Our Values

In line with our One Coventry Values we strive to have a workforce that reflects our local communities and welcome applicants from all sections of the community. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic backgrounds, applicants who have a disability and applicants who are from the LGBTQ+ community to apply for our senior leadership roles. 

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

About the team we are recruiting to

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

The Housing and Homelessness Service is a very busy environment  and faces several challenges to meet the housing needs of citizens of Coventry.  The team have grown significantly during the last 12 months and this reflects the fact that Housing & Homelessness are now a key council priority.  

The team are responsible for the delivery of the following service functions: 

• Provision of the statutory homeless service 
• Provision of temporary accommodation 
• Management of the housing register 
• Co-ordination of support to citizens rough sleeping 
• Commissioning of homeless services, and  
• Responsibility for housing strategy  

The Council has a strategic vision that is clearly set out in both the Housing & Homelessness and the Rough Sleeping Strategies which were both approved in 2019. 

By becoming part of an expanding team who are focused on preventing households from becoming homeless as well as providing tailored support and interventions when someone does become homeless this is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to some of the most vulnerable people in our city. 

What is the job role?

Working in and out of city centre locations the team work closely with partner services to support rough sleepers to move on to both interim and settled accommodation.  We provide a dual service; engaging those we find rough sleeping and supporting those newly accommodated, removing barriers and increasing opportunities in persistent and creative ways.

This is a challenging role working holistically with some of our cities' most complex rough sleepers. We are looking for people to provide flexible and effective support to both those on their caseload and the team.   

The role involves working early morning outreach, and other unsociable hours on occasion and relies on the whole team working flexibly as necessary.  Use of your car is desirable.

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
 

Who are we looking for?

To be successful in this role you need to have:

• Knowledge and understanding of the issues faced by homeless people, including adults with multiple and complex needs and/or no recourse to public funds.
• Knowledge of homelessness
• Experience in working with either rough sleepers, hard-to-reach groups or those with multiple and complex needs
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent negotiating and advocacy skills
• Ability to assess people’s needs and complete risk assessments
• Ability to work effectively in partnership with multiple partner services
• Ability to lone work and manage own day-to-day caseload  
• Ability to deal positively with conflict and work to avoid situations escalating.

The work is both:

• Rough Sleeper Outreach work is done in pairs doing street outreach, being persistent in meeting, engaging people rough sleeping and assessing their needs and risks, making appropriate referrals to housing providers, supporting individuals to navigate the system, making appointments and making their pathway from the street into accommodation as smooth as possible.
• Rough Sleeper In-reach is managing a caseload of ex-rough sleepers who are now in new accommodation and navigating a new tenancy, with all that brings.  Workers are persistent, resilient, and creative in how they engage and work with people and how they support people to manage and solve problems. 

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'

Interview date: Week Commencing 29th April 2024.

About Coventry

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies

Coventry City Council