Housing Advocate

YWCA South Hampton Roads•Norfolk, VA

1d•$38,000 - $44,000

About The Position

Under general supervision of the Housing Manager, responsible for working collaboratively with the Shelter Case Managers, other YWCA SHR Staff and interns, local social service partners, and landlords. This position assists homeless clients impacted by domestic violence in overcoming barriers to housing, identifying affordable housing opportunities and developing a plan for long-term stability.

Requirements

A Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, or related human services field preferred.
A minimum of one year of related experience with housing and/or homeless population required.
Experience working with persons with disabilities, mental health concerns, and chronic homelessness preferred.
Demonstrate knowledge of interpersonal violence and a strong commitment to ending violence against women, men, and children.
Knowledge of HUD Housing Quality Standards (HQS) Guidelines preferred.
Knowledge of housing resources in Hampton Roads, Landlord/Tenant Laws and Fair Housing Regulations in Virginia.
Comfortable with computers and familiar with spreadsheet and word processing programs.
Core competencies expected: strong oral and written communication skills, organizational understanding, initiative, collaboration and social justice advocacy.
A self-starter with the ability to operate with purpose, urgency and accuracy, both independently and as part of a team in a results-oriented environment with tight deadlines.
Demonstrate ability to act as an advocate on behalf of clients with a working knowledge of legal, medical, and social service systems.
Non-judgmental attitude, sensitive to confidential information.
Familiarity with domestic violence.
Professional and caring attitude, reflecting the philosophy of YWCA.
Ability to work well with people of various ethnic, racial and socio-economic backgrounds.
Ability to communicate clearly and effectively both oral and written.
Must complete the training programs of the YWCA SHR.
Must have excellent driving record and have a valid driver’s license; certificate of insurance from an insurance carrier licensed in the State of Virginia.
Travel is required and access to reliable transportation is essential.
Requires willingness to work and travel alone.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with persons with disabilities, mental health concerns, and chronic homelessness preferred.
Knowledge of HUD Housing Quality Standards (HQS) Guidelines preferred.

Responsibilities

Meet with homeless clients selected for YWCA’s Rapid Re-Housing program to complete intake, assess for housing barriers and develop a plan to locate housing and maintain stability
Establish partnerships with landlords to locate affordable housing for clients, especially those with multiple barriers to obtaining permanent housing
Connect clients to support services partners within the community to provide wraparound services
Meet with clients to assist with; identifying affordable housing opportunities, completing housing applications, reviewing lease documents, addressing barriers to housing, and assisting with moving arrangements
Act as a liaison and mediator between client and community partners (landlords, property managers, local social service partners, etc)
Complete housing inspections and ensure that housing meets HUD compliance standards
Complete HUD required program documents and upload them into HMIS compatible database
Maintaining familiarity with federal, state, regional, and local housing programs, policies, and regulations; analyzing and ensuring compliance with applicable requirements
Maintains statistics, client case notes, and ECM to accurately report out on grant activities
Provide updates at case management meetings (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) for clients who are housing searching or housed to ensure their long-term success by providing safety planning, crisis intervention, advocacy, information and referrals
Attend meetings (housing department meetings, case management meetings, SVHC/CoC meetings) and scheduled in-service trainings as assigned
Performs other duties as assigned