What are the responsibilities and job description for the Housing Access Coordinator position at Community Action House?
Are you deeply concerned about the issue of homelessness in our area? Do you possess a genuine passion for forming meaningful connections with individuals? Are you eager to engage with and support our unhoused neighbors? If so, we invite you to become a vital member of our Outreach Team as a Housing Access Coordinator.
Our Outreach Team operates within a dynamic, community-focused organization. We are in search of a compassionate individual who thrives on building genuine relationships and serves as a steadfast advocate for our community. As a Housing Access Coordinator, you will navigate various sites, including the encampments, the Community Kitchen and Refresh, and other areas spanning across Ottawa County.
This role requires adaptability, adept problem-solving abilities, and exceptional interpersonal skills. Your primary objective will be to utilize your expertise to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with vital resources, all with the overarching goal of finding stable housing solutions for our houseless neighbors.
Start Date: July 2026
\n- Locate and build relationships with clients experiencing homelessness throughout Ottawa county; identify their barriers and make appropriate referrals to local resources
- Engage people experiencing homelessness in Holland at established “inreach” and “outreach” service locations such as the library, Community Kitchen, Refresh, and throughout the community.
- Operate agency vehicles to provide street outreach, transport supplies, and assist guests with access to services, appointments, shelter, and housing resources while maintaining safe driving practices and compliance with agency vehicle policies.
- Conduct street outreach and engagement activities in a variety of community settings, including encampments, wooded areas, shelters, and public spaces, requiring the ability to walk on uneven terrain, hike through outdoor environments, and work in varying weather conditions while building rapport with individuals experiencing homelessness.
- Provide case management services to clientele including: relationship building, assessment, engagement (goal setting in the areas of obtaining housing and other community resources), advocacy (collaboration with service providers and references for housing) and termination
- Assist clients with a variety of tasks including applying for benefits from local, state, and federal agencies and locating appropriate resources
- Carefully listening to client stories with the ability to both empathize as well as search for solutions to potentially ambiguous underlying issues
- Create and maintain relationships with local service providers to obtain program referrals and to collaborate effectively when working with shared clientele
- Maintain timely and accurate program and client records across multiple required platforms.
- Works collaboratively with a cross functional team to ensure highest client service and to ensure programming efficiently and effectively helps our guests build skills to achieve a stable and prosperous life.
- Update and learn about new community, local, state, and federal resources that may benefit our guests, as they become available.
- Other duties as assigned.
- Work experience or education in social services preferred.
- Ability to work independently and without direct supervision. Ability to handle a variety of constituencies, manage multiple tasks simultaneously and thrive in a complex environment with multiple priorities.
- Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people.
- Strong communication skills with a variety of guests, community members and collaborative agency team members.
- Strong active listening skills and ability to offer empathy.
- Integrity, positive attitude, strong work ethic, and self-directedness. Strong in critical thinking & problem solving
- Suicide Prevention, and Deescaltion technicques and skilled in conflict resolution and crisis management preferred
- A team player with a flexible and creative approach within a friendly, yet demanding, work environment
- Creativity in developing new and innovative approaches to challenges with a strong commitment to continuous improvement.
- Comfort with technology and database entry and management with Experience in recording case notes and database management preferred. Working knowledge of Google applications and platforms.
- Self-reflective, humble, and able to compassionately engage and process with coworkers and diverse populations with a history of trauma.
- Knowledge of the lived experience, systems-level barriers to housing, and resources available to houseless neighbors, preferred.
- Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people.
- Willingness and interest in continuous learning and adaptation based on your professional interests and organizational needs.
- A high standard of performance and integrity, and ability to lead by example to foster a positive workplace culture.
- Proficiency in clear and effective written and verbal communication, and ability to develop trusting professional relationships.
- Demonstrate a genuine passion for our mission and a commitment to upholding our team’s values: Radically Welcoming, Guest-Centered, Lead with Kindness, Curiosity-Driven, Always Improving, Collaborative by Design, Contagious Commitment, & One Team.
