CIH Level 3 Certificate in Providing Homelessness Services

What will you learn?

This course aims to equip you with practical skills to support individuals who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, with a focus on understanding their needs and building on their strengths and personal goals. Through a trauma-informed and strengths-based approach, the course units will deepen your knowledge and enhance your ability to provide effective support.

The qualification covers key aspects of homelessness through four compulsory units:

Homelessness services and prevention
Role of the practitioner for independent living
Engaging people with lived experience of homelessness
Professional practice skills for housing

Upon successful completion of the course, you will earn a vocational qualification equivalent to an A-level standard.

Who is it for?

This course is ideal for client-facing staff working in either a paid or voluntary capacity in housing or homelessness.

Some typical job titles of those who study our level 3 qualification are: support worker, team leader, night worker, supported housing worker.

Why choose this course?

How will it benefit you

Completing this qualification is a fantastic way of establishing yourself as a professional, ensuring you have the theoretical knowledge, key skills and learning to perform your role at the highest level.

With over 20 year delivering courses for the homelessness sector, we have worked closely with our members to ensure the content in this qualification will be relevant, up-to-date and provide learners with the understanding to support people experiencing homelessness.

It can help you to:

Support people more effectively
Build confidence in your practice
Develop your career and provide opportunities for further study

How will it benefit your organisation

The ground-breaking qualification aims to recognise the vital work homelessness staff do and upskill staff to support people in a strengths-based way.

It can help your organisation to:

Ensure consistency of standards throughout your services
Show how much you value your team
Support staff retention and career development

Entry requirements

To apply for this qualification, you should:

be working in a paid role within the housing or homelessness sector

AND

have completed a Level 2 qualification (equivalent to GCSE) or higher.

We understand that not everyone will have these prior qualifications or access to copies of achievement. If this is the case, you can complete an assessment question within the application form to demonstrate your ability to work at Level 3.

We also require sign‑off from your manager to take part in the course, including agreement to provide a minimum of 1 hour of protected study time a day, during working hours, for the duration of the qualification.

Fully funded places available on our autumn cohorts

Thanks to funding from MHCLG, places on our autumn cohorts are fully funded.

There are three cohorts available, with one starting in September and two in October, each offering 18 places.

To ensure this opportunity is shared as widely as possible, we are inviting one applicant per organisation for this qualification across all cohorts.

Please note, if your organisation has already had a participant on the CIH Level 3 Certificate in Providing Homelessness Services this year, it will not be eligible for a place on these cohorts.

Apply now for the autumn cohorts

To apply, please review the FAQs and complete the short application form via the link below. You'll need to register for an account on our learning portal or log in if you already have one.

Please note that submitting an application does not guarantee a place. Places will be awarded based on the quality of applications against our scoring criteria.

Application deadline: 10.00am, Tuesday 1 September

If you have any questions, please contact Homeless Link's Senior Qualifications Manager, Will Vaughan - call on 07949 892 368 or email qualifications@homelesslink.org.uk

Terms and conditions

Apply now

FAQs

What information do you need for the application form?

Why are you applying for this course? (250 words)
In your answer to this question, please explain how this course will benefit your current role and career. Given the significant time commitment, we want to understand your personal motivation to ensure your success. Demand for this course can be high so this statement is used to evaluate applications.
Your current job role and career history
To be accepted onto this course, you need at least six months of experience working or volunteering in the homelessness sector. This information helps us determine whether you have the relevant work experience.
Your educational qualifications
You will need to provide evidence of a Level 2 qualification or, if you don't have this, complete a short assessment question, as outlined in the entry requirements section above.
Reasonable adjustments
We aim to make the course accessible to everyone, so we’ll ask if you need any adjustments, such as subtitles for sessions or more time to submit assignments.
Manager's details
Finally, we require confirmation that your manager approves your application and that you will receive the necessary support during the course.

How much time do I need to commit to this qualification?

This course takes place over 20 weeks.

It is recommended that a commitment is made between learners and their managers for a minimum of 1 hour of protected study time a day, during working hours, for the duration of the qualification.

You should allow around 6–7 hours per week for self-study, alongside attending all sessions and support sessions.

What support do I need from my organisation?

We require sign‑off from your manager to take part in the course, including agreement to provide protected study time. We also recommend that your manager checks in on your progress throughout the qualification to help ensure you receive the support you need.

Are sessions online or in-person?

All sessions will take place online.

You will need access to a laptop or PC and access to the internet to attend the training sessions and complete assignments.

When are the sessions for the Autumn cohorts?

September 2026 cohort

Induction session Friday 18th September (10.00am-1.00pm)
Unit 1 delivery session Thursday 1st October (9.30am-4.30pm)
Unit 1 learner support session Wednesday 21st October (10.00am-1.00pm)
Unit 2 delivery session Thursday 12th November (9.30am-4.30pm)
Unit 2 learner support session Wednesday 2nd December (10.00am-1.00pm)
Unit 3 delivery session Thursday 7th January (9.30am-4.30pm)
Unit 3 learner support session Wednesday 13th January (10.00am-1.00pm)
Unit 4 delivery session Thursday 4th February (9.30am-4.30pm)
Unit 4 learner support session Wednesday 24th February (10.00am-1.00pm)

October 2026 #1 cohort

Induction session Wednesday 7th October (10.00am-1.00pm)
Unit 1 delivery session Thursday 8th October (9.30am-4.30pm)
Unit 1 learner support session Wednesday 28th October (10.00am-1.00pm)
Unit 2 delivery session Tuesday 24th November (9.30am-4.30pm)
Unit 2 learner support session Wednesday 9th December (10.00am-1.00pm)
Unit 3 delivery session Tuesday 12th January (9.30am-4.30pm)
Unit 3 learner support session Monday 1st February (10.00am-1.00pm)
Unit 4 delivery session Thursday 25th February (9.30am-4.30pm)
Unit 4 learner support session Wednesday 3rd March (10.00am-1.00pm)

October 2026 #2 cohort

Induction session: Wednesday 7th October (1.00pm-4.00pm)
Unit 1 delivery session: Wednesday 14th October (9.30am-4.30pm)
Unit 1 learner support session: Tuesday 3rd November (9.00am-12.00pm)
Unit 2 delivery session Wednesday 25th November (9.30am-4.30pm)
Unit 2 learner support session: Monday 14th December (9.00am-12.00pm)
Unit 3 delivery session: Wednesday 6th January (9.30am-4.30pm)
Unit 3 learner support session: Monday 25th January (9.00am-12.00pm)
Unit 4 delivery session: Wednesday 17th February (9.30am-4.30pm)

All sessions, including the induction and support sessions, must be attended.

I can attend every session except for the induction session, is the induction session important?

Attending the induction session is essential for your success on this course.

In the session, you will learn how to navigate your learner account and key information related to the course assignments.

I'm from a large organisation, can several people from my organisation apply?

No, unfortunately we can only accept one applicant per organisation, per qualification.

I work for a local authority, can I apply?
Yes, applications are open to people working in local authorities as well as charities, as long as you meet the entry requirements. As funded places are limited to one participant per organisation per programme, please check internally before applying.