Purpose of the post:
Support people who are sleeping rough and/or experiencing long-term and multiple exclusion homelessness to move into secure, permanent housing at the earliest opportunity, without preconditions for sobriety or treatment compliance. Support people prior to, during, and following their move through Case Management and Key Working, to build their capacity to meet their goals, address their support needs, and sustain their housing.

Some of the key duties of the role include:
Work collaboratively with other agencies engaged in Outreach and Emergency accommodation services, to establish and maintain contact with people in Waterford who are sleeping rough and/or experiencing long-term and multiple exclusion homelessness.
Advise people of the supports available through the Housing First Service and how Housing First differs from other approaches.
Identify any risks to the person or to others which would eliminate a particular area or type of housing or which would require the implementation of a plan to minimise risks.
Adhere to the Housing First approach to allocations, which does not impose preconditions relating to sobriety, treatment compliance, or wellness, and which includes a commitment to the re-housing of participants whose tenancies have broken down.
Ensure access to Health Services as appropriate. Identify any urgent or immediate health needs and refer as appropriate to medical, mental health, addiction and counselling services.
Work with the person to identify areas for support which may include: Physical and Mental Health, Independent Living Skills, Substance Use / Addiction Support, Education, Employment and Training goals, Family / Child Contact and other issues which impact upon the person’s well-being and housing stability.
Provide home visiting (where possible in the context of risk assessment) and carry out practical support as needed to help the person to build independent living skills and coping strategies as needed.
Work closely with the tenant as well as with team members, specialist staff, supervisor, landlord and other support agencies as appropriate to identify issues which may threaten the person’s housing stability and to coordinate a plan to address those issues.
Visit properties with prospective tenants and insofar as is possible (depending on source of housing), ensure that housing is of a good and clean standard at move-in and has all essential equipment.
Advocate with external agencies for the provision of appropriate housing
Report defects in housing and have them repaired quickly.
Participate in, and report to Homeless Action Team meetings as requested.

The ideal candidate for this post will have:
2 years of experience in a same or similar role
Third leave degree in a relevant filed
Experience of case management and key working
Previous experience of voluntary/statutory agency working with marginalized groups e.g. homeless people, prisoners, ex-prisoners, care leavers, travellers
Working with people with addictions including those with mental health issues / dual diagnosis
Strong communication, interpersonal and listening skills
Third level education in a relevant field
Knowledge of: Homelessness, housing assistance structures, social deprivation, advice and information Provision, etc.
Very strong organisational skills, time management, work planning
Ability to: work under pressure, as part of team, keep statistics
Personal belief in rights-based housing provision, recovery orientation and the Housing First approach
Flexible to the working environment
Non-judgemental understanding of addiction
For more information on Housing First please visit: https://housingfirsteurope.eu/guide/

The Application
Form and Application Pack for the role is attached below. Also, it is available on our website https://www.corksimon.ie/jobs/ or can be requested by e-mail recruit@corksimon.ie or by telephone 021 4929408.
The closing date for receipt of completed Application Forms is Monday, 18th May 2020 at 5pm.