Everyone deserves a safe place to call home.
Company Limited by Guarantee number 1741926 Charity Number 287779 Registered in England as Single Homeless Project
shp Single Homeless Project
Job title: Tenancy Rescue Worker
Delegated Authority: Level 8
Team: TST North
Responsible to: Team Manager
Responsible for: N/A
Job purpose
For someone who has moved away from street homelessness, getting the keys to a home can be life changing - but keeping that home, especially when trauma, poverty, poor health, isolation or mistrust of services are still present, can be the hardest part of the journey.
The Tenancy Sustainment Team North exists to help people build safety, stability and confidence in their own homes. Working across North, West and East London, the team supports people in social housing to strengthen their independence, reduce the risk of repeat homelessness and move towards the life they want beyond services.
The Senior Tenancy Intervention Worker is there for the moments when that stability is at risk. This role provides rapid, skilled and practical support when a person’s tenancy, safety or wellbeing is under pressure - whether that is linked to arrears, safeguarding concerns, poor health, substance use, domestic abuse, social isolation, anti-social behaviour, financial exclusion or the impact of multiple disadvantage.
You will work alongside clients, not around them, building trust quickly and helping people take back control when things feel close to breaking point. You will bring calm, practical action to complex situations, helping people understand their options, protect their home, connect with the right support and rebuild confidence in their ability to manage their tenancy.
As a new role within TST North, this post also has the chance to shape how the service responds when people are at greatest risk of losing the stability they have worked hard to build. It is about intervening early, holding hope in difficult moments and making sure people are not left to fall back into homelessness when the right support could help them stay safely housed.
Key accountabilities
Specialist tenancy intervention and casework
Provide rapid, targeted intervention for people at risk of tenancy breakdown, eviction, repeat homelessness, safeguarding concerns or significant deterioration in wellbeing.
Hold a focused and changing caseload, with frequency and intensity of contact shaped by each client’s level of risk, need and readiness to engage.
Co-produce practical support, safety and action plans that balance risk management with the client’s right to make informed choices about their life and home.
Deliver hands-on tenancy sustainment support, including help with arrears, debts, benefits, bills, housing rights, anti-social behaviour concerns and communication with landlords or housing providers.
Support clients to understand and act on their tenancy rights and responsibilities, building confidence, independence and long-term self-management skills.
Triage, assessment and safeguarding response
Lead on triage and response to internal referrals and enquiries from across TST where tenancy loss, safeguarding or wellbeing concerns have been identified.
Assess urgency, risk, need and appropriate intervention routes, ensuring responses are timely, proportionate and clearly recorded.
Provide crisis intervention where required, including practical safety planning, urgent advocacy and coordination with emergency, health, care or specialist services.
In-reach across TST to identify clients who may be at risk of tenancy breakdown or increasing harm, supporting earlier intervention wherever possible.
Identify, report and escalate safeguarding concerns involving children or adults at risk, in line with SHP policy, legislation and local procedures.
Health, wellbeing and multiple disadvantage
Identify current and unmet needs linked to mental health, physical health, substance use, trauma, domestic abuse, financial exclusion, social isolation and other barriers to stability.
Use trauma-informed, strengths-based, solution-focused and motivational approaches to build trust, reduce barriers and support meaningful change.
Support clients to access and engage with health, care, housing, welfare rights, drug and alcohol, domestic abuse and community-based services.
Recognise patterns of disengagement, mistrust or previous service breakdown, adapting support so that clients are not left to fall through gaps.
Partnership, advocacy and client voice
Coordinate integrated support around clients through effective partnership working with internal teams, housing providers, local authorities and specialist agencies.
Advocate clearly and constructively for clients in meetings, referrals and professional discussions, ensuring their voice, wishes and safety remain central.
Use Team Around Me approaches wherever appropriate, supporting clients to be involved in the meetings and decisions that affect them.
Promote client feedback routes, including complaints, compliments and suggestions, and respond positively to learning from client experience.
Recording, service development and performance
Maintain accurate, timely and high-quality case records on Inform, in line with SHP’s client contact recording requirements and service procedures.
Evidence tenancy sustainment, safeguarding, wellbeing and crisis intervention outcomes clearly, supporting service learning, reporting and evaluation.
Keep financial, administrative and casework systems up to date, including information required for funding, performance monitoring and service improvement.
Contribute to the development of the role, helping to shape best practice, referral routes, intervention models and outcome measures across TST.
Protect personal and confidential information, following organisational requirements around data security, confidentiality and information management.
Teamwork, health and safety and miscellaneous
Share knowledge, insight and practical tools with colleagues, supporting wider team confidence around tenancy intervention, safeguarding, housing rights and financial inclusion.
Participate fully in supervision, team meetings, reflective practice, performance reviews and training, arriving prepared to contribute ideas, learning and solutions.
Work in line with SHP’s health and safety policy and local procedures, including lone working, fire safety and safe working practices in the community.
Miscellaneous
SHP is at discretion to amend your responsibilities and, in addition to these, you may be required to perform other duties as may be required for the efficient running of the organisation.
To create inclusive working environments and cultures to enable colleagues and clients to feel safe and empowered to achieve their full potential.
Technical and professional know-how needed for position
When completing your application, you will be required to address (using examples) some of the points below
Experience and Knowledge
Experience of providing support to people affected by homelessness, multiple disadvantage, trauma, social exclusion or other barriers to sustaining accommodation.
Strong understanding of needs assessment, risk management, safeguarding, support planning and safety planning in a housing or support setting.
Knowledge of tenancy sustainment, housing rights, homelessness prevention and the practical issues that can place a tenancy at risk.
Knowledge of income maximisation, benefits, rent arrears, debts, bills and financial inclusion, with the ability to support people to reduce and manage tenancy-related pressures.
Understanding of the barriers people may face in accessing health, care, mental health, substance use, domestic abuse, welfare rights and community-based services.
Understanding of housing pathways and accommodation options, including supported housing, emergency accommodation, social housing and private rented sector routes.
Skills and Abilities
Ability to respond quickly and calmly to complex situations, assessing urgency, risk and need while keeping the person at the centre of the response.
Skilled in building trust with people who may be distressed, reluctant to engage, mistrustful of services or managing multiple competing pressures.
Ability to use trauma-informed, strengths-based, solution-focused and motivational approaches to co-produce clear support, safety and action plans.
Strong advocacy and partnership-working skills, with the confidence to coordinate multi-agency responses and challenge constructively where needed.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce accurate case notes, clear records and professional written work.
Ability to organise a changing caseload, prioritise effectively, work under pressure and maintain high standards of practice with appropriate support and supervision.