Housing Rights Worker

We’re looking for someone who is proactive and empathetic with experience and knowledge of housing and homelessness advice and working with vulnerable families. Join Shelter as a Housing Rights Worker and you could soon be playing a key part in standing up to the housing emergency.

About Shelter

Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet every day millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.

We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything,

We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent. We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.

About the team

Our London hub specialises in providing housing advice and emergency homelessness work, intensive support to families, people experiencing domestic abuse and people experiencing multiple disadvantage. We provide front line support to over 5,000 people a year and work to bring about systemic change with the ultimate aim of people being able to live securely in suitable, safe, affordable homes.

Based in Hackney, the East London Family Service supports families with complex needs, preventing homelessness and helping them to access safe and affordable homes. The team also support the community to address systemic issues that may prevent families from sustaining a home, providing targeted advice sessions in community settings, with the aim of building capacity within communities to campaign on housing issues.

About the role

As a Housing Rights Worker, you will deliver high quality housing advice and advocacy to families with the ultimate aim of helping them thrive in their communities. Your work will be in line with London Hub’s priorities of improving the practice of local authorities and Registered Social Landlords and focussing on households disproportionately affected by the housing emergency. Working alongside people who are experiencing homelessness and bad housing to identify issues facing local communities you will deliver casework to families to resolve their housing situation as well as engaging with community groups, local organisations and individuals to understand the housing issues in East London and raise awareness of people’s rights.

In your community work you will ensure that people with lived experience of homelessness have opportunities to share their stories, give their views and have their say in the design and delivery of Shelter services. Offering day to day support to volunteers, providing learning, shadowing and mentoring and being a consistent role model for our values are also key aspects of the role.

About you

You will be able to work with individuals and communities including people with lived experience of homelessness. You will have experience and knowledge of housing and homelessness advice and advocacy as well as the ability to carry out casework related interviews, maintain detailed case records, advise and support your clients to make informed decisions. You have a strong track record of delivering group workshops and presentations and collaborate with others to get the job done.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

To find out more about the role and the benefits of working for Shelter please visit our website. Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.