Housing Options Officer (Displaced People)

• Full time, 37 hours per week. We offer flexible working arrangements and can offer compressed hours and flexibility.
• 28 days annual leave.
• Fixed term contract until 31st March 2027.

We’re working to improve the lives of people in Somerset – and you’ll be a key part of that. 

You’ll be supporting people across Somerset who are experiencing - or at risk of - homelessness.

Specifically, you’ll be supporting our Displaced People Service, supporting resettlement schemes for vulnerable people within this programme.

As a Housing Options Officer, you’ll manage a varied caseload, working closely with applicants, landlords, partner agencies and colleagues to prevent or relieve homelessness wherever possible.

You’ll play a key part in delivering a compassionate, efficient service that’s grounded in legislation, good practice and doing what’s right for our communities.

We’re redesigning how our service operates and building from the ground up - which means that you’ll have the opportunity to come in and shape how we do things.

We’ve also created a structure that supports career progression, and we offer a comprehensive training plan to help you develop and reach your potential with us.

This is a hybrid role, with a mix of office, remote and in‑county work. You may occasionally need to work outside normal hours to support duty cover or respond to emergencies.

We work with some of the most vulnerable people in our community – and if we’re honest, sometimes it’s incredibly difficult.

Yes, you need to be creative, inquisitive and able to find effective solutions, but above all you need to be resilient and able to make difficult decisions when you need to.

That’s why experience of working with vulnerable adults, including managing a caseload in some way, is essential to be considered for this role.

You might currently be in a similar role to this one, or you might have worked as a Police Officer, or as a Social Work Assistant. Either way, you’re used to working with multiple agencies, comfortable distilling complex information in a way that people can understand and know how to keep clear boundaries.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

Think rolling hills, stunning coastlines, and vibrant market towns. Somerset offers a fantastic quality of life – whether you’re into countryside walks, historic villages, or great food and drink. Plus, you’re never far from Bristol, Bath, and Exeter for a little bit of “City buzz” when you want it.

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave.
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more...

The salary for this role is £28,598 to £32,061 per annum for 37 hours per week.

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Sarah Berry via email at sarah.berry@somerset.gov.uk.

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

If you have everything you need, just hit the apply button. We can’t wait to hear from you.

This roles requires an enhanced DBS via the online disclosures procedure.