About the role

The Women's Housing Advocate sits within Embrace People & Place's Housing Innovation team and supports women participating in the Pass-Through Project (PTP). The PTP offers single women aged 55 and over, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women aged 45 and over, a 12-week stay in a shared two-bedroom apartment in Newcastle. The role matches women to suitable shared living arrangements, provides person-centred, wraparound support, and works with the Housing Innovation Program Coordinator and Housing Innovation Officer to facilitate transitions to longer-term, affordable shared housing where available. It champions women's lived experience and ensures their voices, needs and rights inform Embrace People & Place's practice, partnerships and local service responses through meaningful co-design and collaboration.

Key responsibilities

- Work with women participating in the Pass-Through Project to identify, negotiate and secure safe, appropriate and sustainable housing, including shared living opportunities in collaboration with the Housing Innovation team.

- Build trusting, respectful and non-judgmental relationships with women, understanding their circumstances, preferences, goals and safety needs.

- Advocate for their rights, choices and voices throughout the housing journey, from intake and application through compatibility assessment, placement, tenancy establishment and sustainment.

- Providing practical, individualised support and referrals to health, financial, legal and other community services to promote women's safety, wellbeing and housing stability.

- Develop and maintain effective relationships with women's services, housing providers, community organisations and other stakeholders.

- Contribute to program planning, review and evaluation, identifying service gaps and opportunities for improvement. Develop and maintain program manuals,



templates and practice resources to support consistent, effective delivery of the Women's Housing Advocate role.

About you

- Genuine commitment to advancing the rights, needs and interests of women, particularly older women and those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

- Minimum two years' experience in the community services, housing or homelessness sector, including supporting women experiencing homelessness and other vulnerabilities.

- Familiarity with the Hunter region's housing and community services landscape and a demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective relationships with housing providers, community services and other external stakeholders.

- Person-centred, trauma-informed and strengths-based practice, with an understanding of factors affecting wellbeing, including mental health, substance use, homelessness, domestic and family violence, financial stress and trauma.

- Solid interpersonal, communication, relationship-building and conflict-resolution skills, with the ability to establish trusting, respectful and non-intrusive relationships with women from diverse backgrounds.

- Sound judgement, discretion and commitment to confidentiality, ethical practice and appropriate handling of sensitive information.

About us

Established in 2023, Embrace People & Place welcomes people in need by rethinking the way support services can work together and how space is shared and utilised. Focussed on supporting Newcastle's most vulnerable, Embrace People & Place has established a model of service that collaborates with many partners and projects tackling social exclusion (from food security and employment, through to homelessness) in and around our region.

To apply

Include a cover letter telling us about yourself and why you think you would be a great fit for this role.

Applications that don't include a cover letter will not be considered.

To learn more about the role, please visit https://embracepp.org.au/careers/

📌 Women's Housing Advocate (Newcastle)
🏢 Embrace People & Place
📍 Newcastle