A day in the life of a housing advisor
Every day is different working as a housing advisor, but our primary aim remains the same: to prevent and reduce homelessness in Bristol by providing advice and support to those at risk of becoming homeless, or others already homeless and in urgent need.
One day you might work from home, the next you'll be in the office. Either way, you're safe in the knowledge you have a supportive team around you, to bounce off queries and share knowledge. It's a mix of helping those in need in person and over the phone.
A key part of our role is completing assessments with citizens who have presented as homeless or are threatened with homelessness imminently, to establish if they are eligible for assistance, the level of duty owed (if any), and identify what support can be offered.
These assessments may be pre-scheduled appointments, or an urgent, same day appointment in cases where the citizen is in crisis, having lost their accommodation and now homeless.
Part of our remit is to make reasonable enquiries to determine whether the citizen is intentionally homeless, in priority need and if they have a local connection to Bristol.
All temporary and longer-term options for the citizen and their household will be explored. This might include:
- financial support to enable them to remain in the family home
- liaising with a landlord to offer support to prevent eviction or to extend the notice period whilst we work with the citizen to find alternative accommodation
- financial support with a loan scheme to help them access alternative accommodation within the private sector
- as a last resort, provision of emergency accommodation
We draw up Personal Housing Plans for citizens, setting out tasks for them and us to complete. Where it's not possible for them to remain in their existing accommodation, we work with them to move on, identifying accommodation suitable for their needs which may be supported accommodation or something else within the private sector.
Our work is varied, fast paced and at times challenging. We manage multiple cases simultaneously, so you'll be juggling tasks and regularly re-prioritising your to do list. You never know when a client may contact you with a new crisis, so you need to be ready to respond and support, but also manage their expectations.
Some days you might be on duty triaging urgent enquiries, other days you'll focus on progressing your own caseload, responding to incoming emails and phone calls from clients, undertaking enquiries, making referrals to various accommodation or support services, completing administrative tasks, or responding to an urgent move request arising from a new risk.
How you organise your work and prioritise daily tasks is up to you. Some of us have a daily to do list, others prefer setting reminders in their Outlook calendar or using a spreadsheet.
The diverse range of people and situations presenting, requires you to think creatively to solve their problems and adapt accordingly. It keeps the role interesting, and you'll find the working day goes by fast. It's a nice thought travelling home at the end of the day, knowing you've helped others stay in their home or find a home.