Supported Housing Officer
Closing date: August 29th, 2025
Supported Housing Officer
Location: L5 (flexibility required)
Salary: £27,924 per annum
Hours: 37.5 (flexible working hours can be agreed)
Job Type: Permanent/Fixed Term
Shortlisting: 2^nd September 2025
Interview Date : 10^th September 2025
Why this role would be great for you
The Housing Services Team provide an excellent resident-focused service for all YMCA Together residents ensuring that our supported housing schemes and properties are well managed, and the environment is well maintained. Supported Housing Officers work proactively and closely with residents, scheme staff, and other agencies to address environmental, property and occupancy issues to enable residents' occupancy to be successfully sustained.
In the role, you will develop local knowledge of the communities and neighbourhoods in which our supported housing operates and establish partnerships to meet the needs of residents and the community.
You'll work closely with our teams in our supported housing schemes to:
- Effectively manage YMCA Together's supported housing schemes
- Work closely with a range of internal departments and external organisations to ensure residents are able to maintain their occupancy agreements
- Work closely with team colleagues to enable excellent customer service
What your week may look like
Tenancy Services
- Providing an effective and efficient housing management service to our supported housing schemes, liaising and working with scheme staff
- Explaining the occupancy agreement to new residents and assisting them to understand their rights and responsibilities in relation to it
- Provide advice and assistance to residents to understand and comply with the conditions of their occupancy agreement to enable them to sustain their occupancy
- Provide advice and assistance to residents on how to use equipment and appliances in their home and how to keep their home and themselves secure
- Carry out frequent inspections of properties to identify required repairs to properties taking into account the increased wear and tear expected in supported housing schemes and to arrange for repairs to both residents' flats/rooms and communal areas to be carried out within specified timeframes
- Through close and regular contact with residents, identify and assist vulnerable residents, referring them on to other relevant agencies and monitoring these services to enable the resident to sustain their tenancy
- Manage the supported housing management responsibilities of the void process, minimizing the time a property is void, ensuring that a property is let within set targets
- Liaising with scheme staff with regards to new resident viewings (if applicable) and sign them up for the new occupancy agreement, ensuring they are familiar with the terms of the occupancy agreement and of the services provided by YMCA Together. Assist and support with claiming Housing Benefit.
- Liaise with scheme staff over post void inspections to ensure that properties are meeting high standards, in line with YMCA Together's design standards and minimum letting criteria. Follow up on any work required to the void, order required furniture and ensure provided furniture meets required standards
- Deal with replacement/s and/or repairs of individual flat/room or communal furniture and white goods in conjunction with scheme staff
- Respond promptly and sensitively to all reports of ASB, nuisance, harassment and domestic abuse in line with YMCA Together procedures and current best practice, including practical assistance and support for victims. Pursue cases through the legal process, including attending court
- Contribute as necessary to annual reviews of service charges
- Investigate and respond to all housing related complaints and service requests, ensuring responses are completed within set timeframe
- Respond to emergency calls from residents and schemes and summon appropriate assistance as necessary
- Ensure scheme staff maintain regular fire safety and compliance checks as required and ensure that fire procedures are adhered to, and all reasonable precautions are taken to prevent the outbreak of accidental fire - report all issues with fire safety equipment to Head of Health, Safety and Compliance
- Report all accidents in accordance with agreed procedure
Liaison and Resident Involvement
- Proactively work in partnership with the scheme staff to develop and promote resident participation, consultation and community development with the aim of meeting the needs of residents and the community
- Attend joint professional meeting to discuss individual cases
- Ensure residents and effectively consulted over decisions that affect them
- Draw up effective liaison and partnership arrangements with other external agencies such as other RPs, the police, local authorities and voluntary agencies
- Arrange, attend and play a lead role (including Chairing if necessary) at resident meetings, socials events - including evenings and occasional weekends
- Ensure excellent service are provided to YMCA Together residents, through close liaison with scheme staff and other teams across the organisation
- Work with wider Housing Services Team and scheme staff to maximise access to residents flats/rooms for gas servicing appointments and other safety and compliance inspections and checks
- Participate in 6 monthly Home Quality Audits and Health and Safety inspections to ensure that all schemes comply with health and safety requirements
- Liaise closely with the wider Housing Services Team over cleaning, gardening, window cleaning, property maintenance and decorations are maintained to a high standard and take appropriate actions against residents who vandalise property, graffiti or dump bulk refuse.
