Housing and Tenancy Worker - Looking Ahead in Melbourne

Housing and Tenancy Worker - Looking Ahead

Full-Time | SCHADS Level 5 | ADO Eligible| Melbourne Head Office and outreach across Western, Inner Eastern and Southern Melbourne

Walk alongside victim survivors from crisis to recovery, safe housing, and independence.

Are you an experienced housing case manager who is passionate about providing client-led, trauma-informed support that continues beyond the immediate crisis?

Refuge Victoria is seeking a Housing and Tenancy Worker to join our new Looking Ahead Program, an integrated housing and recovery initiative supporting victim survivors from crisis accommodation into safe, sustainable housing and longer-term recovery.

This is a rare opportunity to work alongside victim survivors over time, supporting them to strengthen safety, housing stability, wellbeing, confidence and connection through an 18–24-month recovery journey.

About Refuge Victoria

Refuge Victoria is an independent not-for-profit specialist family violence organisation and one of Victoria’s largest providers of specialist family violence refuge accommodation.

We support people experiencing serious risk from family violence through refuge and crisis accommodation, safety planning, specialist case management and assistance to build safer and more independent lives.

Our vision is for people escaping family violence to live safe and free. Our work is guided by our values of beingCompassionate, Empowering, Collaborative, Committed and acting with Integrity.

About the Looking Ahead Program

Looking Ahead is Refuge Victoria’s new integrated rapid housing and recovery initiative.

Support begins while victim survivors are residing in specialist family violence crisis accommodation and continues as they transition into longer-term housing, with graduated outreach support provided over 18–24 months.

The program prioritises victim survivors experiencing repeated crisis presentations and complex barriers to housing, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victim survivors, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, people living with disability, temporary visa holders and LGBTIQA+ people.

Looking Ahead is grounded in three principles:

• Safety remains paramount throughout recovery.
• Housing is the foundation for recovery, not the end goal.
• Recovery is client-led and recognises each person’s strengths, goals and aspirations.

Case management is guided by the Empowerment Star, supporting collaborative goal setting, client-led Action Plans, regular review and meaningful outcomes measurement.

About the role

The Housing and Tenancy Worker supports case managers to provide specialist housing access and tenancy support within the Looking Ahead Program. The role engages with housing pathway work while clients are in crisis accommodation and continues alongside the broader recovery response as clients move into and sustain long-term housing.

Working alongside with the allocated Practitioner, the role supports the practitioners and clients to identify safe and affordable housing options, prepare and progress housing applications, engage with housing providers and the private rental market, understand tenancy rights and responsibilities, build financial and tenancy capability, establish a home and respond early to tenancy risks. The role also coordinates housing-related brokerage and security measures within delegations and program guidelines.

The Housing and Tenancy Worker contributes specialist housing expertise to client-led Action Plans to support the allocated Practitioner as the primary case manager.

You will:

• Provide practical tenancy coaching and ongoing support to help clients build the skills, financial capability and confidence to establish and sustain safe, stable housing. Proactively addressing tenancy risks and connecting clients with specialist support where required.
• Work together with allocated practitioners to ensure housing and tenancy decisions reflect current family violence risk and safety planning, identifying and responding to housing related safety concerns and coordinating appropriate property security measures.
• Support clients to understand and plan for housing related costs, access eligible brokerage, material aid and financial supports and coordinate approved purchasing, payments and practical move-in arrangements. Build clients financial capability and independence while identifying and responding to housing affordability or financial stress concerns.
• Promote client voice and self-determination through culturally safe, accessible and respectful housing support that responds to individual needs and barriers.
• Build effective relationships with housing providers, real estate agents, landlords, homelessness and tenancy support services to improve housing access and tenancy outcomes.
• Respond early to emerging tenancy risks, including financial stress, safety concerns, housing instability or threatened tenancy loss.
• Work collaboratively with crisis providers, housing services, Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, LGBTIQA+ specialist services and other community partners.
• Maintain accurate and timely client records, outcomes data and program documentation.
• Plan safe transitions from the program by strengthening community connections, informal supports and ongoing service relationships.

Regular outreach is required across Western, Inner Eastern and Southern Melbourne, including work in crisis accommodation, client homes, Refuge Victoria offices and community settings.

About you

We are looking for an experienced housing and tenancy practitioner who is compassionate, organised and committed to client-led recovery.

You will demonstrate:

• Housing and tenancy experience: Experience supporting people affected by family violence, homelessness or complex social needs and strong knowledge and practical experience in housing and tenancy, with the ability to identify safe and sustainable housing options, support tenancy establishment and sustainment and respond to housing related risks and barriers.
• Family violence risk and safety practice: Sound knowledge of MARAM, family violence risk assessment, safety planning, information sharing and collaborative risk management.
• Client-led recovery: The ability to work alongside clients using strengths-based, trauma-informed, feminist and person-centered approaches.
• Relationship-based practice: The ability to build trust, maintain professional boundaries and sustain engagement with clients over an extended period as well as being confident working collaboratively with practitioners, housing providers, real estate agents, and other services.
• Inclusive and culturally responsive practice: A commitment to culturally safe and accessible services and an understanding of barriers experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTIQA+ people, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, people with disability and temporary visa holders.
• Independent outreach practice: The ability to organise and undertake outreach, home visits and community-based work safely, using sound judgement and seeking consultation where required.
• Communication and collaboration: Strong written, verbal and interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with clients, colleagues and partner agencies.
• Organisation and accountability: The ability to manage competing priorities, maintain high-quality case records, complete required reporting and work within organisational procedures and delegations.

The position requires a minimum of three years’ relevant housing and tenancy experience, including experience supporting people experiencing family violence, homelessness or complex social needs.

Qualifications

Applicants must be able to meet Refuge Victoria’s qualification requirements for specialist family violence practice through one of the recognised pathways, including:

• A Bachelor of Social Work or another equivalent qualification; or
• Relevant professional experience or a related qualification consistent with applicable mandatory minimum qualification requirements; or
• Significant cultural knowledge, experience or lived experience where recognised under the relevant pathways.

Additional training or experience in family violence, housing, homelessness, trauma-informed practice or therapeutic and recovery approaches would be highly regarded.

Why join Refuge Victoria?

This is an opportunity to work within a new model that recognises leaving crisis accommodation is not the end of recovery.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Support victim survivors beyond immediate crisis and see the longer-term impact of your work.
• Build sustained, purposeful relationships with clients as they move towards safety, housing stability and independence.
• Work within a multidisciplinary team bringing together family violence, recovery, housing, tenancy and specialist LGBTIQA+ expertise.
• Use a structured and client-led approach to goal setting and outcomes through the Empowerment Star.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of a new recovery-focused program.
• Work alongside experienced family violence, housing and community-sector professionals.

The position is full-time at SCHADS Level5+ Salary Packaging + Super and is eligible for an Accrued Day Off where applicable. Some flexibility in hours, including occasional afternoon or early evening work, may be required to respond to client needs.

Employment conditions

The successful applicant will be required to satisfactorily complete Refuge Victoria’s employment screening requirements, including:

• Australian Criminal History Check
• International Criminal History Check where applicable
• Current Employee Working with Children Check
• Evidence required under Refuge Victoria’s workforce immunisation and screening policies.

Refuge Victoria is committed to child safety and to providing an inclusive, culturally safe and responsive workplace and service environment.

In accordance with sections 12 and 28 of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic), Refuge Victoria exclusively recruits people who identify as female or non-binary for service delivery positions, reflecting the specific needs of the women and children we support.

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