Housing Rights Volunteer

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Housing Rights Volunteer

 

In collaboration with the UEA Law Clinic, you will be an essential part of the Shelter Norfolk Hub. It will be a range of client facing and back of house support to the staff in the Norwich office. 

Students have volunteered with Shelter before and provided much-needed support, to clients with housing needs, and busy staff! Shelter are now looking for a regular team to assist them in meeting the needs in Norwich & Norfolk.

Commitment required: Students would be required to attend Shelter Norwich hub for half a day a week or a day per fortnight (can be more & can be flexible around your commitments) on a rota basis. The rota will be co-ordinated by the UEA Law Clinic. This volunteering opportunity will take place within our working hours, Monday-Friday, 9am – 5pm, throughout the academic year.

Location: 50 Fishergate, Norwich, NR3 1SE

Supervised by: James Bryan, Housing Rights Team Leader

Why volunteer with Shelter?

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We're here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

This is an opportunity to volunteer in a fast-paced environment, as well as gaining hands-on experience in one of the UK's leading housing charities, supporting the day to day operation of Shelter’s Norfolk’s legal & housing rights services and the local community. There is also opportunity to engage in our local and national campaigning activities.

 Range of activities

  • Making initial calls to potential new clients
  • Answering the doorbell to potential new clients and conducting ‘triage’ interviews. Some of these clients may be facing immediate homelessness.
  • Completing legal aid forms, and gathering evidence of means, and case papers for the legal time prior to the client seeing the legal adviser/solicitor.
  • Conducting research for staff on points of law and housing issues, eg linked to our local campaigns
  • Conducting property searches for homeless  clients seeking rehousing.
  • Inputting information onto our case management system (CRM)
  • General administrative tasks  (photocopying, scanning, creating client files and filing, post).
  • Communicating with staff and other volunteers that day about the tasks allocated to you.

 Skills and Experiences Required

  • An ability to use Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel and PDF documents to a good standard
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to understand the needs of our clients. Clients may be very stressed or distressed
  • Interest in social welfare law e.g. housing; welfare benefits; debt; 
  •  Ability to organise your own work, manage your time and work on your own initiative
  • Willingness to follow Shelter’s policies, including volunteering, health & safety, GDPR, equality & diversity & confidentiality.
  • Any personal experience of the housing emergency is very welcome. Detailed legal knowledge is not required.

 Learning & Development

To enable you to take part in this opportunity Shelter will:

  • Provide an Introduction to Housing and Homelessness Law
  • Train you on how to interview a client
  • Train  you in knowledge of Legal Aid
  • Provide you with a Volunteer Handbook
  • Provide a local induction into your role
  • Provide access to learning including Safeguarding, Health & Safety and Data Protection.
  • Provide access to our other training appropriate to your role

The UEA Law Clinic also provide ‘De-escalation Training’

 Benefits of Volunteering with Shelter

  • Supporting Shelter in our fight against bad housing and homelessness
  • Gain valuable work experience and enhance your CV
  • Be part of a great team
  • Build your confidence and develop transferable skills

Next steps

Please complete an online application form for this role by 31 August 2025

We will shortlist applicants for a recruitment conversation jointly with the UEA Law Clinic to discuss the role further. This will take place week beginning 15 September 2025, online.

If you are successful and taken forward as a volunteer, then in late September/early October we will arrange a compulsory 3 hour in person training at the UEA Law Clinic that you will be required to attend. We will do a Housing Law Overview and detail the tasks involved in volunteering.

The role will start volunteering in late October in person at the Shelter Norfolk hub following completion of the successful criminal records check. You will have various e-learning to complete prior to attending at the hub. Your first week will involve induction to our computer systems. Your second week will be hitting the ground running!

Please note, you will be asked to declare any unspent convictions and complete a Basic Criminal Record Check. Having a criminal record does not mean that you cannot volunteer with us. It may limit the different ways that you can get involved, but please contact us at volunteering@shelter.org.uk if you require more information.

This is a voluntary position that supports the work of our services and is not replacing the work of a paid member of staff. This role profile does not form part of any contract of employment.