Housing Specialist
The Housing Specialist assists families with finding permanent housing and placement along with leveraging supportive services that will assist the participant household to maintain permanent housing. The Housing Specialist performs a variety of office and field activities to manage and monitor rapid rehousing/ transition-in-place program for families, direct client services to promote residents’ self-sufficiency, integration into the community and permanency in housing.
Duties and Responsibilities
Included but not limited to:
· Maintain professional relationships with clients and maintain client confidentiality.
· Practice Universal Precautions/Standard Protocol and Procedures.
· Provide individualized and group counseling on housing and entitlement related topics.
· Establish linkage with community-based organizations, realtors, brokers and landlords.
· Assess housing barriers of individuals and families experiencing homelessness to determine housing and service needs. This shall include intake interview to determine the residents housing needs, goals and eligibility.
· Identify clients’ strengths in housing stability and assist in decreasing barriers via referrals to resource and services.
· Assist clients in obtaining housing vouchers and completing housing applications.
· Provide mediation and advocacy with landlords on resident’s behalf in securing permanent housing.
· Collaborate with the Social Services Team and resident in identifying and securing appropriate housing arrangements.
· Create and maintain consistent liaisons among clients, landlords, brokers, referral sources, collaborating agencies, neighbors and property managers.
· Coach clients on interviewing skills and assist in preparation for housing appointments.
· Maintain accurate and updated daily work activity logs as well as case notes and other pertinent documentation in client’s case file.
· Prepare and submit reports to regulatory agencies (i.e. case summaries, quarterly reports, exit projection reports).
· Escort clients to housing appointment as necessary. Field work requirements are limited to housing and social service related work activities.
· Schedule subject to change, ability to travel.
· Complete all housing packets in folder for on-boarding.
· Create a realtor database to make referrals and put together a database.
· Compile housing packets to submit for review.
· Work with Case managers for move requests and bed requests.
· In collaboration with case managers, work with clients to break through barriers to client goals and to assist clients in advocating for themselves and in moving toward self-sufficiency.
Typical Minimum Job Requirements
· Some college.
· Experience in a related field.
· Two years’ experience working with homeless adults and families.
Knowledge and Abilities preferred:
· Bilingual
· Familiarity with housing vouchers (i.e. FEPS, SEPS, LINC, FHEPS, SOTA).
· Ability to assess needs and assist residents in developing housing plans for promotion of self-sufficient and permanent housing.
· Awareness of housing subsidies and programs as well as navigation of community and social based programs that support resident goals for self-sufficiency and permanent housing.
· Familiarity with social service documentation procedures and standards.
· Ability to work effectively with a wide range of community based providers.