Accommodation Support Worker

Working Hours and pattern: 35 Hours Per Week. This role operates on a rota basis covering weekdays, weekends, and bank holidays. Shifts include:

• Day Shift: 8:00am to 3:00pm
• Evening Shift: 1:00pm to 8:00pm
• Cover Shift: 10:00am to 5:00pm

Flexibility is required as shifts will be scheduled across weekdays, weekends, and bank holidays to meet service needs.

Contract Type: Full-Timee, Permanent

Additional Payments: 6.7% Flexibility payment

Closing Date: 09 September 2026

Closing time: 11.59pm

Interview Method: Face to Face

Legal Right to Work: In accordance with Home Office guidance, successful candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application. However, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action

This role is subject to -

2 References - where possible we require 3 years' history.

DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) clearance - this post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (amended in 2013). Appointable candidates will be required to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Information provided by you or the DBS will be dealt with in a confidential manner and in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice which can be viewed here (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbs-code-of-practice). We have a policy on the Employment of Ex-Offenders and it is available upon request.

This is a rewarding role which involves direct working with some of the most vulnerable in our society: Manchester's homeless community. Poplars offers Temporary accommodation to 24 male and female singles being discharged from hospital with no accommodation to return to, or those with low support needs including mobility issues.

In this role you will support residents to settle into the accommodation, with the goal of moving residents onto more permanent accommodation. You will complete booking in paperwork and benefit claims with residents for both Housing Benefit and Universal Credit when required. You will be the allocated key worker for case load of residents to support during their stay at the accommodation. You will be expected to complete support sessions and signpost residents to benefits agencies, complete referrals to adult social care where required. You will also complete move on work with residents, identify what their support needs are, and complete suitable referrals. This in most cases will be to private rented accommodation and to social housing, but could also be to inhouse accommodation services, ABEN projects, commissioned sites.

The role requires for multiple tasks to be undertaken being able to multitask and organise your time is vital. You will be responsible for the day to day running of the service. All staff are responsible for Health and Safety of the building and will be required to complete building checks, room checks and welfare checks each day. Staff will also be required to tidy and clean flats when they become vacant in preparation to re-let.

In addition, there may be emergency incidents that occur on shift at times, that you will be required to deal with. This could be contacting the emergency services for a resident, liaising with professionals about a resident or supporting someone in a time of crisis.

Support staff will also be required to issue eviction notices, written and verbal warnings to residents when required.

You will also be required to complete admin duties whilst on shift, we use multiple systems each day – Liquid Logic, HPA2, Manchester Move, MAS gateway and programmes on Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365, as well as various spreadsheets to input and retain relevant information. You will also be required to update the handover each shift and ensure the information inputted is accurate and up to date.

This role is part of a 3-week rolling rota with support staff working 5 days over 7 days which will include weekends, the shifts consist of days and evenings. There is one cover week on the rota, and you will be required to work whatever shift is prioritised at the time. Shift work is crucial to the role and is non-negotiable as shifts are part of the contract, with this you receive a 6.7% increment on top of the Grade 5 salary.

There is one Team Leader and two Homeless Lead Officers who line manage the team of 3 support workers at Poplars as well as two other sites. There will be security on site during all shift times and waking nights.

For an informal discussion, please contact the hiring manager, Joanne Shaw, at joanne.shaw3@manchester.gov.uk to arrange a convenient time to discuss the role.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join one of our friendly and supportive teams who make a real difference day in day out to our residents lives.

We are looking for a motivated and reliable individual with strong organisational skills, a positive attitude, and the ability to manage competing priorities effectively. We need someone to be passionate about ending homelessness and supporting residents who are experiencing it.

The homeless service is always expanding and adapting. You will join a team of colleagues who are highly motivated to learn, develop and grow with the service. This is an extremely rewarding but also at times challenging role, which offers excellent opportunities for knowledge building and training.

Being competent in IT skills is essential at Manchester City Council as we use several systems daily. You will be provided with training for the systems but will need a good understanding of IT in general.

All other role relevant training/shadowing will be provided.

An ability to be resilient and have a warm friendly approach, whilst maintaining professional boundaries is crucial, and a positive demeanour with a can-do attitude, is what a candidate who will work at Poplars should demonstrate.

Rough sleeping, leaving somewhere safe, and subsequently becoming homeless with the addition of admission to hospital can be the lowest point of someone’s life. In order to support residents, we need candidates to be committed, passionate and empathetic to this fact and work towards positive outcomes.