Housing Specialist Jobs

About The Position

Requirements

• Superior customer service skills.
• Proficiency in case management functions related to the HCV/Section 8 program.
• Ability to determine and document participant eligibility, income, rent, and contractual relationships with owners.
• Experience with admissions, re-certifications, interim adjustments, rent increases, leasing, portability, project-based, and single-room occupancy voucher programs.
• Skill in addressing participant and landlord issues.
• Ability to conduct eligibility interviews.
• Experience with criminal history checks.
• Knowledge of HUD requirements for documenting family composition, citizenship, immigrant status, and social security numbers.
• Understanding of HUD rules for determining Annual Income.
• Ability to obtain EIV or third-party verification of income.
• Proficiency in calculating Adjusted Income and Total Tenant Payment accurately according to HUD rules.
• Ability to determine voucher size qualification.
• Skill in briefing Voucher-holders on housing opportunities.
• Ability to set up complete and accurate participant files.
• Experience with Requests for Tenancy Approval, HAP contracts, inspection reports, rent reasonableness determinations, and leases.
• Ability to ensure participants do not pay more than 40% of adjusted monthly income in TTP.
• Proficiency in entering correct information and forwarding 50058 forms.
• Complete understanding of leasing and admissions rules as determined in HUD regulations.
• Ability to review RTAs for completeness, log RTAs, and input data into a computer.

Responsibilities

• Works cooperatively with other members of the Voucher Administration group, adjusting workload as necessary when other members are ill or on vacation.
• Investigates and resolves participant and landlord complaints minimizing involvement of supervisor to the satisfaction of all parties.
• Communicates with applicants, participants, landlords/owners and co-workers in a manner that is courteous and professional.
• Answers resident and landlord questions, providing information on status of rent, damage claims, property inspections, provisions of the lease and contract, program regulations, Housing Authority policies, and procedures, etc.
• Returns calls to participants and landlords within one workday.
• Places information received through the mail, by fax or email in appropriate part of participant file within two workdays of receipt.
• Submits monthly performance reports as required.
• Provides clients with information on HANO policies and procedures, and responds to requests for information within the scope of authority.
• Maintains absolute confidentiality of work-related issues and HANO information.
• Processes applicants (waiting list and special admissions) as directed by Supervisor in a manner consistent with achieving a 97 percent utilization rate.
• Purges the waiting list annually.
• Recommends opening or closing the waiting list at least two months before the action is needed.
• Places 98 percent of applicants on the waiting list in accordance with the Administrative Plan.
• Selects 98 percent of applicants from the waiting list in accordance with the Administrative Plan.
• Conducts eligibility interviews with applicant and port-in families.
• Conducts interviews in the client's home or field office as needed.
• Conducts criminal history check on all adult members of applicant families.
• Determines eligibility of applicants from the waiting list, special admissions and port-ins. Informs ineligible families of informal meeting procedures.
• Documents family composition, citizenship or eligible immigrant status and social security numbers of family members over age six (or certification that no number exists) in accordance with HUD requirements.
• Determines Annual Income in accordance with HUD rules.
• Obtains EIV or third party verification of income (or documentation of why third party verifications are not present).
• Calculates Adjusted Income correctly in accordance with HUD rules.
• Obtains third party verification of deductions (or documentation of why third party verifications are not present).
• Calculates Total Tenant Payment accurately.
• Determines the Voucher size for which each family qualifies in accordance with the Administrative Plan.
• Issues Vouchers and briefs Voucher-holders, emphasizing housing opportunities outside areas of minority and low income concentration.
• Sets up complete and accurate files with all necessary participant-supplied documents and third party verifications (or documentation of why third party verifications are not present).
• Receives Requests for Tenancy Approval, HAP contracts (with HUD-required Tenancy Addendum) Inspection reports, rent reasonableness determinations and leases. Checks to ensure that no participants will be paying more than 40 percent of adjusted monthly income in TTP, reviews for original signatures and internal consistency (particularly with respect to who pays for various utilities), places in participant files and authorizes HAP payments to owner.
• Enters correct information and forwards accurate and timely 50058 form to Housing Choice Voucher Program Manager for submission to HUD.
• Demonstrates a complete understanding of the leasing and admissions rules as determined in the HUD regulations.
• Reviews Requests for Tenancy Approval (RTA) for completeness, logs RTAs and inputs data into computer.
• Requests all documents required with Request for Tenancy Approval.