social Work, Coaching or a related field (or a willingness to work towards this)
• Confidence working alongside other professionals and agencies
• Emotional resilience, flexibility and good judgement
• A full driving licence, access to a vehicle and business insurance

Why work for YMCA Leicestershire as a Housing Officer?

Because people matter here, including the people who work here.

We are a values-led charity supporting young people aged 16-25 through housing, care, wellbeing, sport and culture (including the Y Theatre, Leicester’s oldest theatre).

People chose to work here because:

• You are trusted to do meaningful work,
•  Kindness and professionalism go hand in hand,
• Your development and wellbeing are genuinely supported,
• You can see the difference you make every single day.

Our vision is simple: every young person deserves a safe place to call home and the support to create lasting change.

Safeguarding

YMCA Leicestershire is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk. All staff are expected to act in line with our safeguarding policies and procedures.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We want our workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applicants from people of all backgrounds and identities, and we’re especially keen to hear from those under-represented in the charity and housing sectors. If you need adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, just tell us, we will do our best to support you.

GDPR

Applicants’ personal data will be handled in accordance with YMCA Leicestershire’s Data Protection and Privacy Policy.

Role Identifiers

#HousingOfficer #HousingSupport #YouthHousing #SupportedHousing #CharityJobs #ValuesLedWork #HousingCareers #YMCAjobs

You will lead, with support, on the development and delivery of an exciting new Women at Risk (WaR) project seeking to support women at risk of rough sleeping, homelessness and exploitation. Working across key areas of Enfield and Haringey you will, through a combination of nighttime outreach and daytime service development, support a coordinated response across multiple agencies already engaged in this work.

You will coordinate and lead a minimum twice weekly nighttime outreach, support additional services and existing outreach provision and develop a daytime offer that meets the needs of women engaged through outreach and identified as at high risk of harm and homelessness.   

You will have management responsibility of a small staff team, take overall lead on case management, coordinate outreach and maintain relationships with key stakeholders to support women to access and engage with a range of services to meet their needs through effective and professional communication.

This is a fantastic opportunity to become part of a passionate, high performing team and develop a service which is meeting identified gaps in local provision.

We are currently seeking a dynamic and experienced Director of Housing to lead our supported housing services nationally and help shape the next stage of our growth.

As Director of Housing, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across all of Life’s supported housing services. This is a key role within the Senior Leadership Team, responsible for ensuring our housing provision is high‑quality, compliant, safe and truly centred around the needs of our clients.

You will lead our national Housing Strategy, drive service improvement, ensure regulatory compliance, support organisational growth, and champion a culture of compassion, accountability and high performance.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Growth

• Develop and deliver a national Housing Strategy aligned to Life’s vision and mission.
• Identify housing development and expansion opportunities, including partnerships with local authorities and commissioners.
• Support organisational business planning and future growth.

Regulatory Compliance & Governance

• Ensure full compliance with housing legislation and regulatory requirements including the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, HHSRS, safeguarding and Health & Safety.
• Lead regulatory audits, inspections and risk management.
• Provide assurance on compliance and viability to the CEO and Trustees.

Service Quality & Client Experience

• Embed a client-centred, compassionate approach aligned with Housing Ombudsman principles.
• Oversee effective complaints management, learning reviews and client feedback systems.
• Ensure properties and services meet high standards of safety, warmth and comfort.

Operational Leadership

• Lead housing management, income recovery, voids, repairs and maintenance, compliance and tenancy sustainment.
• Ensure effective escalation of tenancy breaches and safeguarding practices.
• Work closely with Life’s Helpline services around referral and allocations.

Financial & Asset Management

• Oversee rental income, arrears, void control and financial performance.
• Manage contracts, grants and local authority funding.
• Ensure major works, planned maintenance and statutory compliance are delivered effectively.

Leadership & People Management

• Lead and support Housing Managers, support teams and frontline workers.
• Foster a positive culture of accountability, inclusion and high standards.
• Support staff development and performance.

