Coordinated Entry Administrative Specialist

Chelan County Comunty Development Dept.; Wenatchee (WA); On-site; USD 47,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

Chelan County Comunty Development Dept. is seeking an Administrative Specialist for the Coordinated Entry program.

You will be the first contact for households, enroll clients in the Coordinated Entry System, and perform critical administrative tasks to connect families with housing resources. Responsibilities include answering calls, processing applications, maintaining contact lists, and ensuring confidentiality.

Qualifications

• Requires high school diploma or equivalent and experience in public or community settings.
• Experience with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word) is required.
• Trauma-informed care or related training is preferred.
• Spanish language ability is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Answer CE line and greet clients at front desk.
• Enroll households in Coordinated Entry System and conduct assessments.
• Maintain HMIS data entry and client confidentiality.
• Make referrals to programs and conduct warm hand-offs as needed.
• Support daily CE operations and data management.

Skills

Microsoft Outlook

Excel

Word

Trauma-informed care

Spanish bilingual

Independent work

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Associate's or Bachelor's degree (preferred)

Job description

Description

Coordinated Entry (CE) is the access point to services for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness in Chelan and Douglas Counties. The CE Administrative Specialist is often the first point of contact for households seeking help: answering the CE line, assisting walk-in clients, enrolling households in the Coordinated Entry System, conducting diversion conversations, and making referrals to housing programs. Households can access CE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through an online application, or by calling the Homeless Housing Network line to speak with CE staff during business hours, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The work is challenging but rewarding, and requires someone who can address each client interaction with trauma-informed care and patience. Chelan County follows a Housing First approach, which connects people experiencing homelessness to permanent housing quickly and without preconditions such as sobriety, treatment compliance, or “housing readiness.”

Salary

PW04 Step 2-4 $4,180.39 - $4,563.55

LONGEVITY Step 5-8 $4,769.62 - $5,451.71

Summary

Coordinated Entry (CE) is the access point to services for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness in Chelan and Douglas Counties. The CE Administrative Specialist is often the first point of contact for households seeking help: answering the CE line, assisting walk-in clients, enrolling households in the Coordinated Entry System, conducting diversion conversations, and making referrals to housing programs. Households can access CE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through an online application, or by calling the Homeless Housing Network line to speak with CE staff during business hours, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The work is challenging but rewarding, and requires someone who can address each client interaction with trauma-informed care and patience. Chelan County follows a Housing First approach, which connects people experiencing homelessness to permanent housing quickly and without preconditions such as sobriety, treatment compliance, or “housing readiness.”

General Function

Under supervision of the Homeless Program Supervisor, and with day-to-day work direction from the CE Lead, this role provides support to community members residing in Chelan and Douglas Counties who are experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness by enrolling them in the Coordinated Entry System; provides administrative support to the Chelan-Douglas Coordinated Entry System; performs support work related to department activities; participates in processes, procedures, and programs; and performs related work as required.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Answer calls to the CE line and capture all calls to the CE system daily;
• Assist walk-in clients at the front desk, including check-in, assessment, enrollment, and general questions;
• Retrieve voicemail and maintain CE contact lists and waitlists so that every household is followed up;
• Process applications and administer appropriate assessments;
• Contact households within the one-business-day contact window;
• Conduct compassionate and practical problem-solving conversations to identify the household's strengths and available resources;
• Conduct diversion conversations, exploring options such as doubling up, re-establishing lease terms with a recent landlord, mediation or payment plans with landlords, reuniting with family or friends in other locations, or other permanent housing options that would not require financial assistance from a program;
• Identify when diversion funding may help a household avoid homelessness or quickly resolve their unhoused situation, and submit diversion requests to the CE Lead for authorization in accordance with the Diversion Policies and Procedures;
• Verify eligibility based on housing status and income;
• Maintain client confidentiality;
• Explain the consent form required for entry into the State's Homeless Management Information System (HMIS);
• Make appropriate referrals to programs for which households qualify, and process incoming referral requests;
• Make warm hand-offs to crisis response, recovery navigation, and other partner services as needed;
• Complete CDEAssessment 90-day re-enrollments and maintain the Loss of Contact List;
• Maintain the CE Master List to standard;
• Enter data into HMIS and the CE Master List that meets State and local HMIS data standards;
• Scan and file client documents to the correct record;
• Provide clients with resource guides, transit information, and other appropriate resource information;
• Route complaints and grievances to the CE Lead under the CE complaint and grievance policy;
• Maintain relationships with partner organizations and collaborate on stability plans for clients when necessary;
• Be proficient in all housing resources available to clients;
• Participate in the annual Point in Time Count;
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent;
• At least one (1) year of increasingly responsible administrative work experience in a public, community, or relevant field;
• An equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience may be considered;
• Experience working with individuals and/or families in crisis;
• Experience working in Microsoft programs such as Outlook, Excel, and Word.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in a field directly related to management, public administration, health & human services, sociology, psychology, substance use disorder, or the equivalent;
• Bilingual in Spanish;
• Experience working with HMIS (HMIS training must be completed within 30 days of hire);
• Previous experience working in the public sector;
• One to two (1–2) years of experience providing direct client services;
• One to two (1–2) years of office work experience;
• Advanced proficiency in MS Office programs;
• Previous case management experience with social service or related programs;
• Trauma-informed care or motivational interviewing training;
• Lived experience of homelessness.

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Ability to maintain confidentiality;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships;
• Ability to network and work well with other organizations and service groups;
• Ability to communicate clearly, tactfully, and professionally;
• Must be able to work independently;
• Ability to multitask, especially entering client data while speaking on the phone;
• Ability to work with competing deadlines;
• Ability to plan, organize, and monitor activities according to priorities, established schedules, and deadlines;
• Ability to maintain composure in fast-paced environments and stressful situations and to respond quickly to unanticipated questions or requests;
• Ability to successfully perform responsible and complex work involving the use of independent judgment and personal initiative without supervision;
• Establish professional and cooperative working relationships with employees, other agencies, and the general public;
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions in written, oral, or schedule form;
• Working knowledge of, or ability to learn, the Chelan-Douglas CE Policies and Procedures, RCW 43.185C, and HMIS confidentiality and data standards.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position has no supervisory responsibilities. The CE Administrative Specialist receives day-to-day work direction from the CE Lead, including coverage, scheduling, and workload distribution.

Language Skills

Must be able to communicate proficiently in English both orally and in writing. Proficiency in Spanish both orally and in writing is preferred.

Work Environment

The primary work environment is indoors in an office setting. Travel between buildings and to partner agency locations outside of the main office will be necessary.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Must be able to talk and listen. Work is generally performed in an office environment; sitting, standing, walking, and computer use are frequent and can be for extended periods of time; must be able to move from sitting to standing quickly to assist customers; must be able to kneel, stoop, bend, twist, reach and grasp, use small ladders or stepstools, and operate standard office equipment; must have the ability to lift, pull, push and/or carry up to 25 pounds using proper lifting/carrying techniques; must have sufficient vision to read printed materials and computer screen, and adequate hearing and speech to communicate clearly in person or over the telephone.

Closing Statement

This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.