Housing Support Worker

37.5 hours per week / £27,770 per annum / permanent / working onsite on a seven-day rolling rota, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

At YMCA Downs Link Group, our mission is to help children and young people have a fair chance to be who they want to be. We do this by providing a safe home, building life skills and self‑confidence, and supporting emotional wellbeing and mental health.

Our Values - we do what’s right, we work with heart, and we build real connections - guide and shape how we show up for children and young people we support and for each other.

Guildford Foyer provides 24/7 supported accommodation for up to 34 young people aged 16–25, many with complex needs, including unaccompanied asylum seeking young people. We use a trauma informed, psychologically informed approach to help residents build life skills, set goals, and move toward independent living. Our Support Workers, Night Workers and Bank Workers offer guidance around housing, budgeting, living skills, education, employment and community engagement.

We are recruiting a Supported Housing Support Worker to join our team.

Key responsibilities include:

• Support young people to understand and maintain occupancy agreements and house rules.
• Encourage timely rent payments and promote a positive payment culture.
• Stay informed on housing law and welfare benefits affecting young people.
• Address issues such as rent arrears or property damage using restorative approaches.

• Coach young people to identify aspirations and build independence skills.
• Promote personal responsibility, engagement with support services, and community connections.
• Ensure strong safeguarding practice and maintain professional boundaries.
• Keep accurate records on InForm, tracking needs, risks and outcomes.

• Work as part of a rota, including lone working, providing calm and objective support.
• Contribute to a positive team culture and manage challenging situations effectively.
• Take part in ongoing training and reflective practice.

At times, this role will involve lone working, but you’ll be fully supported with a thorough induction, training, and the opportunity to get to know the team and service before starting on the rota. Full role details are available in the job profile.

If you’re enthusiastic about this opportunity but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway and demonstrate how your experience is transferrable.
You may be just the right candidate.

This is a dynamic and varied role, ideal for someone passionate about supporting and empowering young people to grow and thrive.

• Experience in housing, support work, or working with young people at risk.
• Ability to manage a caseload of young people with complex needs and support them toward independence.
• Knowledge of statutory/voluntary services for young people.
• Strong safeguarding awareness and ability to maintain professional boundaries.
• Confident and accurate in completing logs, incident reports, and H&S checks.

• Clear written and verbal communication, with strong recordkeeping skills.
• Ability to build effective relationships and advocate/signpost where needed.
• Able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Good IT and keyboard skills.
• Able to deescalate challenging situations and manage behaviour appropriately.

If you would like any further information or an informal discussion about this post, please contact Jayne.

Barber / Rianna.

Jamieson.

Should you require any assistance with our application process, please email us at Recruitment.

We are committed to policies and practices of equity, diversity, and inclusion and to supporting our people to make sure our culture is consistent with this commitment.

If you require assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please do contact us.

YMCA DLG requires all staff and volunteers to be committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and to respond proactively to safeguarding concerns.

Successful applicants will undergo a thorough background screening process, conducted by an accredited third‑party provider. This includes an Enhanced DBS check (with Children’s and Adults’ Barred Lists) as well as comprehensive reference and activity check.