Part-Time Housing Facilitator (Kona)

Status: Non-Exempt

Reports To: Team Leader

HOPE Services Hawaii, Inc. is looking to recruit a Housing Facilitator who will work independently and without supervision to maintain the operations and functions of the emergency shelter for 5- 31 individuals experiencing homelessness. The Housing Facilitator will be to focus on helping shelter guest increase access to, and retain safe, long-term housing, employment opportunities and then provide tailored supportive services.

Using a multi-disciplinary skill set, the Housing Facilitator must be able to exercise the followingskills:

• Serves as part of the shelter team focused on housing assistance and employment opportunities;
• Provides oversight and safety of program guest;
• Provide services designed to assist guest and their families in becoming document ready;
• Assess risks and develop appropriate plans to help ensure continuation of service;
• Communicate effectively with local community and external agencies, while successfully fostering relationships which enable needed resources to be accessed;
• Coordinate provision of services with other programs within the community;
• Report safety, sanitation and facility security concerns;
• Carries out the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness procedures where necessary;
• Immediately respond to suspicious, potentially dangerous and/or emergency situations where life, property and public order may be in jeopardy;
• Ascertain the housing needs and available resources of guest seeking aid and work with them to determine what is available to them;
• Generate resources in the area of housing, including: researching available affordable and supportive housing options;
• Troubleshooting technical housing issues as they arise with staff and guest;
• Assist guest with seeking a variety of needs to promote long-term housing stability;
• Actively participate in staff meetings andtrainings;
• Other duties asassigned.

The Housing Facilitator must be able to fulfill duties in accordance with the Housing First approach, including:

• Housing as the first essential step, without any requirements for sobriety, participation in treatment, medication protocol, compliance, or demonstrated “housing readiness”;
• Recovery orientation related to mental wellness and cognitive functioning;
• Reducing harm to the individual and broader community;
• Remaining non-judgmental in behaviors, practices, beliefs and actions of service participants;
• Promoting and empowering meaningful choices and service access options, as well as allowing the service participant to influence the type, duration, frequency and intensity of supports;
• Absence of coercion, tricks or contracting;
• Supporting greater independence over time;
• Professional relationship without dependency that supports “doing with” instead of “doing for”;
• Expressing empathy and positivity;
• Remaining future oriented, not anchored to past events, with a strong sense of promoting hope and possibility in a realistic manner;
• Transparency and disclosure of information with the service participant using full informed consent;
• Balancing the needs of the client, community and landlord in each situation;
• The right to refuse or revoke services and/or seek restitution or grieve instances where they feel services are inappropriate or inadequate.

The Housing Facilitator must have a passing knowledge and comfort in the areas of:

• Homelessness;
• Housing First;
• Addictions and dependency;
• Mental illness;
• Chronic illness;
• Non-profit organizations.

In the course of performing the duties of the Housing Facilitator it is not uncommon to see, engage or be confronted with first hand – or have staff encounter first hand – the following: violence and threats of violence; profane, racist and/or sexist language; bodily fluids; conflict; interactions with First Responders; alcohol and other street drugs; cigarette smoke; death of service participants or her/his associates; nudity of service participants or her/his associates; friends/family dynamics with service participants; people involved with sex work; people involved in the drug trade; persons used against their consent, will or knowledge; people in conflict with the law; and/or other situations that may be unsettling. Measures are taken to train staff to appropriately deal with these situations, but those in the position should reasonably expect these types of things to occur and the Housing Facilitator must provide appropriate direction and support to thesesituations.

Minimum Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge with community resources
• Current driver’s license and traffic abstract.
• Personal vehicle with current safety check, registration and minimum no-fault insurance coverage.
• Ability to comfortably drive or commute to neighborhoods throughout the community
• Strong ability to: mediate differences of philosophy and opinion; maintain calm, efficient and good-humored approach to work while managing competing priorities in a fast-paced, highly productive work environment
• Work independently and as a team member
• Availability to work occasional evening and weekend shifts

Candidates must display and/or demonstrate physical ability to:

• Use a computer keyboard and look at a computer monitor for most working hours of shift.
• Climb and/or walk up and down stairs and/or walkways.
• Sit for periods of up to 30 minutes at a time.
• Walk and/or standing for up to 30 minutes at a time.
• Lift, carry, pull and/or push items up to 30 pounds at a time and for short distances. Such motions may include reasonable bending, stooping, reaching and twisting.