Care Development Project

Housing support officers can work in sheltered accommodation, supporting living services, hostels for the homeless or in the community.

This role is ideal for you if you’re a good communicatior who is digitally competent, great with numbers and able to understand complex information such as housing legislation.

Role overview

• supporting people to access housing
• helping individuals to understand housing benefits available to them
• ensuring residents live in a safe and secure environment
• carrying out health and safety assessments
• doing risk assessments with individuals
• filling in financial records such as rent, arrears and petty cash
• doing administrative tasks to support your work such as tenancy agreements

Skills and experience

It might be useful to have experience working in a similar role or with vulnerable adults. You can gain this experience through a work placement, from your personal life, through volunteering or as part of a traineeship or apprenticeship.

For more experienced roles you might need a qualification or a degree in a relevant subject such as housing, community development or social policy. There are lots of courses that are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Opportunities

While in post you could do a vocational qualification such as a Diploma in Health and Social Care or continuing professional development qualification such as an award or certificate in activity provision.

Your employer may pay for you to complete these qualifications (via Workforce Development Fund), or you could apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to pay for them yourself.