Supported Housing Support Worker at YMCA DownsLink Group

Main areas of responsibilities are:

Housing and Compliance

- Support young people to understand and comply with their occupancy agreements, including coaching them to meet house rules and responsibilities as part of preparing for successful independent living.
- Promote a strong rent‑payment and credit culture, encouraging residents to maintain regular payments and understand their financial obligations.
- Maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of housing legislation, welfare benefits, and statutory requirements affecting young people, ensuring practice aligns with current housing law and organisational policies.
- Respond promptly and effectively to breaches of agreement, including rent arrears, antisocial behaviour, or property damage, using restorative approaches where appropriate and working collaboratively with the wider team.

Coaching and Engagement

- Coach young people so they can articulate their aspirations and ambitions and take the lead in acquiring the skills they need to live independent and fulfilling lives.
- Ensure young people are encouraged to take responsibility for their own personal development, to engage with the services on offer and build strong networks and connections within the local community.
- Ensure consistent standards of safeguarding and Trauma Informed Practice when supporting young people, observing our safeguarding procedures, and keeping yourself and residents safe by respecting professional boundaries.
- Maintain client records on In-Form (client database) detailing the young person’s journey in relation to their strengths and needs, any risks, and any outcomes (to monitor service performance).

Experience and Knowledge

- Experience in housing or supported accommodation, ideally supporting young people with multiple and complex needs.
- Strong understanding of occupancy agreements, rent management, welfare benefits, and tenancy sustainment.
- Ability to manage arrears, ASB, and other non‑compliance issues using appropriate and restorative approaches.
- Good knowledge of housing legislation, safeguarding procedures, and compliance requirements, with the ability to maintain clear professional boundaries.
- Familiarity with statutory and voluntary services available to young people and ability to work proactively with a caseload to support progression towards independent living.

Skills and Abilities

- Confident in record‑keeping, including case notes, incident reporting, and health and safety checks.
- Ability to communicate clearly both verbally and in writing for appropriate recording of a resident’s progression, and to evidence outcomes achieved.
- Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with all stakeholders, including signposting and advocating for clients as necessary.
- Ability to work autonomously, and use own initiative, as well as being part of a team.
- Clear verbal and written communication skills, good IT, and keyboard skills.
- Ability to de-escalate volatile situations and manage challenging behaviour appropriately.