- Take part in the opening of new schemes, ensuring referrals are received in a timely manner and new residents are singed up and moved in without delay.
Arrears Prevention
- Ensure that rent and service charges are paid regularly and on time and assist people to reduce rent and service charge arrears
- Ensure that residents are aware of their responsibility to pay their rent and service charges on time and regularly and advise on preventative action to be taken to stop them falling into arrears.
- Work to resolve rent and service charge arrears issues, including advising and assisting residents to claim all housing and welfare benefit entitlements
- Keep up to date on housing related benefits and advise residents on these, offering advice and encouraging debt counselling and referring to specialist agencies. Complete housing benefit claim forms on behalf of residents, on sign up and as required if claims are stopped or suspended.
- Ensure IT systems are kept up to date, recording cases and actions relating to residents and properties
Teamwork
- Develop trusting and secure working relationships with colleagues, sharing information and expertise, covering absence and working together to deliver high quality services.
- Maintain contacts with local statutory and voluntary agencies and organisations attending/ representing YMCA Together at relevant local community forums, seminars and conferences as required.
- Contribute to the organisations formulation of policy and procedures
- Attend and participate in team meetings to ensure good communications and liaison with colleagues
- Prepare for and attend supervision and appraisal sessions with the Director of Housing and Governance, taking direction as appropriate and contributing to the development of both you and the role.
General
- Undertake own administrative services and report writing
- Uphold and develop YMCA Together Equal opportunities and Diversity policy of anti-discriminatory practices across all services
- Adhere to the Protection from Abuse policy
- Report and log all safeguarding incidents
- Observe and ensure compliance with the professional boundaries and data protection policy
- To have a flexible and positive attitude to all team members.
- To be committed to learning both as an individual and as part of a team.
- Prioritise workload
- To work to agreed individual, team and organisational objectives and to work towards YMCA Together's performance targets.
- Sharing information and expertise with colleagues, covering absence and working together to deliver a high-quality service.
The post holder will be required to have contact with a variety of people during the course of their work. The context of this contact will vary from formal to informal networking and relationship building with the Local Authority and other relevant agencies.
Annual appraisal and regular work review with line managers is an operational requirement, as is attendance at monthly team meetings.
It is recognised that the association is operating in a dynamic environment and as such this job description may be varied in consultation with the post holder to reflect evolving needs of the business and changing nature of the job.
What can we offer you
Working with YMCA Together comes will a whole host of benefits. We hope that people will find deep personal fulfilment and purpose by working with alongside people in our services. Our teams are compassionate and supportive, fostering a strong sense of community. With opportunities for professional growth, YMCA together offers training to support your role and personal development.
For a full list of benefits see here: Careers Page | YMCA Together
The skills we are looking for
Experience - Experience of working in housing management, preferably within a social housing environment. Experience of managing voids and allocations within the housing sector. Experience and knowledge on claiming housing benefit. Collaborative working with own and other relevant teams.
Knowledge - A good understanding of vulnerable tenants' needs in a social housing context. Understanding of best practice in and management of nuisance, harassment and anti-social behaviour. Understanding of landlord/tenant/support providers and managing agency relationships and responsibilities. Understanding of housing law and taking legal action against breach of an occupancy agreement.
Qualifications - Good standard of general education, including GCSEs in Math and English (or comparable). Full Driving License as regular travel to YMCA Together's premises is required.
Skills - Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills - able to interact with people at all levels. Excellent written communication and report writing skills. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. ICT skills - good working knowledge of Excel and Word. Good attention to detail.
Behaviour / Attributes - Excellent personal and work organization skills. Committed to own personal development. Energetic, highly motivated with a reputation of being held in high regard by their peers. Excellent interpersonal/ communication skills. Ability to work within and have commitment to YMCA ethos, philosophy and SHREK values, Strength, Humility, Respect, Empathy and Kindness. Energetic, dynamic and self-motivated.
What is a nice to have
A relevant qualification in housing and/or management
YMCA Together is an equal opportunities employer, values diversity and is strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.
To download a copy of our application form, please click here
If you would like to apply not directly through the website, please email your completed application form to