Housing Navigator

MERCY HOUSE•Buena Park, CA

2d•$23 - $25•Onsite

About The Position

The Housing Navigator supports individuals in Mercy House shelters through ongoing needs assessments, individualized housing plans, referrals, advocacy, and housing support to help them achieve housing stability. The role uses trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, and harm reduction strategies, and includes maintaining a caseload, coordinating with external agencies, keeping accurate records, and providing crisis intervention. The position conducts assessments, determines eligibility, and enters information into the Central Entry System (CES) for prioritization and housing-provider linkage. It helps participants obtain required documents, access benefits and services, search and apply for housing, and transition from shelter to housing. The navigator collaborates with clients, colleagues, community providers, housing authorities, landlords, social workers, and leasing teams. The role also supports resident programs, meetings, trainings, data collection, and timely documentation and communication. This is a full-time, non-exempt position based at the Buena Park Navigation Center in Buena Park, California. The posted schedule is Monday and Wednesday, 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; Tuesday and Sunday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; and Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m. Pay is $23.00–$25.00 per hour.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Services or a related field.
At least one year of experience working with homeless individuals and mental health.
Applicants without a bachelor’s degree may apply if they have at least two years of direct life experience working with long-term homeless, low-income, and diverse populations and working knowledge of mental health and recovery.
High tolerance and understanding for individuals presenting with urgent, multiple case-management and health needs.
Ability to work effectively with a diverse population; plan, organize, and prioritize duties; and perform crisis intervention as needed.
Ability to communicate information and instructions clearly, verbally and in writing.
Ability to maintain a positive, professional, and safe environment while on duty and establish and maintain effective working relationships.
Ability to lift, bend, push, and pull up to 50 pounds.
Ability to sit for prolonged periods at a desk and work on a computer.
Knowledge of confidentiality and legal and ethical issues pertaining to case management, and effective documentation guidelines.

Responsibilities

Maintain a caseload of 22–30 individuals and meet with participants as needed or as instructed by a supervisor.
Complete a navigation assessment within seven days of a client entering the shelter, determine eligibility, and enter assessments into CES for prioritization and linkage to a housing provider.
Help clients obtain documents needed to secure housing, including identification, birth certificates, income verification, and assistance with Social Security benefits.
Provide referrals, crisis intervention, and support for permanent housing placement.
Conduct comprehensive screenings and assessments and develop Individual Service Plans with short- and long-term goals.
Participate in all stages of client service, including assessment, service planning, engagement, and service delivery.
Link clients to employment, benefits, substance-use services, primary and mental health care, and other community services needed to reach housing goals.
Use harm-reduction interventions, trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, and strength-based case management.
Conduct crisis and risk assessments in consultation with the supervisor and case management team.
Provide warm handoffs to selected housing providers to support transitions from shelter into housing.
Collaborate with community support providers, outreach teams, health care networks, housing authorities, landlords, social workers, and the leasing team.
Attend and support clients during voucher briefings, attend match meetings, and connect clients with CES.
Attend trainings related to client needs, including co-occurring disorders, harm reduction, and cultural competence.
Assist with housing searches and applications, reasonable accommodation requests when needed, and ensuring living environments are safe and ready for move-in.
Enter accurate, complete data into HMIS and update client snapshots to reflect progress.
Work with staff and volunteers to implement Mercy House’s mission and core values; attend agency meetings and help plan and develop resident programs.
Maintain accurate, current client documentation, including housing plans, case notes, files, and assessments; assist with data collection and meet deadlines.
Use computers and applicable software and systems, respond to calls and emails promptly, and independently prioritize workload.
Perform other duties or projects as assigned.