Compassionate Communities Development Worker: Homelessness, Housing, Refugees & Asylum Seekers

Overview

The Church of England Diocese of London comprises of 402 parishes within some 450 church buildings located north of the River Thames and within the M25 motorway. The Diocese conducts its financial affairs through different corporate bodies. The main body is the London Diocesan Fund (LDF).

The LDF have set out ambitious vision plans to 2030, including the Compassionate Communities ambition that churches would seek to serve their local community’s needs, as a demonstration of the Love of God in Christ.

Compassionate Communities, part of the LDF, work with local churches and diocesan teams to deliver this work, in partnership with external charities, other denominations and diocese, and with other para church organisations.

Introduction

The role will contribute fully to the work of the Compassionate Communities Team, who exist to deliver one of one of the 3 key ambitions for the Diocese for our vision to 2030 of “inspiring and equipping Diocese of London’s parishes to reach out compassionately to the communities they serve”.

Within London, many of our churches already support and serve the most vulnerable in our society: those navigating the asylum system, refugees, those with No Recourse to Public Funds and those who are, who have recently experienced homelessness. There is some considerable overlap in these two themes of work.

Compassionate Communities aims to raise both awareness of the issues, and participation of local churches in responding to these two themes of work. Our team act as a broker, equipper and supporter of the local church who are doing this extraordinary work of showing the love of God in action.

The role is to lead on the co-ordination and implementation of the Diocese of London’s support offer to parishes around these two themes.

The Ideal Candidate will:

• understand the over- arching narratives and opportunities to engage.
• add encouragement and co-ordination to churches as they seek to respond.
• raise the confidence and competence levels of parishes who wish to engage but feel unable or are unaware as to what can be done.
• connect key partners to parishes who can enhance their delivery, building trust and strong working relationships.
• organise events and commission trainings where needed.
• manage their own work time flexibly.
• ensure that we are prayerful and theologically reflective in all we do: bringing the hopes, dreams and fears of those we serve to God.

Main Responsibilities

Strategic:

• Understand and engage with the issues around refugees, the asylum system and homelessness in London, and how churches have responded.
• Liaise with Episcopal Area teams to help deliver their aims around these themes of work.
• Engage with those looking at systemic issues and causes of homelessness and destitution for asylum seekers, and be willing to engage prophetically with these issues, where needed forming alliances and partnership with other organisations.

Operational

• Responsibility for re-energising the “Clergy Hosting” scheme in partnership with Housing Justice.
• Share responsibility for planning and delivery of the “Housing Summit” events, as the Diocesan first response to the “Coming Home” report from the Archbishop Canterbury’s Commission on Housing, including follow up for parishes.
• Respond to specific requests from parishes for advice, consultancy, or connection in the areas of refugees & asylum seekers, and homelessness.
• Draw together those churches that currently have or want to have a homelessness response, sharing best practice, promoting programmes and initiatives to help them.
• Work with churches already supporting refugees and asylum seekers through initiatives such as ‘Welcome Boxes’ and Refugee lunches.
• Organise other events and meetings, and commission training where necessary.
• Form strong partnerships with other agencies & external charities to deliver these aims.
• Ensure work is rooted theologically & in prayer, and lead churches in reflection on this.
• Share responsibility for communications & social media presence relating to these themes of work.
• The post-holder may be required to undertake any other duties that are commensurate with the role.

The Ideal Candidate

• Ability to take initiative and to demonstrate energy and determination.
• Ability to work across church traditions and integrate faith and statutory bodies.
• Ability to build effective relationships at all levels with key partners and then deliver outcomes.
• Organisational skills to deliver events both online and in person.
• Ability to communicate in a way which draws people together and builds confidence.
• Understanding of issues facing those navigating the asylum process, and/or homelessness.
• Understanding of the political landscape around working with refugees, asylum seekers and those experiencing homelessness.
• Ability to ground all the work theologically and encourage others in that.
• Ability to work as a team that operates flexibly and be confident to work independently.
• Christian faith.

Desirables

• Experience of issues facing those with No Recourse to Public Funds.
• Experience of church-based responses to homelessness and those vulnerably housed.
• Community organising skills.
• Social Media experience.
• Confidence in public speaking.

About us

The LDF exists to support the mission of the Church of England in London. The principal activity of the London Diocesan Fund is to operationally and practically serve and support the parishes and people within the Diocese of London, enabling the vision that every Londoner will encounter the love of God in Jesus Christ.