Housing Navigator

Purpose: (General description and summary):  

This role provides direct services in the community to participant households as they transition from houselessness, hospital, or licensed residential settings to housing settings of their choice within our community. The Housing Navigator uses a person-centered approach to assist participants to prepare for, obtain, and retain housing, with the goal of increasing independence and thriving in the community. The Housing Navigator is knowledgeable of housing placement, financing, and supportive service opportunities for all participants on their assigned caseload. They work with participants, the participant’s identified support team members, property managers, community partners, and colleagues to ensure high quality services are provided resulting in stable housing placements, housing retention and participant satisfaction.  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

Program Participant Focus 

• Works with all eligible program participants, including individuals with complex mental health needs, and meet with them in locations that best meet their needs (emergency shelters, behavioral health clinics, Multnomah Behavioral Health Resource Center)  

• Interviews and assesses participant household’s eligibility for housing needs and services. 

• Cultivates positive working relationships with participants. 

• Builds trust through direct, clear, and honest communication. 

• Active listening and empathy 

• Transparency and clarity regarding program expectations and processes. 

• Individualized service planning and pace of services 

• Provides tenant education to foster awareness of housing navigation and retention processes. Promotes informed choice through all levels of program participation. 

• Utilizes assertive engagement strategies and techniques. 

• Presents in a manner that results in each person feeling seen, heard, and valued. 

• Supports healthy boundary setting and holding by both staff and the participant. 

Service Provision   

• Understands and completes required service documentation in an accurate, thorough, and timely manner in accordance with contract and agency guidelines.  

• Responsible for coordinating services in all phases of housing as applicable. 

• Responds to housing, and other types, of crises that may arise.  

• Provides housing case management services including skills training  

• Demonstrates consistency and accessibility. 

Property management and Other Community Partners 

• Ability to build rapport and mutually beneficial working relationships with property management and other community partners. 

• Ability to understand, honor and communicate the perspectives of property management or landlords. 

• Routinely meets with property management partners to assess resource availability and ensure caseload participants are set up for housing success and housing retention. 

• Be accessible and respond promptly to property management concerns about a participant’s housing, wellness, etc. 

• Positively represents the participant and agency when working with community partners. 

Documentation, Data Collection, and Reporting 

• Utilizes required databases (Credible, HMIS, etc.) and operating systems (Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Outlook, Word, Excel, etc.). 

• Works with program manager to complete quarterly reports. 

• Demonstrates the ability to understand program outcomes and measure program effectiveness. 

Knowledge, Values, and Core Principles 

• Aligns with the mission and values of New Narrative, utilizing them to inform service delivery and decision-making. 

• Shows an understanding of key philosophies and models from which the team’s core values are derived and utilizes them to inform approach to working with participants and decision-making. 

• Person-Centered Approach 

• Intentional Peer Support 

• Housing First 

• Trauma-Informed 

• Harm Reduction Approach 

• Assertive Engagement 

• Demonstrates an understanding of housing vouchers and other housing programming within the community. 

• Positively contributes to team culture: 

• Giving and receiving well-intended feedback 

• Holding self-accountable 

• Taking initiative to enhance processes and systems. 

• Contributing innovative ideas 

• Enhancing the vision of the department and agency 

• Insight into personal biases and the ability to decenter oneself (center the participant). 

• Knowledgeable about Fair Housing, Landlord-Tenant Law, and housing related resources available to participants in our community. 

• Understand the dynamics and needs of individuals dealing with housing insecurity and barriers to obtaining housing.  

• Ability to follow contract and budget expectations. 

Additional Factors 

• Effectively demonstrates a commitment to stewardship and appropriate use of resources; completes credit card processing in an accurate and timely manner. 

• Identify conflict and utilize appropriate listening and communication skills to help resolve disputes. Ability to give and receive well-intended feedback. 

• Ability to identify and negotiate power in relationships with members of vulnerable populations. 

• Uphold the highest ethical standards and respect for confidentiality. 

• Answer participant and other business calls or communication within two business days, observing guidelines for confidentiality, security, and professionalism. 

• Work in a manner that is organized, efficient, and detail-oriented; Handle multiple tasks simultaneously and have excellent organizational skills. 

• Assist with special promotions and community education. Be involved in program advocacy and networking for social change. 

• Take care of yourself by being aware of personal limitations, communicating your needs to others, and asking for help when needed. 

• Participates in regular meetings to develop partnerships and build rapport with both internal and external stakeholders. 

• Perform other duties, functions, special projects, and responsibilities as assigned and deemed necessary by program manager. 

Positions Reporting: None 

Core Competencies 

• Communication: Direct, concise, and collaborative. Keeps others informed. Listens effectively to others. Maintains positive and open communications with staff. 

• Teamwork: Effective at working in team situations. 

• Initiative/Results Oriented: Originates action. Finds ways to get things done.  

• Quality: Promotes continuous improvement. Effectively utilizes data. 

• Customer Responsiveness: Responds well to internal and external customer needs.  

• Analytical Thinking: Attention to detail over sustained periods of time and ability to analyze data and recognize trends.  

• Dependability: Counted on to follow through on commitments; at work each day and on time; work completed in a timely fashion.  

• Aptitude: Ability to comprehend and apply innovative ideas, processes, procedures, or training. 

• Organizational Awareness: Understands the culture of the organization; interests and concerns of various groups. 

• Sensitive Information: Exposure to highly confidential information. Must always maintain the highest level of discretion and organization’s security.  

• Motivate: On-going ability to motivate others and remain consistently enthusiastic.  

• Demeanor: Remaining calm in crisis situations, empathetic, unbiased, and excellent interpretation skills.  

Education/Certificates/Licenses/Registration:  

Preferred: Qualified Mental Health Associate (QMHA) and/or Peer Wellness Specialist (PWS) 

Experience/Qualifications:  

Experience working in HMIS or Credible a plus. 

Experience working with Harm Reduction programs a plus. 

Experience with Housing First programing a plus 

Familiarity with the population (SPMI, Justice involved, SUD, unhoused) 

Must have a valid Drivers License