Homelessness Substance Misuse Recovery Worker
Location: Brixton
Salary: £27,948 per annum
Vacancy Type: Permanent, Full Time
Closing Date: 23rd September 2025
Riverside is a group of complementary businesses driven by a clear social purpose, with a charitable housing association at its core. Established over 90 years ago, we have grown to become a leading provider of affordable housing, care and support services in England and Scotland. Today, we manage almost 56,000 homes across more than 160 local authorities, supporting over 90,000 people.
Our vision is to transform lives and revitalise neighbourhoods by:
- Providing good quality, affordable homes
- Supporting households to increase their income through employment, money advice, and affordable warmth programmes
- Enabling people facing challenging circumstances to lead more resilient and independent lives
- Investing in communities through new homes, green spaces, and engagement initiatives
We are seeking a Specialist Substance Misuse Worker to join our dedicated team in Acre Lane, Brixton. You will work within an integrated framework, supporting homeless adults (18+) affected by drug and alcohol use.
In this role, you will:
- Provide relapse prevention support
- Signpost and refer clients to relevant partner agencies for additional support
- Offer expert advice and deliver substance misuse awareness training to Riverside colleagues
- Deliver client-centred interventions within a Trauma Informed Care (TIC) framework, using both harm reduction and abstinence-based approaches
- Conduct assessments, care planning, risk management, and structured 1:1 and group sessions
- Build strong working relationships with key partners such as Healthcare services, Probation, and Housing Options Teams to ensure continuity of care
This role requires flexibility and commitment, including occasional evening and weekend work.
About You
We are looking for a motivated and experienced professional who can demonstrate:
- Experience working in substance misuse services
- Strong skills in assessment, risk management, and SMART care planning
- Experience delivering harm reduction interventions and structured programmes
- Ability to facilitate group sessions and use motivational interviewing techniques effectively
- Good IT skills and confidence in record keeping
- Knowledge of safeguarding, the Recovery Agenda, and the issues facing both substance misusers and people experiencing homelessness
- Understanding of holistic, continuity of care and community support services
About Us
We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.
We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits:
- Flexible working
- Training and development opportunities
- Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)
- Season Ticket Loan Scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
- Crisis Loan Scheme
- Electric Car Scheme
- 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)
- Access to Blue Light Card
- 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
- Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter
- Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary)
- Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)
To Apply
If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for the Forward Trust, please click apply to be redirected to their website to complete your application.
