Temporary Housing Retention Specialist - UCRT

DESC•Seattle, WA

just now•$39 - $43

About The Position

The Housing Retention Specialist (HRS) is a temporary, 12-month role on DESC’s Unit Condition Response Team (UCRT), a mobile, zone-deployed team. The HRS works alongside site-based Clinical Support Specialists (CSS) and Housing Stabilization Specialists (HSS) during critical housing-stability situations. This is an intensive, short-term intervention role rather than a traditional individual caseload position, providing direct behavioral coaching and practical support to residents facing complex tenancy barriers, including behavioral health challenges, hoarding, benefit-navigation needs, and imminent eviction risks. The HRS co-deploys with onsite staff to improve apartment conditions, strengthen housing retention and tenant engagement, support inspection readiness, build independent living skills, and assist with benefits and entitlements. The role uses trauma-informed, harm-reduction, and de-escalation approaches and collaborates with residents and their site teams on service-plan goals. The HRS also supports income and healthcare access, budgeting, documentation, housing transitions, and voluntary activities that promote community engagement. Timely documentation, care coordination, meetings, and agency training are part of the position. DESC is a social services organization, supportive housing operator, and licensed behavioral health treatment provider serving people experiencing long-term homelessness and complex behavioral health and medical conditions. DESC operates shelters, permanent supportive housing, scattered-site apartments, and behavioral health services.

Requirements

Ability to meet Washington Department of Health requirements for registration as a Registered Agency Affiliated Counselor (AAC) or any superseding credential.
Relevant bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, or a related behavioral science; or a combination of one year of relevant paid work experience and demonstrated ability to perform the required duties. Internal applicants in direct client-facing positions may substitute six months of experience for one year.
Experience working with formerly homeless adults disabled by co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
Knowledge of local homeless, mental health, and substance use disorder service systems.
Knowledge of Washington State public benefit programs, including ABD, SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, Medicare, and other income-support resources.
Ability to communicate and work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of unpleasant, intense, and/or bizarre behavior.
Commitment to cooperation and continuity across agency programs and to consideration and respect for clients.

Nice To Haves

Two years of experience working with homeless or formerly homeless adults disabled by severe and persistent mental health and substance use challenges.
Professional, volunteer, or lived experience with hoarding mitigation, clutter management, or intensive independent-living-skills coaching.
Ability to drive an agency vehicle for agency-related business, requiring a current Washington State driver’s license and insurable driving record.
Experience assisting individuals with benefit and entitlement navigation, including Medicaid, SSI/SSDI, ABD, food assistance, or other income and healthcare supports.
Knowledge of household pests and appropriate mitigation strategies.

Responsibilities

Serve as a mobile, cross-site specialist on an integrated care team, partnering with onsite HSS and CSS staff to address high-acuity housing challenges.
Co-deploy into high-acuity residential units to provide additional support for safety, pacing, and intensive unit remediation involving severe clutter, hoarding, biohazards, or other housing-retention crises.
Provide short-term, in-unit independent-living-skills coaching, including modeling organization, routine tracking, safe household practices, and clutter mitigation.
Use trauma-informed, harm-reduction, and de-escalation approaches to support tenants and reduce immediate fire, life, and safety risks.
Collaborate with residents and site-based HSS/CSS teams to implement goals in tenants’ Integrated Service Plans and, when applicable, Housing Retention and Stability Plans.
Provide intensive assistance with public benefits acquisition, retention, and troubleshooting, including Medicaid, ABD, SSI/SSDI, appeals, document gathering, and coordination with benefit specialists and community partners.
Assist tenants with benefit interruptions, income supports, and service-system navigation relevant to housing stability.
Support budgeting, income-stabilization planning, document management, and housing-transition planning.
Identify barriers to income and healthcare access and provide hands-on assistance with benefits, healthcare coverage, and entitlement programs.
Design and facilitate voluntary activities, skill-building workshops, tenant meetings, and neighborhood outings with onsite staff.
Document client interactions, assessments, and interventions in a timely manner according to agency standards.
Participate in UCRT staff meetings, PSH site care-coordination meetings, and agency trainings.
Perform other duties as assigned.