Social caretaker - a bridge-builder between housing and home (RE-ADVERTISED)

Are you eager to help socially vulnerable citizens transform their housing into a home? Do you want to make a difference for the citizen by helping to ensure a safe home and promote the citizen's well-being and attachment to the home? Are you practically minded, have good social skills - trustworthy and relationship-building? Do you have experience with the target group and an understanding of what it means to live in social vulnerability? Then you might be the one we are looking for for a 1-year project position as a social caretaker.

As a social caretaker, you will play an important and central role in bridging the gap between the citizen's physical dwelling and the citizen's sense of ’a real home’. In Odense Municipality we work based on the Housing First approach, a holistic approach to homelessness, where the housing is regarded as a basic human right. The citizen is offered their own housing and receives individually tailored support. The aim is to reduce the risk that the socially vulnerable citizen ends up homeless again.

Studies and experience show that the chance of keeping the citizen in their own home increases if the citizen is supported in practical tasks and is ensured close human contact.

Employment is under the Department of Employment and Social Administration (under the section ’Job Rehabilitation’), and you will be employed under St. Dannesbo, but you will also cover tasks under the department ’Boligsocial 2’.

What tasks will you be responsible for, among other things?

• Coordinate the move and assist the citizen in connection with the actual moving into their own home.
• Help the citizen settle into the new home, e.g., in connection with mounting/setting up lamps, curtains, mirrors, televisions and other furnishings.
• Assemble furniture.
• Help the citizen set up the home, ensure functionality/practicality, overview and individual considerations, which contribute to giving the citizen calm and ensuring aesthetics through the personal imprint on the interior according to the citizen's concrete needs and wishes.
• Minor repairs and other incidental, practical tasks – identify and address maintenance problems – be proactive.
• (Interdisciplinary) collaboration and ongoing close dialogue with other relevant actors connected to the citizen – for example housing associations and the citizen's housing support/housing social worker under the Social Services Act § 85a, which focuses on ADL training and developing the citizen's ability to cope as best as possible and the basic skills such as washing clothes, shopping and cooking.

Who are you?

We imagine that you

• Have experience working with socially vulnerable citizens. Perhaps you are educated in the pedagogical field? This is not a requirement. It could also be that you have gained experience and skills in other ways to approach the target group.
• Have a hands-on, practical orientation. Perhaps you have a craft background such as electrician, property service technician, plumber, etc.? Perhaps you are a ”do-it-yourself” person. The most important is that you can solve the tasks involved in establishing a 'home'.
• Have an understanding of people in social vulnerability: Understanding of mental difficulties, addiction and the citizen's complex life conditions. Able to handle situations where the citizen reacts with mistrust, isolation, anger or the like.
• Have strong social, relational skills and be trustworthy – able to meet the citizen at eye level.
• Be service-minded, cooperative and able to stay calm.
• Can function as an informed bridge between the citizen and the 'surrounding system'.
• Thrive with many different types of tasks – large and small.
• Be responsible, take care of your tasks, but also be able to assess when a task requires that special expertise be called in.
• Be able to work independently and able to plan and prioritize the workday/tasks.
• Have a driving license (B). This is a requirement to perform the work.

What can we offer you?

• An exciting, meaningful job with a varied workday.
• Good colleagues and a good working environment.
• Ongoing supervision with an external supervisor and close and ongoing sparring with colleagues.
• Opportunity to participate in relevant courses, theme days and internal presentations.
• The staff group is trained in the trauma-aware approach (TBT) with a view to creating as safe an environment as possible for our citizens and thus the best possible conditions for understanding what lies behind the citizens' individual thoughts and actions. You will receive a thorough introduction to TBT if you are not already familiar with this approach.

If you can see yourself in the position, and you are ready to work in a place where no two days are the same, please send your application as soon as possible via the link below.

Salary and employment terms

Salary and employment terms are in accordance with the applicable collective agreement between KL and the negotiating organization. The position is paid according to the current collective agreement depending on experience and qualifications. The expected salary level will be disclosed prior to any interview. This is a 1-year project position under the Department of Employment and Social Administration in Odense Municipality.

The vacant position is on 37 hours per week .

Desired start is as soon as possible or on 01.12.26.

Application deadline

The application deadline is 18.10.26 . We expect to hold interviews 22.10.26 .

Contact person

If you have questions, you are welcome to contact department head, Søren Jespersen at tel. 40 16 60 50 or department head, Jacob Ludvigsen at tel. 40 23 04 61.

About us

St. Dannesbo is a municipal housing facility for the homeless run by Odense Municipality. We have space for 70 citizens in addition to a number of citizens in activation. Our citizens, in addition to homelessness, are also challenged by other social problems including alcohol- and/or drug abuse.

We are about 59 employees consisting of both social and health professionals, including pedagogues, supervising assistants, occupational therapists, social workers, nurses and social and health helpers, distributed across four teams: Receiving Team, Clarifying Team, Outbound Team and Housing Team. In addition we have a kitchen team, a service team, a night-shift team and our administration, which handles the daily operations within finance, various administrative tasks and HR-related tasks. St.

Dannesbo is located in a scenic area near Brylle, and we also use our special surroundings to run a number of workshops with attached staff that participate in our activation offers.