Housing Advocate

Breaking Ground; New York (NY); On-site; USD 40,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dedicated Housing Advocate to join their outreach team. This role focuses on engaging street homeless individuals, assessing their needs, and connecting them to vital housing and support services. With a strong commitment to ending homelessness, the organization provides a supportive environment where you can make a real difference in people's lives. The Housing Advocate will work closely with partners in the field, utilizing motivational interviewing techniques to foster relationships and encourage clients towards permanent housing solutions. If you're passionate about social justice and community service, this position is an incredible opportunity to contribute to meaningful change.

Qualifications

• Two years related work experience required.
• Knowledge of local benefit agencies and mental health issues is essential.

Responsibilities

• Conduct street outreach to engage with homeless individuals.
• Maintain records and databases for chronic and non-chronic clients.
• Collaborate with various agencies and respond to community concerns.

Skills

Strong oral and written communication skills

Knowledge of local benefit agencies

Familiarity with substance abuse and mental health issues

Motivational interviewing

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Electronic record keeping

Job description

S2HB Outreach, 90 Sands Street, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America Req #2972

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

ABOUT US: We believe that everyone deserves a home!

Breaking Ground operates nearly 4,000 units of housing across New York City, along with housing in upstate New York and Connecticut. Supportive housing - affordable housing paired with services designed to help people maintain their homes for the long-term - is widely recognized as a proven and cost-effective solution to chronic homelessness.

But we didn't stop at providing housing. Breaking Ground's programs and services help people experiencing street homelessness - especially those who have been on the streets the longest - to come indoors. Through our Street to Home outreach program and transitional housing resources, we help people get, and stay, on the path to a permanent home.

Breaking Ground’s Street to Home program makes regular contact with more than 2,000 street homeless individuals and connects more than 500 individuals to housing, medical and mental health services, substance abuse counseling, and other essential supports each year. The caring, individually tailored attention clients receive at each stage of their journey from street to home ensures that more than 95% of people who Breaking Ground places remain stably housed.

Position Overview: The Housing Advocate works with street homeless conducting street outreach with the objective of engaging individuals to determine their eligibility for Street to Home services and to help secure appropriate housing solutions for all people who are street homeless. If chronic, the Housing Advocate will build a relationship with clients utilizing motivational interviewing to encourage the client to work towards permanent housing. If not chronic, Housing Advocate will utilize available resources to secure other housing placements. The Housing Advocate will always work with a partner and will spend most of the shift in an automobile conducting street outreach. The incumbent will respond to 311 calls and community concerns; participate in Code Blue and Code Red alerts; identify new hotspots/encampments and work to eradicate existing hot spots/encampments; conduct a bi-annual vulnerability index on all clients in their catchment area; and enter all required data into outreach database(s).

This position has a 35-hour work week.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Engage with all persons on the street who appear homeless
• Create and maintain active registry of chronic homeless clients; non-chronic included in registry
• Conduct vulnerability assessment
• Attend clinical supervision and training
• Develop and maintain recordkeeping files and databases, completion of necessary reports and data entry
• Communicate with team members through progress notes, program databases, reports, staff meetings, and weekly clinical supervision
• Liaison with other service providers on behalf of clients
• Collaborate with Parks Department, NYPD, DSNY, MTA, and other agencies
• Respond to 311 calls
• Participate in Code Blue/Red
• Performs other related duties as assigned

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Two years related work experience
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education and experience
• Knowledgeable about local benefit agencies and familiarity with substance abuse, mental health, and employment issues
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and electronic record keeping
• Valid NY, NJ, CT, or PA driver’s license with a good driving record, as defined by Breaking Ground, is a condition of employment
• Must maintain a good driving record (as defined by the organization) is a condition of employment