Complex Needs Worker

Make a Real Difference Every Day

At YMCA Chiltern Group, we believe everyone deserves a safe place to live and the opportunity to thrive. We're looking for a compassionate, skilled, and motivated Substance & Complex Needs Worker to join our expanding housing team in Watford, supporting people experiencing homelessness and complex support needs.

This is an exciting opportunity to work directly with individuals facing challenges such as substance misuse, mental health difficulties, trauma, and homelessness, helping them build the skills, confidence, and resilience needed to move towards independent living.

About the Role

As part of a specialist support team, you will:

Manage a caseload of residents with complex and co-existing needs.
Deliver strengths-based, person-centred support and key working sessions.
Develop and review support plans and risk assessments.
Support residents to improve their health, wellbeing, housing stability, and independence.
Work closely with specialist substance misuse, mental health, and safeguarding services.
Provide advocacy, guidance, harm reduction support, and practical assistance.
Undertake housing management duties, including assessments, tenancy-related paperwork, and rent monitoring.
Build strong partnerships with internal and external agencies to achieve positive outcomes for residents.
About You

We're looking for someone who has:

Experience working within housing, homelessness, social care, or a similar support setting.
 Knowledge of complex needs, trauma-informed practice, and therapeutic approaches.
Experience supporting people affected by mental health challenges, substance misuse, and social exclusion. 
Excellent communication, assessment, and relationship-building skills.
Knowledge of safeguarding and multi-agency working.
A relevant qualification in housing, social care, or a related field.
Strong organisational and IT skills, including Microsoft Office.

Why Join YMCA Chiltern Group?

You'll be joining a growing organisation with ambitious plans to tackle homelessness across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire. Our housing teams provide life-changing accommodation and support services, helping hundreds of vulnerable people each year to move on to safe, long-term housing and brighter futures.

If you're passionate about empowering people, delivering high-quality support, and being part of a forward-thinking organisation committed to ending homelessness, we'd love to hear from you.

We do not provide visa sponsorship; you must be eligible to work in the UK. You must reside in the UK for the duration of your employment and provide Right to Work evidence.

As some of our roles involve working with vulnerable members of society, this position may require a Basic or Enhanced Criminal Disclosure, which will be conducted once a conditional offer is made

Previous Applications: We welcome applications from all qualified candidates. However, if you have applied for a similar role within the last 6 months and were not successful, please consider whether your experience has developed further before reapplying

Accessibility & Adjustments: We are committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and will strive to be as accommodating as possible. Please inform us in advance of any arrangements you may need to fully participate in the process.

We are an inclusive organisation and actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We do not discriminate on the basis of Age, Disability, Gender Reassignment, Marriage/Civil Partnership, Pregnancy/Maternity, Race, Religion/Belief, Sex and/or Sexual Orientation. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities, and industries, and are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences, and abilities.