Housing Navigator

SAN ANTONIO METROPOLITAN MINISTRY Inc • San Antonio, TX

1d

About The Position

The Housing Navigator (HN) works closely with individuals who are homeless and seeking guidance about accessing relevant services in the community. The HN will help individuals experiencing homelessness understand housing options and processes, assist with completion of Coordinated Entry assessments, help keep individuals active in HomeLink, and other relevant services sought out by the unsheltered population. The HN will engage individuals who walk into SAMMinistries' locations seeking assistance and will also connect with individuals who have been contacted by community street outreach workers or other providers but may have lost contact or may need ongoing contact and services unavailable through other organizations. The HN will be required to complete SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) certification within 30 days of their start date. The position calls for strong communication skills, a professional yet engaging demeanor with the ability to effectively manage multiple tasks simultaneously. Engagement with clients can be in an office setting or in encampments and places otherwise frequented by individuals experiencing homelessness.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in social work or related field.
• Minimum two years of experience working with individuals experiencing homelessness preferred, or a minimum of two years’ experience working with vulnerable populations in a closely related field.
• Must understand and use approaches and models that are aligned with SAMMinistries’ existing programmatic offerings including, but not limited to, Housing First, Client Centered Care and Trauma Informed Care.
• Experience with principles and approaches of Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing, and de-escalation techniques.
• Ability to read and interpret documents including safety rules, operating and procedural guides, and professional training material.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally, both in writing and verbally.
• Ability to operate and work effectively in Microsoft Office programs and to complete required data entry in electronic database systems daily.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Must be sensitive to the dynamics associated with homelessness and at-risk populations.
• A valid Texas Driver’s License, a reliable motor vehicle and liability insurance.
• Successful completion of SOAR certification within the first thirty (30) days of hire.
• Successful completion of Trauma Informed Care, Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing and Housing First training within sixty (60) days of hire.

Nice To Haves

• Bilingual (English/Spanish) is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Answer telephone/email inquiries and provide information to callers seeking assistance with services offered by the homeless response system. Assess the needs of the clients and walk them through effective solutions or provide alternative resources.
• Greet any potentials clients or clients that present seeking services or information. Assess their needs and offer resources or assist with navigating them to the appropriate channel.
• Connect with and engage clients and conduct assessments needed to enroll families or individuals into the Coordinated Entry System for homeless services.
• Connect clients to mental health, medical care, substance abuse treatment and crisis intervention as needed.
• Communicate assessments, interventions, and ongoing client contact through timely, thorough record keeping, contact forms, and verbal communication.
• Actively engage with clients on active caseload to ensure they are connected to resources that address problems underlying the current/recent experience of homelessness.
• Complete interviews with individuals to gather information needed to complete SSI/SSDI applications.
• Gather medical records and other information to complete SSI/SSDI applications.
• Write SOAR Medical Summary Reports for individual applications.
• Accompany individuals to appointments at the Social Security Administration.
• Coordinate visits to medical doctors, psychiatrists, and other specialists to obtain evidence for the application.
• Coordinate case management services with partners and help with providing case management services to individuals when needed.
• Provide transportation assistance for participants to access needed services. This can be in personal vehicle.
• Accurate, complete, and timely data entry for all contact with clients into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).
• Attend all mandatory departmental meetings and/or training as assigned by supervisor, clinical team and SAMMinistries’ leadership.
• Facilitate cohesive working relationships with other homeless service provider organizations.
• Acquire knowledge and develop expertise in the area of homelessness and the community resources to assist this population.
• Demonstrate proficiency in using the HMIS database.
• Demonstrate and engage in practices that are culturally competent and demonstrate the ability to work with diverse populations and backgrounds.
• Must be able to prioritize multiple job responsibilities to produce a high volume of work in a short period of time.
• Must possess excellent interpersonal skills and be able to work with project participants, agency staff, and community partners productively.
• Understand and maintain client confidentiality and record-keeping, in accordance with HUD, SAMMinistries’, and HIPAA privacy practices.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level