About housing services
Housing services officers and housing customer services officers are part of a network of community workers and organisations. They share a responsibility to support vulnerable people’s health and wellbeing whilst in public housing.
Public housing is a form of long-term rental social housing managed by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. It is for people on low incomes that are most in need. This includes people who have:
- recently experienced homelessness
- recently experienced family violence
- other special needs.
The roles of the different housing services teams
Find out more about the roles of the different housing services teams and what a career in housing could be like for you.
Housing services officers working in Housing Advice and Assistance teams offer a range of services to meet the diverse needs of people seeking housing support.
With offices located across Victoria, the support includes:
- guidance and information about available services to empower people to make informed decisions
- assessments to identify and evaluate the housing needs of Victorians, ensuring they receive appropriate support
- helping people throughout the application process for social housing or bond loans
- facilitating access to essential resources.
The teams have a commitment to excellence and a client-centred approach. They strive to empower people to achieve stable and secure housing solutions.
Housing services officers working in Tenancy and Property teams provide essential support to people living in public housing. They deliver client-centred services with care and compassion.
Housing services officers in Tenancy and Property teams work together with other community workers and organisations. They help and support people who need it most, making them feel safe and looked after.
With offices located across Victoria, the teams’ responsibilities include:
- tenancy and property management
- expert housing advice and help.
Housing services officers are professional and skilled, making sure everyone gets the help they need.
Housing customer service officers work in a call centre based in Morwell. They provide a high-quality service to people who need information and help about public housing. This includes:
- people seeking accommodation
- existing renters
- community service and government organisations.
The Housing Call Centre is a single, statewide point of contact for public housing tenants. Housing customer service officers:
- help with requests for repairs and public housing enquiries
- provide quality customer service from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm weekdays
- support an after-hours referrals service for emergency maintenance.
The housing customer service officers work in a supported, supervised environment. They handle enquiries in a client-focused and timely manner, following guidelines and policies.
Visit our careers page to find out if we are hiring for our Housing Call Centre in Morwell.
Why you should choose a career in housing services
If you have passion and drive, and care about making a difference in people’s lives, then a job in housing services could be for you. We will value your ability to empathise, be sensitive, work well in a team and have a strong customer focus. We offer roles that:
- are client-centred, engaging with people and the community
- promote and support the wellbeing of vulnerable Victorians
- build your career
- are rewarding – every day you know you're making a real difference.
Learn all about the employee benefits.
Find a career in housing services. You can search for roles across Victoria using ‘HSO’ or ‘housing services officer’ and ‘HCSO’ or ‘housing customer services officer’.
What we can offer you
There are entry-level positions as well as leadership opportunities. We have programs for frontline housing staff that include:
- comprehensive onboarding processes
- a dedicated learning hub and online resources
- peer and coaching support
- continuous training opportunities while on the job
- employee wellbeing and support
- the opportunity to start or advance your career in the Victoria Public Service
- extensive leave provisions to balance work and personal life.
We have offices across Victoria.
Join us in a housing services career as we strive to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve, one household at a time.
To find out more about housing services in Victoria, visit Housing.Vic.
Support for people with complex needs
Housing services officers often work with other specialist teams across our 17 local areas. These complex client teams provide responses for people with complex support and coordination needs. Teams that provide innovative, localised and timely responses include:
The MACNI is a time-limited specialist service. It is for people 16 years and older who have multiple and complex needs. This includes people with combinations of:
- mental illness
- substance abuse issues
- intellectual impairment
- acquired brain injury.
Sometimes, some of these people can pose a risk to themselves or the community.
The MACNI's main purpose is to:
- facilitate better coordination of supports and services to people with complex needs
- deliver holistic care
- prevent further escalation of need.
Participation in MACNI is voluntary.
The MACNI is a partnership between:
- Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
- Department of Justice and Community Safety.
The SfHRT program strengthens the service system response to public housing tenants with complex needs.
The program works to integrate and coordinate services to sustain ’at risk’ tenancies.
SfHRT is a local area-based program. It provides a point for coordination, advocacy, brokerage and consultation to public housing teams and referrers.
SfHRT aims to:
- stabilise housing, health, social connection and safety issues
- provide a platform for long-term engagement in the service system
- develop a greater understanding of the needs of high-risk tenants and service response options
- promote learnings and develop good practice
- identify gaps and service development opportunities
- develop a strategic approach to address these gaps to improve service responses to tenant need.