Does anybody work for a housing charity or with homeless people?

[PirateJelly]

I have an interview on monday with a housing charity (gulp)

It's for a support worker role working with homeless people giving them advice and life skills etc.

I'm just wondering if there are any current issues/ buzz words I should swott up on as I don't really have a clue about this sector although I have volunteered in a 'helping and advice' role before so can use some examples from that.

The person spec is very vauge so I can't use that. Help!!

[sloggies]

In the absence of anyone better qualified responding (so far), I hope the following might be some use: I suppose the goal of any project is to get homeless clients back into 'mainstream life' (probably a more pc way of saying it). Various routes to this : literacy skills might help, help with job-search, interview skills. Assertive skills, help with addiction problems. This would all be secondary to getting a home first.
If you can give me some 'phrases' from the job spec might give more clue, if you feel you could put it on. Possibly be wary of putting middle-class perspective on it, if you see what I mean...

[sloggies]

'Empowerment' is always a good term, ie helping people to learn to rely on themselves, rather than just helping them, iuswim. You may well be aware of this, so ignore if so, don't know what you're job background is...

[AnnaFalactic]

Hi Pirate, I work for a housing charity that provides supported housing for homeless/vulnerable people.

I'd be happy to give some advice, but it would be helpful to know whether the job you've applied for is a sheltered accommodation/hostel type set up that provides in house support, or a more out-reach type service?

[wannabesocialworker]

You want a job whre you are giving people advice on something you "don't really have a clue about" ?

Either get more experience or look for a job you do have a clue about.

[AnnaFalactic]

erm, 7 months ago, I didn't have a clue about the job I'm doing now - I had life experience, transferable skills, and a willingness to learn though.

It's a catch 22 - you can't get experience without the job, and you can't get the job without experience.

Luckily some employers are able to see a persons potential and give them a chance.

Do some research on the company, and their client group before the interview, express how keen you are to undergo training.

Lifeskills in this situation are normally things like cooking, healthy eating, budgeting, etc, advice could be anything from helping to sort out benefits, filling out application forms or applying for jobs.

It's mostly common sense and you can learn quickly if it's in your nature to want to help people less fortunate.

Like I said, I had zero experience before starting my role in May last year, but within 2 months, they gave me extra responsibilities.

[cubscout]

Social exclusion, routes into homelessness might also be useful to look at.

[venusandmarzipan]

I do some work with homeless people and their support workers often come with them. You are correct about the 'lifeskills' element of the role, often the support workers help the client to organise parts of their life, for example, they wouldn't do the cleaning for them, but they might help them to create a routine for cleaning (bathroom on a monday, bedsheets on a Tuesday, etc) or help them organise their money - keeping a simple list of what they are spending, and what bills they have, or help with budgeting for food. Sometimes the clients need help with keeping important appointments, or if they have poor social skills they may need the support worker to accompany them to a class or activity (it can be very frightening for someone with poor social skills to have to walk alone into a group to learn literacy skills.

Each client will have different needs, so you will have to be perceptive, good at asking questions, and good at listening. You will have to be adaptive, creative and organised. You should be able to encourage clients to do things that they find a challenge, and give them positive feedback when they've tried something that is difficult. You won't have to be an expert in benefits or in the variety of support available, but you should be resourceful, so you can help each client find specific stututory or voluntary support that helps them.

[coolma]

I am a co-ordinator for a day centre - what I look for in my staff is empathy but practicality - you will have to be doing assessments which will need to be reapeated three monthly (if it's like our place!) and show that your clients are moving forward - you'll be (probably ) working in partner ship with outreach and mental health services as well as drug and alcohol services too - so will need to be up to speed with some homeless ness legislation and mental helath stuff. Any q's please do pm me!

[coolma]

'Development' is the key word..

[coolma]

interested in where it is too...

[StartingAfresh]

You will need to show you are not judgemental, that there can often be complex reasons why a person is homeless, and YOUR obvious solution to the 'problem' may not be theirs. In fact they might not even see themselves as having a problem.

The alteratives to living on the streets, or even in a hostle are often not as viable as you and I might think they are. Their lives are terrible in many ways, but it is what they know and what they are comfortable with, and where their friends are. They know the rules etc.

Yanking them out of that and sticking them in a penthouse suite on the outskirts of London won't solve their problems. I think it is really important that you understand that the solution to homelessness (usually) isn't a home!

[coolma]

Totally agree Starting...In a lot of cases i've seen, giving someone a place to live has caused more problems than good if not offered with the right support package. It's a whole other world. I sometines find myself having to remember that the situation I work in is not 'normal', it's tragic and difficult at times, but you absolutley have to remain impartial and have a sense of humour.

[onadietcokebreak]

Wannabesocialworker. What a shortsighted view to take. Where are you on your journey to becoming a social worker as I'm very concerned with your negative attitude.

OP will log on later and try and give you advice if you still need it.

Would be useful to know exactly what sector it's in.

[coolma]

Quite agree - when I got my job, I'd had no experience with homelessness, certainly not with street homeless, rough sleepers, long term homeless etc - apart from a little while working with homeless teeneagers - very different - but I did have transferable skills - it's a sector you really cannot 'train' for - and a hell of a shock to be honest!

[onadietcokebreak]

Actually I think the OP probably has a lot of qualities she can take into the sector.

She has experience in the advice sector so is probably aware of inter agency working, empowerment, autonomy, and has good communication skills.

Wannabesocialworker- cant see how OP asking for areas she could research/buzz words is any different than you asking for advice on your UCAS personal statement.

[PirateJelly]

Thankyou for all your replies they have been most helpful. Although the person spec is not very useful I have just found the key points to the job role so i'll see if I can gain any ideas from that. I've been to panel interviews before but I've always had a good idea what they're going to ask and so can swot up in order to score 'points'. I don't think it matters how much experience I actually have as it's an entry level post and there is lots of training, I just need to score highly in the interview as I know I could do it if I got the chance.

The reason I was also struggling is the job sounds like a new one and is in an area they didn't cover before hense I can't find much info about it in the website so I was having to guess what they actually wanted.

And wannabesocialworker I have a degree in social science which covered housing, social exclusion, homelessness etc and worked in outreach with homeless drug users so I do know something about it but infomation is changing all the time and I haven't done anything for a couple of years because of ds so I thought I'd post if that's ok with you.

[onadietcokebreak]

Good luck with interview.

Will you come back and tl us how you got on?

[coolma]

Yes do let us know Good luck

[PirateJelly]

I will,thanks for your support

[coolma]

well...? dying to know how you got on!

[PirateJelly]

I got it!! apparently I was the best candidate by far ((preen)) Thanks for all your help x

[venusandmarzipan]

Fantastic! Well done, and I hope you really enjoy it.

[dietcokes]

Well done! Really pleased for you!

[Menagerie]

Congratulations. That's brilliant news.