HOMELESSNESS groups in Northern Ireland have embarked on a major recruitment campaign in response to the pandemic.
The Council for the Homeless Northern Ireland (CHNI) is urgently trying to fill positions for organisations that provide temporary accommodation and support services to women, men and families.
The drive is supported by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive,
CHNI, which represents 60 charities and groups, says Covid-19 has brought additional challenges for the sector.
Demand for temporary accommodation almost doubled at the start of the pandemic, with 16,800 households presenting homeless to the Housing Executive between 2019 and 2020.
CHNI Chief Executive Nicola McCrudden said a recruitment hub has been established alongside a social media campaign to make people aware of the new jobs.
"The homeless sector has come together with the common purpose of attracting and recruiting staff to provide desperately needed care and delivering essential support services in these unprecedented times," she said.
"The sector offers opportunities for people who want to enter or have worked before in the care sector. The foundations for providing support to service users is all about the right people, and can offer a rewarding career path."
Ms McCrudden said recruits to the sector are typically those who care about supporting people through what can be a difficult time in their lives.
"People who work in homelessness care about social justice, can step up to the challenges that service users experience and want to make a positive difference to people’s lives.
"Candidates range from people starting out in their career to those looking for a change in direction – sometimes following a redundancy or entering retirement. We have a range of posts from casual to full-time that will attract a diverse range of people."
Candidates can access the recruitment hub at http://bit.ly/Homelessjobhub.
