Housing Specialist

COMMUNITY HOUSING INNOVATIONS INC•New York, NY

12d•$24 - $50,004•Onsite

About The Position

The Housing Specialist ensures program participants receive services to locate, acquire, maintain, and retain permanent housing. The role provides landlord outreach and advocacy, housing leads, and application support, and requires knowledge of housing subsidy programs and accurate completion of related applications. The position is based in the Bronx, New York, and is full-time. The schedule follows one of the listed Tuesday–Saturday or Sunday–Thursday schedules, with one late day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; other scheduled days are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The position is non-exempt and eligible for overtime. Compensation is stated as $24.04 an hour; the listing also gives a salary range of $24.04–$50,004.00 hourly. Community Housing Innovations (CHI) is a not-for-profit housing and human services organization focused on supporting social and economic independence. Its vision is to end generational poverty and foster upward mobility by helping families and individuals access quality housing, a home of their own, and employment. CHI describes quality, affordable housing as a foundation for prosperity, personal fulfillment, and success.

Requirements

High school diploma required.
1–2 years of experience in a related field assisting people experiencing homelessness with obtaining permanent housing.
Working knowledge of NYC housing resources, including experience helping people find affordable housing and working with NYC and New York State agencies and programs that facilitate permanent housing goals.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
English proficiency required.
Basic competency in MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and internet use.
Ability to formulate simple financial budgets.
Ability to make home visits, including walking distances and climbing several flights of stairs.
Ability to prioritize and make appropriate decisions and judgment calls.
Ability to relate to underserved, homeless, and disabled populations.
Ability to work independently or as part of a team, stay organized, assume responsibility, work under pressure, meet deadlines, multitask, be flexible, and maintain attention to detail.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in human services or a related field.
Bilingual Spanish.

Responsibilities

Adhere to and enforce program regulations, policies, and procedures, and ensure clients receive quality services compliant with program requirements.
Assist clients in locating housing within their specified budgets.
Provide information, referrals, direct services, and advocacy related to the local housing pool.
Develop and maintain a housing-related referral network, including realtors, landlords, housing complexes, and local Section 8 offices.
Apply knowledge of NYC and NYS housing subsidy programs, supportive housing options, SROs, and affordable housing.
Collaborate with DHS, property owners, other service providers, and shelter case managers to help families meet ILP and program requirements.
Mediate between clients and property owners or their representatives.
Collect and review Housing Logs and inform case managers of concerns related to documents.
Complete Housing Packets and Shelter Supplement Program paperwork.
Submit required internal and external reports accurately and on time, including housing logs, unit inspection sheets, and progress notes required by CHI and DHS or funding agencies.
Complete progress notes and referrals, and update clients’ CARES cases.
Maintain charts, files, and housing paperwork in an orderly manner.
Maintain clinical appropriateness.