And Support Officer

Position: Housing and Income Support Officer
Our mission at Response is to enable people of all ages to live a more fulfilled life by providing excellent mental health services, housing, and supported living.

Do you have the desire to empower and promote independence and an interest in mental health?

Housing & Income Support Officer - £31,200 – £36,400 per annum (Salaries vary depending on experience)

Hours – 37 hours per week, Monday - Friday

Department – Housing & Property

Location – Littlemore, Oxfordshire

What You’ll Be Doing:

Response are recruiting for a Housing & Income Support Officer within our Housing & Property Team. The Housing & Income Support Officer will provide robust occupancy related support, income management, and safeguarding interventions within supported accommodation. They will ensure residents sustain their occupancies, manage payments, and receive necessary support while maintaining compliance with housing regulations and safeguarding policies. The postholder will work closely with internal teams, external agencies, and vulnerable residents to promote financial stability, housing security, and overall well-being.

If you are a motivated individual looking for an exciting opportunity to contribute to a compassionate organisation, we want to hear from you!

Overall job responsibility:

Some of the core duties include:

Monitor rent accounts, identify arrears, and take proactive steps to prevent debt escalation.

Engage with residents to agree on affordable repayment plans and provide budgeting support.

Assist residents in accessing Housing Benefit, Universal Credit, and other financial and/or benefit entitlements.

Work closely with the Finance team to address outstanding debts and implement effective debt management strategies.

Help residents maintain their occupancies by addressing housing-related challenges such as rent issues, challenging behaviour, non-engagement, and property maintenance concerns.

Conduct regular occupancy sustainment visits, tenancy reviews, inspections, health and safety visits, welfare checks, and support assessments.

Identify safeguarding concerns, ensuring they are reported and escalated in line with organisational and legal requirements.

Work with support agencies, social services, and safeguarding leads to ensure residents receive the necessary protection and interventions.

Maintain accurate and confidential records of safeguarding cases and actions taken.

Assist in managing occupancy breaches, challenging behaviour complaints, and safeguarding incidents.

Support the allocation and void management process to ensure smooth transitions for new residents.

Conduct property inspections, ensuring homes meet health & safety and housing compliance standards.

Develop strong working relationships with external agencies, such as local authorities, welfare services, and safeguarding teams.

Organise workshops and one-to-one sessions on financial management, tenancy sustainment, and safeguarding awareness.

The Successful Applicant:

Our main priority for all our roles at Response is to find people that can live our values every day – Caring, Safe, Creative and Aspirational. We provide excellent training on everything else, but we do ask that you have:

Relevant qualification in housing management, safeguarding, or a related field (e.g., CIH Level 3, Diploma in Housing, or equivalent experience).

Safeguarding and welfare benefits training (or willingness to undertake).

Strong knowledge of rent collection processes, arrears prevention, and welfare benefits

Experience in housing management, income collection, or occupancy sustainment.

Experience working with vulnerable residents and understanding safeguarding protocols.

Experience working to strict deadlines without compromising content and service.

IT literate with experience using MS Office packages.

Ability to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns effectively.

Strong communication and negotiation skills to engage with residents and external agencies.

Ability to manage caseloads, prioritise workload, and work independently.

Strong literacy and numeracy skills

Strong planning, organisational and time management skills.

Ability to show initiative.

Be…