Housing Engagement Specialist

TVCCA - Thames Valley Council for Community Action, Inc.; Norwich (CT); On-site; USD 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

TVCCA - Thames Valley Council for Community Action, Inc. in Connecticut seeks a Housing Engagement Specialist to recruit landlords, property managers, and realtors for housing homeless or at-risk families via the HSOH referral process.

You will coordinate with regional CAN providers and Head Start HSOH staff, maintain a centralized landlord list, and provide mediation and education to landlords to advance rapid, sustainable housing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field plus three years’ experience with homeless families/individuals; or associate’s degree plus 5 years in homeless housing programs.
• Must possess strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Empathy to work with households experiencing homelessness and provide crisis intervention.
• Knowledge of issues facing homeless and chronically homeless populations.
• Ability to communicate with applicants, landlords, property managers, and TVCCA and funding source administrations.
• Must be organized and able to manage multiple households simultaneously.
• Strong negotiation/mediation skills; maintain client files.
• Advocate for TVCCA Housing Programs clients.

Responsibilities

• Identify, recruit, and maintain relationships with landlords, property management companies, and realtors statewide.
• Oversee and maintain a centralized list of landlord information and available units for HSOH-participating families.
• Provide ongoing education and mediation to landlords regarding housing for homeless populations.
• Establish and maintain relationships with area service providers and TVCCA/Housing Services staff.
• Represent TVCCA and HSOH on relevant committees; report progress and challenges.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Organizational skills

Negotiation and mediation

Public speaking (as needed)

Team player

Crisis intervention

Driver’s license and transportation

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Family Studies, Sociology, Social Work, Recruitment, etc.

Associate’s Degree + 5 years homeless/housing experience

Job description

The Housing Engagement Specialist (HES) will work to identify, recruit and maintain relationships with landlords, property management companies, and realtors throughout the state of Connecticut who will lease to homeless or at-risk households that come through the HSOH referral process. The HES will serve as a liaison between the regional CAN providers, landlords and realtors who have available units, in partnership with Head Start program HSOH lead staff throughout the state. They will be responsible for overseeing and maintaining a centralized list of landlord information as well as available units which are available to HSOH participating families in need of housing. The HES will provide ongoing education and mediation to landlords regarding the challenges and benefits of providing opportunities to this population of tenants. This position’s primary responsibilities are to establish and maintain relationships with property owners and HSOH liaisons to house participating families as rapidly and sustainably as possible.

Required Skills

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field (Family Studies, Sociology, Social Work, Recruitment, etc.) plus three years’ experience working with homeless families and/or individuals; or an associate’s degree in a related field plus 5 years working with homeless populations and/or housing related programs.
• Must possess strong communication skills both written and verbal.
• The Housing Engagement Specialist must have the empathy to work with households experiencing homelessness. Will provide crisis intervention services.
• This position requires knowledge of the issues facing the homeless and chronically homeless populations.
• Must be able to communicate with applicants, landlords, property managers, other community agencies and TVCCA and funding source administrations. Strong computer skills required. May be required to perform public speaking with community groups and other service providers.
• Must be organized and able to work with multiple households simultaneously.
• Will need a high level of negotiation and mediation skills. Must be able to build client files and keep them current and in a consistent manner.
• Must be willing to be a strong, diplomatic advocate for the clients of TVCCA Housing Programs.
• Conduct outreach to the community, business owners, realtors, landlords, housing developers and other service providers to identify new and existing opportunities and build strong relationships to better assist clients in accessing community resources.
• Establish and maintain relationships with area service providers.
• Serve as a representative of TVCCA and the HSOH on relevant Statewide, regional, or local Committees
• Report to statewide committees on progress/challenges HSOH participants and programs are experiencing related to ending homelessness and housing instability
• Have a clear understanding of tenant rights and responsibilities.
• Be an effective team member of the Housing Services Department, willing to work with and assist any group within this department that may need help.
• Display excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Adopt and adhere to TVCCA’s mission.
• Sit at a desk for up to 6 hours.
• Work in a crowded, noisy environment.
• Work in a dead-line driven, performance-based program.
• Work under pressure and respond to stressful situations with positive, mature judgment.
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with agencies, employers and fellow employees.
• Operate a motor vehicle; have a driver’s license and access to daily, reliable, insured transportation.
• Travel to sites as needed. (local and statewide)
• Attend all trainings and conferences as assigned by supervisor.