Housing Navigation Specialist

LA FAMILIA•Hayward, CA

1d•$33 - $34•Hybrid

About The Position

The Housing Navigation Specialist upholds a pivotal role in utilizing Housing First principles to help homeless and formerly homeless households obtain, move into, and keep their homes and outreaching to and engaging households referred by HCSA to support a transition from homelessness into permanent housing across Alameda County. This role will uphold and champion the agency’s mission, vision, and values and contribute to a collaborative and inclusive work culture. This position is covered under the SEIU 1021 Collective Bargaining Agreement. In addition to the established base pay, members will receive negotiated annual increases as follows: January 2027: 3% base pay increase Future increases will be subject to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

Requirements

Bilingual in Spanish
Minimum two years of experience working in the social services field
Housing-related experience with strong knowledge of Alameda County housing market and geography highly desirable.
Ability to work flexible hours, including weekends and evenings.
Demonstrates and models excellent “customer service” orientation and ability to work with diverse populations.
Exercises extreme discretion with the ability to hold, balance, and transmit public and confidential information needed by various parties.
Proficient in MS Office and Google Workspace products.
Valid CA Driver’s license required.
Ability to safely operate a motor vehicle
Ability to push, pull, and lift up to 50 pounds frequently.
Ability to stand and move from one location to another daily.
Ability to sit for prolonged periods of time
Ability to visually focus on near and far items, and to be able to switch between them.
Ability to reliably report to work on time and perform the position's required tasks as scheduled
Ability to grasp and carry items
Ability to hear and effectively communicate with co-workers, clients, and the public
Ability to identify potential issues within the workplace, determine an appropriate means of avoiding and/or resolving the issues, work with others to address the issues, and carry out organized strategies for resolving and preventing similar issues in the future
Ability to process information and data for use within the organization

Nice To Haves

Bachelor degree in social work, human services, or a closely related field desirable.
Experience in non-profit and community-based organizations preferred.

Responsibilities

Conducting a tenant screening and housing assessment that identifies the Household’s preferences and barriers related to successful tenancy.
Developing an individualized housing support plan based upon the housing assessment that addresses identified barriers, includes short- and long-term measurable goals for each issue, establishes the Household’s approach to meeting the goal, and identifies when other Providers or services, both reimbursed and not reimbursed by Medi-Cal, may be required to meet the goal.
Searching for housing and presenting options.
Assisting in securing housing, including the completion of housing applications and securing required documentation (e.g., Social Security card, birth certificate, prior rental history).
Assisting with benefits advocacy, including assistance with obtaining identification and documentation for Supplemental Security Income eligibility and supporting the SSI application process.
Identifying and securing available resources to assist with subsidizing rent (such as U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) or state and local assistance programs) and matching available rental subsidy resources to Consumers.
Identifying and securing resources to cover expenses, such as security deposit, moving costs, adaptive aids, environmental modifications, and other one-time expenses.
Assisting with requests for reasonable accommodation, if necessary.
Educating and engaging with landlords.
Ensuring that the living environment is safe and ready for move-in.
Communicating and advocating on behalf of the Consumers with landlords.
Assisting with arranging for and supporting the details of the move.
Establish procedures and contacts to retain housing, including developing a housing support crisis plan that includes prevention and early intervention services when housing is jeopardized.
Identifying, coordinating, securing, or funding non-emergency, nonmedical transportation to assist Consumers’ mobility to ensure reasonable accommodations and access to housing options prior to transition and on move-in day.
Identifying and coordinating environmental modifications to install necessary accommodations for accessibility (see Environmental Accessibility Adaptations Community Support Services).
Take the required components of the Coordinated Entry System (CES) training within 30 days of hire.
Providing early identification and intervention for behaviors that may jeopardize housing, such as late rental payment, hoarding, substance use, and other lease violations.
Education and training on the roles, rights, and responsibilities of the tenant and landlord.
Coaching on developing and maintaining key relationships with landlords/property managers with a goal of fostering successful tenancy.
Coordination with the landlord and case management Provider to address identified issues that could impact housing stability.
Assistance in resolving disputes with landlords and/or neighbors to reduce risk of eviction or other adverse action including developing a repayment plan or identifying funding in situations in which the Consumer owes back rent or payment for damage to the unit.
Advocacy and linkage with community resources to prevent eviction when housing is or may potentially become jeopardized.
Assistance with the annual housing recertification process.
Coordinating with the tenant to review, update, and modify their housing support and crisis plan on a regular basis to reflect current needs and address existing or recurring housing retention barriers.
Continuing assistance with lease compliance, including ongoing support with activities related to household management.
Health and safety visits, including unit habitability inspections.
Other prevention and early intervention services identified in the crisis plan that are activated when housing is jeopardized (e.g., assisting with reasonable accommodation requests that were not initially required upon move-in).
Providing independent living and life skills, including assistance with and training on budgeting, including financial literacy and connection to community resources.
Attend trainings and participate in events relevant to key responsibilities
Track and regularly report on key metrics for responsible function areas
Leads and collaborate on special projects related to agency objectives as appropriate
Other miscellaneous duties as appropriate
Demonstrates ethics and integrity
Displays drive and purpose
Manages self and adapts to change
Practice self-awareness and continuous learning
Practices cultural humility and cultural responsiveness when engaging with individuals from diverse backgrounds and life experiences, while practicing appropriate boundaries.
Develop relationships with their teams and across the organization to foster cultural humility and cultural responsiveness, teamwork, and collaboration, ensuring positive outcomes for the organization both internally and externally.
Utilize effective communication skills to listen and respond with empathy, while adopting a proactive and collaborative approach to drive innovative change. This approach should be sensitive to the organization's culture and its role within the community.
Demonstrates cultural awareness and provides respectful, client-centered care.
Maintains knowledge of community resources for client referrals
Attend work regularly, adhering to policies on absences and tardiness.
Understands and applies legal requirements, including confidentiality and risk management.
Accurately record work hours each day by clocking in/out at scheduled start, break, lunch, and end times.
Take all required meal and rest breaks in compliance with state, federal, and agency policies.
Review and submit timesheets by established deadlines to ensure timely payroll processing.
Notify supervisor promptly of any scheduling conflicts, absences, tardiness, or timekeeping issues.
Maintain consistent and reliable attendance to support team and program operations.
Follow organizational policies and procedures related to overtime, schedule changes, and paid/unpaid leave.
Correct and/or report any timekeeping discrepancies immediately to the supervisor for resolution.
Viewed by others as an effective team member who is flexible, cooperative, and willing to assist others, and acts as a resource to team members and clients, where appropriate.
Handles difficult or conflict situations constructively and seeks appropriate assistance.
Accepts accountability and constructive feedback.
Attends all mandatory meetings and staff meetings as required, and actively participates in other departmental professional development, including providing training and consultation.
Develops and maintains cooperative and courteous relationships with fellow employees, supervisors, managers in other departments, senior management, executive staff, and community stakeholders.
Handles requests, suggestions, and complaints from other departments and individuals in a tactful and effective manner to maintain goodwill within the agency.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision benefits with 95% employee and 80% dependent employer premium contributions
Employer-paid life insurance
Vacation
15 paid holidays
12 paid sick days upon accrual
Employee Assistance Plan
Pet Plan Benefit: PetPlus Product and Prescription Discounts, Pet Assure Veterinary Discounts, AskVet 24/7 Pet Telehealth, and ThePetTag Lost Pet Recovery Service
403(b) retirement plan
Flexible scheduling options, including hybrid work arrangements
License and Certification renewals reimbursed
Structured mentorship
Ongoing training