Housing Benefit Administrator - Luton, United Kingdom - The Housing Network

The Housing Network

Verified Company

Luton, United Kingdom

2 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

beBee Recruiter

Description

We are The Housing Network (THN), a private limited company with a purpose.

We exist to provide 'More than a Roof', because when life is at its toughest, we believe everyone deserves a safe and stable place to rebuild their lives.

Operating right across the UK (from Scotland to the South Coast) our team of 175+ dedicated professionals provide accommodation and support to over 5300 vulnerable individuals and families every single night - within self-contained, shared, supported and specialist scheme homes.

Alongside our 100+ Local Authorities and Ministry of Justice (MOJ) partners we work hard to design, and deliver person-centric solutions that meet the needs of our commissioners, communities and of course residents - always striving to ensure best-value and effectiveness.

We are a team that is absolutely committed to innovate, excel and be dependable in all that we do.

Working hard together to achieve our mission of providing Better Accommodation, Better Support, Better Partnerships - and as a result Better Business.

This is an incredibly exciting time for The Housing Network as we embark on our Strategy 2024/29 : The Missing Piece journey.

A journey that will see us expand our services to provide over 10,000 units of safe and inspiring accommodation into 75% of Local Authority areas across the UK

Job Overview:

To join our newest supported housing team, which sees us add 'housing benefit' based services into our wider (and significant) temporary accommodation provision, to lead on the administration, progression and management of claims and disputes.

You will have significant knowledge and experience of working within a supported housing / exempt supported housing environment, with a demonstrable track record of effective claim management and income maximisation.

You will be familiar with the legislation, policy and guidelines around the submission and management of housing benefit claims. Using that knowledge to assist colleagues (e.g., support workers) to assist their residents in resolving disputes and minimising arrears.

You will have worked with digital rent and support management systems, with a proven ability to accurately maintain and update the systems as part of the wider finance and management function.

Using those abilities to support in the generation of KPI and performance data.

This is an exciting time to join this new team, as you will have the opportunity to not only administer the claims, but also support us in the design of best-practise systems and processes that will underpin future growth in this area.

Responsibilities & Duties:

Accurately review and scrutinise all Housing Benefit (HB) payment schedules, posting payments to the relevant rent account in our digital housing management system.
Analyse received HB payments against rent accounts to identify exceptions, using that data to highlight discrepancies and actively pursue HB revenue recovery.
Work collaboratively with departmental colleagues (e.g., support workers) and wider organisational areas (e.g., finance team) to maximise revenue and minimise arrears.
Provide direct support to residents where necessary to help resolve complex HB issues, ensuring appropriate traumainformed communication and engagement throughout.
Support the departmental management team and wider SLT in the generation of appropriate rent models, including exempt accommodation models.
Maintain and manage the HB elements of our digital housing management system, ensuring accuracy and detail at all times, using that to support in the generation of KPI and performance data.
Use your knowledge and experience to support in the development of bestpractice through a process of continuous improvement, which creates a sector leading level of performance.
Liaise and meet regularly with colleagues in our finance team to ensure accurate reconciliation of HB payments and to minimise bad debts and arears.
Build positive relationships with external stakeholders (e.g., revenue and benefits teams) to support us in achieving and maintaining trusted partner status for all of our HB based services.
Take a personal interest in being part of the team that are supporting those individuals and families who have experienced homelessness and/or multiple disadvantage to overcome barriers and progress towards independence.

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Internal Stakeholders_

Other AOP service colleagues / Departmental Managers / Head of Service and Senior Leadership Team / Residents.
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External stakeholders_

Revenues & Benefits Teams / Commissioners and Officers / Third Sector Partners / DWP & Universal Credit Teams / Housing Associations and Move-On Partners etc.

Personal Characteristics:

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Skills_

Extensive and demonstrable knowledge and experience of Housing Benefit (HB) administration within a similar sector and scale of organisation.
Experience of working within the supported / exempt supported sectors, with knowledge of the various appr