Housing Specialist

HOM•Phoenix, AZ

19d•Onsite

About The Position

As a national leader in housing assistance programs, HOM, Inc. is dedicated to building communities where the promise of home is a reality for everyone. We believe individuals, families, and communities are safer, healthier, and stronger when everyone has a home. Whether ending homelessness through housing assistance, guiding new landlords and property owners through the financial benefits of our programs, or advocating among local leaders for increased funding and supportive services, our HOM team engages in meaningful work that advances our mission of ending homelessness in Arizona through housing. Honored as a Top 100 Companies to Work for in Arizona, HOM provides opportunities to make an impact, alongside generous pay, benefits, work/life balance, and PTO, among many other great perks. If you’re passionate about making a difference in our communities, there’s no place like HOM. If you would describe yourself as diligent, thorough, serious, situationally task -or people-oriented, and accurate – we want to talk to you about joining the HOM team as a Housing Specialist. The Housing Specialists manage a caseload of approximately 225 - 250 participants in various supportive housing programs that are funded by state, federal and local units of government or other agencies. Housing Specialists are responsible for the management of each participant’s entire participation in the housing program, including the initial admission and move-in, interim and annual certifications, unit transfers, and program termination. The Housing Specialist is a non-exempt position.

Requirements

Knowledge of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) federal regulations, AZ Residential Landlord & Tenant Act, and fair housing laws
Understanding and commitment to Housing First principles and application
Ability to work with various stakeholders, vulnerable populations, partners, health homes, supportive services, and properties
Commitment to excellent customer service to both internal and external stakeholders
Advocacy of housing programs and participants
Excellent organizational and time management skills
Problem solving with strength in de-escalation and conflict resolution
Provide trauma informed care
Detail oriented data entry and analysis
Strategic and tactical thinking and action to accomplish goals
Adaptability and ability to manage change
Accountability for work processes and outcomes
Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 applications including SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Planner, Outlook, Word, Excel, etc.
Flexibility and willingness to perform other duties as assigned to meet HOM goals
Adherence to HOM Security and Privacy Policies, HIPAA standards for both PII and PHI
Demonstration of the four (4) focus areas of HOM Inc.’s Competency Model: Emotional Intelligence, Expertise, Ethics, and Excellence
Participation in the Predictive Index (PI) Behavioral Assessment and utilization of PI tools to strengthen performance
Investment in personal / professional development, including learning new skills, reading reference materials or professional development books/articles/periodicals, and other professional development activities
Current Arizona Driver’s License
Current Automobile Insurance
Minimum 1 year of customer service experience required
High School Diploma or GED Equivalent

Nice To Haves

Relevant experience in housing, property management, homeless services, customer service, compliance-driven work, or a similar setting preferred
Industry certifications of Section 8 or Public Housing Occupancy or ability to obtain within (1) one year of hire
Associates and/or bachelor’s degree

Responsibilities

Provide timely and excellent customer service, in person, via phone and/or email
Maintain weekly communication with participants and care teams during housing search
Communicate with participant and/or care team through RFTA and inspection process and notate updates in software
Coordinate, with all HOM departments, tasks related to and in support of timely customer service, data entry, problem resolution, payment releases, and reporting
Represent HOM with provider partners and external stakeholder meetings
Conduct housing program orientation, individually or in group settings, presenting housing interventions, roles of HOM team, care teams, and participant, and process and timeline overview
Conduct intake appointment, verifying income, assets, and expenses to verify program eligibility and calculate participant rent (Total Tenant Portion [TTP]) and subsidy payment (Housing Assistance Payment [HAP]) in accordance with HUD regulation and specific program guidelines
Access participant’s personal proprietary information utilizing various secure computer databases, including the HUD EIV system, the Department of Economic Security AZTECS and GUIDE systems, tenant screening web sites, etc.
Register new participant or reactivate transferring participant account in Padmission Connect. Verify registration is complete. Confirm case management or supportive service representative also has access to Padmission. Perform brief tutorials and provide unit leads
Provide basic education to new property owners/agents on HOM program policies and procedures
Communicate with property agents to confirm Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) completion, negotiate lease terms, and address tenancy concerns
Receive, review, and confirm RFTA for completion, gross rent eligibility (including utility allowance), and build unit in software platform
Review lease for accuracy and adherence to Fair Housing and statutory requirements
Prepare and execute subsidy contracts including HAP and Rental Assistance Agreements (RAA)
Coordinate Move-In Kit distribution, by delivery or pick up, if applicable to program new admissions and notate in software
Conduct interim, annual recertification, and moving appointments for unit transfers
Coordinate and/or conduct staffing, case conference, or other efforts with care teams for participants at risk of losing their housing
Submit requests for termination to HOM Partners, appropriately documenting all attempts to remedy program non-compliance, notification of voluntary withdrawal, or notification of death
Create and maintain participant physical and digital files per HOM policy and in auditable condition
Document all participant, care team, and landlord interactions in household notes section of software
Upload all documents to the file center using correct naming convention
Run all tenancy actions upon completion of data entry into housing software and verification of accuracy
Caseload management includes self-auditing, data review of pending payments, follow up on missing documents, requesting support from leaders and peers, and reporting out on key functions