Partnership Management

• Build strong relationships with local authorities, property professionals, contractors, funders and other key partners.
• Represent Life at external forums and sector networks.

About you:

Essential

• CIH Level 5 (or equivalent) qualification
• Senior leadership experience in supported housing, social housing, or homelessness services
• Strong knowledge of housing law, tenancy management and regulatory compliance
• Understanding of Housing Ombudsman standards and consumer regulations
• Experience in strategic planning, service development and organisational growth
• Budget management and financial performance experience
• Experience with property maintenance, asset management and compliance
• Strong safeguarding knowledge
• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills
• UK driving licence and access to a car

Desirable

• Experience supporting vulnerable women or family services
• Charity/third sector leadership experience
• Experience securing funding or development partnerships

About Life: 

Life is a national pregnancy support charity that helps over 60,000 people a year. Through our services, we help people – whoever they are – to meet pregnancy or pregnancy loss with courage and dignity so they can flourish. 

Our services include:  

• Supported housing and community support   
• Counselling and skilled listening   
• Free pregnancy tests and baby supplies  

Our values :

All our work is underpinned by the following universal human values: 

• Humanity – All people are special and equal 
• Solidarity – We’re with you and for you 
• Community – We’re better together 
• Charity – Doing good for one another 
• Common good – Building a better world 

Information about the role: 

For further information, please see the attached job description. 

Salary: £45,750 per annum

Hours: 32 hours per week

Location: Home based with extensive travel across the South of England

Benefits:  

At Life we are passionate about providing our employees with a supportive and engaging environment. As well as ongoing development and training, we offer our:  

• Generous holiday allowance, starting at 25 days per year, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time hours) 
• Birthday Leave  (applicable after 1 years service)
• Additional annual leave for long term service  
• Company Pension Scheme  
• Signed member of the Menopause Workplace Pledge 

Safeguarding and Equality: 

Life is committed to protecting all staff, volunteers and service users from harm of any kind. Life expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct.   

We are committed to ensuring diversity and equality within our organisation by encouraging applications from all backgrounds.  

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks. Life takes its obligation to protect the rights of children and vulnerable people very seriously; therefore, the successful candidate for this post will be also subject to extensive background checking, including an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) which is paid for by the Charity.  

Join The Winchester Beacon in the role of Facilities and Compliance Manager and know that every day you are helping people to rebuild their lives and move on from homelessness. It is an opportunity to shape this new role at an exciting time of growth for the charity. 

The Facilities and Compliance Manager is responsible for overseeing the efficient operation, safety and regulatory compliance of all charity facilities. This role ensures that buildings, systems and operations meet legal standards and support a safe and productive work environment.

Facilities Management

• Manage maintenance, repairs and upgrades across all sites.
• Oversee supplier relationships and service contracts.
• Implement sustainability and energy efficiency initiatives.
• Ensure physical and digital security systems are effective.

Compliance Oversight

• Develop and maintain compliance programmes aligned with UK regulations.
• Conduct audits and inspections; maintain documentation.
• Liaise with regulatory bodies and respond to inspections.
• Train staff on compliance policies and procedures.

Health and Safety

• Lead health and safety initiatives and risk assessments.
• Ensure emergency preparedness and incident response plans.
• Maintain compliance with HSE and environmental standards.

Remote Work and Hybrid Facilities

• Support remote and hybrid work policies, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations for home-based employees.
• Coordinate remote access to facilities systems and documentation.
• Ensure remote workers have appropriate equipment and support.

Bachelor’s degree in Facilities Management, Engineering, Compliance or a related field or equivalent experience. Proven experience in facilities and compliance roles. Strong knowledge of UK health, safety and environmental regulations. Excellent organisational and communication skills. Proficiency in facilities and compliance management software. You will be supported for certifications including NEBOSH, ISO, CISI