Housing Support Worker – County Durham


Company:	Cornerstone Supported Housing Counselling Ltd
Salary:	from £28,918.50 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	County Durham
Working pattern:	On-site
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	1 Oct 2026
Closing date:	31 Oct 2026

Apply for this job

Summary

Location: Bishop Auckland / County Durham

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Salary: £28,918.5 starting salary

Responsible to: Senior Housing Worker / Housing & Communities Lead Service: First Steps – County Durham

Annual leave 29 days per year increases 1 day per year after two years of service up to 5 years.

About the Role

Cornerstone Supported Housing & Counselling is looking to recruit a First Steps Housing Support Worker to join our growing Housing & Communities service in County Durham.

First Steps provides short-term accommodation for people who are homeless, rough sleeping or in immediate housing need. As our County Durham provision develops, this will include Immediate Access Supported Housing (IASH), emergency accommodation and other short-term accommodation pathways.

The role is primarily focused on resident welfare, maintaining regular contact, identifying and responding to emerging issues and ensuring individuals remain connected to the services responsible for progressing their housing and wider support needs.

This is not an intensive key-working role. The Housing Support Worker will undertake regular welfare and property visits, provide practical assistance where required and work closely with Housing Solutions and other partner agencies to ensure individuals are linked into the appropriate services and their accommodation pathway continues to progress.

Key Responsibilities

Welfare & Resident Contact

· Undertake regular planned welfare checks with residents within First Steps accommodation.

· Maintain appropriate levels of contact according to individual need and identified risk.

· Monitor resident wellbeing, engagement and occupation of the accommodation.

· Identify changes in presentation, behaviour, wellbeing or circumstances and respond or escalate appropriately.

· Identify immediate practical needs and support residents to access appropriate assistance.

· Encourage residents to engage with appointments and services involved in their housing and support pathway.

· Maintain professional boundaries and promote personal responsibility and independence.

· Escalate significant non-engagement, safeguarding concerns, increased risk or placement concerns to senior staff.

Housing Pathway & Service Liaison

A key part of the role will be ensuring residents remain connected to the agencies responsible for progressing their homelessness and housing pathway.

Responsibilities will include:

· maintaining regular liaison with Housing Solutions/Housing Advice;

· supporting residents to engage with homelessness assessments and housing appointments;

· following up agreed actions and identifying where progress has stalled;

· ensuring relevant information is shared appropriately with partner agencies;

· linking residents into health, recovery, benefits, mental health and other specialist services where required;

· supporting residents to attend essential appointments where appropriate;

· helping residents understand the next steps within their housing pathway;

· identifying barriers that may prevent an individual progressing into longer-term accommodation;

· supporting practical actions required to overcome those barriers; and

· contributing to move-on planning alongside senior staff and partner agencies.

Accommodation & Property Checks

· Undertake routine property and room checks alongside welfare visits.

· Monitor occupation and identify concerns around non-occupation or abandonment.

· Identify and report repairs, damage, health and safety concerns and property issues promptly.

· Support residents to understand their responsibilities while occupying Cornerstone accommodation.

· Report breaches of licence or occupancy conditions to senior staff.

· Complete and accurately record required property checks.

· Assist with straightforward room/property turnarounds between placements.

· Support planned move-ins and move-outs where required.

· Work alongside Housing Management and senior staff to ensure accommodation remains safe and suitable.

Housing Pathway

· Provide welfare and practical support following placement into emergency accommodation, IASH or other First Steps provision.

· Maintain contact during the early stages of a placement.

· Ensure individuals are linked into the appropriate statutory and community services.

· Support communication between the resident, Cornerstone and relevant partner agencies.

· Identify and escalate delays or barriers affecting the resident's housing pathway.

· Support planned progression from emergency or immediate-access accommodation into appropriate longer-term provision.

· Where appropriate, support progression into Cornerstone's Step Forward, Move On or other suitable accommodation.

Safeguarding & Risk

· Work appropriately with individuals who may have experienced homelessness, rough sleeping, trauma, substance misuse, poor mental health and multiple disadvantage.

· Work in accordance with individual risk assessments and agreed procedures.

· Recognise and report safeguarding concerns.

· Identify increased risk or deterioration in wellbeing and escalate promptly.

· Respond appropriately to incidents and concerns within accommodation.

· Maintain clear professional boundaries.

· Follow lone-working and health and safety procedures at all times.

· Escalate complex cases and significant concerns to senior staff.

Recording & Communication

· Maintain clear, accurate and timely electronic records.

· Record welfare checks, property visits, significant contact, incidents and actions.

· Ensure information from partner agencies is appropriately recorded and followed up.

· Provide clear handovers to colleagues and senior staff.

· Contribute information required for service monitoring and reporting.

· Maintain appropriate confidentiality and information-sharing standards.

Apply for this job

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.