Housing Support Officer Jobs
Housing support officer jobs… did you know?
Some people need help to find safe and permanent housing that suits their needs. They might be homeless and seeking hostels, or in need of sheltered accommodation, or perhaps they need a customised living space to suit their physical/mental needs, and helping hands with daily challenges like cooking and shopping.
As a housing support officer you’ll give advice to people in these situations. You’ll advise them on how to live independently and find a good housing option. You might also have responsibilities for housing services like hostels or sheltered accommodation.
Everyone needs a roof over their head, but it only becomes a home when it’s a place of safety. You help people find not just housing but homes, so that they have less worries for the future. As a housing support officer you are laying the foundations for a solid career.
Industry: Social care
Housing support officer job trends
How much money can you make as a housing support officer?
Your starting salary can vary because of factors like level of experience, training, or location.
Your salary as a housing support officer will increase over time as you build skills, knowledge and experience.
What entry qualifications and training do you need for this job?
School, college and training
More than anything else, you need the right values and skills to work in social care – like empathy, patience and diplomacy.
However, you will need English and number skills, and you’ll be working with IT and doing admin. So having a general standard of GCSEs or their equivalents, with passes in English and maths at grades 9-4/A*-C, will definitely be a plus.
Further qualifications will always be welcomed by employers, and as well as A-levels or their equivalents you could do a social care qualification like a Level 2 or 3 diploma in health and social care.
Accredited courses like the Level 2 certificate in housing practice from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) will also help.
Apprenticeships
You can get into this job through completing a social care apprenticeship. This gives you the opportunity to earn a salary working in health and social care while getting structured learning that leads to an industry-recognised qualification. It will also help you get a real taste of doing a vocational job that you’ll most enjoy if you have a passion for supporting people that need extra care.
The NHS runs apprenticeships related to health and social care.
NHS apprenticeships are on offer at four levels:
- Intermediate (Level 2 – equivalent to five GCSES (9-4/A*-C)
- Advanced (Level 3 – equivalent to two A-levels)
- Higher (Levels 4-7 – equivalent to foundation degree or above)
- Degree apprenticeship (Levels 6-7 – equivalent to a degree)
There are some entry requirements for NHS apprenticeships. For example, to successfully apply for an Advanced Level Apprenticeship you may need four or five GCSEs or their equivalents, sometimes in particular subjects.
To start a higher apprenticeship with the NHS you may need a Level 3 qualification or enough healthcare-related experience to show you have the skills and knowledge to apply.
Visit NHS Healthcare Careers to see the range of healthcare apprenticeships on offer.
Career Progression
You could start out as a housing support admin or assistant, then build up to becoming a housing support officer with time and experience (and optional study).
In your role you might receive specific training such as communication skills, autism awareness or working with people with dementia. These could lead you to specific housing support and social care roles.
You could move into other social care roles like being a rehabilitation worker. You could progress into senior housing roles and become a team leader or manager. You could also move into other support roles like being an employment advisor.
What experience do you need for housing support officer jobs?
Work experience
It can help your application if you’ve done work experience that relates to to caring for vulnerable people.
If you do a college course in health and social care, they usually include a work placement as part of the course, which can help you gain experience.
Any work experience where you have demonstrated your healthcare skills can help your application. Visit the NHS Work Experience website to find healthcare work experience opportunities in your area.
Examples of relevant work experience include:
- Work shadowing (even if it’s just for a day)
- Work placements in a company
- Work experience placements on a college or university course
What skills do you need for housing support officer jobs?
Useful skills to highlight to your employer when applying for jobs like this one include:
- Great communication skills – you will need to communicate clearly and respectfully with vulnerable people and make sure they understand the options which are open to them.
- Patience, empathy and being able to relate to people of all ages and backgrounds.
- Office skills like using a computer and filing, so you can update and track records.
- Organisation and self-management skills to turn up on time and make good use of your working hours.
- Being able to stay calm and mentally resilient in challenging situations. Resilience is a self-belief skill you can build as a Youth Employment UK Young Professional.
Vocational qualifications and work experience will help you build these skills over time.
What does a housing support officer do?
Your activities might vary depending on which vulnerable people you’re working with.
Some day-to-day job responsibilities include:
- Assessing the needs of people who need housing
- Inspecting housing services and carrying out safety checks to ensure their housing is safe and appropriate
- Making sure any maintenance or housing repair work has been carried out
- Resolving issues like anti-social behaviour or neighbourly disputes
- Working with teams of other people like social workers to make sure people get the right housing for them
- Giving advice and support to people who need help with everyday challenges like shopping, cooking, and looking after their personal finances.
Your first steps into housing support officer jobs
Housing supoprt officer jobs are advertised under different job titles. When you’re looking on job boards, look for the following types of job:
- Housing support officer
- Housing and tenancy support officer
- Support and housing benefit officer
- Supported housing officer
Useful organisations and links
