Community Health Worker - Housing

Mass General Brigham•Northampton, MA

7d•$18 - $24•Onsite

About The Position

The Community Health Worker - Housing is a key member of A Positive Place's interdisciplinary HIV care and prevention team, integrating community health work into clinical care by addressing social determinants of health and health equity. In general, CHWs partner with individuals living with HIV in managing medical care, social services coordination, disease education, trauma and recovery, positive prevention, sexual health promotion, housing, and substance use risk reduction. The Community Health Worker - Housing works collaboratively with clients and other A Positive Place Care team members (medical case management, health insurance, recovery coaching, peer advocacy, health navigation), and partners with landlords, property managers, housing authorities, and other housing partners to ensure safe, affordable housing so that clients can focus on and improve health outcomes.

Requirements

High School Diploma or Equivalent required
Experience working with unhoused individuals/families, and/or individuals living with HIV, people in recovery, trauma survivors, members of Black, Latine, GBTQ communities, formerly incarcerated individuals, and/or other historically minoritized populations with cultural humility 1-2 years required
Housing search, advocacy, navigation and support, leasing up, rental start-up, homelessness prevention, and utilities arrearages. Travel to/from units, community partners 1-2 years required
Conducting intakes, goal planning, crisis intervention, mediating, health & health related supportive services 1-2 years required
Experience working with a “housing first” framework, knowledge of tenant’s rights & responsibilities, some HUD rules & regulations 1-2 years required
Demonstrated knowledge of local, state, and federal housing resources available to support individuals/families.
Skilled in strength-based, people-first, harm reduction, culturally humble, and restorative approaches to equitable community health care and prevention.
Current driver’s license, good driving record, and reliable transportation.
Basic-Intermediate digital literacy required.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual (Spanish) preferred.
A person with lived experience of populations served is a plus.
Strong cross-cultural interpersonal, organizational, and oral and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

Partner with clients/tenants living with HIV, to provide housing search and advocacy, leasing up, maintaining units by assisting tenants in landlord-tenant negotiations, rental/utilities arrearage assistance, obtaining a rep-payee, and other homelessness prevention strategies.
Conduct in-depth needs assessments, co-create housing and health & well-being plans with individuals supporting clients/tenants in overcoming barriers to health access.
Facilitate communications and serve as a point of contact between clients, landlords, housing authorities, housing court personnel, and tenants’ rights organizations to support clear decision-making, solve problems, and meet health goals.
Navigate complex local, state, and federal housing resources/programs, bridging gaps in access to services and improving client experience.
Offer Advocacy & Support to amplify the voice of clients, empower individuals to understand their rights, and achieve self-identified goals.
Provide ongoing follow-up and support to individuals to maintain stable housing, allowing for continuity of care and successful achievement of health and well-being goals.
Conduct outreach to identify new landlords and to strengthen current housing partnerships.
Advance health equity by bridging gaps between minoritized communities and health systems.
Collect data and maintain accurate records of interactions and outcomes to improve client outcomes, reduce health disparities in diverse populations, inform improvement strategies, and design new services.