- 1 years of relevant experience required
- High School Diploma required. Some college preferred.; or in place of a degree, equivalent years of experience
- Valid driver’s license in good standing is required
- No supervisory experience required
- Bilingual Spanish proficiency preferred
Position Type: Full-time Regular
Overtime Status: Non-exempt
Reports To: Assistant Manager, Housing Access
Direct Reports: none
Department: Housing Access
Primary Location: Food Club & Opportunity Hub
Supervision Received: General Direction: Receives broad guidance and direction and has some autonomy in decision-making and flexibility in determining how to achieve goals. Supervisor provides support and resources as needed but may not be directly involved in day-to-day decision making or task assignments.
Supervisory Responsibilities: None: Does not have formal people leading (supervisory) responsibilities.
Physical Requirements
- Continuously use eyesight clarity/accuracy or visual perception
- Continuously read and understand written word
- Continuously engage in real-time verbal communication in English
- Continuously move about work area
- Frequently reach with hands and arms
- Frequently drive a vehicle for work
- Frequently operate computer and general office machines
- Frequently work outside in variable weather conditions
- Frequently work in stationary position
- Occasionally ascend/descend (stairs/ladder/etc.)
- Occasionally bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl
- Occasionally ability to push, pull, and lift up to 20 pounds
- Access to consistent and reliable transportation
- Ability to hike to outdoor encampments in variable weather conditions
- Evening hours occasionally, on an as-needed basis
About Community Action House
Since its founding in 1969, Community Action House has been the focal point of community efforts to provide critical support and pathways out of poverty for our neighbors in need. Our community-powered work takes a client-centric approach that meets people wherever they are at and offers services that enhance ownership and agency. Our work is organized in three interconnected areas: Food Access, Resource Navigation, and Financial Wellness. Welcome, excellence, and collaboration are some of our core values. (www.communityactionhouse.org)
In October 2021, we launched our new ‘Food Club & Opportunity Hub’ to expand efficient, impactful healthy food assistance with the on-site integration of other pathway programs. More recently, we announced a partnership with Dwelling Place to help address the affordable housing crisis here in Holland. In July 2023, we publicly launched our expansion of Lakeshore Food Rescue. (www.lakeshorefoodrescue.org)
In April 2026, we are launching our second Resale Store in Holland, MI. Our first Resale Store has proven that it can generate consistent, flexible funding that directly supports our work—while also providing practical resources for the people we serve. A second store allows us to scale that success. It’s a high-impact use of community assets: turning donated goods and volunteer engagement into reliable income, reducing our dependence on fluctuating grants and charitable contributions. (https://www.communityactionhouse.org/resale-expansion)
Organizational budget: $14M (inclusive of $7-8M of in kind support)
Agency Size: 80 staff and 3,000 annual volunteers
Our Values
Who we are. Who we aspire to be. What drives us. What unites us.
> Radically Welcoming
> Guest-Centered
> Lead with Kindness
> Curiosity-Driven
> Always Improving
> Collaborative by Design
> Contagious Commitment
> One Team
If you’re excited to collaborate on our mission, grow your skills, and be part of a team that deeply cares, we’d love to hear from you.
Our Benefits
Community Action House values every team member's contribution to ensuring our neighbors have what they need to thrive, and no one faces challenges alone. We strive to attract, engage, and retain high-performing employees passionate about our cause. Our compensation program is fair and market-informed, with annual reviews to ensure competitive pay. We offer a holistic benefits package and an equity-forward approach to annual increases. Performance, tenure, and market data guide individual compensation within our structured pay grades.
We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support you and your family. This includes medical, dental, and vision coverage options for employees and their dependents, along with employer-paid holidays, generous paid time off, and sick leave. Our benefits also feature a 401(k) plan with company matching, as well as employer-paid short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance. In addition, we invest in your growth through ongoing professional development opportunities, with a strong commitment to fostering inclusion, belonging, emotional intelligence, and cultural competency in a collaborative and diverse workplace.
Applications
An application is required to be submitted through our Jobs page of our website. Interviews are conducted on a rolling basis. The application process includes phone and in-person interviews. Community Action House will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If a reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact accommodations@communityactionhouse.org - thank you.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Community Action House is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth), sexual orientation, and gender identity, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, height, weight, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds to apply.
Note: This job posting is a description of the typical duties of this position, and is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties. Full job descriptions will be provided and job incumbents may be asked to perform other duties.
Salary : $19 - $21