Housing Placement and Stabilization Specialist (SHH)

PINE STREET INN INC•Boston, MA

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Housing Placement and Stabilization Specialist will work within the Outreach Department to provide housing navigation support to unsheltered homeless guests, working in collaboration with Outreach Specialists and Clinicians. This targeted housing placement and stabilization work will utilize a “Housing First” approach and will assist program participants to move into and sustain permanent housing and include, and not be limited to, organizing document collection, enrolling clients in mainstream benefits, filling out housing applications, accompanying guests to unit showings and lease signings, and providing referrals to community based services. The Housing Placement and Stabilization Specialist will provide office and community-based stabilization services once the individual is placed into housing as outlined by specific benchmarks set by funders and industry best practices. Extreme weather conditions may dictate that the HPSS provides support for emergency street outreach with BHOT. This position is considered an essential employee for the PSI. Housing Placement and Stabilization Specialist will work from the following principles: Shelter is a temporary safety net, not a home All people experiencing homelessness, regardless of their housing history and duration of homelessness, can achieve housing stability in permanent housing Everyone is “housing ready.” Sobriety, compliance in treatment, or even a clean criminal history is not necessary to succeed in housing. Rather, homelessness programs and housing providers must be “consumer ready” Engage guests’ strengths and assets to move as rapidly as they can tolerate, into permanent housing You will be working as a member of a larger team, asking for help and providing it to others as needed. Recognize the impact of violence and victimization on development and coping strategies Employ an empowerment model Maximize guest choices and control over her/his recovery supported by an alliance with staff Create an atmosphere that is respectful of the guests’ need for safety, respect, and acceptance Emphasize the guests’ strengths, highlighting adaptations over symptoms and resilience over pathology Minimize the possibilities of re-traumatization Strive to be culturally competent and to understand each person in the context of his or her life experiences and cultural background Solicit guest input and involve guests in designing and evaluating services

Requirements

Associate’s Degree in a human services related field (can be substituted for High School Diploma and three (3) years of equivalent experience in a social service setting)
Valid Driving license in good standing
Minimum of six (6) months of experience working with homeless or similar population, providing direct care and/or active case management and referral services to homeless individuals or similar population
Capacity for working collaboratively on a multi-disciplinary team
Affinity for considering and working with new approaches and expressing their own in a group setting
Strong written communication and documentation skills
Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office Products, including Excel and Outlook
Knowledge of the issues related to homelessness, particularly around housing, substance use, mental illness and economic factors as precipitants to homelessness
A working knowledge of homeless referral networks
Knowledge and belief in “Housing First” philosophy and strategies
Basic math skills and budgeting experience

Nice To Haves

Undergraduate degree, certification, training, or formal education in counseling and case management
Bilingual
Training in Trauma Informed Care, Progressive Engagement, and Motivational Interviewing
One (1) year experience working with homeless population, providing direct care
Extensive experience with case management, housing placement, and landlord engagement
Experience with Clarity, or similar HMIS system
Knowledge of tenant rights, and responsibilities as well as “Strengths based” Case Management
Experience with case conferencing with challenging presentations

Responsibilities

Organizing document collection
Enrolling clients in mainstream benefits
Filling out housing applications
Accompanying guests to unit showings and lease signings
Providing referrals to community based services
Provide office and community-based stabilization services once the individual is placed into housing
Provides support for emergency street outreach with BHOT during extreme weather conditions

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