Housing support worker jobs and recruitment
Housing support workers help people keep their home and build the skills to live independently: budgeting, paying rent and bills, dealing with letters, getting to appointments and staying safe.
We recruit housing support workers for housing associations, charities and support providers, for supported housing and floating support.
Register for housing support work Send a housing support vacancy
The housing support worker role at a glance
- Duties
- Support plans, benefits and bills, tenancy issues, budgeting, life skills, referrals to other services and risk assessment.
- Shifts
- Mostly daytime and early evening, with sleep-ins or waking nights in some supported housing.
- Checks
- The adults’ criminal record check for the nation, references, and a driving licence for floating support.
- Pay basis
- Hourly for temporary cover, salaried for permanent posts.
- Qualifications
- SSSC registration in Scotland; elsewhere, relevant experience and often a care or housing qualification.
What a housing support worker does
Housing support workers meet people regularly to work through their support plan. That might mean sorting out a benefits claim, calling a landlord about repairs, planning a weekly budget or going with someone to a GP appointment.
People using housing support may be leaving homelessness, living with a mental illness or recovering from addiction, or young people setting up home for the first time. The job needs persistence, patience and good judgement about risk.
Housing support registration in each nation
Housing support is regulated most closely in Scotland:
- England
- No registration for housing support workers. The CQC is involved only where the service also gives personal care.
- Scotland
- Housing support is a registered care service, and workers must register with the SSSC, usually within six months of starting.
- Wales
- Registration with Social Care Wales where the work is part of a domiciliary support service.
- Northern Ireland
- Registration with NISCC where the work is part of a registered service, such as supported living.
Checks we run for housing support workers
Housing support workers often work alone with people’s money and paperwork. Before anyone starts in your service, we check:
- identity and right to work in the UK
- the criminal record check for the nation, including the adults’ barred list where the work is regulated activity
- two references, including the most recent employer
- SSSC registration or its timing, for work in Scotland
- a driving licence and insurance that covers driving for work, for floating support
Hours housing support workers usually work
Most housing support happens when offices and landlords are open, with some late shifts, sleep-ins and waking nights in supported housing.
- Day to
- Late to
- Sleep-in to A worker sleeps at the service and gets up if someone needs help. The service sets the hours and says what happens if the night is disturbed.
- Waking night or to or
How housing support pay is set
Temporary housing support workers are paid by the hour, and permanent posts are usually salaried. We tell you the rate or salary before you accept any work.
The National Living Wage, £12.71 an hour from 1 April 2026 for workers aged 21 and over according to GOV.UK, is the legal floor for every worker.
Where housing support workers work
Housing support workers work in supported housing, hostels and floating support services.
- Housing support Help to keep a tenancy and live independently, in supported housing or in people’s own homes.
- Supported living People with their own tenancies and a support team who help them live the way they choose.
- Mental health services Care homes, supported accommodation and community support for people with mental health needs.
Questions about housing support work
Do I need to register to do housing support work in Scotland?
Yes. Housing support workers in Scotland must register with the SSSC, usually within six months of starting. We check where you are with your registration before we offer you work there.
Is housing support the same as support work?
They overlap. Housing support focuses on keeping a tenancy and living independently, while support work in care services often includes personal care.
Register for housing support work
Send us your details or phone the office. Tell us whether you drive and the areas you can cover.