Placement Specialist - Transitional Housing

• Full Time
• Application Closes 20 Dec 2025
• Auckland - Auckland
• Community and Social Service Specialist

Placement Specialist – James Liston Hostel

Fixed term contract -  December 2025  December 2026

 About the role

James Liston Hostel is one of Auckland City Mission’s three transitional housing sites and consists of 41 bedrooms. Transitional Housing offers safe and secure short-term accommodation to people who are rough sleeping and/or homeless. Our teams provide intensive, coordinated, and flexible support to address the full range of a person’s health and social needs on their journey from homelessness to transitional housing to “home”. Teams provide advocacy, case management, housing, and tenancy support. The team follows a strength-based approach to working alongside people with a focus on recovery and wellbeing. Individuals are welcome to stay in transitional housing for an average of 12 weeks, staying more or less as required; they are offered a further 12 weeks of support once a more permanent place to live has been secured.

We value team development and our people's career growth; we will mentor you on your unique journey to do meaningful work in a supportive environment. This role is a great starting point where you can learn on the job and work towards a longer-term career at Auckland Mission.

Duties

• Receive, assess, and process new whaiora referrals, ensuring eligibility criteria are met.
• Manage the end end‑to‑end intake and referral process and connect whaiora with accommodation providers, permanent housing providers, and external agencies to secure sustainable housing.
• Arrange suitable accommodation placements and coordinate permanent housing viewings.
• Maintain and regularly update accommodation lists and referral databases.
• Demonstrate through actions commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Mission’s values of Manaakitanga, Atawhai, Rangapū and Mana Tika, Mana Ōrite.

Skills

• A relevant tertiary qualification and/or equivalent experience., Social Work, Community Services, Housing Support, or a related discipline. 
• Ability to build rapport with whānau who have complex needs including from colonisation impacts, trauma, mental health, addiction, poverty and homelessness.
• Proven experience applying te Tiriti o Waitangi into organisational practice. 
• Empathy and understanding of issues including impacts of colonisation on Māori, trauma, mental health, addiction, poverty food insecurity and homelessness. 
• Current Full New Zealand license.

Skills, experience and knowledge may also be obtained from a number of different experiences. For example, from paid work, voluntary work, work undertaken within your Church, Marae, or from specific iwi/whānau responsibilities. 

Benefits

• 5 x ‘Mission leave’ days, additional to annual and sick leave.
• Access to EAP & external supervision.
• Access to kapahaka, and weekly waiata.
• Ongoing training and development.
• 15% discount at Auckland City Mission Op Shops.
• Access to low cost, farm fresh produce on a weekly basis.
• Close to public transport.
• Discounted parking at SkyCity.
• Career progression opportunities.

About the organisation

Auckland City Mission - Te Tāpui Atawhai supports Aucklanders in greatest need. Our services have evolved as the city’s social needs have changed, and we respond to these needs with care and compassion while advocating for a reality where there are: enough suitable homes, enough money for nutritious food, and easily accessible health care for all. Since our doors opened more than 100 years ago, this has been our ‘why’. Today, we operate across 9 sites in Tāmaki Makaurau. We offer support for however long and in whatever way is needed – for some people, that’s simply accessing one of our many services, for others, it’s a complex journey with our full support. 

Over the past 12 months, the Mission has provided 200 people with permanent homes, conducted over 20,000 consultations at the Calder Health Centre in HomeGround, cared for 462 people in our residential social detox facility in HomeGround, distributed almost 50,000 food parcels to families and individuals, and served over 80,000 warm meals in our community dining room, Haeata. 

Last year we were proud to win the Nga Āhuatanga o Te Tiriti Tohu (Award), and the Supreme Award at the 2023 Diversity Awards. These awards recognise our mahi to create a workplace which empowers Māori, and where Māori solutions can be developed and offered to the people who we support. If you are interested in this role, please apply with your resume and a cover letter outlining your interest in the role and the Auckland City Mission.