Social Caretakers for Housing First

Do you want to help make a difference for vulnerable citizens in public housing areas?

Then we are looking for you.

Housing First has secured budget funding for four social caretakers, each of whom will be affiliated with a municipal housing association in the City of Copenhagen.

The social caretakers will be anchored in Housing First in the Social Administration together with the Housing Advisors, but will carry out daily work in one of the four housing associations in close cooperation with operations, housing administration and other actors in the area. The four housing associations each year receive a large share of the municipality's residents with housing assignments, which challenges the social cohesion in the housing areas.

As a social caretaker, your task is to support stable living environments and prevent socially vulnerable residents from being evicted from their homes due to inappropriate behavior, neighbor conflicts, arrears, and the like. The work will take place in close collaboration with the housing association to which the social caretaker is attached, and the daily work will be planned in collaboration with the individual housing association according to where the needs are greatest.

The social caretakers shall contribute to ensuring that residents receive the support and guidance they need through outreach and bridging to relevant offers in the Social Administration, other administrations, the region and civil society. In addition, it is desired that the social caretaker can contribute to preventing conflicts between residents from escalating, which can create increased safety in the housing areas.

The target group is characterized by significant social challenges in the form of problematic use of substances and/or alcohol, psychiatric disorders, loneliness, limited social network, experiences with crime, and more.

The target group also includes other residents in the departments who need support, guidance or help from the social caretaker, including citizens who need help with conflict resolution and creating a better sense of neighborhood and living environment.

Who are Boligrådgiverne?

Boligrådgiverne are the entry point to Copenhagen Municipality for the social housing sector. Boligrådgiverne support socially vulnerable citizens who are at risk of losing their housing, and they also act as a bridging effort, creating connections between citizens, professional actors and civil society.

The Boligrådgiver initiative is part of Housing First, which also includes CTI, ICM, Modified ACT and ACT. All initiatives share the goal of supporting citizens to live in their own housing. The Housing First methods work holistically and individually with recovery and rehabilitation as the methodological basis.

Social caretaker

Specifically, the work will include the following functions

• outreach work to socially vulnerable residents
• bridging to other municipal support efforts, local civil society actors, debt counseling, health services, regional psychiatry and more
• collaboration with the local operations, administration/head office on handling house rules cases, neighbor conflicts, concerns from neighbors/operations, etc.
• conflict mediation in connection with neighbor conflicts
• advice and support to neighbors who are pressured in their housing situation as a result of, for example, house rules cases
• work preventive to support stable living environments with higher well-being and social cohesion
• prevention of socially vulnerable residents from being evicted due to inappropriate behavior, neighbor conflicts, arrears, etc.
• collaboration with social employment consultants on job creation for relevant residents.

As part of the grant, two social employment consultants, anchored in the job center, are also hired, with whom the social caretakers shall cooperate on job creation for relevant residents in the housing departments.

About you

You have a social science education, e.g. pedagogue, social pedagogue or social worker, and preferably broad experience with the target group. You have knowledge of social legislation, and it is advantageous if you have experience from the housing-social sector.

This is very autonomous work, therefore good communication and collaboration skills are an important prerequisite. You must be able to engage in close collaboration with the housing departments, both administration and operations, with residents in the local area, with municipal and regional initiatives, and be outreach-oriented and bridging to civil society actors. We also expect that you

• have experience working in residents' homes
• have experience with the target group and knowledge of psychiatric disorders and substance use
• can see yourself approaching residents in housing who may bear signs of neglect, pests and unhygienic conditions
• have professional and humane tools to work with the target group in a qualified, considerate and inclusive manner
• have experience with conflict management and preferably concrete tools that can be used in conflict management and mediation
• are patient and persistent in outreach contact
• have knowledge of essential institutions and actors that may be relevant to collaborate with (an advantage)
• have the necessary life experience and professional background to work independently with the target group under the stated conditions.

Salary and terms of employment

We wish for you to be able to start on January 1, 2027. Working hours are 37 hours per week in daytime hours Monday–Friday. Salary and terms of employment according to the applicable collective agreement for pedagogical staff, for social workers, social professionals and/or HK agreement for administration and IT and within the framework of local pay formation. Housing First is located at Sundholmsvej 22, 2300 Copenhagen S. Prior to employment, we will obtain a criminal record.

Further information

Contact department head Sofia Pecorelli at 24 52 68 74.

Apply via the link no later than Thursday 5 November 2026

We will conduct interviews on a rolling basis from Thursday 29 October to Tuesday 10 November.