JOB SUMMARY

The Outreach Housing Specialist is responsible for coordinating the assessment to Individual and Families with Homeless needs and subsequent engagement for Shelters, Rapid Re-housing, Permanent Support Housing, and referral to access medical, dental, mental health, substance use disorder care, pharmaceutical, treatment education, and other services needed by Care Resource clients. Outreach Housing Specialist should provide housing assistance through available resources including the homeless continuum of care’s coordinated entry system. Outreach Housing Specialist participate in homeless coalition meetings, coordinated entry case conferencing, maintain appropriate client data in client case file, the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), and PATH-specific data systems, including spreadsheets and grant-prescribed data systems.

The Outreach Housing Specialist moves homeless individuals and families into permanent rental housing as quickly as possible, in conjunction with case management, workforce and support services being provided simultaneously. After rental assistance ends the clients will move into aftercare case management to provide on-going support and assistance to prevent homelessness in the future. The Outreach Housing Specialist assists program participants in locating and securing permanent housing as quickly as possible. Works and collaborates closely with landlords and Case Managers to mediate landlord-tenant issues and ensure successful tenancies.

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Outreach Housing Specialist

• Serves as a liaison, coordinator and/or advocate between the Homelessness, Housing case Management, Medical Care departments or other community medical or agency service provider to remove Homelessness barriers to House /care for clients.

• Accompanies clients to Housing, medical, mental health, substance use disorder treatment or social service appointments to improve Housing Stability and medical care

• Creates rapport within client interaction to help each progress in their Housing Issue to avoid homelessness situation.

• Interviews prospective clients to determine Homeless need, individual needs, and eligibility for various medical and social services, enrolling them into available community programs.

• Maintains organized system of tracking client outcomes through the services point systems (HMIS) and follow up with the goal of seeing clients progress toward improvements in their lives.

• Conduct initial interview/intake and client housing barriers and other assessments. Gather and document all necessary information for program eligibility and case plans.

• Help program participants identify potential neighborhoods where they wish to live, conduct housing searches in said areas and negotiate with potential landlords on behalf of the participants.

Services Planning and Documentation:

• Conduct research, outreach, education, and public relations to build a pool of landlords and property management companies willing to rent to program participants.

• Coordinates, support and follows up on medical treatments.

• Maintains an average annual active caseload as assigned by the supervisor.

• Assist in the processing and submission of applications for housing (subsidized and unsubsidized).

• Inputs client information using electronic data entry according to agency and departmental guidance.

Manages Resources:

• Maintains comprehensive knowledge of community services to apply knowledge of services to individual client needs.

• Supports billing through concurrent documentation of service provided and budget activities as required (i.e., reconciling billing across data systems including: PCIS, Web-based systems, CASEWATCH, HIMS, NextGen and client electronic health records).

• Participates in staff training sessions within the timeframes specified and as required by the agency and the funding source.

Other

• Participates in agency developmental activities as requested.

• Other duties as assigned.

Community Involvement:

• Participates in agency developmental activities as requested.

• Other duties as assigned.

Education

• High School or better

Skills

• Enthusiastic
• Compassion
• Verbal Communication
• Microsoft Office
• Phone etiquette
• Courteous
• Team Player
• Windows
• Phone Systems
• Customer Support
• Customer Focus
• Communication
• Computer
• Customer Service
• Written Communication
• Bilingual (Other)

Behaviors

• Detail Oriented: Capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get the task done well
• Team Player: Works well as a member of a group
• Enthusiastic: Shows intense and eager enjoyment and interest
• Dedicated: Devoted to a task or purpose with loyalty or integrity

Motivations

• Flexibility: Inspired to perform well when granted the ability to set your own schedule and goals