Outreach Worker – Housing First Project

Hours

37.5 hrs

Monday-Thursday 8.30-4.30 however some unsocial hours and weekend work will be required. This will typically involve a regular 5am-1pm Friday or a late finish no more than once a week. Bank Holidays may be worked on a rota basis for which time in lieu may be taken.

Annual Leave

25 days plus 8 Bank Holidays

Salary

£20478 pa

Probationary

Period

6 months

Reporting To

Housing First Team Leader

Conditions of Employment

As contained in NOAH Enterprise’ s Statement of Terms and Conditions of Employment and Staff Handbook

Background

NOAH Enterprise has been delivering services to vulnerable people throughout Bedfordshire since 1987 and has established and embedded the single trusted adult model. This means that each service user can begin to trust one person as they get to know them, and this trust allows recommendations and support options to be taken up.

You will be committed, compassionate, resilient, caring, have common sense and be empathetic to the needs of those among the most deprived. You will work with people who may be chaotic, may have mental health and addiction issues but need your help and support.

Throughout your work you will have considerable autonomy and significant periods of time lone working, enabling you to make a personal difference to people’s lives. You will have excellent time-management, prioritisation, motivating, organisational, inter-personal, and administrative skills. You will be competent in IT and communication, have the ability to build relationships with people from many nationalities and organisations and a commitment to help those in need. You will be persistent and undaunted in the face of seeming adversity.

Job Purpose

• You will provide on a 1-1 basis, support for the living and lifestyle needs of a group of 8 carefully selected homeless people with complex needs who have been allocated independent accommodation within Luton on the Housing First Pilot.
• To provide and coordinate, within daytime hours and with crisis telephone advice out of hours, specialist welfare service support where needed.
• To provide lifestyle and education to clients who have experienced repetitive homelessness to actively reduce the risks of eviction and abandonment. Promote independence and understanding of primary health service access to reduce the use of emergency services.
• To work with NOAH management to coordinate delivery of grant funds allocated for the project to transform flats into homes and to provide for the personalisation needs that will help people feel a sense of connection and safety.
• To innovate and work creatively to source additional material, items and technical expertise from the wider community in Luton such as other grants, corporate donors and corporate social responsibility team building days in order to help clients transform their flat into a home.
• The Housing First Service aims include:

• Supporting people who are homeless with multiple and complex needs to access suitable accommodation.
• Developing new approaches to working with people with multiple and complex needs.
• Supporting service users to improve their health and wellbeing.
• Supporting service users to engage with services to meet their health and social care needs that are non-emergency.
• Supporting service users to build resilience, develop their social capital within the local community and support recovery.
• Supporting service users to develop independent living skills to live more independently in the community and sustain their accommodation.

• Reducing the use of acute emergency services, such as A&E, ambulance call-outs and fire and rescue service.
• Reducing repeat homelessness.
• Contributing to the reduction in rough sleeping.
• Contributing to the reduction in the use of temporary accommodation

Main Duties

• To promote and provide clear information about the Housing First Project to other organisations and to work in close partnership across different agencies to share information to reduce rough sleeping in Luton.
• To deliver some on street outreach work in Luton to meet prospective candidates and assess their suitability for the project.
• To assist with receiving and managing new referrals onto the project both from external and internal sources and to maintain communication with the referrer.
• To attend the Housing First Operations Group and Caseload group to support the processes of assessing eligibility, prioritisation and allocation.
• To work with the new tenant to prepare them for embarking on an independent tenancy, communicating their responsibilities whilst also providing reassurance and advice.
• To support the new tenant to work with the housing officer to develop between them a strong and positive relationship which can withstand future tensions.
• To support the new tenant with all administration around setting up and equipping their new home incorporating their personal choices where possible.
• To support the new tenant with completing the 2 support plans on inform within week one and then to renew these at scheduled intervals every 12 weeks.
• To assist the clients to access primary health care services to help stabilise any health and wellbeing concerns or addictions if they are interested in this support.
• Build trust and relationships at a pace suitable to them, learn about their lives, their background and their ongoing needs. Where appropriate offer expertise and advice to tackle some of the barriers in their lives such as housing, benefits, employment, relationships and health.
• Use motivational interviewing techniques to support people to explore their own lifestyles and choices and to reflect on whether they are interested in recovery.
• To provide the clients with opportunities and choice to receive free support in decorating their homes with the assistance of corporate volunteering teams.
• To maintain keywork contact in person or by phone at least every other day with every client on their caseload and deliver a personalised approach allowing the client choice in the way that they engage with NOAH.
• To use the inform system to record every support intervention which is delivered.
• To provide opportunities and facilitate visits to places to encourage clients to live their own lives and to express their personalities and individuality and reduce social isolation.
• On an ongoing basis to help to manage their personal safety including undertaking persistent, assertive outreach such as on-street visits at any stage where eviction or abandonment seems to be approaching in order to give the client every opportunity to retain their home.
• To work with the local communities and neighbours to promote positive communication and understanding in order to reduce ASB and maintain property infrastructure.
• Monitor improvements and regressions and support the NOAH management in delivering comprehensive monthly reports to update commissioners of the current situations, trends, challenges and success that the project has witnessed.
• To support the NOAH management to ensure excellent quality and robust evidence is available to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Housing First Pilot. Working alongside the University of Bedfordshire team to audit this work and promote continuation of the project through a robust exit strategy which will ensure continuity of funding and the opportunity for project expansion.
• Submit written reports as required

General Duties/

Requirements

• Act as a NOAH Enterprise representative always and in a manner befitting a representative of the organisation.
• To work as part of the wider NOAH welfare team which includes supporting the work of the welfare centre as well as the on-street outreach workers.
• Identify opportunities to improve the level of service NOAH offers to service users.
• Take a responsible approach to your personal development – manage and update own skills base to ensure quality service delivery and engage fully with all training offered.
• As part of the NOAH welfare staff team you will be required to be part of an on-call rota and take occasional phone calls from service users requiring out of hours advice.

Administration

• All duties to be carried out in accordance with the policies and procedures of NOAH Enterprise
• Attend any meetings, seminars, training sessions as requested both on and off NOAH Enterprise premises
• Supporting the wider welfare centre team with Bank holiday and Christmas openings by contributing to this rota.
• Act as a NOAH Enterprise ambassador always representing the organisation in a manner befitting the charity
• The post holder may from time to time be asked to undertake other duties as specified by the Chief Executive or Head of Welfare Services. Permanent changes to the job description will only be made in negotiation with the post holder.

Christian Ethos

The work of NOAH Enterprise is founded upon a Christian ethos and it is expected that the post holder will respect this ethos