Housing Locator

Housing Forward; Dallas, Northern (TX, KY); On-site; USD 53,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO

Employer-provided health benefits

Laptop provided

Phone/hot spot

Job summary

Housing Forward in Dallas seeks a Housing Locator to identify and secure permanent housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. You will collaborate with system partners, case managers, landlords, and property owners, managing a portfolio of available units and coordinating with partners to streamline rehousing.

The role focuses on building relationships with landlords, negotiating terms to reduce barriers, and supporting clients through the housing placement process.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a related field.
• Experience in property management, real estate, or landlord engagement preferred.
• Strong customer service and communication skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and office software.

Responsibilities

• Actively seek out and maintain relationships with landlords and property owners to grow the pool of available, low barrier housing units for households experiencing homelessness in Dallas and Collin Counties.
• Collaborate with a team of Housing Locators to set and meet monthly targets for the number of units secured and leased.
• Manage an online inventory of available housing units and regularly report progress on performance outcomes.
• Manage a portfolio of properties to improve retention of landlords; act as liaison between landlords, case managers, and clients housed through the homeless response system.
• Negotiate lease terms, utility deposits, security deposits, and move-in fees; work with landlords to reduce barriers to entry.
• Deliver consistent updates on housing availability to frontline staff members.
• Provide regular feedback to management level staff of collaborating agencies regarding the housing unit location strategy.
• Convene networking and other meetings among CoC agency/partner landlord development staffs; maintain landlord and property information in Padmission Connect.
• Assist case managers with support services to ensure clients remain in permanent housing.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Landlord engagement

Housing search

Lease negotiations

Customer service

Stakeholder collaboration

Time management

Teamwork

Field work

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

TITLE: Housing Locator

Pay Type: Salary

FLSA: Exempt

REPORTS TO: Senior Manager of Landlord Engagement

COMPENSATION:Min $53,000, Mid $63,000, Max $72,000

ORGANIZATION SUMMARY

Housing Forward is the backbone organization leading one of the nation’s most innovative and successful homeless response systems. Through the All Neighbors Coalition, Housing Forward aligns more than 150 public, private, and nonprofit partners to build a coordinated, data-driven system that resolves homelessness across Dallas and Collin Counties. Since 2021, the community has achieved five consecutive years of reductions in homelessness while Housing Forward has grown into a high-performing lead agency with more than 45 employees driving system strategy, performance management, and cross‑sector collaboration.

Housing Forward is entering its next chapter by implementing bold strategies to ensure no one is forced to sleep outside. The organization seeks strategic leaders who thrive in complex environments, build alignment across diverse stakeholders, and embrace a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and innovation to drive system improvement.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Housing Locator will collaborate with system partners, case managers, landlords, property managers, and property owners to identify and secure permanent housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. This position will actively recruit and maintain relationships with housing partners, manage a portfolio of available properties, and coordinate with case managers and property partners to streamline the rehousing process. The Housing Locator will serve as a proactive problem‑solver, helping address barriers that may delay housing placement and supporting successful landlord and tenant partnerships. Housing Forward is seeking a passionate, resourceful, and relationship‑driven Housing Locator committed to helping end homelessness across Dallas and Collin Counties.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the supervision of the Senior Manager of Landlord Engagement, the Housing Locator will:

• Actively seek out and maintain relationships with landlords and property owners to grow the pool of available, low barrier housing units for households experiencing homelessness in Dallas and Collin Counties.

• Support implementing the community’s unit acquisition strategy. Collaborate with a team of Housing Locators to set and meet monthly targets for the number of units secured and leased.

• Manage an online inventory of available housing units and regularly report progress on performance outcomes.

• Manage a portfolio of properties to improve retention of landlords. Act as a liaison between landlords, case managers, and clients housed through the homeless response system.

• Negotiate lease terms, utility deposits, security deposits, and move‑in fees. Work with landlords to reduce or eliminate as many barriers to entry as possible.

• Deliver consistent updates on housing availability to frontline staff members.

• Provide regular feedback to management level staff of collaborating agencies regarding the housing unit location strategy.

• Convene networking and other meetings among CoC agency/partner landlord development staffs. Maintain landlord and property information updated in Padmission Connect.

• Assist case managers with support services to ensure clients remain in permanent housing.

• Other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Previous experience in property management, real estate, or landlord engagement.

• Demonstrated knowledge of housing search and lease up process.

• Excellent standards of customer service and professional communication.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel.

• Knowledge of homeless housing assistance programs a plus.

• Ability to engage and successfully negotiate with a variety of stakeholders.

• Ability to work as a member of a team and independently while incorporating the goals of the team.

• Ability to prioritize work activities, develop realistic action plans, and demonstrate effective time management.

• Strong people skills and ability to work effectively with people of varying backgrounds.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree or three years or more with experience in a similar field.

• Must have reliable transportation, valid state issued driver’s license and car insurance.

• Must be flexible to work in the field with landlords and property managers to the extent necessary to meet performance goals.

• Limited requirements, must be able to maintain files and lift objects that weigh up to 25 lbs.

WORK SCHEDULE:

• Housing Forward considers normal hours of operation Monday – Friday from 8:00am-5:00pm. Some nights and weekend meetings might be required to meet the needs of partner agencies or to represent Housing Forward at community meetings.

• Current Housing Forward guidelines state that employees must work at least 3 days per week in the office, but this is subject to change. Housing Locators however are required to work in the field with landlords and property managers to the extent needed to meet unit goals.

COMPENSATION:

• Housing Forward has a flexible PTO policy for all full‑time employees. The office is officially closed on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, & Christmas Day. Housing Forward has MLK Jr., Juneteenth, and Election Day as Days of Service.

• This position is eligible for employer‑provided benefits:

• Housing Forward pays 90% of employee Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance and 50% of Family Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance.

• Housing Forward provides Basic Life Insurance as well as Short‑ and Long‑Term Disability Insurance.

• Housing Forward will provide a laptop. We will additionally provide the applicant with a phone and/or hot spot if needed.

STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY

Employees of Housing Forward are expected to treat all persons with dignity and respect without regard to race, creed, color, sex, religion, disability, mental illness and/ or addictions (diagnosed or not), age, national origin, familial status, source of income, criminal background, sexual orientation, transgender, gender identity or gender expression.

For additional questions about the position, please contact Luis Acuna‑Pilgrim, Senior Director of Housing Initiatives, [e-mail].