Housing Diversion Specialist

Wake County Government•Raleigh, NC

4d•$27 - $33•Hybrid

About The Position

The Housing Diversion Specialist is an essential member of the Wake County Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry Team, helping individuals and families access homeless services through structured triage, assessments, and Coordinated Entry support delivered both virtually and in person. The role focuses on effective housing problem solving, completing CE enrollments and assessments, and placing households on the Community Queue to connect them with shelter and housing programs in HMIS. This position blends client interaction, rapid crisis resolution, and collaboration with community partners. Responsibilities include light touch case management, day services, and referrals to shelters, drop in centers, and outreach teams. Flexible financial assistance may be used when appropriate to help households secure safe and stable housing quickly. The Specialist works closely with By-Name-List Coordinators, HMIS staff, and service providers in a hybrid, multi location environment, with occasional after hours flexibility.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree
No specific experience required
Equivalent education and experience are accepted
Considerable knowledge of the program and issue area.
Comfort with public speaking, stakeholder engagement, and meeting facilitation.
Excellent problem-solving and organizational skills.
Ability to exercise judgment and discretion in applying and interpreting policies and procedures.
Ability to understand and carry out oral and written instructions.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with associates, officials and the public.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
Strong problem-solving and organizational skills to manage multiple tasks and priorities.
Experience facilitating case conferencing meetings, collaborating with providers to track client progress and ensure timely housing placements.
Experience in policy implementation and compliance, working within HUD CoC standards to improve Coordinated Entry workflows.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with HUD CoC, HMIS and CE policies and procedures
Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Public Administration, Human Services, or a related field
Three (3) years or more of job-related experience including work as a case manager, intake specialist or care coordination
Experience facilitating case conferencing meetings, collaborating with providers to track client progress and ensure timely housing placements
Experience working with HUD funded programs, including but not limited to Continuum of Care and/or Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) for documentation, reporting, and communication
Multilingual skills, with Spanish strongly preferred, to support language access and effective communication with diverse households

Responsibilities

Conduct scheduled CE intakes through virtual and in person methods.
Facilitate diversion and housing problem solving conversations aimed at reducing inflow into homelessness.
Complete CE enrollments, triage, and standardized assessments in HMIS.
Connect clients with sources of flexible financial assistance when appropriate.
Provide referrals to day services, drop in supports, shelter, and outreach resources.
Coordinate with outreach teams and service providers to ensure timely documentation and appropriate referrals.
Offer short term follow up to ensure warm handoffs to shelter, outreach, or housing providers.
Assist individuals in navigating community resources and crisis services.
Collaborate with street outreach teams, shelters, and diversion providers to support rapid problem resolution.
Work closely with By Name List Coordinators and HMIS staff to ensure quality CE enrollment and tracking.
Build collaborative relationships with service providers to support timely and accurate referrals.
Maintain strong communication with partners serving people experiencing homelessness.
Ensure accurate and timely entry of intake, assessment, diversion, and referral information in HMIS.
Monitor data quality and follow CE and CoC data standards.
Support reporting needs related to CE performance, inflow and outflow trends, and housing problem solving outcomes.
Adhere to HUD CoC policies, CE standards, and local procedures.
Provide feedback on CE improvements based on direct client interactions.
Support implementation of system updates, process changes, and workflow enhancements.