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What does a Housing support worker do?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I saw this job but it didn't go in to much detail other than it was for the YMCA, anyone know what they actually do?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whilst there's a lot of variety in different roles and based on the charity/council/client base you'd be working with the basics are probably pretty similar. It'd be working with people who are living in sheltered/supported accomodation - helping to support the clients either gain more confidence and maybe move on or improve their lives.

    The only housing support worker I knew was working with elderly clients who'd be institutionalised after many decades in mental health hospitals/asylums (nearly all because they got pregnant outside of marriage).

    Her role invovled a lot of getting them used to the world they were in, trying to build self-confidence, helping them with benefits and bills that they found overwhelming at first, checking and organising food shopping and cooking and also a lot of basic diplomacy to make the house a place they could all enjoy. There was other stuff more directly involving the running but she was also acting as a housing manager rather than support worker for those parts.

    A big part was also being their friends or at least a supportive listening ear within a pretty careful set of boundaries to avoid just creating more dependence.

    I'm assuming that YMCA is likely to be based more with young people, so its likely to be more drug/drink and homelessness focused? That could be me getting it wrong though - I'm not entirely certain of who the YMCA focus on with their housing, and it's likely to be dependant on the area and the project.

    I'd imagine its rewarding, difficult, varied and draining in equal measures.

    Hope that helps, someone let me know if I got it totally wrong :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It does cheers Jim. I'm a care assistant at the moment but it's crap pay you work pretty much 7 days a week so I think I want to change jobs now and this job sounded interesting. I'll speak to them tomorrow, see what they say about the role and post back :)
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