Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time – 35 hours per week
Salary: Grade 3 - £31,600 per annum
Location: Hybrid – expected to work from Sheffield Shelter hub less than 60% of working hours and from home the rest of the time.
Closing date: Sunday 1st March 2026 at 11.30pm
Would you like to help people understand and enforce their housing rights? We are looking for new people to join Shelter’s emergency helpline as Telephone and Online Advice Services Advisers.
You won’t need previous housing advice experience as Shelter will provide full training and support to develop your knowledge and skills.
About the Role
Our Emergency Helpline provides legal advice and assistance to members of the public who are facing a housing or homelessness crisis. This is a high-pressure environment and you will need to be able to respond immediately and effectively to the situations you are presented with. Clients will typically be experiencing a housing emergency and some will be vulnerable or extremely distressed.
You will need to use your initiative to help resolve your clients’ issues such as liaising with third parties, local authorities and reviewing legal documentation.
The Helpline is open Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm and Advisers work a 6-week shift rota.
If you are interested in learning more about the role, we are holding two online drop-in sessions between 10am and 11am, and 5pm and 6pm on 24 February 2026. Please see the advert on our website for contact details.
About you
With experience of delivering services to the public, you will be able to communicate complex legal information clearly both verbally and in writing, work independently and be confident enough to challenge external parties to realise your clients’ housing rights. Emotional resilience will also be crucial to effectively help clients who are distressed, experiencing trauma or may be at risk of harm. You will need to be proficient in IT, including Microsoft Office and typing. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are key to everything we do at Shelter and you will be expected to actively promote these principles throughout your work.
About the team
Shelter’s Sheffield-based telephone and online advice services play a crucial role in our fight to defend the right to a safe home, encompassing our emergency Helpline, a remote casework service and expert advice services for professionals. Known internally as TOAS, we are the largest service in Shelter and the client data we capture is used to inform and support the organisation’s strategy as well as providing information for media, policy and research, so you will play a key role in fighting the housing emergency.
How to Apply
Please click ‘Apply for Job’ below. You are required to submit a CV and a supporting statement with responses to the points in the ‘About you’ section of the job description, of no more than 350 words per point.
CVs without supporting statements will not be considered
