POSITION OVERVIEW:
The Housing Navigation Specialist’s upholds a pivotal role in utilizing Housing First principles to help homeless and formerly homeless households obtain, move into, and keep their homes and outreaching to and engaging households referred by HCSA to support a transition from homelessness into permanent housing across Alameda County.
This role will uphold and champion the agency’s mission, vision, and values and contribute to a collaborative and inclusive work culture.
Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:
Housing Navigation Transition Services
Assist households with obtaining housing and include:
- Conducting a tenant screening and housing assessment that identifies the Household’s preferences and barriers related to successful tenancy. The assessment may include collecting information on the Household’s housing needs and on potential housing transition barriers, as well as identification of housing retention barriers.
- Developing an individualized housing support plan based upon the housing assessment that addresses identified barriers, includes short- and long-term measurable goals for each issue, establishes the Household’s approach to meeting the goal, and identifies when other Providers or services, both reimbursed and not reimbursed by Medi-Cal, may be required to meet the goal.
- Searching for housing and presenting options.
- Assisting in securing housing, including the completion of housing applications and securing required documentation (e.g., Social Security card, birth certificate, prior rental history).
- Assisting with benefits advocacy, including assistance with obtaining identification and documentation for Supplemental Security Income eligibility and supporting the SSI application process. Such service can be subcontracted out to retain needed specialized skill sets.
- Identifying and securing available resources to assist with subsidizing rent (such as U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) or state and local assistance programs) and matching available rental subsidy resources to Consumers.
- Identifying and securing resources to cover expenses, such as security deposit, moving costs, adaptive aids, environmental modifications, and other one-time expenses.
- Assisting with requests for reasonable accommodation, if necessary.
- Educating and engaging with landlords.
- Ensuring that the living environment is safe and ready for move-in.
- Communicating and advocating on behalf of the Consumers with landlords.
- Assisting with arranging for and supporting the details of the move.
- Establish procedures and contacts to retain housing, including developing a housing support crisis plan that includes prevention and early intervention services when housing is jeopardized.
- Identifying, coordinating, securing, or funding non-emergency, nonmedical transportation to assist Consumers’ mobility to ensure reasonable accommodations and access to housing options prior to transition and on move-in day.
- Identifying and coordinating environmental modifications to install necessary accommodations for accessibility (see Environmental Accessibility Adaptations Community Support Services).
- Take the required components of the Coordinated Entry System (CES) training within 30 days of hire.
Housing Tenancy and Sustaining Services
The goal of tenancy and sustaining services is to maintain safe and stable tenancy once housing is secured. Services include:
- Providing early identification and intervention for behaviors that may jeopardize housing, such as late rental payment, hoarding, substance use, and other lease violations.
- Education and training on the roles, rights, and responsibilities of the tenant and landlord.
- Coaching on developing and maintaining key relationships with landlords/property managers with a goal of fostering successful tenancy.
- Coordination with the landlord and case management Provider to address identified issues that could impact housing stability.
- Assistance in resolving disputes with landlords and/or neighbors to reduce risk of eviction or other adverse action including developing a repayment plan or identifying funding in situations in which the Consumer owes back rent or payment for damage to the unit.
- Advocacy and linkage with community resources to prevent eviction when housing is or may potentially become jeopardized.
- Assisting with benefits advocacy, including assistance with obtaining identification and documentation for SSI eligibility and supporting the SSI application process. Such service can be subcontracted out to retain needed specialized skill set.
- Assistance with the annual housing recertification process.
- Coordinating with the tenant to review, update, and modify their housing support and crisis plan on a regular basis to reflect current needs and address existing or recurring housing retention barriers.
- Continuing assistance with lease compliance, including ongoing support with activities related to household management.
- Health and safety visits, including unit habitability inspections.
- Other prevention and early intervention services identified in the crisis plan that are activated when housing is jeopardized (e.g., assisting with reasonable accommodation requests that were not initially required upon move-in).
- Providing independent living and life skills, including assistance with and training on budgeting, including financial literacy and connection to community resources.
Other
- Attend trainings and participate in events relevant to key responsibilities
- Track and regularly report on key metrics for responsible function areas
- Leads and collaborate on special projects related to agency objectives as appropriate
- Other miscellaneous duties as appropriate
