Housing Diversion Specialist

Socket.dev; Raleigh (NC); Hybrid; USD 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

The Housing Diversion Specialist at Wake County works within the Continuum of Care to help individuals and families access homeless services through structured triage, assessments, and Coordinated Entry support, delivered both virtually and in person. The role blends light case management with rapid crisis resolution and collaboration with community partners in a hybrid, multi-location environment.

Responsibilities include CE intakes, enrollments, and referrals, plus maintaining data quality in

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent experience.
• Experience with CE, HMIS, or CoC policies is preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication for diverse clients.

Responsibilities

• Conduct CE intakes via virtual and in-person methods.
• Facilitate housing problem solving conversations to reduce homelessness inflow.
• Complete CE enrollments, triage, and HMIS documentation.
• Provide referrals to shelters, day services, and outreach resources.
• Coordinate with outreach teams and service providers for timely referrals and documentation.
• Monitor data quality and CE workflow compliance with HUD CoC standards.

Skills

Public speaking

Stakeholder engagement

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Problem-solving

Multilingual (Spanish)

Education

Bachelor's degree

Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Public Administration, Human Services, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)

Job description

What You\'ll Be Doing

The Housing Diversion Specialist is an essential member of the Wake County Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry Team, helping individuals and families access homeless services through structured triage, assessments, and Coordinated Entry support delivered both virtually and in person. The role focuses on effective housing problem solving, completing CE enrollments and assessments, and placing households on the Community Queue to connect them with shelter and housing programs in HMIS. This position blends client interaction, rapid crisis resolution, and collaboration with community partners. Responsibilities include light touch case management, day services, and referrals to shelters, drop in centers, and outreach teams. Flexible financial assistance may be used when appropriate to help households secure safe and stable housing quickly. The Specialist works closely with By-Name-List Coordinators, HMIS staff, and service providers in a hybrid, multi location environment, with occasional after hours flexibility.

Key Responsibilities: Coordinated Entry Intake and Housing Problem Solving

• Conduct scheduled CE intakes through virtual and in person methods.
• Facilitate diversion and housing problem solving conversations aimed at reducing inflow into homelessness.
• Complete CE enrollments, triage, and standardized assessments in HMIS.
• Connect clients with sources of flexible financial assistance when appropriate.
• Provide referrals to day services, drop in supports, shelter, and outreach resources.
• Coordinate with outreach teams and service providers to ensure timely documentation and appropriate referrals.

Client Support and Light Touch Case Management

• Offer short term follow up to ensure warm handoffs to shelter, outreach, or housing providers.
• Assist individuals in navigating community resources and crisis services.
• Collaborate with street outreach teams, shelters, and diversion providers to support rapid problem resolution.

Collaboration and System Coordination

• Work closely with By Name List Coordinators and HMIS staff to ensure quality CE enrollment and tracking.
• Build collaborative relationships with service providers to support timely and accurate referrals.
• Maintain strong communication with partners serving people experiencing homelessness.

Data Quality and HMIS Documentation

• Ensure accurate and timely entry of intake, assessment, diversion, and referral information in HMIS.
• Monitor data quality and follow CE and CoC data standards.
• Support reporting needs related to CE performance, inflow and outflow trends, and housing problem solving outcomes.

Policy and Process Support

• Adhere to HUD CoC policies, CE standards, and local procedures.
• Provide feedback on CE improvements based on direct client interactions.
• Support implementation of system updates, process changes, and workflow enhancements.

Traits

• You believe homelessness is solvable!
• Passion for community engagement and housing coordination, striving to strengthen support systems for individuals experiencing homelessness.
• Strong customer-oriented mindset, ensuring timely and quality referrals and support for individuals experiencing homelessness.
• Ability to navigate complex stakeholder relationships, facilitating collaboration among service providers, funders, and CoC members.

