Rapid Rehousing Worker - Newport VRS

Introduction

The Wallich is a homelessness charity delivering innovative housing and support services to homeless and vulnerably housed people. The Organisation formed in 1978 in Cardiff and now supports around 8000 people a year across Wales. Our work falls into four principal areas:

1. Residential supported housing projects, including direct access hostels, emergency night shelters and accommodation for people with specific issues such as substance misuse, youth services etc.

2. Floating (Tenancy) support projects in which we support people who have tenancy difficulties, sometimes with a contributing health or other need, and are in danger of losing their homes.

3. Prevention or intervention projects supplied through Homelessness Prevention Grant funding which are a broad range of services that prevent homelessness or make life better for homeless people.

4. Participation and Progression services, which are embedded in all our projects enhancing support through providing opportunities for Service Users to take an active part in their community. These services include those designed to enable people to move into meaningful activities including employment and training opportunities.

The Wallich’s values are of empowerment and treating people with dignity, respect and unconditional positive regard. The Wallich is committed to providing services that are trauma informed and delivered with Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE) at the heart of its support. A PIE is an approach to supporting people out of homelessness whilst making significant and positive progress in overcoming trauma, substance misuse and mental illness. It also considers the psychological needs of staff: developing skills and knowledge, increasing motivation, job satisfaction and resilience. At the heart of what we do are the people we support, who are actively and meaningfully involved in their own support and encouraged to participate in the design, development and delivery of services.

Project Description

The Wallich are working in partnership with Newport City Council to address the needs of rough sleepers and those placed in temporary during the pandemic to address their housing and support needs and to guide them on their journey from the street into long term sustainable accommodation in the community. The team will link in closely with our established Outreach Team in the City to provide a seamless service. These roles are front facing community-based roles working across the city and will include some evening and weekend work on a rota basis to meet the needs of the service users.

Purpose of Role

The Rapid Rehousing Worker will be responsible for coordinating and providing a flexible person centred, solution focused service, applying an assertive engagement and positive risk-taking approach, using Housing First principles but with a view to rapidly addressing a person’s housing need. Within legal, moral and ethical boundaries, Rapid rehousing provision relies on staff being committed to the ethos, applying a ‘can do, will do’ approach, that focuses on the long-term goal of creating sustainable tenancies and maximising connectivity with the local community. The Worker will be working in a capacity to enable clients to access the services and interventions they need to build their resilience, gain confidence, reduce harm and acquire the personal and social skills they need to meet their aspirations and sustain their tenancy.

This role is subject to an Enhanced DBS Disclosure.

No Agencies.

We do not accept unsolicited agency referrals for this position and do not consider any applicants, to have been introduced to us via agency.

Main Duties, Responsibilities and Person Profile

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES

1. To work alone and with others, completing dynamic risk assessments and maintain own safety by following lone working procedures and by adopting a positive risk-taking approach, ensure that all Clients are treated fairly and afforded equality of opportunity and be able to assist in covering your colleagues’ case load when required.

2. To deliver personalised, psychologically informed and harm minimising support, performing robust assessments of project referrals, coordinating a case load of up to 20, subject to complexity of need, and establish an open and trusted relationship acting as each client’s single point of contact and support. Perform needs assessments and develop respective support plans and review when required, conducting dynamic risk assessments and develop risk management plans, adopting a positive and innovative risk-taking approach.

3. To deliver trauma informed support using a range of therapeutic skills and psychosocial interventions and supporting clients to develop independent living skills to prevent crisis or tenancy failure. Promoting and teach life skills and encourage adaptive and positive behaviours that function for wellbeing, aiding individuals to develop into active and productive members of their communities.

4. Promoting, encouraging and signposting to a range of harm reduction agencies and services whilst having an awareness of the following measures: safer injecting advice, polydrug use advice, NPS HR (including spice), alcohol withdrawal advice, alcohol brief interventions, general / sexual health advice, nutrition advice, BBV awareness, stimulant advice (crack cocaine), opiate substitution therapy advice, overdose prevention / awareness and naloxone training and administration.

5. To develop and provide co-productive ways of working with clients and ensure that clients are able to attend and participate in a range of socially inclusive activities and skill development opportunities, facilitating and support client involvement in the running of the organisation and individual services through key working and in liaison with the Client Forums, ensure clients are consulted in relevant aspects of service management and quality and then implement and /or take part in effective consultation, participation and communication mechanisms with individual clients and client groups.

6. To advise on, liaise with, and facilitate access to other agencies, negotiate with and influence key stakeholders to ensure clients have optimum levels of housing options and access to appropriate levels of support and care, build and maintain networks with staff from other agencies to ensure Rapid Rehousing is widely known and promoted, build relationships and liaise with landlords to assist with all aspects of clients’ tenancies.

7. Engage with local communities to sensitively address negative stereotypes, build supportive points of access, and encourage activity and opportunity for engagement, attend relevant forums such as MARAC, MAPPA, Safeguarding, to proactively represent and advocate for clients to maintain their tenancy and address their wider support needs.

8. Maintaining accurate up to date records on the case management system of; progress against individual support plans; risk management plans and outcomes and monitoring information, in line with general data protection regulation, contribute to performance improvement initiatives by providing related data and identifying service deficiencies, positive impacts, preventative actions and demonstrable outcomes of the service against the performance management framework and fully participate in the development and operation of new systems, programmes and initiatives.

9. Maintain regular communication with all project staff relating to client needs, report regularly to management, communicating any issues arising during the course of work, support the development of the aims and objectives of the project and ensure accurate project expenditure records are maintained and that full daily petty cash handovers are completed in line with local financial procedures.

ORGANISATIONAL VALUES AND POLICIES
All role holders within The Wallich are expected to live the organisational values and to demonstrate throughout the work they do, and the manner in which they do it, these values. In addition, all role holders are expected to either be compliant with, or act as a role model for, organisational policies and requirements.

The Wallich values are:

Courageous – We speak truth to power, we challenge ourselves and each other. We fearlessly pioneer new initiatives. We and our service users have the courage to drive change

Determined – We will not stop. We will continue to strive to make changes, not only for our charity but for the people we support. We will not lose passion or focus, even when it’s hard.

Authentic – We are genuine in our intentions, working on the front line with the people who need us. We walk the path alongside people and use peer experience to inform everything we do.

Compassionate – At all times – always. No matter how many times someone comes to us for help, we will listen, be empathetic and greet them with kindness.

Community – Everybody deserves to belong somewhere. As a team we are family and we embrace partnership. We strive for inclusion and acceptance of those affected by homeless.

A full job description and person profile can be downloaded by clicking the Job Profile document link below. Please refer to the person specification when completing your application.

Interviews to be held on 25/02/2022 via. MS Teams

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