Job Title: Winter Services Housing Specialist
Department: Social Services
Reports to: Shelter Coordinator
Hours: Full time, Non-Exempt, three days a week 8 AM-5 PM, two days a week 12 noon to 9 PM M-F. Specific schedule is negotiable with supervisor.
Compensation: $14.67/hour
Benefits: Paid holidays
Location: Multiple locations in Downtown and East Portland (East and West side day and night shelters for homeless families and the Homeless Family Warming Center)
Status: Temporary through March 31, 2010
SUMMARY
Provide high quality, professional, intensive housing assistance services to homeless families using a Housing First model to increase their housing opportunities and be better able to provide for their housing needs. Many of the homeless families face multiple complex barriers to housing including but not limited to past evictions, criminal history and credit problems. Work directly with homeless families to help them achieve rapid re-housing. Provide or connect families to Rent Well classes as appropriate. Work with existing Human Solutions Housing Specialists to develop, maintain and update a housing resource directory, maintain and increase the numbers of area landlords willing to participate with Human Solutions in the Housing First program through ongoing recruitment and outreach.
CRITICAL PERFORMANCE FACTORS:
1. Become familiar with each family at the Homeless Family Warming Center, Goose Hollow Family Shelter, West Side Day Center and East Side Day Center.
2. Customize a housing goal plan that will assist each household to take the appropriate beginning steps to systematically address the action steps needed to remove housing barriers.
3. Demonstrate acceptance and respect for diverse program participants, while handling sensitive situations with an open, courteous approach, and maintaining an objective and professional relationship.
4. Assist homeless families to advocate for themselves and advocate on their behalf for permanent housing placement. This may include but is not limited to requests for reasonable accommodation, Fresh Start agreements and individual explanations of why a landlord should overlook past problems and rent to specific families.
5. Work with area landlords to ensure and expand housing options for homeless families, including families with poor credit, criminal and housing histories.
6. Work with Human Solutions Housing Department to ensure that homeless families have maximum access to affordable housing owned, built or rehabilitated by Human Solutions.
7. Work with Human Solutions existing Housing Specialists to maintain a comprehensive, computerized listing of East County’s affordable open market and Section 8 eligible housing for low-income homeless families, with this resource directory data to include: complex name, number of units, rent type, monthly rent range, address, phone number, applicant/tenant eligibility requirements, required application fees, security deposits, proximity to public transportation, vacancy rate, length of waiting lists, etc.
8. Maintain accurate, complete, up-to-date documentation of service activities using Human Solutions procedures, forms and reporting systems.
9. Submit monthly reports and other paperwork in a timely manner.
10. Maintain current case notes and detailed goal plan with outcomes for each homeless family and make regular entries regarding activities to achieve goals.
11. Apply knowledge of Landlord/Tenant Laws and Fair Housing to day to day work and serve as a consultant to other staff on these issues.
12. Assist families with the move-in process including lease negotiation, habitability standards inspections and arranging move-in and deposit payment to landlords.
13. Assist Deputy Director and Quality Assurance Department with tracking usage of different funding streams for leasing as well as reconciling with finance department records on a monthly basis.
14. Assist Lead staff in determining the housing programs that are the best match for individual family’s situations and needs.
15. Maintain contact with families after move in to provide comprehensive services that lead to permanent housing stability for formerly homeless families placed into housing.
16. Enter repeating rent payments onto the rent roll by the due date specified monthly by management.
17. Participate in bi-monthly department meetings as well as monthly Winter Services meetings.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
This job has no supervisory responsibilities.
QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge and abilities required.
Knowledge of:
• Social and economic issues creating poverty, working successfully with practices and techniques related to people with low income to achieve greater self- sufficiency.
• Community resources and agencies providing social services needed by the homeless population.
Ability to:
• Apply required knowledge and identify in partnership with clients their needs and effective solutions
• Non-judgmentally elicit information and help problem solve around sensitive issues including but not limited to alcohol and drug use, domestic violence, child abuse and mental health.
• Plan and coordinate delivery of services
• Empower and support homeless family members in making positive life choices and creating positive change for themselves and their families
• Provide leadership and to facilitate group process, and to relate and work cooperatively with all volunteers and staff
• Develop and maintain productive working relationships within Human Solutions, with public and private agencies, the general public and clients
• Be culturally sensitive to and communicate respectfully with a broad diversity of families
• Prepare and maintain clear, accurate, complete and timely records and reports
• Maintain professional boundaries with all families served
Communicate clearly and respectfully with program participants, landlords, housing advocates, Legal Aid, agency staff and private and government agency staff.
Develop and implement curriculum and materials pertinent to teaching “Ready to Rent” and other pertinent housing classes.
Teach classes to homeless families at varying levels and skills, using a variety of strategies (workshop materials, exercises, handouts, video, etc.), creating a comfortable atmosphere with an interactive style.
Conduct outreach and recruit landlords willing to participate in “Housing First”
Maintain and support landlords participating in the program.
• Understand and follow complex written and oral instructions, rules and procedures, to work independently and to be a vital and contributing part of a team.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
• Bachelor's Degree in social service/social sciences field with at least six (6) months experience working on housing issues and related topics in a group setting; or any combination of education and work experience in social services, housing advocacy, landlord recruitment and case management totaling two years.
• Experience with crisis intervention, community networking and resource development.
• General computer, data entry and word processing skills and willingness to learn other needed computer skills.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Ability to speak and write in English. Spanish or Russian skills preferred but not required.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
REASONING ABILITY
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; sit; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and distance vision.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
TO APPLY
Please send resume with cover letter and three professional references to: Erika Silver, Deputy Director, Human Solutions, 12350 SE Powell Blvd., Portland OR 97236 or via email (preferred method) to esilver@humansolutions.org . References need not be written, simply the names and contact information for three people who are familiar with your work. At least one should be a supervisor or former supervisor. Open until filled. No phone calls please.
- Location: Multiple Locations
- Compensation: $14.67/hour and paid holidays
- This is at a non-profit organization.
- Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
- Please, no phone calls about this job!
- Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.