About Our Team

In 2025, Wake County established a new Continuum of Care department to fulfill its role as the CoC Lead Agency and key functions as Collaborative Applicant, HMIS and Coordinated Entry Lead. Wake County is operating under an MOU with the CoC Governing Board approved November 2024. The CoC Lead Agency is accountable to the CoC Governing Board consisting of representatives from local government, homeless and housing service providers, and people with lived experience of homelessness. The CoC Governing Board is the policy-setting and decision-making body for the Wake CoC, which is responsible to the Wake CoC Membership for fulfilling its Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-defined responsibilities. The Wake CoC Governing Board is responsible for overseeing the planning, coordination of resources, and evaluation of results for the community. This role is critical in the work to end homelessness and will be joining a passionate team focused on system improvement and client wellbeing.

The Basics (Required Education and Experience)

• Bachelor\'s degree
• No specific experience required
• Equivalent education and experience are accepted

Beyond the Basics (Preferred Education and Experience)

• Familiarity with HUD CoC, HMIS and CE policies and procedures
• Bachelor\’s degree in Social Work, Public Administration, Human Services, or a related field
• Three (3) years or more of job-related experience including work as a case manager, intake specialist or care coordination
• Experience facilitating case conferencing meetings, collaborating with providers to track client progress and ensure timely housing placements
• Experience working with HUD funded programs, including but not limited to Continuum of Care and/or Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) for documentation, reporting, and communication
• Multilingual skills, with Spanish strongly preferred, to support language access and effective communication with diverse households

How Will We Know You\'re \'The One\'?

• Considerable knowledge of the program and issue area.
• Comfort with public speaking, stakeholder engagement, and meeting facilitation.
• Excellent problem-solving and organizational skills.
• Ability to exercise judgment and discretion in applying and interpreting policies and procedures.
• Ability to understand and carry out oral and written instructions.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with associates, officials and the public.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Strong problem-solving and organizational skills to manage multiple tasks and priorities.
• Experience facilitating case conferencing meetings, collaborating with providers to track client progress and ensure timely housing placements.
• Experience in policy implementation and compliance, working within HUD CoC standards to improve Coordinated Entry workflows.

About This Position

Location: Justice CenterRaleigh, NC 27602

Employment Type: Regular

Work Schedule: Mon - Fri 8:30 am - 5:15 pm

Hiring Range: 26.82 - 32.79

Market Range: 26.82 - 38.76

Posting Closing Date: 7:00 pm on 9/20/2026

What Makes Wake Great

Consistently ranked high among the best places to live and work in America, Wake County is the proud home to NC State University, Research Triangle Park, and the two-time Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes, winners in 2006 and 2026. In addition to being Wake County\'s seat of government, Raleigh is also the center of state government, with the Capitol Building, legislature and many state government offices located in Raleigh. With an estimated population of just over 1.2 million residents, Wake County is North Carolina\’s most populous county. Entertainment, recreation, and art and culture abound with the North Carolina Museum of Art, JC Raulston Arboretum, and the Neuse River Trail all in the heart of Wake County. Wake County uses the Council/Manager form of government. Currently, the seven members of the Board of Commissioners are elected by district on a partisan basis and serve four-year terms. Starting in fall 2026, the Wake County Board will have seven commissioners elected by voters in their districts and two at-large commissioners elected by the whole County. The County is regarded as a fiscally responsible and well-managed government, enjoying a AAA bond rating. The County\'s FY2027 General Fund budget is approximately $2.28 billion, and the County has more than 5,000 full time employees. Wake County Government came in at #2 on the Healthiest Employers list for 2024. This year, US News & World Report ranked Raleigh #5 on its list of Best Places to Live, and the Milken Institute ranked Raleigh #1 on its 2025 list of Best-Performing Cities.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Wake County provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.

Background Check Statement

Position may require a background check that may include: criminal, credit, motor vehicle, education, and sexual offender registry or others based on job requirements. Unless required by state law, a record of conviction will not automatically exclude you from consideration for employment. Wake County Government is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Emergency Service Worker Statement

In the event of an emergency, as determined by the County Manager or designee, participation in preparedness and response operations should be expected. Employee may be required to fill a temporary assignment in a role different from standard duties, work hours and/or work location in preparation for, during and after the emergency. Employee may also be required to participate in relevant exercises and regular preparedness training.