Veteran Housing Navigator

The Road Home•Salt Lake City, UT

8d•$19•Onsite

About The Position

The Veteran Housing Navigator assists guests by conducting housing searches, coordinating with internal housing programs, and connecting individuals to community resources. This role focuses on cultivating new housing opportunities by engaging property managers and owners to participate in The Road Home’s initiatives. Key responsibilities include preparing housing paperwork, conducting initial and recertification inspections, and guiding tenants through rent processes, lease agreements, and property management concerns. The position demands strong communication skills to support tenants unfamiliar with housing systems, along with scheduling flexibility, including late shifts, to effectively serve highly vulnerable populations.

Requirements

Must pass a pre-employment background check and drug screening.
Lived, worked, or volunteered experience preferred, or a degree in a related field.
Experience working with diverse and/or vulnerable populations required.
Use organizational skills and attention to detail to focus on problem-solving, including engaging and encouraging housing conversations with veterans and their families in crisis.
Demonstrate strong negotiation and conflict resolution skills to effectively mediate between tenants and property managers, ensuring housing stability and positive landlord relationships.
Navigate complex housing systems with knowledge of rental assistance programs, affordable housing networks, and VA resources to connect Veterans with viable housing options.
Adapt quickly to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment, balancing direct client support with administrative tasks like inspections, documentation, and data tracking.
Ability to collaborate professionally with community partners.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with diverse populations.
Provide excellent customer service by communicating clearly and handling difficult situations with professionalism, patience, and empathy.
Use basic computer programs (email, spreadsheets, and more) and have basic computer skills, including working knowledge of Microsoft Suite.
Ability to accept supervision, direction, and feedback with openness.
Communicate clearly and effectively with clients, coworkers, and supervisors using verbal and written communication.
Ability to lift and move heavy items up to 50 pounds, including assisting with move-outs and lifting furniture.
Ability to perform outreach in extreme weather conditions, including summer heat and winter snow; be willing and able to perform outreach on foot up to five miles per day while wearing a backpack with supplies.
Ability to sit, stand, and move for at least an hour at a time or more.
Ability to use steps, stairs, ladders, climb, reach, twist, bend, squat and stoop.
Must be at least 21 years old, have a valid, unexpired driver’s license, and the ability to drive a vehicle, as needed.

Nice To Haves

Experience with mental health and substance use disorders preferred.
Knowledge of homeless populations and community housing resources preferred.

Responsibilities

Cultivate relationships with property owners/managers through outreach, education about our Housing Focused program, and mediation of tenant-landlord issues.
Identifying available units, maintaining communication about eligibility/rental assistance, and monitoring tenant stability and unit safety.
Maintain and update a spreadsheet of vacant units around Salt Lake County with contact information and application details.
Perform housing searches for veteran households, advocating on their behalf and helping them navigate the approval process with clear and consistent messaging.
Provide crisis intervention and facilitate housing discussions with clients, addressing barriers through direct assistance with apartment applications, transportation to view units, and connections to housing services.
Collaborate with SSVF teams to secure safe, affordable housing by attending outreach events for homeless veterans in Salt Lake County, providing weekly unit leads, and customizing housing searches to meet individual veteran needs.
Become familiar with rental assistance funding sources.
Identify affordable housing units and screen them to determine program eligibility for SSVF assistance by completing unit inspections, unit recertifications, and landlord paperwork.
Conduct follow up calls/visits with SSVF approved veterans to ensure they are supported in reaching their housing stability goals
Notify and coordinate between SSVF teams, veteran households, and property managers on required documentation, upcoming inspections, necessary unit re-inspections, upcoming unit recertifications, and general funding capacity and/or limits.
Complete programmatic requirements daily, including data quality, record keeping, and documentation management.
Develop, foster, and maintain relationships with key partner agencies, landlords and property managers, and the local Veterans Administration.
Attend and contribute to internal and external meetings including but not limited to: Salt Lake Valley Coalition to End Homelessness Core Function groups, Community Triage Group and Veteran Community Triage meetings, and inter-department collaboration meetings.
Collaborate closely with the Veteran Manager and Outreach Supervisor on program operations, team dynamics, and veteran supports, ensuring program fidelity, accurate documentation, and effective interagency coordination.
Attend mandatory agency trainings, including Trauma-Informed Care, Housing Focused, De-escalation, Suicide Prevention, CPR, and more.
Participate in emergency drills and environmental safety activities, as required.
Follow all agency protocols for security, safety, and sanitation to maintain a clean and secure environment for guests and staff.
Maintain regular and reliable attendance as an essential function of this position.
Other duties as assigned.
Reasonable accommodations may be considered to enable all individuals to perform these essential functions, so please still apply.
Actively engage with and honor the unique backgrounds, identities, and experiences of all individuals we serve.
Advance the agency’s commitment to honoring diverse ethnic and cultural heritages through daily actions that foster genuine belonging.
Implement Housing Focused principles, risk management strategies, and low-barrier services as foundational to our mission.
Maintain healthy boundaries using trauma-informed approaches in all interactions.