Housing Specialist

Hope Solutions•Pleasant Hill, CA

7h•Onsite

About The Position

The Housing Specialist provides housing search and placement support, home-based case management, and community-resource referrals for homeless families enrolled in the CalWORKs program across Contra Costa County. Working closely with Employment Specialists and referring CalWORKs case managers from the Employment & Human Services Department, the specialist provides coordinated, client-centered support to help families move into stable, sustainable housing as quickly as possible and maintain housing afterward. The role assesses housing needs and barriers, develops Housing Stability Plans with families, and helps connect them with resources. Plans may include time-limited financial support. Services are participant-driven, strength-based, and trauma-informed, delivered in the community and in clients’ homes at their convenience. Support is intended to resolve housing crises through flexible, short-term assistance and warm hand-offs to other providers when additional support is needed. This is a mobile direct-service role involving work across multiple locations and in the field. New program employees are expected to work on-site for their first 90 calendar days. Work from home requires advance approval and written approval; approved remote work must be conducted in a professional, private environment. Program staff are expected to structure the workday around approximately six hours of face-to-face work and two hours of administration and documentation, averaged over a week or month as program needs allow. On-call, after-hours, and backup work may be required. The position has no supervisory responsibility.

Requirements

Knowledge of and belief in the Housing First philosophy and strategies.
Passion for and demonstrated experience supporting vulnerable populations, especially homeless clients with mental disabilities.
Bachelor’s degree in social work or a related field, or equivalent experience.
At least two years of experience in the human-services field; experience with housing-retention barriers such as substance abuse, mental health, and/or income challenges is preferred.
Knowledge of, or willingness to learn, HUD requirements, including tenant certifications; experience with HUD-funded properties is relevant.
Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
Computer proficiency, including Microsoft and database applications.
Operational vehicle, auto insurance, valid California driver’s license, and willingness to drive for work.
Ability to pass LiveScan screening and a TB test.
Ability to climb stairs to clients’ second- or third-floor apartments without elevators; walk with clients up to one-half mile; work at a desk for up to three hours at a time; occasionally lift and carry up to 25 pounds; and drive, including at night.
Ability to transport oneself and consumers to appointments or meet at consumer homes.
Must be authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual in English and Spanish.
Experience supporting clients with housing-retention barriers, including substance abuse, mental health, and/or income challenges.
Experience working with HUD-funded properties.

Responsibilities

Maintain contact with all consumers in the caseload and provide home visits according to identified needs.
Conduct comprehensive psychosocial, life-skills, financial, and housing-needs assessments; collaborate with clients to develop and monitor housing support plans.
Research housing opportunities and help clients identify appropriate housing, overcome screening barriers, and prepare documents for applications.
Provide housing-related information and resources, including education about tenant and landlord rights and responsibilities and residential leases.
Transport clients to prospective landlords, housing application appointments, and potential unit inspections as needed.
Provide on-demand support for budgeting, benefits and services access, appointments, and overall housing stability.
Provide supportive mental-health interventions and crisis management as needed.
Connect clients with medical, mental-health, addiction/recovery, financial, legal, and other community services; coordinate with involved people and agencies throughout service delivery.
Partner with department staff, community service providers, referral sources, and Coordinated Entry programs to coordinate care and assess housing barriers and client needs.
Develop outreach and marketing strategies to identify landlords and expand housing inventory; present to interested community audiences.
Collaborate with Hope Solutions’ brokered-housing and property-management staff regarding shared housing resources.
Mediate and advocate with landlords on clients’ behalf to help obtain or maintain housing, and maintain communication among tenants, landlords, referral sources, agencies, debtors, and creditors.
Represent Hope Solutions professionally and comply with confidentiality, HIPAA, consumer-rights, safety, legal, ethical, regulatory, and organizational requirements.
Complete administrative paperwork, reports, personnel paperwork, expenditure reports, service documentation, and data for reports and funding applications accurately and on time.
Attend required staff, team, case-conference, and interagency meetings; complete employee onboarding, including reading and discussing a chapter of The Color of Law.
Perform other assigned duties; on-call, after-hours, and backup work may be required.