Homeless Health Housing Coordinator

Main area Integrated Care - Homeless Health Team Grade Band 5 Contract Fixed term: 3 years (end date 31-Mar-2029) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 290-MIC-2143

Site Trust wide Town London Salary £38,488 - £46,852 pa inclusive Salary period Yearly Closing 28/06/:59

Job overview

Are you a motivated, dynamic, and enthusiastic housing officer with significant experience of working with people that are homeless or rough sleeping? Would you like to work within an acute hospital supporting patients that are homeless or at risk of homelessness?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you to be involved in our specialist Homeless Health team at a critical time in its development. We have a Band 5 Homeless Health Housing Coordinator post within the team that we are recruiting to as our team has been funded by an extra 3 years with development opportunities.

The Homeless Health team is multi-disciplinary and operates a reactive and fast-moving service. The team is necessary to redress the stark health inequalities suffered by the homeless population. The average age of death for rough sleepers is 43 years old (women) and 47 (men) compared with 80 and 74 in the general population.

The homeless health team seeks to overcome the barriers that homeless people face accessing high quality services. Through this approach, the team also aims to reduce delayed and premature discharges, and reduce unscheduled admissions and A&E attendances.

The Homeless Health Housing Coordinator will work with patients on our wards, in Accident and Emergency (A&E) and may need to outreach into the community to support patients to secure housing, access health care and post discharge for follow ups. The post holder will be expected to work on site Monday to Friday.

Main duties of the job

• You will play a vital role in improving the quality of care for homeless hospital patients by providing specialist housing advice, advocacy, support, and quality discharge interventions, with a particular focus on accommodation options.
• Working as part of a multi-disciplinary Homeless Health team, you will ensure safe, appropriate, and sustainable hospital discharges and support patients to access housing, benefits, primary health care, and follow-up appointments after discharge.
• You will undertake detailed housing assessments that will help prove a patient's homelessness, eligibility, priority for housing and established local connection.
• You will maintain regular contact with and support a caseload of patients during admission and post-discharge, including visiting discharge locations and escorting patients to appointments when necessary.
• You will accompany patients to Housing Options offices to provide face-to-face advocacy and resolve disputes to achieve the best outcomes.
• You will act as an advocate for patients within the clinical setting and with external agencies, clearly communicating patient circumstances to hospital staff and external providers.
• You will assist patients to understand and obtain their welfare, housing, and related rights, addressing barriers such as language, culture, mental or physical health.

You will be good at partnership working, building relationships and liaising with Local Authorities Housing departments and hospital clinical teams.

Working for our organisation

Benefits include career development, flexible working and wellbeing, staff recognition scheme. Make use of optional benefits including Cycle to Work, car lease schemes, season ticket loan or membership options for onsite leisure facilities.

We are committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and will consider applications to work flexibly, part time or job share. Please talk to us at interview.

Person specification Education/ Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience.
• Good general knowledge base in the health issues surrounding homeless people e.g. mental health, drug and alcohol misuse, impact of health needs of no recourse to public funds patients.
• Completed formal education / specialist course in a relevant area e.g. addictions.

Experience / Skills

• Direct work experience with homeless clients or clients with addictions
• Experience of independent practice with homeless people and within a team
• Experience of case management
• Experience of working in partnership and negotiating with a wide variety of agencies
• Experience of dealing with complex housing issues
• Able to work in partnership with and negotiate with a wide variety of partnership agencies, and other NHS providers.
• Ability to write a report. Good IT skills (WORD, POWERPOINT etc.)
• Experience of working in partnership with voluntary/ statutory agencies
• Experience of working directly with statutory homeless agencies e.g. Local Authority Homeless Persons Units
• Able to influence and negotiate independently across complex boundaries

Right to work

If you need sponsorship to work in the UK, please visit the Home Office website for information on sponsorship and visa status before you fill in your application form. Due to recent changes in the UK immigration rules which affect Skilled Worker Visas, Global Business Mobility, Higher Skill Level and Increased Salary Thresholds, please ensure that you are able to meet the requirements to live and work in the UK before applying. Further information about eligibility is available on UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK

Please ensure you check your emails regularly as this is how we will communicate with you throughout the recruitment process. If you are shortlisted you will be contacted by email and text message (if you provide a mobile contact number).

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.